Setup begins at United Center ahead of Democratic National Convention in August

Note: The video in the player above is from a previous report on the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

The United Center typically hosts more than 200 events each year, from concerts to Bulls and Blackhawks games, but on Monday, the Democratic National Convention Committee officially moved in.

“The president, the vice president are really excited about it. We're really excited about it and really excited to do the work the last 55 days,” said Alex Hornbrook, the convention’s executive director.

During a news conference Monday, United Center officials presented the committee with a giant commemorative key to represent handing over the keys to the building.

For the next two months, staff will transform the space into their convention hall. The stage where key speakers will stand will be constructed and unveiled later this summer.

“Here at the United Center, we create iconic stories. We do it on stage. We do it on the ice. We do it on the floor, and we do in the community. We're so excited to continue that legacy and creating another iconic moment here in welcoming the 2024 Democratic National Convention,” said Danny Wirtz, a member of the United Center Joint Venture Executive Committee.

The Midwest will be the epicenter of the political universe this summer with Republicans holding their nominating convention in Milwaukee next month and Chicago welcoming Democrats from all fifty states in August. The Windy City will host the DNC for the first time since 1996.

The chair of the DNC is Chicago native Minyon Moore.

“We have been in this building before. But this convention will be different, it will be exciting,” Moore said.

The United Center will host official proceedings, primetime programming and speeches, while the McCormick Place will host the official daytime party business, meetings and briefings, a spokesperson previously said.

The convention is slated to run from Monday, Aug. 16 to Thursday, Aug. 22.