Prov schools delay 2 hours due to conf.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - The draw: getting motivated to succeed in business. The consequence: 12,000 people descending on the Dunkin Donuts Center in the middle of downtown Providence, all through the workday. The conference is causing changes to transportation, driving and parking, even schools.

The seminar

The Get Motivated! Business Seminar is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 3, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Dunkin Donuts Center, and features nine notable names, from captains of industry to sports legends -- speaking on business skills, leadership, management, sales and negotiation, and more.

The website of the company that runs the seminars says they've been going for more than two decades -- but they don't do the same city twice in two years. The seminar's been touted in radio and billboard ads for the past few months, with a selling point being a very low price of admission -- citing the current economic climate.

The event is reportedly sold out. At least 12,000 people are expected to attend throughout the day -- and every single one of them may be looking for a place to park, alongside every worker, student or resident that normally passes through the city on a typical Monday.

RIDOT, city anticipating "tsunami" of cars

Since other cities have experienced traffic problems due to the seminar, Peter Gaynor, director of the Providence Emergency Management Agency, told The Providence Journal he expects problems because the seminar is on a weekday and participants will come and go during rush hour. "It's going to be a tsunami of cars," he told the Journal's Amanda Milkovits. "You'll see a lot of creative parking."

RIDOT is encouraging seminar participants to use commuter rail service from the InterLink at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, and RIPTA's Park n'Ride commuter bus parking lots throughout Rhode Island. (Read RIDOT's announcement here.)

Frank Correia of RIDOT told Eyewitness News his department is trying to get the word out about the potential gridlock, and encourage people to use different transporation options.

"People should be thinking about mass transit that day. We have bus routes people can use," said Correia on Friday. For those who simply must drive, "we're also going to have the message signs up on the highway to try to give you some idea of what the travel times will be to get to your destinations in the city," he said.

The city will be using its social media outlets, including Twitter, to make announcements. They're also encouraging Twitter users to use the "hashtag" #pvdtraffic during the event to report traffic and parking issues. (Click to see what Twitter users are saying about the traffic.)

RIPTA detouring routes for street closure

The city will be shutting down Sabin Street, right in front of the Convention Center and Dunkin Donuts Center, during the seminar, and because of it, RIPTA is detouring three routes that serve the street from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.:

• Route 27 (Broadway/Manton)
• Route 28 (Broadway/Hartford)
• Route 92 (Federal Hill)

All bus lines going through Kennedy Plaza are expected to experience minor delays during that time as well, RIPTA's Cristy Raposo also said in a news release Friday. Click here for details on the detours.

Schools delaying 2 hours

In a statement from the Providence mayor's office Thursday, officials encouraged everyone who lives or works in the city to plan ahead for longer morning and afternoon commutes.

Providence Public Schools are delaying their start times by two hours on the recommendation of Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare, according to the statement. Students will need to be at their bus stops two hours later than normal, and parents who drive their children to school are advised to carpool if possible.

The event will be ending after most afternoon school bus routes run, the statement said.