5 Days In Seattle that Shook The World

Photo: Eric Scigliano

What next? The U.S. government did not have a department of conference planning. The trade representative’s office and State Department weren’t equipped to plan and pull off a meeting on this scale. And the government couldn’t legally use taxpayer dollars for private hosting. So it turned to the private sector, sending a request for conference proposals to just about every city in the country. Everyone involved in trade hereabouts jumped aboard; after APEC, we felt like a top contender.

I kept waiting for the RFP to show up but heard nothing until a State Department staffer called, asking somewhat testily why we hadn’t responded; he had sent it to some other office, perhaps the Chamber of Commerce. His prickliness made me uneasy.

“At that moment I thought, We do not have enough people.”—Chief Norm Stamper

He immediately faxed me the RFP, but the dates they wanted—November 30 through December 3, 1999—weren’t available; a medical group had already booked the convention center then. Otherwise the meeting fit handily in Seattle; we had the required hotel inventory, venues, and air service. And we had civic support.

While I worked on the facilities part of our bid, the WCIT, led by Pat Davis, rounded up endorsements from the mayor, governor, county executive, and Port Commission, plus labor unions, trade groups, and the state’s entire congressional delegation. Boeing and Microsoft offered money and loaned executives.

BRIAN DERDOWSKI

King County Council Member

The WTO was flying high. It was this juggernaut that was going to sweep the world and create a one-world economy. But I proposed a resolution opposing the Multilateral Agreement on Investments, which was part of the WTO’s agenda, in part because it would affect our ability to keep money in local banks. The County Council passed it unanimously. That created problems for other Republican council-members because the party expected them to be pro–free trade. So they proposed a resolution supporting the WTO.

KATHY SCHWARTZ

Convention and Visitors Bureau

The WTO would be a feather in our cap. It would cement Seattle’s position in the trade pantheon. And, it was now confirmed, two years later we would host the Asian Development Bank meeting. We were getting to be old hands at this.

My immediate challenge was to get the medical meeting to accept another date. Its planners had to consult their directors, exhibitors, and speakers. Meanwhile the deadline loomed. One day in late June 1998, our CEO’s assistant bolted into my office and announced that Congressman Jim McDermott had called, leaning on us to clear the dates or lose the chance to bid.

Let’s just say when a congressman calls your boss, you pay attention. The convention bureau could not afford to be the player responsible for Seattle missing out. My CEO authorized me to do whatever it took to move the other group. I offered to cover their $60,000 rent at the convention center and persuaded the hotels to offer incentives as well. Eventually they agreed to a later date, with the proviso that the deal stood even if Seattle lost the bid—we would still be out $60,000. It seemed a small price to pay to avoid being run out of town by the entire political establishment.

Seattle was one of 40 cities chasing the meeting. After a whirlwind site visit by two very pleasant State Department retirees, we were named one of six finalists. San Diego and Denver seemed the ones to beat. We had better international air service than San Diego and more trade advantages than Denver. But both had larger convention facilities, and we didn’t know what financial incentives they were offering.

The task force went into high gear, securing funds and political commitments. My job was to write the proposal, which at this point just addressed infrastructure needs. WCIT worked on the budget and finances. The city, county, and state police were brought in to plan security: police presence on the street and in the halls, escorts and drivers for dignitaries, APEC-type procedures without the high-level security needed for heads of state. Demonstrators weren’t even on the radar.

In November 1998 a delegation from State, the trade representative, and the WTO conducted an official site inspection. As I recall Seattle was the last of six cities they visited in two grueling weeks. We made sure they saw our facilities, met the players, and fell in love with our city.

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Published: November 2009