The Jacksonville 2020 Host Committee is looking for partner venues for independent events expected during the Republican National Convention in August.
In a news release June 24, the committee announced venue commitment and information forms are available on the Visit Jacksonville website.
The committee wants to reserve and recruit Northeast Florida venue owners for up to 500 independent events.
Property owners interested in making their event space available during the convention will have to fill out venue commitment and information forms at www.visitjacksonville.com/2020-venuemou/ and www.visitjacksonville.com/2020-venue-info/.
The commitment forms will be used to create a digital venue guide for RNC attendees, corporations, state delegations and media, political and nonprofit organizations to find rentable space for independent events.
Property owners who sign a commitment form grant the arrangements committee an “exclusive option” to rent the facility or event space between Aug. 24-27, according to Visit Jacksonville.
The option expires Aug. 10 if the committee has not made a reservation. If a venue owner wants to rent space independently to a third party during the convention, the venue has to notify the RNC committee by submitting a release form.
More information is available by contacting:
Julia Ciciarelli, COA hotel & venue manager at [email protected] or (732) 403-7662.
Becky Smith, Visit Jacksonville at [email protected] or (904) 476-2002.
A seven-page Partner Venues Overview document linked in the news release says more than 15,000 people are expected to attend events at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
Republican Party of Duval County Executive Director Andrew Johnson told the Daily Record on June 16 that 12,000 to 15,000 people will be in the arena for the event.
“But as far as the number that come here for the convention, it will greatly exceed that,” Johnson said in a text message.
The RNC’s official website, which as of 2 p.m. June 24 still listed Charlotte, North Carolina, as the host city, says convention organizers anticipate 50,000 visitors.