Forget the lingering lawsuits resulting from last year's Democratic National Convention. Think instead of the scores of people who hit the city's streets one year ago this week---and had a great time. As the Denver Business Journal notes, the late-August 2008 convention was "a time for Denver to shine on the national stage as never before" and a boon for local business. We had our fair share of unique daily stories, photos, and video here at 5280.com, as well.

Yet while the "jolt of economic adrenaline" was fleeting, writes The Denver Post, there is evidence, however scant, that the convention "will yield future economic gains." As Visit Denver president Richard Scharf says, "This showed that Denver is a world-class destination."

While the convention generated $266 million in direct and indirect spending, making it the single biggest event in Denver history, future gains are likely to come in the form of more conventions and increased tourism from those who were impressed by what Denver had to offer.

And there are the lasting connections. The Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck law firm, for instance, grew its revenue at its Washington, D.C., branch by 40 percent in the second quarter of this year, "in part from connections made at DNC-related private events the firm hosted last August," the Post writes.