Volunteers transforming Chase Field into convention hall

PHOENIX - Starting at midnight, hundreds of volunteers started turning the ballpark into a venue for the 2019 Convention of Jehovah's Witnesses.

"There's so many hands here, but many hands make the load light," Violet Sanders said.

Forty-thousand people from all over the world will be in downtown Phoenix this weekend for what's expected to be the largest convention Phoenix has seen, and volunteers have just 24 hours to whip Chase Field into convention-shape.

"It'll take time to hook into the PA system here to provide the right video and audio," Robert Hendricks said. "That's probably the biggest thing. We'll be here until late at night doing that so that tomorrow when the program starts at 9:40, it is seamless."

Aside from the cleaning, the volunteers are also building a stage for worship services, setting up baptism pools and large screens for live streaming.

"We're here to help clean, do whatever," Rebecca Sanders said. "We're told we need help cleaning the toilets, the chairs, whatever needs to be done. We're just ready."

By tomorrow morning, they plan to have the job done.