The Mint Museum Uptown will be the site of delegate welcome events on Sept. 2.
The dozen local venues picked as sites for delegate receptions during the Democratic National Convention in September will help tell the story of Charlotte, organizers said Tuesday.
The parties also will help boost the economic bottom line across the area, organizers said. Hosting receptions across several sites on Sept. 2 means putting multiple event planners, caterers, florists and others to work.
Some sites highlight outdoor activities, such as the U.S. National Whitewater Center, the Carolina Raptor Center in Huntersville and the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont in Gaston County.
There's a nod to the area's past with the selection of the Charlotte Museum of History in east Charlotte. Also included is the century-old Wadsworth Estate, located in the Wesley Heights neighborhood west of uptown.
Other picks celebrate the arts, culture, and science. They are the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Discovery Place, Duke Mansion, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, Levine Museum of the New South, Mint Museum Uptown and the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
A day earlier, convention organizers also are hosting a party for 15,000 media members at the N.C. Music Factory just north of uptown, site of a former textile mill transformed into an entertainment district with 14 venues, bars and restaurants.
The receptions precede a big Labor Day celebration on Sept. 3 for 75,000 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Convention business begins Sept. 4. On the final day, Sept. 6, President Barack Obama will give his nomination acceptance speech at Bank of America Stadium.
For many of the more than 20,000 expected at the media and delegate parties, "this will be their first visit to Charlotte," said Dan Murrey, executive director of the convention host committee.
"These welcoming events will create their first impression. We want to make sure that it's a great first impression."
No details were provided on the cost of the events. Murrey said some contracts are still being worked out. Money for the receptions will come from the host committee's hospitality budget, he said.
Also still being decided: Where each state delegation will celebrate. Murrey said that'll depend on such factors as which hotels they will be staying in, something also still being decided.
Each reception will have its own event planner. On Thursday, host committee organizers will meet with would-be planners to go over the process of submitting proposals for the work.
"We saw this as a way to show off the best of the region while creating more business opportunities," said Mary Tribble, chief of event planning for the host committee.
With hundreds of places from around the region to choose from, narrowing the list to a dozen delegate-party sites and one for the media "was not an easy decision to make," Tribble said.
Venues around the region that had agreed to commit their spaces to DNC-related events still have their places on hold. They may still get an opportunity: "We expect at least 1,000 events to come during convention week," said Tribble, "and these are just 13."
Representatives for venues said Tuesday they were all glad to be involved. Mint Museum President Kathleen Jameson said the museum already is planning exhibitions for the convention. Jeff Wise, executive director of Charlotte's whitewater center, said his site showcases the city's "active, outdoor" side.
"I don't know if there is a bigger honor than hosting 15,000 media people," said Noah Lazes, president of the Ark Group, which developed the Music Factory. "It puts a lot of pressure on us to deliver."
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