Short answers, pulled from the story.
The 2012 Democratic National Convention was held at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, from the 4th to the 6th of September, 2012. It was the first time any major party held its nominating convention in North Carolina.
Convention officials moved Barack Obama's acceptance speech from the 72,000-seat Bank of America Stadium to the 20,000-seat Time Warner Cable Arena, citing a thunderstorm threat. Charlotte's NBC affiliate meteorologist noted the severe weather risk was near zero and the chance of rain was only 20 percent, leading media commentators to question whether the real reason was concern about filling such a large venue.
Julian Castro, then the 37-year-old Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, delivered the keynote address on the 4th of September 2012. He argued the election was a choice between a country that dismantles the middle class and one where everybody pays their fair share.
The original 2012 Democratic platform omitted traditional references to God and language recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Convention chairman Antonio Villaraigosa held three voice votes on an amendment to restore both provisions. After each vote was indecisive, Villaraigosa declared the amendment passed, prompting an eruption of boos on the convention floor.
The Democratic Party announced in February 2011 that it would not accept corporate donations to fund the convention. By June 2012, the convention was $27 million short of its fundraising goals, causing some events to be canceled. The previous convention had raised $33 million from corporate donors.
Over 90 organizations formed the Coalition to March on Wall St. South, aligned with the Occupy Wall Street movement, and gathered in Charlotte. One group of undocumented workers traveled to the convention by bus, calling their vehicle The Undocubus, accepting the risk of deportation if arrested. Charlotte received a $50 million federal security grant in anticipation of demonstrations.