MILWAUKEE — Ahead of both the 2020 Democratic National Convention and the upcoming 2024 Republican National Convention, various event planners and organizers have talked about a potential economic impact to the region of $200 million.

"We know the $200 million number is a wild exaggeration," Dr. Victor Matheson, an economics professor at The College of the Holy Cross, told Spectrum News 1. "The reason we know that's an exaggeration is that we've run numbers on things like tourism during past political conventions."

For example, in 2016, the Host Committee in Cleveland for the Republican National Convention —  the last full-scale RNC before the pandemic — estimated the overall economic benefit was $188.4 million, though a separate study from Cleveland State University claimed it was closer to $142.2 million.

"This is a big deal," Matheson added. "The problem is a hotel is generally by far the biggest thing tourists spend money on, and if you're only at $20 million with hotel rooms, there's almost no way you get up to $200 million when all is said and done."

Watch the full interview above.