Accenture Creates First Internet-Based, Interactive Political Convention in Philadelphia
Historic Use of Technology Ushers In Era of eGovernment
PHILADELPHIA, PA - July 24, 2000 - Accenture, a leading Management and technology consultancy, has created the first Internet-based, interactive political convention for Philadelphia 2000, host committee of the upcoming Republican National Convention. Extensive use of the Internet at the July 31 to August 3 event will be a harbinger of how technology will help bring greater openness and accessibility to all forms of government.
Philadelphia 2000 hired Accenture to be the Chief Technologist to the 2000 Republican Convention. In that role, Accenture is providing a range of professional services, including strategic planning, technology and program management as well as logistical operations. While the strategic planning began months ago, Accenture, since June, has led a team of more than 20 service providers and contractors in preparing the First Union Center to host the first Internet-based political convention.
"This convention will make electronic history much as televising the 1948 conventions altered the political process," said Stephen Rohleder, Accenture managing partner of the USA Government and Higher Education practice. "Beginning with this convention, the Internet is expected to have much the same impact on politics that it has had on society and the way business is conducted. This will be the most accessible political convention ever held."
The technical infrastructure designed by Accenture revolutionizes the traditional convention process. The 2,066 delegates and their alternates can register for housing over the Internet. Fifteen-thousand members of the working press can access speech and calendar-of-events content from their laptops.
The extensive Philadelphia project has been executed in less than two months, an example of what Accenture refers to as moving at eSpeed. In its role as Chief Technologist to the 2000 Republican Convention, Accenture worked with many leading technology providers, including, Verizon, AT&T, Cisco, Nortel and Global Crossing, to prepare the convention site in time for the opening gavel.
"What we’ve done is equivalent to building a town for 15,000 residents and 40,000 commuters starting from a dirt road in only 41 days," said Accenture’s Dean Griffin, who is leading the effort. "The State of Pennsylvania, the City of Philadelphia and a large number of innovative providers should be commended for their role in this historic effort."
The convention’s use of technology is also significant for the important changes it promises in the way people interact on a daily basis with their government. Technology promises to make eGovernment more accessible to citizens on an around-the-clock basis.
"The Internet is revolutionizing the way people live, learn and shop. It’s forcing companies to make goods and services available at times and placesconvenient to the people, not to the merchant. Now technology is on the verge of having the same impact on the relationship between citizens and government agencies. Our work in Philadelphia is the firm’s way of bringing ’e’ to government, one political party at a time," said Rohleder.
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Barbara Hohbach
+1 (703) 947 1838