One year from now, Denver will be at the epicenter of American politics when the Democrats meet at the Pepsi Center to nominate their candidate for president.

It will be one of the largest events ever held in the Mile High City:

• 35,000 visitors.

• Dozens of U.S. senators, members of Congress and governors.

• Thousands of delegates and their families, 15,000 journalists and 10,000 local volunteers.

While the four-day convention might seem like one big party for the Democrats, it will have one overriding purpose: to introduce their candidate to the American people and create momentum they hope will lead to victory on Election Day.

Already, a handful of people are laying the groundwork for the Aug. 25-28, 2008, convention. By this fall, dozens more will join them.

They'll be preparing for four frantic days of partying, souvenir shopping, eating, text messaging and speechmaking. They're booking meeting space, lining up extra stoves, designing T-shirts and figuring out how to network hundreds of laptop computers.

It's 52 weeks until showtime.

The to-do listsFund raising

• Find companies and individuals willing to donate the $40 million in cash and $15 million in services the host committee pledged to raise. As of late August, about $20 million in cash and $15 million in services have been pledged.

• Get the money in the bank.

Construction

• Plan and build the main stage inside the Pepsi Center.

• Construct 50 backstage offices inside the Pepsi Center.

• Build a 200,000-square-foot media pavilion next to the Pepsi Center.

• Remodel 70,000 square feet of headquarters office space.

• Find 25,000 to 30,000 square feet of satellite office space.

Volunteering

• Organize 500 volunteers to work in the two months leading up to the convention.

• Schedule 10,000 volunteers to work the convention.

Transportaion

• Set aside 100,000 square feet of parking space near Denver International Airport.

• Arrange for up to 250 buses and 400 vehicles.

• Set aside 7,000 round- trip vouchers for bus trips between the airport and hotels.

• Find 350 public-transportation transit passes.

• Line up 15 motorized carts for use inside the Pepsi Center.

Security

• Draw a line around the Pepsi Center that will designate the "secured" area, where special passes will be required for entry.

• Find a suitable spot that can be set aside for protesters.

• Decide whether to close any streets.

Retail

• Talk to manufacturers about creating merchandise with a convention theme.

• Contact retailers in other cities that have held political conventions to see what sold.

• Place advance orders for T-shirts, hats and other merchandise.

Catering

• Arrange to hire extra chefs and crew members for convention week.

• Reserve rental refrigerators, ovens and stoves to handle demand during convention.

• Look for staff with experience handling large events.

Housing

• Finish signing contracts for 17,000 hotel rooms.

• Get each delegation assigned to a hotel downtown, in the Tech Center or at Stapleton.

• Work with hotel managers to encourage recycling and to conserve water and energy.

Logistics

• Plan welcome parties for 56 state delegations, 10,000 volunteers and 15,000 journalists.

• Put together 20,000 promotional packets with shopping, eating and entertainment guides.

• Find office furniture and supplies for 500-plus staff members.

Green

• Plan a comprehensive recycling program.

• Find vehicles that are hybrids or use flexible or alternative fuels.

• Use carbon "offsets" to make up for the greenhouse gases emitted in travel.

Technology

• Come up with a plan to build the communications infrastructure.

• Hire up to 10 full-time technology staffers.

• Organize 50 volunteers who will work technology.

• Set up 2,000 phone lines, 400 computers, 250 laptops, 250 cell phones, 500 two-way radios.

• Organize tech support for 15,000 journalists.

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