RNC Milwaukee 2024; stage construction, final touches underway
MILWAUKEE - The clock is ticking closer to the 2024 Republican National Convention, which is expected to bring thousands of people to Milwaukee.
About 50,000 people are expected to pack Fiserv Forum over the course of the convention, running from July 15-18, with the stage being the centerpiece tying it all together.
A complete makeover
"This isn’t what Fiserv looks like for a normal Bucks game or a hockey game or anything like that," said Kush Desai, deputy communications director for the 2024 RNC. "We’ve transformed this place from the inside out."
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The convention's deputy communications director said hundreds of local and union workers have been working around the clock to bring the venue to life.
"Thousands of mics, thousands of lights," Desai said. "There is no shortage of pressure here, I’ll tell you that much."
The main stage
Many are dedicated to the pièce de résistance: the 60-foot wide, 24-foot tall main stage. Partly mapped on the floor, and also rung from the ceiling.
"You’re going to have very smooth, kind of black floors on the stage," Desai said. "Those panels are comprised of around 1,200 high density LED panels."
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He said the setup makes it easier to switch graphics and video, and many of the monitors are angled differently.
"Whether you’re on the floor or you’re up here, you get a great view of what’s going on," Desai said.
He also said about 2,500 delegates will have seats on the main floor. Thousands of reporters and guests will surround the outskirts, meaning a lot of power and backup generators for any possible outages.
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"We’ve also got technical workers and electricians kind of re-working the electrical power lines," he said.
Desai said there is still a lot to be done, and he believes they will be working up until delegates start filling in.