Everyone in Denver may still be nursing hangovers from last night’s Vanity Fair party, but there’ll be little rest for the media, marketers, and planners working both conventions this year. The 2008 Republican National Convention is scheduled to start Monday in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and here are some of the bigger events-related stories we’ve seen:
- The GOP may be DOA if Tropical Storm Gustav turns into Hurricane Gustav. A McCain spokesman said the RNC might be postponed in the event of a national crisis. [USA Today]
- Local bars looking to capitalize on late-night RNC boozing and schmoozing will pay $2,500 for an application to stay open until 4:00 a.m. So far only eight bars have been approved, but the city of St. Paul promises a $2,000 rebate after the fact for anyone else interested in joining. [Star Tribune]
- It’s not a stage, it’s a metaphor. The RNC revealed its simple stage at the Xcel Energy Center, which reportedly cost under $1 million to construct, to the press yesterday and used it as opportunity to begin rebutting the DNC a few days early. [Star Tribune]
- John McCain’s newest celebrity endorser, Reggaeton star Daddy Yankee, will kick off the convention with the “Fiesta Americana Concert” at St. Paul’s Myth nightclub. [Business Wire]
- As predicted, the Republicans will not have nearly as many parties as the Democrats. [Medill Reports]
