Invesco Logistics
80,000 people are expected at Invesco Field for Obama's acceptance speech on the Thursday, August 28th. I myself was able to score tickets quite easily by calling in at the right time.
Now comes the hard part, getting in and out of there. The word on the street is that the RTD Light Rail service to Invesco will be availible for Thursday night's event, unlike the rest of the convention, when it will not go to the Pepsi Center.
It has already been anounced that no parking will be availible. This leaves 80,000 people to get Invesco relying on public transportation only. The gates are opening at 1 in the afternoon, while the I-25 highway is supposed to shut down at 5:30 PM.
From this information, I can deduce the following:
1. Obama's speech itself will be later than 5:30. In order to coincide with the maximum prime time television exposure, it will probably occur around 8 PM local time.
2. While the RTD system may adequately transport people to Invesco between 1-5:30, I have serious concerns about what will happen when the event is over. I predict that 80,000 people overwhelm the single Invesco light rail station. Denver's light rail, unlike traditional heavy rail, or subway systems, is not designed to be the sole mode of transport for large capacity events. The trains are only three cars long and will not be able to handle 80,000 people leaving the venue at once.
If you are planning on attending the event, I would strongly recommend that you develop a backup plan for returning to your car, home, or hotel on Thursday night that does not depend on light rail. I beleive that the speech will end at around 9 pm, and it will take hours for people to get home if they are standing in line at the light rail station.
If you are staying in the downtown business district, you might just plan on walking home, it is only a mile or so.
If you are staying further, look into bus shuttles. The RTD Broncos Ride is the standard service to and from events at Invesco, and they should be operating the same or similar service. This is actually a very efficient system where rows of buses line up for each destination and leave as each bus fills up. The destination are remote park and ride lots that offer plenty of parking. Light Rail parking lots, on the other hand, tend to fill up early in the morning. The buses depart far more frequently to far more destinations than is possible with the single Light Rail line at Invesco.
Finally, consider bicycle transportation. I will be riding my bicycle to the Invesco event, in order to avoid long lines on RTD, or long walks to downtown. If you are attending the convention from out of town, sign up for a free loaner bike from Freewheelin project.