Political conventions are rarely the place to do much effective public-policy lobbying,” says Paula Prahl, vice president of public affairs for Richfield-based Best Buy. “They’re great places to connect with people you might lobby with in the future, but not to push an immediate agenda.”
Instead, Prahl sees the convention mainly as an opportunity to “showcase the Twin Cities.” And in that, she’s not alone.
“Even local companies that don’t see the convention as a way to promote their brand do care about things like whether the national realtors convention comes here in two years,” says Charlie Weaver, executive director of the Minnesota Business Council, whose members include CEOs of the state’s largest companies. “And they care about attracting executive talent from New York and elsewhere.”
Some businesses are finding ways to highlight their brands and products at the convention. Qwest Communications has a major presence both in the Twin Cities and in Denver, site of this year’s Democratic National Convention, and has pledged $6 million to each convention, mostly in services, to be the official communications sponsor.
“We see it especially as a way to showcase our high-speed broadband service, which is a strategic growth area for us,” says John Stanoch, president of Qwest operations in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Agri-Growth Council—a lobbying group for about 200 farms, co-ops, and corporations, including Minnesota-based General Mills, Land O’Lakes, Cargill, and Hormel, as well as out-of-state members such as Monsanto and Pfizer—will sponsor an evening gala for approximately 2,500 invited guests on September 2, the second day of the convention. The venue was not yet nailed down earlier this winter, but Executive Director Daryn McBeth promises a “dazzling build-out and multimedia display” that will contain exhibits highlighting “the cutting-edge importance of the food and agricultural industry.” The following day, the venue will open to the public for the remainder of the convention’s run. McBeth says the budget for the event exceeds $1 million.
Joe Weber is a partner in Twin Cities Strategies of St. Paul, one of several consulting firms that have sprung up to help organizations outside of Minnesota plan events and make connections at the convention. He says one out-of-state client is a major financial services company that is “very active in climate change” and generous in its donations to environmental causes. The company has no specific lobbying agenda for the convention, but “they do want legislators and the media to know that they’re active in this unexpected area.”
