If you thought the Republican National Convention leaving town meant the end of thousands of visitors wandering downtown Milwaukee in business wear, think again.

The Northwestern Mutual annual conference is back this weekend. More than 12,000 employees and agents of the Milwaukee-based insurance and financial services company will gather downtown for the multi-day event.

Here’s everything you need to know about the conference — including what’s up with those long ribbons many of the employees will be sporting.

How long is the Northwestern Mutual conference?

The conference will run from July 20 to 23. The gathering is typically held at Fiserv Forum and the Baird Center but will be on the Summerfest grounds this year — because takedown of the RNC is still underway at those facilities.

What happens during the Northwestern Mutual conference?

Employees and agents will spend most of their time in Milwaukee attending company meetings and events.

But it’s not all work: the company also dishes out on big-ticket headliners to entertain employees. Last year, country music star Kenny Chesney put on a private concert for the convention-goers. The company is keeping with the country music theme this year, with singer Eric Church scheduled to headline, the Milwaukee Business Journal reported.

What are those ribbons all the Northwestern Mutual people wear?

When you see the ribbons, you know Northwestern Mutual is in town.

Throughout the conference, Northwestern Mutual agents will wear lanyards with colorful ribbons that sometimes extend almost all the way to the floor. The ribbons denote sales goals achieved, benchmarks passed, accomplishments made, and employees earn them over their time at the company.

MILWAUKEE – Police officers from Columbus, Ohio – in Milwaukee to help with law enforcement during the Republican National Convention – shot and killed a man on Tuesday, July 16.

A portion of the bodycam video was released later that day. Now, the rest has come out.

Video showed the man, identified as Samuel Sharpe, with knives in each hand moving toward another person before police shot him. 

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New video shows police handcuffing Sharpe after the shooting and putting a wrap on his arm

Officers also handcuffed the other man, set up crime scene tape and discussed communication.

March outside RNC

On Thursday, hundreds marched downtown – just outside of the RNC – in support of Sharpe and another man who was recently killed.

Red Arrow Park filled with protesters before the group headed onto the streets with their message.

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The protest focused on two men killed in two very different situations. But both families said the deaths of their loved ones did not have to happen. 

Demonstrators stopped outside the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee hotel. That’s where 43-year-old D’Vontaye Mitchell died after security guards tried to restrain him.

March for justice in deaths of D’Vontaye Mitchell, Samuel Sharpe

Witnesses said Mitchell tried locking himself in a women’s restroom and fought with security. Employees held him down until police arrived; when they did, he was unresponsive.

The employees involved have been fired. Supporters want to see the people involved criminally charged.

Sharpe’s family

The march also focused on Sharpe. His family said Sharpe chose to live in a tent community, and he was still very connected to his family.

They said, in recent days, Sharpe told them a man had been threatening him. They said he left the tent community, but returned to get his dog.

Sharpe’s brother told FOX6 the 43-year-old had advanced multiple sclerosis and struggled to stand. He believes his brother was not the aggressor in Tuesday’s encounter. 

“I believe my brother was defending himself. If anything he was defending himself,” he said. “If you’ve ever seen someone with advanced MS, it’s very laborious to walk, anything like that.

“It’s like putting a child against an adult. A toddler that barely knows how to walk. He ain’t going to get away. The man that was in that video knew all of that information as well.”

Both families said their fights do not end Thursday. They will continue to rally and protest until they get what they believe is justice.

Two miles south of the Republican National Convention, Milwaukee residents trickled into The Cooperage for an event offering a break from the nonstop politics taking over downtown.

More than a dozen local artists and business owners set up booths with their merchandise, while a DJ spun music for the attendees. 

The free event was hosted by the Great MKE Block Party, which has been producing events to “connect the Milwaukee community in acts of joyful rebellion during the week of the RNC,” according to the group’s social media. 

Vendor Liz Koetting, who co-edits a quarterly zine titled “This Is A Zine for Queer Professionals,” said she’s been seeking out events and spaces unaffiliated with the RNC throughout the week. 

Apprehensions about the event have brought her circle of LGBTQ+ Milwaukeeans closer together, she said.

“People in my community are stressed about people who vote against our rights coming into our city,” Koetting said. “It makes the city feel like not a safe space.” 

Devin Billingslea, a volunteer with the Great MKE Block Party, said the group curated over 50 events during the past week, including drag shows, karaoke, markets and fashion shows, with the ultimate goal of providing Milwaukeeans a safe, joyful place to escape the intensity of the convention. 

Two attendees, cousins Kylie and Maureen McFadden, said they’ve been avoiding downtown and the RNC. They showed up to bring business to a part of town they love, knowing that most around the city aren’t getting the increased business promised by local officials.

They weaved between a number of vendor booths set up, including Alicia Clark’s booth, selling laser cut jewelry and sun catchers under the brand Lux Candela Studio. 

Clark said she plans to donate a portion of her proceeds to Street Angels, a local group that supports Milwaukee County’s unhoused population. She’s received enough donations to contribute $22 to the organization for every purchase at her station.

The events of Tuesday — when five police officers from Ohio shot and killed a man living in a tent encampment near downtown — are fresh in her mind.

“Because the unhoused population has been so affected by the RNC in so many ways, between displacements and disconnection from resources, I thought they could use some extra help this week,” she said.

Abstract art vendors Sue McVey and her wife Tracy Apps participated in the Coalition to March on the RNC’s protest earlier in the week, particularly in support of the Palestinian people, LGBTQ+ communities and abortion rights.

“I really love the joyful rebellion because everything is really heavy right now,” Apps said. 

At The Cooperage, McVey was clad in a dress showcasing the Palestinian flag.  

Chloe Longmire, owner and founder of Chase My Creations, also said she sought out RNC counter-programming in the spirit of protest, since she was out of town during larger protests earlier this week. Longmire’s business creates social justice apparel with slogans like “Pro Roe AF” and “Take a Hike Racists.”

“I know how unsafe and unsettled a lot of people, especially Black people, feel with the RNC being in town,” Longmire said. “But the RNC is not what Milwaukee is about. Being anti-racist, speaking up for marginalized groups — this is what Milwaukee is all about.”