In another break from tradition, Democrats announced Tuesday that they're shortening their national convention and moving events to the Charlotte area's two largest outdoor venues.

Party officials - and even the White House - said the moves are designed to allow President Barack Obama and his campaign to reach a wider audience while energizing supporters at the same time.

The president will deliver his acceptance speech at Bank of America Stadium, replicating his 2008 address at Denver's Invesco Field.

And in a twist, the party will forgo the convention's traditional Monday opening and instead entertain tens of thousands that day at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

"We wanted to find a way to truly make this convention different than any other in history," Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said at a news conference on the stadium field. "We want this convention to be about more than just the pageantry and speeches you see on TV.

"This is about engaging Americans in a meaningful way."

Wasserman Schultz and other organizers dismissed suggestions that the changes had to do with fundraising problems. Convention organizers are trying to raise nearly $37 million under self-imposed restrictions that bar corporate donations or individual contributions over $100,000.

Media reports last week suggested that organizers were considering a move to the stadium in part to woo wealthy donors with the promise of skyboxes.

"We knew from the start - before any money was raised, before inside-the-Beltway rumors began - that a larger venue ... would help us achieve our vision of being the most open and accessible convention in history," Wasserman Schultz said.

'Family-friendly festival'

Democrats are getting a break on the stadium, where the convention's red, white and blue logo flashed on electronic scoreboards Tuesday.

Carolina Panthers' owner Jerry Richardson said the team is not charging the convention. He declined to say how much it would rent for, but the team is believed to have charged some takers around $400,000.

A speedway official said the track is still negotiating terms of the Labor Day event, which could draw more than 75,000 people to Concord. Details of the event are sketchy.

It will be sponsored by the convention host committee which, unlike the Democratic National Convention Committee, is under no fundraising restrictions. It's expected to raise up to $15 million, in part with corporate money.

Host committee spokeswoman Suzi Emmerling called the speedway event a "free, family-friendly festival ... to showcase the best of the Carolinas."

Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx, like other party officials Tuesday, said the event would "celebrate North Carolina and Virginia" as well as the South. Obama carried both battleground states in 2008 and hopes to do so again.

Ken Bickers, a political scientist at the University of Colorado, said the two public events could help Obama's campaign, just as the Invesco event did in 2008.

"They were working hard to line up people and get social media contact information ... to try to push the vote," he said Tuesday. "Those are events where the campaign will be preaching to the choir (to) get the choir excited and enthusiastic."

Engaging a wider audience

In Washington, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Bank of America Stadium will allow the president to engage a wide audience.

"That allows for greater participation by Americans from all walks of life," Carney told reporters. "That's the reason why he did it in 2008 at Invesco Field (in Denver), and that's why he'll do it later this year in Charlotte."

In response to questions, convention CEO Steve Kerrigan said shortening the convention by a day wouldn't reduce the cost. He declined to say how much organizers have raised.

"We're right on track," he said.

Asked whether the stadium skyboxes could become a lure for donors, Kerrigan said, "We haven't even had those discussions."

He said the changes won't reduce the convention's regional economic impact, which is expected to be at least $150 million. About 5,000 delegates and alternates are still expected to arrive on Saturday or Sunday for the convention.

Though the role of modern conventions has changed dramatically from the days when they actually decided the nominees, the format has changed little. They traditionally span four days. So will the Republican convention in Tampa this August.

"Four days really is an anachronism," said Washington political analyst Charlie Cook. "There's arguably not more than one day's business to do ...

"I think the Obama folks like to do things differently for the sake of doing things differently."

Washington correspondent Franco Ordoñez contributed.