As we know, the DNC is approaching quickly. Area hotels are already filling up with arriving staff, media and delegates. Besides bringing in 50,000 visitors to our city, the convention also means a plethora of events, challenges and opportunities for local businesses.

Here are ten things you can do to prepare yourself (and business) for the DNC:

1. Understand the schedule and how it impacts your business. The delegate schedule for 8/25 to 8/28 is as follows:
   
   
   • 7:00 am: breakfast at hotel (where they pick up their credentials)
   • 10:00 am: business meetings
   • 4:00 pm: start of proceedings at Pepsi Center
   • 9:00 pm: close of nightly events
   • 10:00 pm: start of events around town
     
     This means delegates will be released after the normal dinner rush. If you're a restaurant, we suggest posting friendly signs to remind your regular customers that you'll be able to accommodate them between 5:00 and 8:00 pm with little trouble.
2. Arrange to keep your business open later to take advantage of the influx of people after 9:00 pm. Figure out how much revenue you'll have to generate to account for the additional staff, and if it makes sense, make it happen! You can also try closing mid-day to handle some of the other things in your life (and get some rest!) and reopen later.


3. Make plans for transit, taking into account the Speer Blvd. and other road closures. Give yourself more time to get to work and make arrangements to car pool with others. (Find out more about road closures and alternatives)


4. Promote your one-of-a-kind offerings. Make a big deal out of the unique goods you have versus the other guys. There are tons of cheesy, mass-produced Denver paraphernalia. What do you have that's produced locally? Or in limited quantities?


5. Ensure your business is included in the DNC vendor directory. Although not as cool as the Colorado Local First directory, it's being promoted directly to the delegates. And while you're at it,


6. Update your business listing on ColoradoLocalFirst.com There's instructions available on the site, and we're available to assist you.


7. Restock your Local Flavor Guides™ (if you're lucky enough to have one for your neighborhood!) We'll be distributing the new Uptown Local Flavor Guides™ as soon as we get them from the printer next week. And, we'll get our current guides (for SoBo, Old South Pearl St. and Uptown) into area hotels. Let us know if you need more guides for your business.


8. Find at least one event that sounds fun to attend. Hey, this is our city, too. More information about public events can be found here. Check out our personal favorite, the Green Frontier Fest. Free and open to everyone, we'll be featuring Colorado Local First goodies and Local Flavor Guides™. Stop by and say hello!


9. Let us know if you have any special events planned for the next two weeks. We can help spread the word.


10. Use this opportunity to connect with your neighbors. Host a gathering to watch some of the convention proceedings. Engage in dialogue about governance and democracy. Ask our politicians what they're doing to promote a strong local economy.

May the convention be as smooth as possible for all of us, and bring excitement, community, and good revenues for our local businesses.

More convention info:

http://www.demconvention.com - Official site of the DNC
http://www.denvergov.org - City of Denver Site with DNC info
http://www.denverconvention2008.com - Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee