Chicago businesses are gearing up for the Democratic National Convention that starts Monday and is expected to draw 50,000 visitors to the city.
Southside Blooms will weave lilies, sunflowers, marigolds, peonies and other flowers into intricate floral arrangements for DNC-related events next week. Yum Dum’s food truck will serve hundreds of dumplings, “kimcheesy” rice balls and sriracha pecan fudge brownies to hungry journalists covering the four-day convention.
South Loop event planner Revel Global Events will be busy hosting receptions — decking out its historic 1936 building, once home to the Illinois Automobile Club and the Chicago Defender newspaper.
Businesses involved with DNC-related events — from food trucks to party planners — expect a strong boost from the convention and are excited to be a part of history. The last time the convention was held in Chicago was in 1996 at the United Center.
Other business owners hope the surge of visitors will bump up their revenue, but believe it will be mostly business as usual. For them, the DNC won’t be different from other massive events such as Lollapalooza or the Chicago Marathon, which draws more than 115,000 concertgoers and 50,000 runners, respectively.
Revel Global Events is organizing the Volunteer Appreciation Rally before the convention starts for an estimated 12,000 volunteers at Wrigley Field. Revel was one of five hospitality firms selected by the the Democratic National Convention Committee to produce events welcoming convention attendees and other festivities.
“This is something that we will be able to look back at for years,” Clint Paton, chief operating officer of Revel, said. “We will showcase it for years in our marketing efforts.”
The party is one of the largest events Revel has produced in terms of headcount, but not the most logistically complex. Paton said the firm has catered to groups of up to 5,000 for several days and transported them around the city, which was more complicated.
In addition to the official DNC events, Revel and other businesses are working with scores of political interest groups and other delegations to host independent receptions, lunches and dinners next week.
Revel said it’s planning several offshoot events for 600 to 700 people at Revel Motor Row, its event space near McCormick Place.
Paton wouldn’t disclose the events’ organizers but said they range from local to national political groups “at the highest levels.”
‘Feeling the buzz’
Jeff Wang, owner of Yum Dum, said his food truck business is “definitely feeling the buzz” of the convention. A media outlet, which Wang declined to name, hired Yum Dum to feed journalists covering the DNC near the United Center.
“Our food truck is perfect for feeding large teams without having to sit down for long, fancy dinners,” Wang said.
Yum Dum will also help cater the Chicago Host committee’s media welcome party at Navy Pier, along with Saigon Sisters, Brown Sugar Bakery, Antique Taco, Sanders BBQ Supply Co., Demera Restaurant and others.
“It never hurts to get in front of people,” Wang said. “And it’s cool to represent the Asian food community.”
The nonprofit Southside Blooms, which employs South Side youth, is crafting floral arrangements for at least two gatherings during the convention, including one hosted by Minyon Moore, chair of the 2024 DNC, for Black women leaders in the Democratic party.
Southside Blooms co-founder Hannah Bonham Blackwell said the events will be some of its largest-ever contracts for its 20-person team. It plans to decorate one venue’s ceiling “to create an ethereal garden look,” she said.
The events will also bring several thousand dollars to Southside Blooms, Blackwell said. “It will definitely do a lot to boost the programs and offer more opportunities to youth,” she said.
Plus for its young employees, being part of the DNC is “a really cool thing for them to see,” Blackwell said. “Sometimes people write off youth as only being interested in pop culture. But it’s cool to see them really grasping how special this is and that it’s a historic moment.”
Not a game-changing money-maker
Convention-related events “will have a significant impact on revenue for the year,” Paton said, particularly because August is typically a slow month for Revel. But it still won’t be the most lucrative. For example, it’s organizing a 3,000-person gathering next year that will generate $8 million, more than all of its DNC events combined.
While Revel’s staff of 200 full- and part-time employees will be busy next week, its workforce is still half of what it was before the pandemic. The group’s business is also still lagging.
“We lost traction during COVID. We went from $50 million [in revenue] in 2019 to zero overnight,” Paton said. “We’re starting to see convention business come back. We’re slowly making our way back. We’ll be close to $35 million [in revenue] this year. But the business has changed.”
Yum Dum said the DNC falls in the middle of its busy summer season, which is booked with street festivals and private university events.
“Every week is crazy and this adds to the craziness,” Wang said. The convention brings new business but it won’t be a windfall. “It’s supplemental. It’s nothing we can’t handle,” he said.
For businesses not involved with the convention, it will largely be business as usual. State Street Souvenirs in the Loop won’t be stocking any special DNC-related merchandise, but will have generic patriotic-themed gear such as American flag T-shirts.
“We don’t want to get stuck with merchandise we can’t use again,” Charlie Sweis, manager of State Street Souvenirs, said.
He’s hopeful for more business during the convention but said it’s “only here for a few days. I don’t know if it will be a big weekend. Chicago is a beautiful city. I hope people come and enjoy it.”
Safety and security
One underlying question mark is whether the city will remain peaceful, or at least stable, during the DNC as crowds of protesters and activists are expected to descend on the city. With turmoil boiling on many fronts, from last month’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump to the Israel-Hamas war, Chicago is braced for volatility and the risk of violence. Security is tight around McCormick Place and the United Center, as well as other venues in the city.
“More people in the city is a good thing,” Elliot Richardson, president of the nonprofit Small Business Advocacy Council, said. “But chaos and uncertainty is never good for small business.”
Revel’s property is within the security perimeter around McCormick Place that’s subject to vehicle restrictions.
“Initially, we were concerned about the impact of security on our operations, as we have several large-scale events booked,” Paton said. “However, we have collaborated with the city of Chicago and the [DNC] host committee for months to understand and mitigate potential disruptions.”
Paton said the city, the DNCC and U.S. Secret Service have been “terrific partners” and have been out canvassing and talking to business owners near McCormick Place.
Wang said there were background checks for him and his staff and there will be security sweeps of his food truck, including before the media welcome party. “It’s a logistical challenge. But we understand why it’s necessary,” Wang said.