Last week, I gave you my impressions of the DNC in Denver. Now, as promised, some equal time for the RNC in St. Paul – held not far from the largest Thomson Reuters location, the headquarters of West, in Eagan, Minnesota.
Both conventions gave West and Thomson Reuters some great exposure. We were a sponsor for the non-partisan Host Committees. This makes total sense as the conventions are first and foremost civic events for the cities of Denver and Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Uniquely at the RNC, we hosted the Host Committee’s VIP Hospitality Suite last Tuesday night and the best party of the week, on Wednesday night at Seven in Minneapolis.
At the RNC, once again our own Thomson Reuters Media operation was most impressive. Above is the Reuters Media broadcast booth at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul where correspondents from Europe to Asia were reporting the story. I am so proud of the work the Reuters team does and I am so honored to have had dinner with the correspondent who broke the story of the pregnancy of Sarah Palin’s daughter.
I was on the convention floor at the RNC a few times on Thursday night, before John McCain’s acceptance speech. The floor was full of energy, just like the DNC. Both McCain and Palin energized the Republicans and turned a convention that started with a “canceled” day one due to Hurricane Gustav into a media winner, that showed increasing energy all week.
I also think both St. Paul and Minneapolis did a great job. Delegates constantly told me so as I spoke to them. They loved the friendliness of the Twin Cities, and the weather. The flow of people and traffic was much better in St. Paul than in Denver. Even with the arrests of more than 820 people protesting during the week at the RNC. That was four times the number in Denver. Sure, security was as tight but the lines to get to the metal detectors were much shorter making it a much more enjoyable experience.
For our employees, the RNC was terrific, too. Many were able to attend the events and social functions. They got to meet visiting dignitaries and local leaders. Some came to the Xcel Energy Center to see the actual floor sessions. Our facilities team also played a huge role with transportation, logistics, runners, and anything else the Reuters Media team needed to do their jobs.
During the two weeks of both conventions, we also met with hundreds of lawyers who are our customers and many elected and appointed politicians. In fact, we often were the ones inviting our customers and political types into convention events!
We also hosted a dinner in each city for the Reuters Media team covering the conventions. You should have heard the product ideas, use of news, and ideas of the incorporation of Westlaw fly around the tables.
We definitely enjoyed being a part of both conventions.
Remember to vote in November!
Rick King
Executive Vice President, Chief Operations Officer
Thomson Reuters North American Legal
