Lobbyists, for the first time in eight years, will have to juggle summer travel to far-flung beaches and ritzy resorts with work trips to Milwaukee and Chicago for presidential nominating conventions.
Lobbyists won’t go for the TV cameras, acceptance speeches, and confetti. They’re gearing up for a shadow convention out of the spotlight, complete with networking events, concerts, parties, and policy discussions giving them a chance to mingle with political bigwigs. Those events paused almost entirely in 2020 during the height of the Covid pandemic.
Republicans will descend on Milwaukee in July and Democrats will head to Chicago in August.
“We’re where the convention gets unconventional,” said Bruce Gates, repeating a mantra of his Warehouse Parties of past and future at GOP conventions.
The concentration of members of Congress and other elected officials is a big draw for lobbyists and their corporate and industry group clients.
Gates, a longtime lobbyist and founding partner of the policy and communications firm Three Oaks Strategies, said he and others are bringing back the Warehouse Parties this summer in Milwaukee for four nights of the convention. He first started doing the parties in 1996 at the Republican convention in San Diego when the GOP picked then-Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas as its nominee.
This time around, with a more divided nation, some big companies are still taking stock of potential risks to their brands if they have a presence at one or both conventions. But many lobbyists and firms have already traveled to the convention spots to scope out event venues and are pitching them as places to connect with political VIPs.
Hot Tickets
The Warehouse Parties are “renowned as the most sought-after destination for networking and socializing during the Convention, THE place to see and be seen,” according to a pitch email sent around to lobbyists. The organizers “anticipate the presence of distinguished guests throughout the event.”
Sponsors who pony up $75,000 will get their logo on signage throughout the parties, which kick off at 10 p.m. during the convention nights.
The bipartisan firm Invariant plans to hold two brunches at each convention, for a total of four, said the firm’s Paul Nemetz, who has already traveled to both convention cities to prepare.
“Around now, a lot of people are starting to think about the conventions,” said Nemetz. “We’ve been laying the groundwork for our clients since last summer.”
Former Illinois Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos, now a partner at the global firm Mercury with offices in Chicago, said that even as businesses grapple with the political risks of convention sponsorships, she’s planning on events in her home state.
Some companies are weighing whether they want to be involved in one, or both, conventions.
“With my office being right in the heart of the Democratic National Convention space, we are being asked to offer our space to various groups – for breakfasts, lunches, coffees, dinners, drinks,” she said in an email to Bloomberg Government.
Mercury, Bustos said, is offering packages for such events, including fireside-type chats with key Democrats. “We want to make news and a splash – in a good and positive way – out of our firm,” she said in the email. “And we could not be more excited that the Democratic National Convention is in our home state.”
Partisanship Worries
Corporations that are concerned about tainting their brand with partisan politics may opt for events with nonpartisan groups or with state delegations, lobbyists said.
Paul Miller, a lobbyist and founder of the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics, said some organizations are looking at doing more policy focused activities at the conventions, including roundtable discussions that could include elected officials.
Lobbying firm BGR Group is working with the Republican Governors Association to host a post-session, invitation-only event with the attending Republican governors, said BGR lobbyist Loren Monroe.
Not everyone from K Street will decamp for a political convention, of course, and some are still figuring out their plans.
“I’m leaning towards going,” said Republican lobbyist Ozzie Palomo, a founder of Chartwell Strategy Group. “It’s a good centralized place to see folks. The networking is a huge added bonus.”
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