It is a moment of political pomp and pageantry in the United States, unfurling near the mid-point of a presidential election year: the national party convention. Every four years, both the Republicans and Democrats hold massive, televised conventions to officially nominate their candidates for president and vice president. And on July 15, the Republican Party opens the first convention of the 2024 election cycle. The four-day event will take place in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, located in a critical battleground state. Former President Donald Trump, who has been the party’s de facto nominee for months after sweeping aside a field of challengers during the Republican primaries, is expected to use the convention stage to put to rest any questions of his dominance over the party. “This is very much the Trump show,” Thad Kousser, a professor of political science at the University of California at San Diego, told Al Jazeera. “The convention will demonstrate how fully the party has embraced him.” What can voters expect from the convention? How does the nomination process work, and what election issues will be in the spotlight? We answer these questions and more in this quick explainer. Where and when will the convention take place? The Republican National Convention will take place from July 15 through July 18 in the Midwestern city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Several downtown venues have been selected for the multi-day event, including the Baird Center, a convention center; Fiserv Forum, a basketball stadium; and the UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena, which hosts hockey and football games. Who will attend the convention? The city says it is expecting about 50,000 people at the conference, including politicians, visitors and media, as well as law enforcement and staff. The event is not open to the general public. Part of the reason is the convention’s high-profile guest list. The Republican National Convention is a place for party officials to be and be seen, and the event features several days of speakers, leading up to an acceptance speech from Trump himself. There will also be 2,429 delegates representing states and territories across the US. They ultimately vote for the party’s nominee for president. What happens at a convention? The main event is the nomination process: Delegates vote on the official party nominee, who traditionally accepts the role with a speech. But the convention is also a place where the party platform is confirmed: It lays out a set of goals and ideals for the party to strive towards. Since the advent of television, the conventions have become more grandiose, and they often feature a series of speeches from party luminaries and influential figures. There are also opportunities for convention participants to socialize. At this year’s Republican National Convention, attendees can participate in a prayer breakfast, panel discussions, and a tour of the local Harley-Davidson motorcycle museum. How does the nomination process work? ...