BOSTON -- In just about one year, thousands of Democrats from all over the country will converge in Boston as the city hosts its first ever national convention.

NewsCenter 5's Anthony Everett reported that in the event world this is a big one. The success of this convention rises and falls on the decision making of Julie Burns, who was raised in the Merrimack Valley.

Burns helped plan the 1996 convention where balloons floated through the air of the United Center in Chicago when then-President Bill Clinton told party loyalists, "Don't know if I can find a fancy way to say this, but I accept."

Behind all the convention hoopla, there were years of planning and 20-hour workdays leading up to the event. A young woman from Lowell, Mass., cut her teeth on that convention. Now, seven years later, at the tender age of 34, Burns hopes she can do in Boston what was done so well in Chicago.

"The stage will be built into a section of seating. It typically takes three of the sections of seats," Burns said.

About 22,000 delegates will be inside FleetCenter next July when the Democrats come to town. The women who once handed out political fliers for her Lowell neighbor Paul Tsongas is now responsible for the massive national political event.

"She's up to it though. She's had some great experience working for the DNC in Chicago and working on the mayor's staff as Deputy Chief of Staff, and she more than any single person drove the city's application for the DNC designation," Boston 2004 President David Passafaro said. "In terms of what goes on inside this hall -- it's a monster of a logistical task. You have delegates, you have 15,000 members of the media and the candidates so managing what goes on inside this hall is a monumental tasks for the DNC."

Already, there have been snags. The convention missed the deadline for securing financial commitments for the nearly $50 million convention budget. And the host committee has yet to secure no strike contracts with the various unions. Then there's the challenge of not taking physical control of the FleetCenter until June 8, 2004.

"The construction and preparations inside the FleetCenter has to be done in a very collapsed period of time -- six weeks," Burns said.

Many of Burns' young staff members have never even been to a national political convention before. But with the clock ticking, Burns projects confidence.

"I feel like we're on target, and we'll hit our stride and hopefully I'll get a few months sleep in between," Burns said.

Apart from all the logistical problems Burns and Boston 2004 must solve in the next year, they are also looking to recruit 8,000 volunteers for the Democratic National Convention, which opens July 26, 2004.