Inside the Pepsi Center, the jumbo screen still silently streams stars and stripes, but there is no one to salute. ... It was clear upon entrance today that it was a different day at the Pepsi Center. Aurora Avenue, which had been a long, punishing walk through two sets of security has been returned to its original intent, with cars and buses whizzing by, unfettered by chain link and concrete. The entrance to the arena, a place where you would be Tazer-ed, or worse, for breaching without credentials, has become just one more street corner. I entered gingerly out of habit, patting my pockets for metals to get through non-existent mags.
We've been writing about the Pepsi Center for over two years now, and it's time to say goodbye. It's been crowded, and some thought a little small, but I think the Democrats put on a great show there. The podium, which some ridiculed when it was first shown, was never mentioned since Monday, and provided a great backdrop:
Remember that as some are already knocking the Invesco setup. It doesn't matter what it looks like from an airplane. It matters what it looks like from your TV set. And we'll see it in less than 24 hours.
Oreo is embedded on the floor of the convention, a virtual member of the Indiana delegation. This pic was taken just before Bill Clinton came on stage.
As we noted below, the Fire Marshall has the authority to close down the floor, or the whole Pepsi Center. Well it happened tonight, and we have fascinating video of unhappy delegates being told by respectful security that they are not allowed to go on the floor:
The Pepsi Center is packed. The aisle on the floor behind the delegations is completely blocked by people. I can count only about 20 empty delegation seats. What happens if it's decided the bowl is over capacity?
Although the night is moving along slowly there's a constant buzz from the crowd. You'd think something big is coming up ;)
Update from Matt: Fire Marshall's have closed convention halls in the past - most usually on Thursday night. When they close the hall, it doesn't matter what color your credential is.
There are massive lines at the main guest and delegate magnetometer checkpoint at this hour. It's a widely known but little reported fact that many delegates, most guests, and nearly all donors choose to attend only the primetime hours.
10:15 ET update from PBS NewsHour Twitter: "floor access closed unless you have a seat."
10:23 ET update from PoliticsWest Twitter: "Pepsi Center closed off by fire marshall because it's too full"
One day after Barack Obama named Joe Biden as his choice for Vice President of the United States, the Democratic National Convention Committee announced today that the Delaware delegation would move to the front of the Pepsi Center. The honoring of the home state delegation of the Vice Presidential nominee is a Convention tradition.
Democratic National Convention Committee Deputy CEO for 'Inside the Hall' Operations Travis Dredd will join Delaware State Chair John Daniello and Obama For America Deputy Campaign Manager Steve Hildebrand for the moving of the Delaware Delegation Sign at 9:15 AM MT on the Pepsi Center Floor.
Even the biggest convention gurus can sometimes get it wrong.
Update: Looks like Rhode Island got moved to the back!
With the Democratic National Convention opening on Monday, some lawmakers and senior party officials said their offices and political operations were receiving significantly fewer of the passes that will allow entry to the Pepsi Center and access to the floor than they have received for past conventions.
Grousing by politicians about a shortage of credentials, convenient hotel rooms and party invitations is as much a convention tradition as the balloon drop. But top aides and others in Democratic circles said the problem was more pronounced than usual this year and could be potentially serious because they typically use credentials to reward top contributors and campaign supporters who want a taste of the political moment. Those people are clamoring for access to the nomination of Senator Barack Obama, eager to be on hand as the Democratic Party taps its first African-American presidential nominee.- NY Times
The DNCC announced today that on Friday, August 22, people will be welcomed into the Pepsi Center to see everything that's been done to prepare for the convention.
You can click here to reserve your tickets (Maximum of 4 each)
What
During the Convention, the arena will be the focal point of television screens around the world—and you can be one of the first to experience its beauty and magic. Prior to the start of the Convention, local residents will be invited to tour the Pepsi Center and see first-hand where history will be made within the Convention Hall. Attendees will view the podium and stage where dozens of individuals, including the keynote speaker, will take the stage during the first three days of the Convention.
When
The open house will run from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm MT on Friday, August 22, and will be free of charge. You must be in line by 3:00 pm to join a tour.
Why
This is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to all of you in Denver who have graciously hosted us for the past year. You have opened your arms warmly to us, and we want to return the favor by throwing open the doors of the Pepsi Center so you can be one of the first to see the Convention Hall.
On the morning of July 31st 2008, I boarded a United Airlines morning flight to Denver to attend the final (?) media walkthrough before the Democratic National Convention, this one at Invesco Field.
Unlike my first media walkthrough trip, I ended up renting a Saturn SUV for ground travel. The reason was simple: it was cheap. Cheaper to rent than a Prius and because they were in low demand versus the economy cars. In a way it worked out to a savings of about $25. Invesco Field was only 20 minutes away from the airport, so it was a quick trip for me.
I arrived at Invesco at 11:20 and ran into a DNCC employee (who I will not name by request) and who walked me around the stadium (we ended up on the field at one point) and eventually into the main briefing meeting.
For security reasons I did not film the main meeting discussion, but focused more on the 'broadbrush" tour and interviews of key media people there. On the way to the main press box, I met "Oreo" who's one of the main contributors at DemConWatchBlog.com and talked about how the blog came to be and who the writers were. To my surprise, one of them was a person who had his own blog called "Mr. Super" for a time, and gave all of us political junkies fits trying to figure out who he was. It's become a great resource for DNC Convention news.
After talking with Oreo, and heading to the main field, I met Sara Burrett, who's a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News. Sara -- who I talked to while tripping all over myself on the Invesco Field sidewalk -- told me that she was a court reporter until this assignment and that her current focus was on the lawsuit the protest group Recreate68 and their leader Glen Spagnuolo, who's known for protesting the Columbus Day Holiday in Denver and for whom a split was caused between his group and other protest groups.
See, even Democratic PROTESTERS can't get along.
But I digress.
Sara also pointed out where Senator Obama will stand to give his acceptance speech, which is about on the 50-yard-line of the field used by The Denver Broncos.
That about ended that part of the tour. But Oreo and I decided to take a tour of our own making. He drove us over to the Pepsi Center area to see the media tent city in the making. Two construction reps let us in and we parked and walked the grounds. The media tents must be about 25,000 square feet in size each, and there were two made already, one for NBC News, the other we didn't know who was for, perhaps CNN.
Writing of CNN, we then walked over to the Brooklyn Grill for a quick lunch. Oreo informed me that the grill was to be transformed into the "CNN Grill" and almost on cue, we saw a stencil being used to paint the CNN = Politics logo on the side of the building. They had just got started with this, and we were the first to record the action.
The one problem with the CNN plan is the restaurant workers know nothing about it. They don't know if they will be paid double-time or who will get to work the shifts, or anything and they're getting a little nervous about the whole deal.
Then, on the way out, Oreo, who lives in Denver, pointed to where the DNC Media Party was to be held over at an amusement park nearby.
In all, the Democratic Party is working overtime to make the DNC Convention work. The objective is open-ness. The main issue now is still scheduling. Contrary to reports, many of the speakers and speaking days have not been fully set. Speculation that Hillary Clinton will not be the VP choice because of the Tuesday "Women's Day" event is faulty at best.
On the way back to the airport, I turned in my rental car and then forgot my iPhone in it. Alamo Rent-A-Car got it back to me very quickly and for that I give thanks.
Update from Matt: Hey, Oreo's got a starring role! Now everyone knows what he looks like! Handsome guy, don't you think?
For anybody that's been to an Avalanche or Nuggets game you know that Brooklyn's is the place to go to get food and drink before and after the game. Literally just across the street from the Pepsi Center it's the closest building to the Pepsi Center. CNN will be rebranding Brooklyn's as the CNN Grill during the convention and I was there for the start of it. CNN = Politics was painted on the front of the building on Thursday. If you click on the pictures you'll see them full sized and may be able to see the CNN stencil.
And for anybody that may be reading this from CNN... we'd love a credential or two to get inside!
After the media walk through at Invesco yesterday I took a short drive over to the Pepsi Center to see how things were shaping up. It's amazing how much activity is going on in the parking lot.
Just a few short months ago the Pepsi Center parking lot was a vast open space. (Click picture for full size)
Now it is filled with tents and construction workers.
And probably the most interesting pictures are of the protest fences that went up in a couple hours. The blue area below is where the following pictures were taken.
The fence is right in front of the media tent. The media is not happy having the protest area so close to their workspace.
The interior perimeter fence may have been erected yesterday also.
One of the concerns about holding the convention in Denver was that the Pepsi Center was a non-union facility. But the DNC seems to made a significant effort to use union labor at the convention. Here's a list of some of the unions involved:
IATSE Local 7: The Denver Theatrical Stage Employees Union will handle decorating, display and rigging work, and other tasks it typically performs under contract with the Colorado Convention Center.
Teamsters Local 17: A Teamsters affiliate will transport some of the heavier freight (requiring forklifts, for instance) to and from the loading docks.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers: Members will be handling some of the wiring and other work.
Construction Building and Construction Trades Council: Carpenters under this umbrella group will provide labor for contractors and subcontractors involved with transforming the Pepsi Center.
UniteHere: This union already had a presence, with about 200 members who work at the Aramark concessions throughout the complex. - Rocky Mountain News
An announcement is expected Thursday for how tickets will be distributed for Barack Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field. - CBS4Denver
Also, DNC Chairman Howard Dean toured Pepsi Center today:
Dean thanked workers who are transforming the Pepsi Center for the delegates. He seemed pretty impressed with the progress. He told them it's amazing what they've done in just two weeks. With a little over a month to go, he admitted he is getting a little nervous.
"Thirty-three days to go and you're doing a great job, so I'm just going to keep biting my nails until the day this thing opens and in 33 days we'll all be standing with our hand over our heart, saluting the flag," Dean said. "I hope some of you will come because some of you will still be needed to be here to put the finishing touches on." - CBS4Denver
Doonesbury looks at what McCain might have to go through if he chose to give his nomination speech at the Metrodome. Check out yesterday's strip and today's.
Somehow I don't think this will pack them in:
The White House has made it official: President Bush will address the Republican convention in St. Paul on its opening night, Labor Day — an appearance that could mean he will not cross paths with the party’s presidential nominee, Senator John McCain. - NY Times
We may never know if the Media Walk-Through originally scheduled in June was delayed because of the Invesco Field switch or a money issue. Today, a day after officially announcing that Barack Obama will make his acceptance speech at Invesco Field, the DNCC finally met with press at the Pepsi Center.
We're seeing reports of what happened around the Internets and will fill you in with some interesting things we've found out.
General Bloggers who received credentials will get arena hall credentials. This allows them to access a general press area and blogger lounge, a portion of the the upper seating area and the concourses.
A first-come-first-serve section of seats will be reserved within the Hall for bloggers.
The previously mentioned general press area is in the Denver Nuggets practice court.
The blogger lounge is in the Nuggets work-out room (we hear it doesn't smell too bad!)
The boards have been removed from the podium side of the arena and a large temporary podium is in place so sight-lines can be determined.
There will only be one podium unlike Boston which had two.
Podium construction will begin at the end of July
Information on Invesco Field is very scarce and it sounds like some of the media weren't too happy about the lack of information
All Nuggets and Avalanche banners have been removed.
Pepsi Center will go dark after the end of Wednesday night's events and will begin the conversion back to a sports arena.
Thursday night is being described as "A Really Cool Field Trip" for the media.
Blogs already credentialed will have access to Invesco with the possibility of getting additional credentials for people on the original credentials application.
No new blogs or media sources will get credentials for Invesco
So General Bloggers aren't guaranteed a seat inside the hall but they can lounge in a weight room! The Big Tent is looking better by the minute!
Certainly, the campaign noticed that John McCain would be in the city for a town hall, but I suspect that they also wanted to get this news out to tamp down stories of tension between the campaign and the DNC.
But I think there was a less political reason. The media walkthrough of the Pepsi Center, originally scheduled for June 19, and then postponed to much controversy, is taking place tomorrow, July 8. This is a logistics event, where representatives of the media get a tour of the facilities, and get questions answered about space, phones, credentials, and other behind-the-scenes issues. You can just imagine the chaos that would take place if the Invesco plans, first reported as a possibility here at DemConWatch last Thursday, had not been finalized by tomorrow. The media would be all over the DNCC, saying, "what good is this walkthrough if you're not even sure where your candidate willl be giving his acceptance speech". (They may say that anyway - we're very curious to find out if a tour of Invesco will be included tomorrow). But with the announcement today, the abuse the media throws at the DNCC tomorrow should be at more normal levels.
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