Of the 50,000 people anticipated in Cleveland for the Republican National Convention this week, only 2,472 are voting delegates.
Their job is to decide whether they want billionaire businessman Donald Trump as the party’s candidate for president, and then they will revel in his selection at the closing.
That’s the main business, but they’ll also party with big donors, lobbyists and celebrities, hear motivational speeches, visit attractions such as the Pro Football Hall of Fame, First Ladies National Historic Site and Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, and likely eat well.
About 15,000 journalists and media technicians will attend the event, including more than 100 from Ohio news organizations. Another 8,000 volunteers will do such things as greet visiting delegations at hotels in Fairlawn, Bath and Copley townships, Cuyahoga Falls, Twinsburg and the Cleveland area.
Area accommodations
Six Summit County hotels are hosting RNC delegates from various places:
• Hilton Akron/Fairlawn: Missouri, Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands
• Doubletree by Hilton Akron/Fairlawn: Oregon
• Sheraton Suites Akron/Cuyahoga Falls: Michigan
• Hilton Garden Inn Akron: Puerto Rico
• Holiday Inn Akron-West: Utah
• Hilton Garden Inn Twinsburg: Maine
The Democrats will hold their convention the following week in Philadelphia to consider former U.S. senator, secretary of state and first lady Hillary Clinton.
Can you visit?
Conventions are not open to the public. Several blocks around Quicken Loans Arena and Progressive Field are highly secured and require special credentials for entry.
Outside the steel fence and concrete barriers will be thousands of other people who have come to express a political position. They will camp, speak and march.
Demonstrators will be in event zones where there are other security rules: No boards, pipes, tennis balls, backpacks and more. The convention website lists all prohibited items.
However, a person who has a concealed carry permit can carry a loaded weapon.
How it works
Each state has its own rules for its delegates.
Trump came in second in Ohio, which is a winner-take-all state.
The winner, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, then will receive the state’s 66 votes in the first round of balloting.
Some states are like Ohio, some are proportional, and others allow delegates the freedom to vote as they wish.
After the first ballot, pledged delegates will be allowed to switch. To win the nomination, a candidate must have 1,237 votes.
Daily events
The convention committee, as of Saturday afternoon, had not released a daily schedule of speakers and events.
That information will be published as it becomes available.
What is missing is an appearance by Kasich, who has refused to endorse Trump and therefore will not attend, nor is he invited. Generally, the host state provides a welcome to the convention.
Kasich will instead speak to the annual convention of the NAACP this weekend in Cincinnati.
Here is what is known:
Sunday
Festivities will begin with hotel check-ins and receptions in Northeast Ohio.
Thousands of police and military are in town, too.
Streets and expressways around Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena, Progressive Field, Public Square and FirstMerit Convention Center are closed or restricted. Check the Ohio Department of Transportation website for updates.
Welcome ceremonies: Delegates will gather at Voinovich Park, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Great Lakes Science Center for a late-afternoon reception. At 4:30, a group calling itself Shut Down Trump will meet at East 32nd Street and Euclid on the east side and walk toward the delegate reception.
About 700 people with the Ohio delegation will have their own welcome party with the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Monday
The Ohio delegation will have breakfast with Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel and guest U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.
The session will begin at 1 p.m.
Akron native Karen Vaughn, mother of a Navy SEAL who died in Afghanistan, and an outspoken critic of President Barack Obama, will be a speaker.
Platform and rules committees will issue reports.
Tuesday
The Ohio delegation will have breakfast with U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, representing southeast Ohio, and political strategist Frank Luntz.
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio will hold a reception for Ohio news media.
The session will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday
The Ohio delegation will have breakfast with U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi, representing the Columbus area, and U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan.
A Big Tent Brunch at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will include Caitlyn Jenner for a discussion of LGBT rights and the Republican Party.
The Westboro Baptist Church, a controversial anti-gay organization, intends to demonstrate all day in Perk Plaza.
The session begins at 7 p.m.
Thursday
The Ohio delegation will have breakfast with Ohio Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor of Green, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The session will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Trump is expected to deliver his acceptance speech before the closing ceremony.