MANATEE -- Officials hope to leverage the national spotlight shined on Tampa Bay during the Republican National Convention this summer for economic development opportunities.
Organizations tasked with economic development now are engineering a strategy to snag the attention of corporate executives and high-level decision makers who will be tuned in to the GOP events.
Although exact details are still in the works, the idea is simple: Use the region's five minutes of fame to sell every aspect of the business community that could entice a company to relocate here, said Betty Carlin, vice president of marketing and communications for the Tampa Bay Partnership.
The organization says the convention has laid the groundwork for new investment opportunities for businesses from Manatee to Polk County.
"This is an ideal opportunity to tell business executives what's going on in Tampa Bay and Bradenton," Carlin said. "We want to show what the region has to offer while the focus is already on us."
Nearly 50,000 out-of-state journalists, delegates and party volunteers will flock to Hillsborough and its surrounding communities for the Republican National Convention from Aug. 27-30 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.
Officials compare the event's direct economic impact to that of the Super Bowl -- filling hotels, restaurants and area attractions.
Denver, which hosted the last Democratic National Convention in 2008, reported a regional economic impact of $266.1 million. Similarly, the Minneapolis-St. Paul host committee said the 2008 Republican National Convention generated nearly $170 million in new money for its economy, accord
ing to information provided by those cities.
While the event itself generates a welcome economic boon, officials want to ensure the impact spreads wider by firming deals with expanding or relocating companies.
The Tampa Bay Partnership hopes its "Front Row Tampa Bay" initiative helps.
The event will feature four days of business forums that will run in conjunction with the GOP convention this August. The panels, organized by local business leaders, will be hosted just a mile from the convention and aired before a live audience.
Potential topics include health care, international trade, energy, tourism jobs and transportation. "We want to be able to tell the broader story of our region," Carlin said. "We want to tell them what the business community and lifestyle is like."
The seminars will present economic development leaders with a forum to make their sell to business stakeholders attending the event or watching via the Internet.
It also will allow them to divert the attention of corporate executives beyond just downtown Tampa to the opportunities in Manatee, Sarasota and Polk counties.
"Any kind of exposure we can get on the national or international scale will help recruit companies to the region," said Sharon Hillstrom, president and CEO of the Manatee Economic Development Corp. "Marketing is a big part of what we do, and when you're in the spotlight for that long, it will enhance those efforts."
Josh Salman, Herald business writer, can be reached at 941-745-7095. Follow him on Twitter @JoshSalman
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