CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Organizers of the Republican National Convention, which is now fewer than 100 days away, are pressing ahead with plans even in the face of a public health crisis that could still produce a very different kind of convention.
And for Charlotte-area businesses, an event once seen as an economic boost could now become a lifeline.
"The Republican National Convention is going to be a very big upturn for many of the Charlotte companies (and) businesses," Marcia Lee Kelly, the convention's president and CEO, told Fox Business Friday. "It's going to be very symbolic of our economy of our nation recovering."
The convention has been expected to bring 50,000 people to Charlotte for four days starting Aug. 24. For businesses, especially those in the hospitality industry, that could be a shot in the arm.
Mohammad Jenatian, president of the Greater Charlotte Hospitality and Tourism Alliance, said at least a quarter of Charlotte-area hotels have temporarily closed. Except for takeout business, so have most restaurants and bars.
"Simply put, (the industry) has been devastated," Jenatian said. "Right now the only hope that is out there for all of those people is they're looking at the month of August. With the the fear that they have, that is the only hope that most of them have right now."
Charlotte's economy got a $163 million boost from the 2012 Democratic convention, according to a 2013 study. Some hope the RNC has a similar effect.
Michael Smith, president and CEO of Charlotte Center City Partners, said the hospitality industry "is hungry to restart and ... anxious to bring their workforce back."
Jon Dressler of Rare Roots Hospitality, who owns two Dressler's restaurants and three others, compares the pandemic's effect on his industry to an atomic bomb _ with restaurant closures as the fallout.
When the RNC does take place, he said, it will likely be served by fewer restaurants.
'We'd love to have it, but we don't have anything booked at this time," said Dressler. "We had myriad inquiries prior to March 15 ... Life right now is week to week, so August is a long ways off."
Dockery Clark, a board member of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, said the convention would be a needed tonic for businesses.
"I would hope it would be a jump start for the hospitality activities that have been so hurt by this downturn," said Clark, who was chief of staff for the 2012 convention host committee. "There are just a number of downstream businesses that are impacted by a gathering of this size and scope."
Clarke Allen, of Clarke Allen Events, an event design and production company, said, "We're all holding on by a thread right now." He's encouraging the convention to reach out to area vendors and "buy local."
While Democrats are making plans for a possible virtual convention, Republicans have remained committed to bringing thousands of delegates, journalists and others to Charlotte.
"Our plan right now is to go full steam ahead," Kelly told Fox's Maria Bartiromo Friday.
But national GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel told WFAE this week that officials have until early July to decide what if any changes have to be made, including whether some events could be held in smaller venues or outside.
"I think by the end of June we'll have a good feel, and we'll have to start making some critical decisions if we do have to make adjustments," McDaniel told the station.
Those adjustments will depend on what the public health situation looks like in August.
Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, has recently begun relaxing stay-at-home orders in a three-phase process guided by benchmarks in the control of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The convention has hired Dr. Jeffrey Runge as a health adviser. A former Charlotte physician, he once served as medical officer for the Department of Homeland Security.
Organizers have been expecting as many as 15,000 journalists from around the world to converge on Charlotte for the convention. But that number may shrink.
The Washingtonian reported that Politico publisher Robert Allbritton told employees that the publication won't have its usual physical space at either political convention. And Chuck Todd, host of NBC's Meet the Press, told former Gov. Pat McCrory's radio show Friday that he expects his network to scale back.
"Maybe we'll be there for a day... That would be my best guess," Todd said. "I don't know if you're going to get a lot of NBC staffers wanting to get on an airplane."
For their part, many Republicans appear eager to attend the convention despite the possibility that there could be changes if the pandemic continues.
"We have not heard anybody who's expressed any concern whatsoever," said Michael Whatley, the North Carolina GOP chairman. "There's enthusiasm across the board for President Trump and the Republican ticket and the Republican convention."
GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy of New York, the state hardest hit by COVID-19, said while he hopes the convention occurs according to plan, "we have to be fluid."
"Obviously all of our lives have changed drastically," he told the Observer. "We're starting to see light at the end of the tunnel ... If we can pull this (convention) off as close to the original plan as possible, that's the best-case scenario _ and obviously the scenario I hope for."
