Would you like to be part of the 2012 Republican National Convention? Some helpful information and Introducing the Convention Without Walls

The 2012 Republican National Convention will be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum from August 27-30, 2012. The purpose of every nominating convention, both Republican and Democratic, is to officially nominate the party’s candidate for president and vice president and to adopt the party’s platform and rules. Attending the Republican National Convention is a dream for many Republicans. Unfortunately, the Republican National Convention is not open to the public, and unless you are one of the 2,286 delegates, 2,125 alternate delegates -from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five territories-, a credentialed guest, a credentialed politician or a member of the 15,000 credentialed media, you will be unable to get in the doors. Tickets will not be available for purchase and quantities are limited to those who have been vetted, but there are several ways an individual can attend other convention activities. There will be hundreds of events hosted by other organizations in the area around the Convention. The deadline to apply for credentials through the Congressional Press Galleries was April 15, 2012. Special press applications must have been received by May 15, 2012.

You may have considered helping as a volunteer. For that information you may go to their site or contact [email protected]. No volunteer opportunities are available inside of the Tampa Bay Times Forum or Tampa Convention Center. Volunteers will help outside of the actual Convention; they will welcome guests at local airports and hotels throughout the area, as well as support Host Committee programs and a variety of events during the year leading up to the convention. Please be aware that no credentials or tickets will be made available to volunteers.

There is room for some misunderstandings. I was a National Delegate four years ago in St. Paul, Minnesota when we saw a couple of delegates who had “invited” extra friends or family members and were planning to bring them as “gate crashers." Soon they realized that that was absolutely impossible to do. The Secret Service is everywhere and there is a high security and credential checking. I am going again this year as a National Delegate, and I often hear the comments of people wanting to go thinking that it would be possible to attend without the proper credentials. If you would like to participate in some way at the Republican Convention, you can plan to participate at the many events that have been organized outside of the convention. But if you would like to participate, follow and attend the Republican National Convention and are not a National Delegate, Alternate, credentialed media or holder of one of those sought after guest passes, you can use an online tool called Convention Without Walls.

I contacted Brooke Manneti who is the Community Manager Team Leader of the 2012 Republican National Convention. She gave me the following information which is to help make the 2012 Republican National Convention the most accessible and inclusive ever. Thanks to today's technology, this is the first time everyone can participate in a Republican National Convention.

The Republican National Convention has launched a new online tool, theConvention Without Walls.

This Facebook app will allow everyone to connect, share their stories and participate in this year’s convention. For anyone coming to Tampa or watching the convention on TV at home, Convention Without Walls allows everyone to interact directly with delegates and newsmakers, share their own American Story, connect with other like-minded people across the nation in virtual “Neighborhoods” that they create, organize watch parties and receive up-to-the-minute updates from the convention proceedings.

We invite you to check out the application at and share it with your readers.

Some of the features of the Convention Without Walls app include:

• The opportunity to Share Your American Story with delegates, alternates, policy-makers and other users;  
• The ability to create neighborhoods to connect with like-minded individuals; 
• The chance to share media, take polls and have discussions based on your interests. Future features will include: 
• Behind-the-scenes access and posts from delegates during the convention; 
• A mobile app; 
• Tools to help you set up your own watch parties.

We hope to see you using the Convention Without Walls soon and that you will join us in encouraging everyone to be part of the 2012 Republican National Convention. For more information please go to http://connect.gopconvention2012.com or contact Brooke Manetti[email protected].