What happens at them?
The primary role of the convention is to officially nominate the party's candidate for president. After a grueling primary, Mitt Romney will formally become the Republicans' standard bearer and effectively become the leader of the party. In his acceptance speech, Romney will make his case for election and set out what his administration would try to achieve. The conventions are also the venue for the formation of the party platform: a loose set of principles and policies that the party will strive towards. These are far less detailed and binding than British manifestos and sometimes the party platform will contradict the presidential candidate's own position.
Do the conventions matter?
Not as much as they used to. The conventions used to be responsible for selecting the presidential candidates, who would be nominated after endless rounds of horsetrading in smoke-filled rooms by party bosses. The policy platforms also used to matter more and would effectively dictate how the nominee ran their campaign. Today, the conventions are a tightly-controlled media spectacle, where all events are choreographed and nothing is left to chance. But that doesn't mean they don't matter - the conventions are crucial for motivating the party and for presenting a united front to voters.
Two women seek shelter under an umbrella before the start of the first day of the Republican National Convention outside the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida
11.45am BST (6.45am BST) Hello and welcome to the first day of the Telegraph's US election live blog. For the next ten weeks, this blog will chart the highs and lows, hits and misses, quips and quotes of what is set to be a fiercely fought and extremely close race to the White House.
This week, Republicans are gathering in storm-battered Tampa, where Mitt Romney will aim to show voters that he does have the charisma to lead the country after a campaign beset by wooden performances and a bruising primary campaign. Barack Obama, meanwhile, will be hoping to rediscover the magic of his 2008 campaign at the Democrat convention next week.
Our team of reporters and editors will bring you all the action from today right through until decision day on November 6th.
In Tampa this week is our Washington team: Peter Foster, Jon Swaine and Raf Sanchez. They will be supported by Nick Allen, Mark Hughes and Charles Whitfield. In London, we have daily analysis from our diplomatic correspondent Alex Spillius - sign up for his morning email here - and input from assistant foreign editors Chris Irvine and Barney Henderson. So, visit this page every day for all the latest action.
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