A group of political, labor, business and community leaders in Philadelphia are putting together their pitch for the city to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
U.S. Congressman Bob Brady is spearheading the effort that brought more than 60 of the city's most influential and powerful people to the historic Union League Friday to work on the bid.
City council members say there is no better time to begin strategizing.
"How many hotel beds do we need? How many do we have? Should we think about the additional building and the things that are required to go into planning for such a large scale convention," said Cindy Bass, a Philadelphia City Coucil member. "Should we make those investments now as a city?"
Former Gov. Ed Rendell is chairing a nonprofit group that aims to raise about $50 million, mostly from corporations, to stage the convention at the Wells Fargo Center in 2016.
The former Philadelphia mayor and one-time chair of the Democratic National Committee said that when Republicans came to Philadelphia for their convention in 2000, it was an unqualified success.
Supporters say the convention could pump $300 million into the region's economy.
Meeting attendees said Columbus, Ohio is the main competition, but they are developing a plan to show Philly has more to offer than the Midwestern city.
