MILWAUKEE — As the Republican National Convention (RNC) approaches, some business owners said they are worried they may not see the boost in revenue they hoped for.
Gregory Leon is the owner and executive chef of Amilinda in downtown Milwaukee. He said when he first heard the RNC was coming to town, he thought it would mean big business.
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Now, just weeks away from the event, he said he’s disappointed.
“We haven’t seen any buyouts. We haven’t seen any inquiries about catering. Nothing like that,” said Leon.
Leon said not only is he without any RNC contracts, but he’s also expecting to take a hit in revenue during the week of the convention.
“So, we’ve had a lot of our regulars and core customers tell us they are either going out of town for that week or they will just not be coming downtown — which I completely understand,” Leon said. “Parking is going to be a mess, so not only are we not getting that extra bump of business, the business we would normally have is probably going to be cut at least by half.”
Leon said he thinks businesses outside the hard perimeter, even if they are close by, could struggle.
“I’ve been in contact with some businesses in other cities that have hosted these conventions and they are telling me that unless you are in the security zone, you’re really not going to see anything,” said Leon.
Ben Barbera is the executive director of the Milwaukee County Historical Society. He said, like Leon, he was concerned about business, up until a week ago. That’s when the Milwaukee County Historical Society was designated inside the hard perimeter.
It was at that time, he said, the Milwaukee County Historical Society secured a booking with the Republican National Committee for the duration of the convention.
“Securing this booking was really important for our revenue generation. Event rentals are a big part of what we do,” said Barbera. “July was pretty much shut down because of the RNC. We were counting on getting a major booking to make ends meet this year, so because of that, we were really concerned with the delay.”
Barbera said he’s relieved to finally have the contract in place.
In the meantime, Leon said he’ll hope for the best and is happy Milwaukee is getting the national attention.
Pabst Theater Group CEO, Gary Witt operates a number of Milwaukee venues. He said all of them are 100% unbooked during the RNC.
“The Pabst Theater, The Riverside Theater, Vivarium and The Fitzgerald all remain unbooked and 100% unused during the RNC. While I am saddened about the lack of business in our venues, I am even more concerned about how the incredibly disappointing lack of RNC events will impact our downtown independent restaurants and small event spaces, who might not be able to afford being closed for a week after being told of the tremendous economic impact the RNC would have.” Witt said in a statement issued to Spectrum News 1.
An RNC source shared the following statement on the matter with Spectrum News 1:
“The Convention is about bringing the world to Milwaukee and Milwaukee to the world. Republicans and Democrats alike have noted that the RNC Convention is a net positive for Wisconsin. The RNC has never been in the business of telling business owners how to market or run their companies. At the end of the day of we have upwards of 50,000 guests coming to Milwaukee. After the DNC left Milwaukee high and dry, the Republican National Convention looks forward to highlighting Milwaukee on the international stage in July."