Comparing arena operations to hosting the Republican National Convention this week was simple for Quicken Loans Arena VP of Operations Matt Miller: “It’s less stress and the same amount of work.”
Donald Trump’s coronation in Cleveland July 18-21 signals the start of the national presidential race but it’s the climax of a yearlong process for the staff at Quicken Loans Arena, known locally as “The Q.”
“We knew we were getting the convention 18 months ago,” said Miller, arena vice president of operations. “Our team started meeting with the RNC and the Host Committee on a bi-weekly basis 12 months ago getting calendars and schedules set, and we started talking back then about infrastructure, like fiber and wiring, and anything we could be doing behind the scenes all year before we handed over the venue. We put together a budget on the RNC side and a budget on the Host Committee side and that makes this thing happen.”
The host committee is made up of a committee from the City of Cleveland, The Downtown Cleveland Alliance, and various other local representatives like law enforcement, city engineers and city maintenance. The RNC has an internal entity known as the Committee on Arrangements, which is in charge of preparing venues for RNC events. “The Downtown Alliance and the City put together the bid to get the convention,” said Miller.
As with Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, which is hosting the Democratic National Convention next week, having the convention means more then just prestige and international exposure. Both the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the RNC make major improvements, paid for by the outside parties, and leave them behind.
“They put in new soundproofing for the arena, a whole new upgrade in lapendary panels (large unique acoustical banners hung to the roof deck), ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) upgrades and in infrastructure improvements like fiber backbone.” The arena will get all the leave-behind improvements made by the RNC; the final cost of all the improvements is still unknown. “Unfortunately we won’t have a handle on the pricetag of the improvements until after the convention is over and we understand more specifically what the status of the return to the regular arena form is for us,” said Miller.
Work in The Q started in September. The RNC got limited access to the venue June 6 and full access June 19. “They showed up at 6 a.m. on June 19 and have been here round the clock ever since,” said Miller. Operations, Security, Housekeeping and Maintenance staff stayed the week of the convention. Nonessential personnel were sent to work offsite for the remainder of the convention.
“Our whole company has worked side-by-side with the RNC this whole time,” said Miller. “And now that the convention has started, operations is still here and we’re providing our normal support functions. Climate control, plumbing, any fires, escalators, elevators or any assistance that needs to be done on a day-to-day basis is our role; any function that needs to be done, it’s no different from any other event we have here.”
Miller said that having the convention is actually easier on him and his staff than a normal Quicken Loans Arena event. “The accountability and success of the convention isn’t in the hands of anyone at Quicken Loans Arena,” said Miller. “The main difference between hosting the convention and a traditional event is that we’re not responsible for the event. We’re support. The RNC Committee On Arrangements run the show. We listen to them and do what they ask us to do. We don’t have the normal anxiety we’re used to when we are coproducing and copromoting an event. We don’t have to worry about ticket sales and the routine customer issues we face during a regular event.”
All of the employees at The Q underwent a background check. “The Secret Service has been great to work with. The prechecks were seamless, smooth and efficient. The Secret Service is in charge and the security is on a level we’ve never seen before, so that in itself is probably the largest change from a normal event.” Everybody gets screened, everyone goes through metal detectors, there is an X-ray machine and all of the bags are checked. “It’s like going through an airport,” said Miller.
Outside crowds and round-the-clock protests are not an issue. The Q is inside the secured perimeter set up by the Secret Service and local law enforcement. “We’re probably in the most secure area outside the White House in America right now,” said Miller.
Miller said that going from a sports and entertainment complex to a pop-up convention center has been a great experience. “Personally, it’s been an unbelievable year. We won the Calder Cup (American Hockey League championship) and the National Basketball League championship (Cleveland Cavaliers) – it’s been a 52-year drought, so that win was particularly exciting. We had a parade and we rolled right on into the RNC. From April 15 to the start of this week has been the busiest of my career.”
Miller said the biggest change going from sports and concerts to political convention activity is that with all of the TV stations setting up shop and all the new infrastructure, it made him feel like “we’re now a giant TV studio.”
Nearly 120 RNC staffers descended on Cleveland in preparation for the 2016 Republican National Convention. Fifty thousand people are expected to have visited Cleveland during the gathering. 2016 will mark the fourth time the Republican Party has convened its convention in Ohio. The Buckeye State also played host to the 1876, 1924, 1936 and 1976 conventions.
The current convention ends July 22 and the contract with the RNC runs through Aug. 10. “They will start loading out the day after the convention,” said Miller. “They have the building to the 10th, but the RNC production team is anxious to be done and give us back our keys and they expect to clear out by the 6th.”
The next scheduled event is Sir Paul McCartney, who will play two shows Aug. 17-18. “It’s been a great ride but we’ll be happy to have things back to normal and get back to basics, ready for Sir Paul,” said Miller.
Interviewed for this story: Matt Miller, (216) 420-2022