Republican National Convention moving into St. Paul's Xcel Center

Yours truly is a credentialed member of the media for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul in September. It will unquestionably be the highlight of my blogging career.

In a press release, the RNC announced today that the arena which last week hosted a Neil Diamond concert is now being transformed for the convention.

Today marks the handover of the Xcel Energy Center to planners for the 2008 Republican National Convention, beginning a six-week transformation in advance of the September 1-4 event.

During the next 42 days, convention staff will oversee the build-out of the Xcel Energy Center and the 475,000 square feet of media workspace located in the Saint Paul RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Experts specializing in a variety of trades will work as a team to ensure that all systems are "go" when the gavel drops September 1.

"After more than one year of preparation and a lot of hard work, we are excited to officially transition from planning to implementation," said convention President and CEO Maria Cino. "With only six weeks to go, we will be ready to welcome Sen. John McCain and the 45,000 convention participants joining us from around the country and the millions more participating from home."

Twenty-five trucks carrying equipment and supplies arrived at the Xcel Energy Center early this morning, enabling crews to get an early start on the first phase of the transformation process. Today, modifications to suites and media workspace will begin, ensuring that all necessary accommodations are made for the 15,000 members of the media expected at this year’s convention.

Throughout the next six weeks, crews will install nearly six miles of phone and internet cable and a total of 4,500 data and analog lines. Cellular providers will be increasing service capacity and state-of-the-art technology will be installed to provide real-time access to convention activities for millions around the world.

Related post:

Today's Republican National Convention's lunchtime chat

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