| The demand for Minneapolis computer rentals and | | | | innovation provider, have already begun |
| short-term computer hardware leasing | | | | preparations in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. At the micro |
| arrangements will spike at summer's end when | | | | level, computer rental and rental equipment |
| the Republican Party convenes in Minneapolis-Saint | | | | providers are ramping up to fill the demand for |
| Paul for the 2008 Republican National Convention. | | | | the computer hardware, peripherals and A/V |
| The National Journal's Congress Daily reports that | | | | equipment that will be required at the auxiliary |
| "the political counterpart of Moore's law" will be | | | | venues and events away from the main |
| operative both in the Twin Cities and in Denver, | | | | convention site. |
| where the Democratic Party will hold its National | | | | The demand for bandwidth is likely to be |
| Convention at the end of August. "With each | | | | atrocious. The COA has arranged for |
| quadrennial national political convention," the | | | | USTREAM.TV to stream live coverage of the |
| National Journal notes, "the use of information | | | | RNC from the convention site and for ShadowTV |
| technology seems to grow exponentially." | | | | to provide continuous live and archival coverage |
| By way of example, in 2004 only 12 online | | | | of the convention proceedings from the Xcel |
| bloggers received press credentials to cover the | | | | Center. Arrangements are also being made to |
| RNC that was held in New York City. The RNC | | | | stream live coverage of the convention in Spanish |
| has announced that it will credential over ten | | | | as well as English. |
| times that figure to blog on the RNC that will be | | | | Qwest, the RNC's official telecom provider, is |
| held at Saint Paul's Xcel Energy Centre, | | | | putting down over 100 miles of fiber optics and |
| September 1st to 4th. Matt Burns, the RNC's | | | | copper cable to provide a gigabyte of bandwidth |
| director of communications, has estimated that | | | | just to facilitate the demand for coverage of |
| between 175 and 200 independent bloggers will be | | | | proceedings from inside the convention, while |
| credentialed for this year's convention. | | | | outside Verizon Wireless is anticipating a 150% |
| The RNC's Committee on Arrangements (COA) is | | | | increase in data transmissions over its broadband |
| expecting more than 45,000 delegates, alternate | | | | network during the convention. |
| delegates, party officials, volunteers, media | | | | Just as the demand for products and services |
| members and convention guests to show up for | | | | from hotel rooms to caterers to rental cars will |
| the 2008 gathering of the G.O.P. faithful. The COA | | | | peak during convention week, so too will demand |
| has contracted with more than 100 hotels for | | | | for the computer hardware and technical support |
| accommodation and there are nearly 50 venues | | | | to set up, maintain and troubleshoot the digital |
| spread out amongst Minneapolis, Saint Paul and | | | | infrastructure underlying the convention. National |
| Bloomington where separate events will be held | | | | firms specializing in computer rental, equipment |
| as adjuncts to the main convention. | | | | rentals and computer support are now beginning |
| With the number of venues putting on events | | | | to shift resources and prepare their logistics to |
| and the vastly greater number of mainstream | | | | handle the coming peak in demand. Preparations |
| and independent journalist covering those events, | | | | are being made to transfer equipment, resources |
| demand for computer equipment and technical | | | | and personnel from other regional centers to the |
| support to bring off what promises to be an | | | | Twin Cities in order to handle the demand for |
| intensely high-wired convention week will be | | | | Minneapolis computer rentals that will be |
| prodigious. At the macro level, blue chip | | | | necessary to host the wide array of convention |
| technology providers like Microsoft, which is the | | | | events and to bring live coverage of the G.O.P.'s |
| RNC's official technology provider, Qwest | | | | festivities to the world. |
| Communications and Google, the RNC's official | | | | |