After a contentious Democratic primary season in which presumptive presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was accused of being too cozy with corporate interests, many such players will keep a low profile at the party’s national convention.
****
Lobbying groups that want to put on more than a reception with food and drink of nominal value may opt to host a charitable event. This allows them to host dinners, music concerts and even golf outings. As long as more than 50 percent of the proceeds go to charity, then an event likely qualifies for the charity exemption, Gross says.
Along those lines, HeadCount, a nonprofit that registers voters at concerts around the country, wanted to increase its profile among the politically savvy convention-goers this year.
So for the first time, HeadCount planned events at both conventions, including a July 25 concert benefiting the organization headlined by songwriter Grace Potter, the band Dawes and other special guests, says lobbyist Diane Blagman of the firm Greenberg Traurig.