When the RNC pitched local event planners about the opportunities that would abound during the Republican Convention in St.Paul, Kristi Gray Shepherd was optimistic.

.

If all of her proposals were accepted, she was going to have an incredibly profitable 10 days.

The venue she decided to pitch was the Neighborhood House aka The Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building.

Kristi thought it was a perfect place for RNC events.  As she told me over coffee, " It's an absolutely gorgeous venue and all of the vendors that we were contracting with  committed to contributing 10% of their fees to support the work of the center."

The work of the center is entrenched in family values. The $25 million center includes two full-size gymnasiums, eight
classrooms, a 266-seat theater, two computer labs and a food shelf.

Kristi estimated if all five or her proposed events were accepted, the Community Center would add $100,000 to it's budget line.

To Kristi the combination of a drop dead gorgeous venue, it's family values mission and that 10% contribution to the center was a powerful incentive. She assured me that her pricing was competitive and that the 10% donation was not from inflated prices.

But, the Republicans will not be adding a dime to the Community Center. Not one of Kristi's events proposals was accepted. It was an outcome she wasn't expecting.

I asked what I thought was an obvious question, " Do you think the name of the facility may have discouraged the Republicans?"

The Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community building is named for former  Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone and his wife. Wellstone was a two-term senator from Minnesota.

While Barack Obama now holds the distinction of being the senate's most liberal senator, if Wellstone were still alive, Obama would be second.

Wellstone, his wife, daughter, aids and pilot were killed in a plane crash on October 25, 2002 --just weeks before the election. Republican Norm Coleman  now battling Al Franken for that same senate seat,won Wellstone's seat in that 2002 election.

While I thought my question was obvious, by the look on Kristi's face, I could tell that she had not seriously considered the name of the venue would be a detriment to Republican activities.

"Norm Coleman was the center's biggest supporter," she explained and then added, " it's a nonprofit that is helping the community. It's a fabulous venue.I thought the people hosting the events would focus on the support they were giving, not who the center was named for."

And maybe there is a different reason that none of Kristi's proposals  were accepted and that no Republican events will be hosted there. It's one of those things that you'll never know.

As it turns out the promises that the RNC would turn St.Paul into El Dorado were perhaps overstatements. Kristi is not alone in her disappointment. In both the Twin Cities and Denver, local businesses are feeling snubbed by the politicos.

Just two weeks before the Republican National Convention opens, some of the "official venues" say they're surprised and disappointed that they're not completely booked by now.

More than 40 venues signed contracts that required them to hold space open from August 30 to September 4. The contracts don't require the host committee to get the space booked — only that it would be marketed.

Julianna Nelson, director of sales and marketing for Solera Restaurant in Minneapolis, says she thought the restaurant would be fully booked six months ago. She says Solera probably wouldn't do it again.
                                                     Star Tribune

According to the Denver Post via Politico,Denver businesses have been disappointed by the amount of money spent locally by the Democratic National Convention Committee.  While over 2,000 listings for local companies have made the DNCC’s directory, little actual revenue has been received by locals for the convention itself.  The DNCC seems more comfortable working with vendors they already know, from as far away as New York City:
                                                   Hot Air

The DNC Vendor Directory, an online listing, was created by the Democratic National Convention host committee to promote mostly local businesses that submit their information to be listed in anticipation of the convention Aug. 25-28. To date, the DNC Vendor Directory contains roughly 2,000 listings, though many businesses appear more than once because they're in multiple categories.

However, an e-mail survey by PoliticsWest.com, The Denver Post's political website, reveals only a handful of companies included on the list that have gotten work because of it and many with complaints, ranging from poor organization to lack of communication. Some vendors said they also feel they've been shut out by union requirements and other criteria
                                                     Politico

With that said, there is one business sector that is anticipated to do very well during the conventions- experts say sex workers  both Denver and Minneapolis will see a spike in business.

Meanwhile, Kristi Shepherd is philosophical about her lost business opportunities.

Elana blogs about business culture at FunnyBusiness.