Motivational speech, monumental traffic

Hartford (WTNH) - For some, it is billed as an opportunity to get inspired. But for others a motivational seminar expected to draw thousands to Hartford today will likely mean a traffic nightmare.

The XL Center is sold out, but not for a concert or sporting event. The arena is packed with about 19,000 people looking for a little motivation from the likes of former First Lady Laura Bush, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and America's mayor, Rudy Guiliani.

"We all live and work in jobs where you can obviously fall into ruts, fall into patterns - you need that extra spark to keep you in the game," said Tim Regan, attendee of Get Motivated.

To help keep traffic congestion in check, organizers encouraged carpooling, mass transit and provided shuttle buses to places like the Comcast Theater.

"We've seen a lot of attendees showing up for the event, excited to go to the seminar - we've also seen our regular downtown daily commuters who haven't had a major issue getting to their downtown parking spots and their office buildings," said Michael Zaleski, Hartford Improvement District.

The event is also a boon for local businesses as seminar attendees flood the streets looking for lunch and maybe even dinner.

"We are doing a lunch special outside; they will have a choice of three sandwiches with a bottled water and a bag of chips for $9.99 served with a smile," Jonny Vaughan, from Vaughan's Public House Irish Pub, said.

Out on the streets, the vendors are motivated to move everything from sunglasses to t-shirts.

"When they come here I will give them 20-percent off the entire inventory," said vendor Mambaye Mbaye. "We need them to come and support us, and we welcome them to Hartford."

75,000 commute to Hartford on a regular basis, according to the Hartford Improvement District, making for quite a bit of congestion.