RNC Milwaukee: Inside Fiserv Forum as preparation gets underway

With preparation for the Republican National Convention underway, FOX6 got an exclusive look inside Fiserv Forum on Tuesday, June 11.

"It’s going to be totally transformed," said Kush Desai, deputy communications director.

Crews are about one week in to turning the arena into the central location for this summer's RNC.

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"Building out our stage, building out media risers, moving and retracting seats, setting up our standup booths and so on to really get the stadium ready for convention week," Desai said.

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Construction of the RNC stage at Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee

The stage is the heart of everything. In less than five weeks, it will be set.

"It’s going to be a mammoth stage," said Desai. "It’s going to be 26 feet tall, 60 feet wide, comprised of around 1,200 high-density LED panels."

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The red carpet is also laid out for national news outlets, including FOX anchors.

"It’s on one hand, very exhilarating to be a part of something so big, so special. The political Super Bowl, if you will," Desai said. "On the other hand, it’s just a lot of pressure."

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Hundreds of people are working around the clock to get everything in place. It means there are no events at Fiserv Forum until after the convention in mid-July. 

"We’ve taken out the basketball court that we usually have," said Desai. "A lot of the seats and rows were retracted to kind of make room for the main stage and media booth and set up on the floor."

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