OSHKOSH, Wis. — Last year more than 677,000 people attended AirVenture in Oshkosh.
It’s possible the event could see a few more faces this year thanks to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee the week prior.
“Having something like the Republican National Convention, especially the week before EAA AirVenture, certainly is one of those once-in-a-lifetime situations that you have to consider and contend with and say, ‘Are there any opportunities there?’” said Dick Knapinski, the director of communications for the Oshkosh-based Experimental Aircraft Association.
EAA’s massive AirVenture convention and airshow starts July 22 — just days after the RNC wraps up.
It also has a year-round museum that’s a stop for tens of thousands of people each year.
“There’s the economic possibility. How many of those delegates are just coming in for the three days or four days of are they going to stay for a while in Wisconsin and explore and so forth?” Knapinski said. “If they choose to explore after the RNC, we certainly hope they consider AirVenture and consider EAA and coming our way.”
The Republican National Convention is expected to bring about 45,000 people to the state, with an economic impact of about $200 million in the Milwaukee area.
Oshkosh is about 90 minutes from Milwaukee.
Further north, Nick Meisner of Discover Green Bay said that community could be a stopping off point for some delegates.
“We do anticipate some spillover into Green Bay being the closest metropolitan area to Milwaukee, but we’ll see,” he said.
That’s a sentiment reflected by tourism officials in other communities north of Milwaukee.
“We need to look at those weekends and see if we’re starting to see the impact,” Meisner said.
Knapinski said AirVenture organizers are expecting another big year after setting an attendee record last year.
“Ticket sales are very strong, similar to what we say in 2023 and 2022, so that’s a real good harbinger of what might be coming forward,” he said. “We’re starting to prepare for those types of numbers.”
