The Iowa Caucuses and The Greater Des Moines Partnership

Posted: Tuesday, January 04, 2011

The 2012 First in the Nation Iowa Caucuses just wrapped up, but the Partnership has been busy since early 2011 with programming and events to highlight the importance of hosting the caucuses and how they are significant to our state and Greater Des Moines.

Starting in early 2011, the “Caucus and Community” series kicked off in Grimes focusing on K-12 education. The monthly event series highlighted federal issues that are central to the community including energy, small business, health care and budget. We hosted 500 people in numerous communities and reached a large audience in hopes of better preparing our region for Caucus Day.

Throughout the year, we partnered with the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau to host numerous speaker events including the “Iowa Caucus Speaker Series” and the “Presidential Candidate Speaker Series” in partnership with IowaPolitics.com and Mediacom.

Before the day of the big event on January 3rd, we welcomed the international, national and local media to Greater Des Moines with “Raucous Before the Caucus” on New Year’s Eve at the World Food Prize – Hall of Laureates. The event was produced by a non-partisan volunteer committee, welcomed over 500 guests and brought in 2012 in style. The event was made possible by sponsorships from local businesses and organizations including Bankers Trust, Meredith, MidAmerican Energy and The Principal Financial Group.