Skift Take
Philadelphia and Cleveland have invested heavily in their downtown districts and public-private partnerships, so they're viewing their two national political conventions as coming-out parties for the convention industry.
According to the tourism and convention bureaus in Philadelphia and Cleveland, their public-private partnerships, new urban infrastructure, and surging knowledge-based economies are why they won their bids to host the national Democratic and Republican conventions, respectively.
Both cities have come a long way in redefining their images in the last two decades, and both cities feel the conventions are a direct acknowledgment of that.
Between 1980 and 2010, America lost seven million manufacturing jobs due to foreign competition, automation, and the financial crisis, with "rust belt" cities like Philadelphia and Cleveland being hit among the hardest. However, following the recession, the focus on manufacturing shifted from producing cheap goods to smart goods, fueled by emerging technologies and a hungry young workforce with a knowledge-sharing mindset.
The result of that is the rise of “brainbelt” cities according to the new book, “The Smartest Places on Earth: Why Rustbelts Are The Emerging Hotspots of Innovation.” These urban centers have developed a collaborative ecosystem of public-private partnerships between local government, business, and academia that's improving economic competitiveness and attracting young professional talent.
Today, Philadelphia is drawing the highest percentage of growth of new Millennial residents among the 10 largest U.S. cities. Meanwhile, Cleveland ranks in the top 10 U.S. cities with the highest percentage of professional degrees and highest migration of incoming Millennials.
Both cities have also developed robust alliances among their research universities and technology businesses to spur new industry innovation, especially health tech in Cleveland and advanced manufacturing in Philadelphia. Championing that, Cleveland State University last year published: "From Metal to Minds: Economic Restructuring in the Rust Belt."
Now it's time to show off all that to a global audience on the biggest stage possible for either city.
“Philadelphia is really having a moment because we've done so much in the last 10 years to change the image of our city in so many ways,” says Julie Coker Graham, CEO of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB). “That’s why events like last year's World Meeting of Families papal visit and the DNC are choosing Philadelphia, for kind of that momentum we're experiencing. It’s about the complete transformation of the city and how vibrant it
