President John F. Kennedy was en route to the Trade Mart to attend a luncheon when he was shot near Dealey Plaza. The 10-mile route through downtown Dallas from Love Field in a motorcade had been intended as a public relations opportunity. It was interrupted about three miles south of its intended destination--the Trade Mart--when the presidential motorcade raced instead to Parkland Memorial Hospital. Approximately 2,500 guests had already assembled in the Grand Courtyard of the Trade Mart to await the presidential party. The luncheon was co-hosted by the Dallas Citizens Council, a civic body formed in 1937 to promote urban initiatives. Over an hour after the luncheon was slated to begin, around 1:15 pm, event organizers announced that President Kennedy and Governor Connally and a Secret Service Agent had been shot. The space had already been arranged with tables, chairs, and luncheon settings. J. Erik Jonsson made the official announcement to the crowd that the president had been shot.