In addition to Reagan, Bush and keynote speaker Guy Vander Jagt; other notable speakers included former Treasury Secretary William E. Simon; former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former President Gerald Ford (the convention's opening night coincided with Ford's 67th birthday, and following his speech Ford was presented with a check to help fund the Gerald Ford Presidential Library); former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; Arizona Senator and 1964 Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater (introduced by his son, California Congressman Barry Goldwater Jr.); New York Congressman Jack Kemp; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People executive director Benjamin Hooks; Kansas Senator Nancy Kassebaum (introduced by a film by her father, 1936 Republican presidential nominee Alf Landon); former Texas Governor John Connally and former Ambassador to the United Kingdom Anne Armstrong.

A short list of prospective running mates was put together after Reagan clinched the presidential nomination, including Howard Baker, William Simon, Jack Kemp, Richard Lugar, Paul Laxalt and George Bush.

According to Bob Schieffer, "The whole convention came to a stop," when, after being asked by Cronkite, Ford did not dismiss rumors that Reagan was considering him as a running mate.

[5][6] Reagan's selection of George Bush as his running mate unfolded after the negotiations with Ford reached an impasse, and was finalized less than 24 hours before the ticket was announced.

[5][6] It was Richard Allen, then Reagan's chief foreign policy advisor, who suggested Bush as a viable alternative to Ford, believing that he possessed "the best credentials of the possible running mates mentioned".