Convention demanded big planning

Tears welled in the eyes of Rebecca Venis as she walked through the empty Reno-Sparks Convention Center the day after the National League of Cities convention left town.

Hardly a scrap of paper hinted that 8,000 civic officials had been in town for the convention just 24 hours earlier.

And, Venis mused on that quiet Sunday morning, about all that remained were her planning notebooks thick tomes that create a stack more than two feet tall, tomes that contain all of the thousands of details addressed by Venis and her co-workers at The Bauserman Group and Seismic Events as they planned the convention.

The Reno companies had about 16 months to plan the convention after they won a contract from the city, and they used nearly every available hour.

"We worked every day," said Duke Reedy, an account manager with Seismic Events. "It was like nothing that we had ever done before. The circus only comes to town once."

Reedy's fundraising role was key to the work of the eight-person team brought together by Bauserman and Seismic Events.

The City of Reno, the smallest city ever to host the National League of Cities convention, pledged that it wouldn't use any tax dollars for the event.

Reedy raised $1.2 million in cash and other donations from 149 businesses and individuals in donations that ranged from $100 to $250,00. Nearly three quarters of the donors are from northern Nevada.

While Reedy and Jim Bauserman, owner of The Bauserman Group, were knocking on doors, another half dozen staff members were putting together special events and meeting the requirements of the National League of Cities.

Venis, who served as the project manager, said the details to be addressed continued to accumulate:

* A system of shuttle buses for delegates was needed to link eight hotels to the convention center. The scheduling needed to be tight

enough that delegates mayors and city council members around the nation weren't waiting long.

* Mobile workshops needed to be planned around the Reno area, showcasing activities such as downtown redevelopment and providing background for city governments across the nation.

* Events such as visits to Lake Tahoe and tours of the downtown artist lofts needed to be arranged for spouses and children of convention-goers.

* Separate entertainment ice skating, a social needed to be planned for 250 youth representatives who attended the session.

* Details needed to ironed out for a bowling night at the National Bowling Stadium an event that drew 1,200 participants.

* Apparel had to be selected for the hundreds of volunteers who would cover 600 shifts.

* Careful thought had to be given to themes for entertainment events themes such as Western or Roaring 20s that tapped into the region's heritage while playing down the importance of gaming.

* Contracts needed to be established with dozens of vendors such as Pinocchio's, which catered a closing-event dinner for more than 3,000.

* Musical performers needed to be hired to work at airport gates to greet arriving convention-goers, and signage needed to be coordinated with airport officials.

The pressure to do well was all the greater because the convention marked one of the coming-out parties for the Reno-Sparks area, an opportunity to reintroduce itself to thousands of decision-makers and media representatives from around the nation, said Amy Berry, director of account services at The Bauserman Group.

After months of planning, the group worked even harder once the convention opened. Venis said she worked a 100-hour week sleeping only a few hours after midnight each day while the event was unfolding.

Almost every detail came off well, said Cadence Matijevich, special events program manager for the City of Reno.

The feedback from participants in convention events was strongly positive, and city officials were particularly impressed at the level of fundraising that was completed.