How the Milwaukee airport is poised to handle the RNC, and how it might pay off in the future

When travelers arrive at the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport for the Republican National Convention July 15-18, they'll be greeted by updates, a new food option and patriotic welcomes.

It’s all part of the Milwaukee airport's effort to give a strong first impression for the convention.

The airport has been playing a role in the convention since its inception and is effectively acting as Milwaukee’s front door for the week.

“The volume of travelers is not going to be anything out of the ordinary with us,” said Harold Mester, airport director of public affairs and marketing. “The thing that is different is most that are flying in are not going to be people who live here … these are people who may have never been in Milwaukee before.”

On a normal day, the airport has between 8,000 to 10,000 people flying in and out, Mester said. The convention is expected to bring in about 11,000 people a day.

Mester said the RNC provided urgency for some improvements like new signage and carpeting, an upcoming Dunkin' Donuts in the D concourse and a recently opened retail shop. The airport plans to add patriotic decor.

Visit Milwaukee, the local tourism organization, will be helping the welcome effort, too. Claire Koenig, vice president of communications and advocacy, said Visit Milwaukee intends to have volunteers and welcome banners for RNC attendees at the airport. The organization is also looking into offering performances from local musicians to greet travelers, too.

Mester said the airport worked with Visit Milwaukee on the pitch to host the RNC. The airport offered statistics to show it could meet hosting criteria and has been involved in media events and other promotional efforts for the convention.

“We’ve been working with the host committee … to promote Milwaukee as the preferred (airport)," Mester said.

He said the RNC is an opportunity for the city to showcase its ability to host large conventions. If that leads to more large events in the future, it could pay off for the airport, possibly leading airlines to add more flights to Milwaukee.

Koenig said that, with the recent convention center improvements and the RNC, Visit Milwaukee has already seen increases in interest for events. The airport plays a key role, she said.

"The more nonstops we have, the faster people can get there and it just makes us even more attractive," Koenig said. "What will get us to having more nonstop flights is more people flying in and out of Milwaukee and not going to Chicago."

While the airport understands it's the welcome center for the RNC, Mester said airport officials know that they're, well, an airport.

"We understand we’re the first impression for people, but we also understand that travelers don’t want to hang around the airport," he said. "They just want to get to where they’re going."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is readying for RNC