Officials from the National Urban League announced Thursday that President Barack Obama and the Republican presidential nominee are scheduled to address the league’s 2012 national conference in New Orleans this summer.
The event, which will run July 25 to 28, is predicted to draw thousands of viewers and about $25 million, according to the Times-Picayune.
Conferences in the past have drawn in crowds of more than 5,000 registrants and 7,000 guests, and Marc Morial, former New Orleans mayor and current president of the Urban League, said he expects to attract a comparably-sized crowd.
Representatives from the league’s 97 chapters will attend the conference to converse on a number of issues faced in urban areas, including education and employment.
But representatives won’t be the only ones participating in the conference.
Morial said he encourages locals to volunteer at the conference as well.
“Our conference is different,” he said during Thursday’s news conference. “It’s not just a convention for visitors and delegates. It’s not just a convention for out-of-towners.”
While the speakers at the conference are expected to attract a large crowd, this won’t be the first time Obama has addressed the Urban League.
In 2008, Obama and Sen. John McCain spoke to the Urban League in Orlando, Fla.
This summer’s conference will mark the fourth time New Orleans has hosted the league’s
annual convention.
 
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Contact Kate Mabry at [email protected]