* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [*A portion of this video is without audio*] [00:00:18] [00:06:33] [00:11:22] [00:15:45] [00:21:04] [00:25:35] [00:30:17] THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AS WE WORK THINGS OUT. UM, WE CAN'T VOTE ON THIS TODAY BECAUSE WE CANNOT, BECAUSE I'M ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE MUSEUM, SO I WOULD NEED TO ABSTAIN. SO I WOULD LIKE US TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT MONTH, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HEARD THE PRESENTATION, WE'VE GOT THE INFORMATION WE CAN, AND, AND OUR NEW MEMBER HAS HEARD IT, WHICH IS GOOD BECAUSE SHE'D BE ABLE TO VOTE NEXT MONTH, BECAUSE THAT, I THINK THAT'S THE MOST APPROPRIATE THING TO DO, RIGHT? YES. THANK YOU. MIKE. DOES ANYONE, CAN WE ASK HIM ANY QUESTIONS THOUGH WHILE HE IS HERE SO HE DOESN'T HAVE TO MAYBE COME BACK NEXT TIME WORK? DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NO. OKAY. UM, SO NEXT WE'LL MOVE ON TO, UM, THE SARAH UPDATE US ON COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. NEXT, YOU'RE NEXT [League City Convention and Visitors Advisory Board Meeting on October 18, 2023] [00:38:12] OF WEDDING INDUSTRY PEOPLE, OBVIOUSLY MYSELF, UH, THERE'S REPRESENTATIVES FROM SOUTH SHAW HARBOR THERE, BAKERS DRESS SHOP OWNERS. UM, WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY FLOORS YET, BUT WE NEED TO, WE JUST KIND OF STARTED SMALL WITH, UM, PEOPLE THAT WERE KIND OF EXCLUSIVELY DOING WEDDINGS, AND THEN WE CAN KIND OF EXPAND AS WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING. UM, OUR GOAL IS JUST TO MEET AND COLLABORATE AND BE WORKING MORE CLOSELY TOGETHER, UM, AND BE WORKING WITH STEPHANIE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE CITY'S SO GREAT IN SUPPORTING THE BUSINESSES, BUT THEY HAVE TO KNOW WHAT WE NEED AND WE HAVE TO HELP THEM WITH THE PICTURES AND STUFF TOO. SO, UM, WE'VE ONLY MET TWICE. UM, I'VE BEEN, WE'VE BEEN MEETING AT BUTLER'S JUST AS A CENTRAL FREE LOCATION TO MEET, AND EVERYBODY SEEMS REALLY EXCITED TO BE WORKING TOGETHER. UM, THE CITY IS GOING IS HAVING A PAGE, I GUESS A LANDING PAGE, WHAT DO YOU CALL IT? YES. YEAH. SO WE'RE TRYING TO PUT WEEK CITY ON THE MAP FOR WEDDING. MM-HMM. DESTINATION. WEDDINGS. WEDDINGS ARE A HUGE PIECE OF BUSINESS. YOU'VE BEEN TRACKING ROOMS FOR A WHILE NOW. I KNOW YOU'VE GOT RECORDS FOR SEVERAL YEARS, MOSTLY THE SOUTH SHORE. THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE CAN DO THAT. SO ONE OF, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW, WE BROUGHT EVERYBODY TOGETHER. WE TALKED ABOUT DOING A BRIDAL SHOW IN HOUSTON IN EARLY JANUARY. THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN THIS YEAR, UM, FOR THE ALLIANCE GROUP, BUT WE'RE GONNA DO, WE CREATED A LANDING PAGE FOR THESE DAYS. AND SO WE'RE GONNA PUT A LITTLE BIT OF DIGITAL MARKETING BEHIND THAT AND, AND SEE WHAT KIND OF TRAFFIC WE CAN DROP TO SITE, GENERATE SOME LEADS FOR OUR ALLIANCE GROUP. THOSE LEADS BE SHARED WITH THEM AND FOLLOW UP. TRY TO BRING OVERNIGHT BUSINESS THAT'S OF THAT MARKET DEVELOPMENT. YEAH, THE WEDDING INDUSTRY IS STILL SUFFERING PRETTY BAD. UM, AND SO ANY SUPPORT AND HELP WE CAN GET, WE REALLY DO, UH, CONTRIBUTE A LARGE AMOUNT [00:40:01] TO OUR LOCAL ECONOMY. UM, THE STATS I'VE READ IS, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THE COST OF THE WEDDING WAS, WE CONTRIBUTE DOUBLE THAT TO THE ECONOMY. SO, FOR INSTANCE, IF A COUPLE SPENDS 20,000 ON THEIR WEDDING, THE LOCAL ECONOMIC IMPACT IS REALLY CLOSER TO 40,000 BECAUSE THEIR GUESTS COME, THEY STAY IN HOTELS, THEY STOP FOR BREAKFAST, THEY FORGOT THEIR TIE, THEY STOP AND BUY A TIE. THEY, THEY BUY A GIFT AT THE LOCAL GIFT SHOP. THEY BUY COFFEE, THEY PUT GAS IN THEIR CAR, THINGS LIKE THAT. SO, UM, IT, IT WAS JUST KIND OF BEYOND TIME FOR OUR WEDDING INDUSTRY PEOPLE. I MEAN, WE ALL PRETTY WELL KNOW EACH OTHER JUST FROM WORKING TOGETHER, BUT TO OFFICIALLY COME TOGETHER AND JUST KIND OF BRAINSTORM MARKETING IDEAS, WE WERE HOPEFUL TO GO TO THE VITAL SHOW TOGETHER. UM, UNFORTUNATELY THEY HAVE RULES THAT PREVENT US ALL FROM MARKETING MULTIPLE BUSINESSES IN ONE BOOTH. UM, BUT, UH, WE HAVE OTHER IDEAS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH. SO IT'S VERY INFORMAL. IT DOESN'T COST ANYTHING TO JOIN. SO IF ANY WEDDING INDUSTRY PEOPLE ARE WATCHING OR LISTENING, WE'D LOVE YOU TO JOIN. IT'S OPEN TO EVERYONE. UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE GONNA KIND OF ONLY FOCUS PUSHING THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE INVOLVED, OBVIOUSLY, 'CAUSE THAT'S ONLY FAIR. BUT IT IS WELCOME TO ANYONE TO COME AND GET INVOLVED. UM, THERE'S NO COST OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT'S JUST MORE OF LIKE COLLABORATING AND, UM, WORKING TOGETHER FOR BRAINSTORMING. SO, UM, AND HOPEFULLY THAT'LL IMPACT EVERYONE IN A POSITIVE WAY. I KNOW WE LEAVE THEIR, AT THE VERY LEAST, WE LEAVE THEIR FEELING ENERGIZED AND LIKE WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WORKING WITH US. SO IT'S ALREADY A PRO. UM, SO THANK YOU STEPHANIE, FOR WORKING WITH ME. AND, UH, SARAH ATTENDED OUR LAST KIND OF GROUP. I DON'T EVEN LIKE TO SAY MEETINGS THAT'S SO FORMAL. IT'S MORE JUST A GATHERING. UM, AND THE CITY STAFF HAVE BEEN VERY, UM, ENCOURAGING AND HELPFUL. SO THANK Y'ALL FOR GIVING US SOME OF YOUR RESOURCES THERE. AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN TURN THINGS AROUND IN 2024. UM, OKAY. NEXT IS STEPHANIE POLK WITH THE CBB REPORT AND TOURISM UPDATES. YEAH, SO IN YOUR PACKET, YOU HAVE A, UH, WE HAVE A LOT OF PAPERS. WE HAVE NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, UH, PRODUCTION REPORT, TOURISM UPDATES. THE BIGGEST PROJECT THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON IS THE OPENING OF THE NEW LEAGUE CITY VISITOR CENTER IN S SOUL CREEK CAFE. IT OPENED, UH, AFTER , SO I WANTED TO DETAIL THAT. I WANTED TO SHOW YOU, UH, SOME OF THE OPEN ACTIVITIES ON, UH, LOTS OF DETAILS ABOUT LOGISTICS, TRASH COLLECTION, BUILDING, ALL THAT STUFF HAD TO HAPPEN FOR A BIG OPENING DATE ON, UH, NOVEMBER THE 25TH, WHICH WAS ALSO SHOP SMALL SATURDAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH, TAM, FOR HELPING US WITH OUR RIBBON CUTTING THAT DAY. THAT WAS VERY GOOD. I ENJOYED IT. AND IT HAS BEEN BUSY THE WHOLE TIME. I'M SO EXCITED TO, TO SAY THAT AFTER OUR FIRST SOFT OPENING WEEKEND, I BELIEVE WE OPENED OUR DOORS, UM, NOVEMBER THE 2012 13TH, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AFTER RE AND THINGS, I HAD A LITTLE MAP IN THE CORNER AND IT HAS A PEN. IT'S A PIN MAP WHERE YOU CAN PIN WHERE YOU'RE FROM. AND AFTER JUST THAT FIRST WEEKEND, WE HAD PENS FROM ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES THAT PUT ON THERE. I WAS, I WAS VERY EXCITED TO SEE THAT. AND EVERY DAY, WHENEVER I, WHENEVER I GO CHECK EVERYTHING I WAS THERE. I MEAN, IT'S ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES, SO THAT'S VERY COOL. ALSO HAVE ADDED A, UH, GUEST BOOK IN THERE TO TRY TO TRACK THAT. AND WE'VE ALSO GEOFENCED THAT AREA WITH OUR DATA FILE SERVICE TO TRY TO TRACK, WELL TO TRACK, UH, VISITATION PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE, WHEREVER THEY'RE, BECAUSE IT TRACKS THAT, THAT AREA TRAVEL. SO I'LL BE ABLE TO GENERATE, YOU KNOW, REPORTS FEATURED ON THAT, WHICH WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL. YEAH, IT'S A LITTLE BIT MARKETING DATA STUFF, BUT IT'S VERY USEFUL. ANYWAY, WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF PROMOTIONS AND PR AROUND NOW WE'VE GOT SOME REALLY GOOD COVERAGE. UH, WE WERE ON THE COVER OF THE, YES, GALVESTON DAILY NEWS. I GOT A COPY OF IT. AND, UH, ALSO THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE AND THE POST, UH, RAN STORIES ABOUT THAT. ALSO, I THINK IT'S ALSO A CULTURE IN NOT HOUSTON, SOME OTHER PUBLIC DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS COMMUNITY AND OTHER PROJECTS. WE HAVE OUR HOMETOWN HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN THAT IS RUNNING RIGHT NOW. IT, UH, KICKED OFF AT THE VERY END OF OCTOBER. AND OUTSIDE MARKETS, THE WOODLANDS, CYPRESS, THOSE AREAS. AND IN YOUR, UH, BIG STACK OF PAPERS, I GUESS YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE REPORTS FROM, UH, THOSE DIFFERENT CAMPAIGNS. WE'VE HAD A REALLY GOOD REACH WITH COMMUNITY IMPACT. UM, THE REACH WAS FOUR 5,963 FOR COMMUNITY IMPACT. WE HAVE DIGITAL PROGRAMS RUNNING WITH DATA AND, UM, THAT WILL BE ACTUALLY RUNNING THROUGH THE END OF THIS MONTH. SO THIS IS JUST ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO VISIT LEAGUE CITY FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON. WE HAVE A MICRO SITE DEVELOPED CALLED LEAGUE CITY HOLIDAYS BOMB. IT HAS ALL THE EVENTS AND EVERYTHING LINKED TO THAT. SO ALL OF OUR DIGITAL PROGRAMS GO TO THAT LANDING SITE AND THEN IT FOLLOW REFERRAL TRAFFIC FROM THERE. SO THAT IS UP AND RUNNING AND ALL YOUR, YOUR REPORTS HERE, DETAIL, ALL THAT STUFF. HARD TO PUT IT ALL IN ONE SCREEN BECAUSE IT'S JUST LIKE OVERWHELMING NUMBERS, BUT I WOULD JUST INCLUDE ALL THOSE DIFFERENT REPORTS FOR YOU THERE. WE ALSO HAVE, UH, PROMOTIONS RUNNING WITH CULTURE, MAC HOUSTON, AND, UM, THEY SENT [00:45:01] OUT PROMO EMAILS AND WE HAVE BANNER CAMPAIGNS AND PROMOTER ARTICLES, AND THAT'S ALL INCLUDED IN YOUR PAPERS THERE. SO YOU CAN SEE THE REACH IMPRESSIONS AND ALL THAT STUFF. WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THE WEDDING ALLIANCE, BUT WE HAVE WORKED ON, UH, CREATING THAT LANDING PAGE FOR THAT ON THE WEBSITE. WE ALSO HAVE A SHORT-TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE PROJECT THAT JUST GOT COMPLETED. WE DID AN AUDIT OVER THIS YEAR FOR, UH, REGULATING SHORT-TERM RENTALS, SHORT-TERM RENTALS. WE NEED TO PAY HOT TAXES. SO WE HAVE A SYSTEM IN PLACE TO DO THAT. WE'VE BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT AND OUR INSPECTION GROUP AND FINANCE TO TRY TO BRING ALL THESE THINGS TOGETHER AND MAKE IT WORK A LITTLE BIT MORE SEAMLESSLY. UH, THE CITY'S WEBSITE HAS JUST BEEN UPDATED WITH ALL THE NEW INFORMATION ON THAT. AND SO WE'RE ALREADY STARTING TO GET SOME PHONE CALLS FROM PEOPLE ASKING HOW DO THEY COME INTO COMPLIANCE. THIS WILL JUST INCREASE THE REVENUE. RIGHT NOW IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE ABOUT, WELL, WE HAVE ABOUT FIVE ON THE BOOKS THAT ARE REPORTING SHORT-TERM RENTALS FOR LEASING. AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE MIGHT HAVE UP TO 20 TO 70 ACTUAL PROPERTIES HERE THAT WOULD BE CONTRIBUTING. SO IT'S ALMOST LIKE ANOTHER HOTEL THAT WE, SO THAT WOULD, UM, OTHER THINGS, JUST PAPERWORK AND MEETINGS, WHICH IS ALL THE TIME. YES, MONTHLY STATS ALL ON ONE SCREEN. OUR WEBSITE NOW, THIS IS FOR OCTOBER, NOVEMBER. NORMALLY YOU MEET EVERY MONTH AND I'LL TELL YOU MONTHLY STATS, BUT FOR THE WEBSITE, OUR AUDIENCE, WE HAVE 9,000 360 6 USERS, OVER 10,000 SESSIONS. AND OUR PAGE VIEW COUNT IS ALMOST 21,000. UH, FOR A VISIT WIDGET, NOT AWARE, LEAGUE CITY HAS A VISIT WIT APP OR LAKE CITY TRAVEL APP. GET IT, LOOK AT THE APP STORE PHONE AND DOWNLOAD IT. UM, WE HAD 429 USERS. WE HAVE 4 52 SESSIONS AND A 3000 PAGE YOU USE ON THAT AS WELL. SO THAT IS ALWAYS IMPROVING AND UPDATING. AND IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT TO GO EAT, WHERE YOU, BASED ON WHERE YOU'RE LOCATED, YOU LOOK AT THAT, IT'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S GOOD BY FOR SOCIAL MEDIA, WE ARE ACTIVE ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, AND TWITTER, WHICH IS NOW X. SO YOU CAN SEE OUR FOLLOWER ACCOUNTS THERE AND OUR POSTING AND OUR REACH MEMBERS. UM, OTHER MARKETING CHANNEL ACTIVITIES, WE HAVE THE CBB WEBSITE, CITY CBB COM, OR VISIT LEAGUE CITY DO COM IS OUR WEBSITE. AND, UH, WE ARE ALWAYS UPDATING EVENT CALENDAR CONTENT, DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT. WE HAVE MAINTAIN THROUGHOUT THE MONTHS, SOCIAL MEDIA AND THEN OUR DIGITS. ALL OF OUR DIGITAL INFORMATION IS KEPT CURRENT ON THOSE CHANNELS RIGHT THERE. OKAY. HOTEL PERFORMANCE. SO WE SUBSCRIBE TO THE STR REPORT TO MONITOR, MONITOR AND SEE WHAT OUR HOTELS ARE DOING. EVERYTHING IS LOOKING VERY GOOD. UM, IN OUR MOST RECENT REPORT. SO THE FIRST PART OF THIS IS OUR MONTHLY PERCENT CHANGE. SO HOW MUCH THINGS CHANGE FROM MONTH TO MONTH? RIGHT. SO FOR OCCUPANCY, UH, IN NOVEMBER WE WERE AT 54.1%. OUR YEAR TO DATE AVERAGE IS 63.7% AVERAGE DAILY RATE A DR IS FOR THE YEAR HUNDRED $7 AND 27 CENTS PER ROOM. REVPAR REVENUE FOR AVAILABLE ROOM NIGHT, IF A YEAR TO DATE IS 68 31. AND THAT IS ALL AN INCREASED YEAR OVER YEAR FROM LAST YEAR. SO THAT LAST CALL THERE, INCREASING OUR DEMAND, OUR YEAR TO DATE TOTAL SO FAR, WE HAVE SOLD ROOM NIGHTS IN LEAGUE CITY 116,635. SO THAT'S HOW MANY ROOM NIGHTS WE HAVE SOLD. THANK YOU BRIDGET, FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK. , SOUTH SHORE HARBOR, UH, HOTEL IS IS ONE OF THE LARGER CONTRIBUTORS. WE HAS MORE ROOM THAN THE OTHER PROPERTIES. WE HAVE FIVE HOTELS IN LAKE CITY, UM, AND ABOUT 580 TOTAL ROOM ITEMS, AVAILABLE ROOMS. OUR REVENUE, UH, YEAR TO DATE IS OVER 12. YEAH, THINGS ARE LOOKING VERY GOOD EVERY YEAR. ONE THING I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IS OUR HOT TAX REVENUE. SO THE CONVENTION OF VISITORS BUREAU IS FUNDED BY HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, NOT REGULAR SALES TAX REVENUE, SPECIAL DEDICATED FUND CALLED HOT TAX. SO THE CITY COLLECTS A HOT TAX AND IT'S A SPECIAL TAX THAT HAS TO BE USED FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES. WE DID A WHOLE TRAINING ON THAT A FEW MONTHS AGO, SO I WON'T GET TOO MUCH INTO IT. BUT, UH, THIS PAST YEAR WE ACTUALLY MADE A RECORD HIGH 2023. WE BROUGHT IN OVER $800,000, WHICH IS THE FIRST WE HAVE EVER DONE FOR LEAGUE CITY. EVEN OUR HIGHEST YEAR. PRIOR TO COVID IN 2019, WE WERE UP, THIS PAST YEAR WE WERE UP 36% PRE COVID THE RECORDS. AND THEN LAST YEAR, YEAR OVER YEAR, OUR INCREASE WAS 13 OR SIX. SO WE HAVE SET A NEW RECORD HIGH. SO THIS YEAR WE WERE, YOU KNOW, WE GOT THE BAR UP HERE, NOW WE GOTTA SURPASS THAT, WHICH IS ALL THAT, UM, THINGS ARE. YES. CAN WE GET A COPY OF THIS? ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. IT SHOULD BE IN YOUR PACKET. IT'S ON THIS ONE THAT SAYS NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, 2023. YES. IT'S AT THE VERY END. YOUR CHART AND YOUR HIGHLIGHTS THERE. SO YOU CAN SEE RECORD COLLECTIONS THERE FOR QUARTER ONE, QUARTER TWO, QUARTER THREE, QUARTER FOUR. SO ALL YEAR LONG I'VE BEEN EXCITED BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN SURPASSING OUR QUARTERLY COLLECTIONS [00:50:01] AND I'M LIKE, I THINK WE'RE GONNA TOP 800,000. WE WERE BUDGETED FOR 705, I BELIEVE THIS YEAR FOR THE ANNUAL TOTAL. AND WE VERY MUCH SURPASSED THAT. SO THINGS ARE WORKING, THINGS, MARKETING, ALL THESE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING, BRINGING MORE PEOPLE IN. WEDDING MARKET DEVELOPMENT, BIRDING MARKET DEVELOPMENT, WATER MARKET DEVELOPMENT, ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING IS WORKING. YOU CAN SEE IT. THE MORE WE BRING PEOPLE IN, THE MORE WE ENTERTAIN THEM WHILE THEY'RE HERE, THE MORE MONEY THEY BRING INTO OUR, THIS IS JUST A WIN-WIN FOR LEAGUE CITY. SO WE'LL BE LOOKING VERY SOON FOR QUARTER 1, 20 24, I BELIEVE JANUARY IS WHENEVER WE'LL START PROCEEDING PAYMENTS FOR THAT. THAT'S WHAT I'M HEARING FROM FINANCE, SO WE'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO ANOTHER VERY YEAR. OKAY. AND THEN FINANCIALS, THE MOST CURRENT FINANCIALS, THAT'S WHAT PAPER IN YOUR DOCUMENT YOU CAN SEE THERE WHAT WE HAVE. UH, YOU CAN SEE THE, UH, UPDATED ACTUALS FOR YEAR IN 2023 AND JUST WHAT HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR THIS YEAR AND WE'RE, I'VE BEEN BUSY WITH CONTRACTS AND GETTING EVERYTHING REQUISITIONS DONE AND EVERYTHING COMPLETED FOR THIS YEAR. SO ADVERTISING, PROMOTIONS, THAT SORT OF THING. UM, FOR SPECIAL EVENTS, THE HOT TAX, THE HOT GRANTS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER. OUR BUDGET THIS YEAR FOR HOT, YOU CAN SEE THAT UNDER, UH, SPECIAL EVENTS. NOPE, THEY CHANGED IT. HOT BRAND GOOD. THIS YEAR WE HAVE 73,000 BUDGETS FOR HOT GRANTS AND THAT IS DONE THROUGH THE APPLICATION PROCESS REQUEST FUNDING FROM THAT PROGRAM. WE HAVE ALLOCATED RIGHT NOW 10,000 ALREADY. SO THO THOSE ARE THAT SAME COMFORT NOW. MM-HMM. , YES. SO WE SO FAR HAVE BEEN PAID, I BELIEVE, UH, BAY AREA, HOUSTON BALLET THEATER, AND ALSO THE, UH, WAYNE HOUSTON AIR SHOW, WHICH HAPPENED AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF OCTOBER, FALL INTO THIS FISCAL YEAR. SO WE HAVE SPENT TECHNICALLY THOUSAND OUT THIS BUDGET SO FAR. UM, AND THAT'LL BE, WILL BE ANOTHER 10 BECAUSE THE WAY THAT WE PAY IT. SO WE'VE ALLOCATED 25,000. ANY QUESTIONS? YEAH, I, THE REST OF IT ALL ON ONE SCREEN BECAUSE I ALWAYS FORGET TO CLICK THE NEXT THING WE HAVE ON OUR AGENDA, THE BOARD DISCUSSION, CLEAR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HOT GRANT EVENT FUNDING. I THINK IT WILL PROBABLY NEED TO DEFER THIS BECAUSE OUR COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE FOR THIS BOARD IS NOT HERE TODAY, MR. SAUNDERS. SO I DON'T KNOW IF HE HAD A DISCUSSION, UM, WITH COUNCIL OR NOT ON, UM, RECONSIDERING, UH, THE INVESTMENT. I DID EMAIL HIM AFTER OUR LAST MEETING PER HIS REQUEST, UM, GIVING HIM A BREAKDOWN OF, OF WHAT THE CITY WOULD USE IN, IN HOT TAX DOLLARS. UM, THEY WOULD PULL, THE CHAMBER WOULD PULL, THEY'VE TOLD ME THEY WOULD PULL THEIR EVENT FROM LEAGUE CITY AND, AND ARE OBLIGATED TO DO IT WITH OTHER SPONSORS OF THE EVENT. SO IT'LL JUST TAKE MR. SAUNDERS TO, TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS. OKAY. I HAVEN'T HEARD THAT. SO WE'LL JUST DEFER THIS FOR NEXT MONTH. OKAY. UM, DISCUSS INTAKE ACTION ON THE HOT GRANT APPLICATIONS, WHICH WE'VE ALREADY SAID ALSO NEEDS TO BE DEFERRED AND REPORTS AND UPDATES FROM MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. DOES ANYONE HAVE AN UPDATE? SURE. UM, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T HAVE PLANS FOR NEW YEAR'S, UM, WE ARE HAVING JUST A LITTLE PARTY, UM, WITH ENTERTAINMENT BY INFINITE GROUP. AND IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THEM BEFORE, THEY'RE AWESOME. THEY'RE A GOOD DANCE BAND. UM, SO THAT OF COURSE IS ON NEW YEAR'S EVE. IT INCLUDES, UM, BUFFET DINNER, UM, FOUR DRINK TICKETS, THE ENTERTAINMENT, UM, AND A BALLOON DROP WITH PRIZES. IT'S REALLY PRETTY COOL. WE ALREADY HAVE CLOSE TO 250 PEOPLE SIGNED UP FOR IT, SO WE'RE SUPER EXCITED. SO JUST GO ON THE WEBSITE AND UM, FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ON IT, BUT YOU'RE MORE THAN WELCOME TO COME TO IT AND TAKE THE ELEVATOR HOME. UH, THE ONLY UPDATE FROM BUTLER'S COURTYARD IS, UM, WE ARE IN ENGAGEMENT SEASONS, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF LEADS COMING, WHICH IS GREAT. UM, WE HAVE DECIDED TO ATTEND THE BRIDAL EXTRAVAGANZA ON OUR OWN SINCE THE GROUP THING DIDN'T WORK OUT. UM, SO WE'RE DOING THAT IN JANUARY AND HOPEFUL THAT THAT WILL BRING US MORE TRAFFIC. AND THEN OF COURSE WE HAVE OUR OPEN HOUSE IN JANUARY, WHICH WE WOULD LIKE TO ASK FOR HELP IN PROMOTING THAT AGAIN. UM, AND I THINK THAT'S IT. JANUARY? YEAH, WE ARE PLANNING A MARDI GRAS PARTY IN FEBRUARY, IF ANYBODY WANTS TO PUT THAT ON THEIR CALENDAR. I THINK THE FRIDAY THE NINTH. SO WE'LL JUST, UM, MORE INFO TO COME ON THAT. [00:55:01] AND UM, I THINK THAT WAS IT FOR ME. OPEN HOUSE IS REALLY THE BIG THING THAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARD. UH, WE ARE ALSO DOING OUR VALENTINE'S DAY ELOPEMENTS AGAIN THIS YEAR, WHICH ARE ALWAYS FUN. UH, GOOD WAY TO HELP SOME FOLKS GET MARRIED IN A PRETTY SETTING THAT DON'T HAVE THE BUDGET FOR IT. WE ONLY CHARGE $150. WE GET A CAKE FROM CAKES BY DOULA. THEY GET PICTURES FROM MAGIC PHOTOGRAPHY. WE HAVE AN OFFICIANT THERE. UM, AND SO THAT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY I DON'T MAKE ANY MONEY CHARGE HUNDRED 50, BUT IT'S A GOOD MARKETING KIND OF THING. IT GETS US SOME BUZZ AND WE ARE ABLE TO GET BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY. WE PARTNERED WITH, UM, SOME ORGANIZATIONS LIKE ANCHOR POINT, SOME LOCAL PREGNANCY CRISIS CENTERS, PLACES LIKE THAT WHERE THEY'RE COUNSELING TO THESE COUPLES. SO WE DO GIVE A FEW FREE CEREMONY SESSIONS AWAY TOO, BUT, UM, THAT MIGHT BE A FUN THING TO PROMOTE. WE WOULD LIKE TO BE LIKE, HAVE THE MOST WEDDINGS IN ONE DAY, SOME KIND OF RECORD OR SOMETHING. IT MIGHT BE NICE TO REACH OUT TO THE MEDIA ABOUT TJ. YES, IN THE PAST YOU GUYS HAVE DONE THAT AND UM, TJ ALS ALSO SOMETIMES DOES A STORY ON IT. UM, THE, WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET A, UH, JUDGE OR SOMEONE THERE ISSUING EMERGENCY MARRIAGE LICENSE THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS WE RUN INTO IS THEY HAVE TO HAVE IT FOR 72 HOURS, WHICH OBVIOUSLY WE WORK WITH THE COUPLES THAT SIGN UP AND WE HELP 'EM GET IT. BUT IN GALVESTON COUNTY, THERE IS A PLACE THEY CAN GO THAT DAY IF THEY DECIDE TO ELOPE OR SORRY, IN HARRIS COUNTY. SO WE WOULD LIKE TO BE THAT PLACE WHERE GALVESTON COUNTY. SO WE'RE GONNA WORK ON FIGURING THAT OUT, UM, BECAUSE WE FEEL LIKE EVERYONE DESERVES A BEAUTIFUL START TO THEIR MARRIAGE AND NOT JUST A COURTROOM, NO OFFENSE TO OUR PUBLIC BUILDINGS, BUT, UM, SO COME TO BUTLER'S COURTYARD, YOU GET PROFESSIONAL WEDDING PICTURES AND ALL THAT SORT OF STUFF. SO THAT'S SOMETHING FUN COMING UP THAT WE ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD TIME WITH TOO. SO THAT'S IT FOR US. AND I NEED A GIFT CARD FOR FROM ESTEBAN'S, FOR THE BRIDAL SHOW GIVEAWAY. THANK YOU. AND YOU'RE ON OFFICIAL RECORD THAT YOU'RE GONNA GIVE IT TO ME, . I KNOW THEY WERE REALLY STICKLERS ABOUT THAT THIS YEAR, SO TECHNICALLY NO. UM, I COULD PROBABLY HAVE GIFT BAGS THAT ARE SPONSORED MAYBE. I KNOW. YEAH, NO, I, I WOULD LIKE TO PUT TOGETHER A LITTLE SOMETHING THAT WE HAND OUT AND THE DINING GUIDE WOULD BE GREAT. I MEAN, HONESTLY, I DON'T, I DON'T MIND GETTING IN TROUBLE IF WE WANNA TRY IT. UM, DON'T ASK FOR PERMISSION. YOU ASK FOR PERMISS. YEAH, I'M, MY MOM TAUGHT ME TO ASK FORGIVENESS, NOT PERMISSION. UH, HER, HER REASONING FOR NOT LETTING US ALL BE THERE, WHICH I AM GOING TO HOPEFULLY TALK TO HER IN PERSON, WHICH WAS WHY I WAS LIKE, I'LL PAY THE MONEY, I'LL GO TO THE SHOW. YOU KNOW, IS THAT SHE, YOU KNOW, SHE DOESN'T WANT MULTIPLE BUSINESSES MARKETED IN ONE BOOTH. BASICALLY. SHE WANTS SELL MORE BOOTH. SHE WANTS MORE BOOTH. YEAH. SO WE CAN'T REALLY FAULT HER FOR THAT. WE DID ARGUE BACK THAT SHE LETS FREDERICKSBURG DO IT. FREDERICKSBURG HAS A BOOTH AND THEY LIST ALL THE WINERIES AND ALL THE TOURS AND ALL THE THINGS. HER DEFENSE TO THAT WAS, THAT IS A, UM, SHE CONSIDERS THAT MORE OF LIKE A DESTIN A A DESTINATION AWAY FROM THIS MARKET AND WE'RE IN THIS SAME MARKET WOULDN'T BE AS FAIR. UM, BUT I THINK AS LONG AS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE NEED TO LOOK FOR SOME LOOPHOLES AND YOU KNOW, I'M JUST GONNA KIND OF THROW THIS OUT THERE. IN THE PAST WHEN WE WENT TO THE SHOW, WE ACTUALLY CAME TO THIS BOARD, YOU KNOW, BEFORE I WAS ON IT. AND WE WOULD ASK FOR A GRANT TO HELP US. 'CAUSE IT'S EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE TO GO TO THESE SHOWS. AND ESPECIALLY IN A YEAR THAT WE'RE FACING NEXT YEAR, IT LOOKS REALLY TIGHT. SO, YOU KNOW, THERE MAY BE SOME OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO GET SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO HELP US. 'CAUSE IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE. NOT ONLY TO PAY FOR THE BOOTH, BUT TO PAY THE LABOR COSTS THAT I INCUR TO STAND THERE FOR TWO DAYS PLUS SET UP, TEAR DOWN ALL THE THINGS AND, AND THEN THE PRINTING AND THE MARKETING AND ALL THAT. SO MAYBE IF WE COULD COME UP WITH A MARKETING PIECE THAT'S MOSTLY BUTLER'S COURTYARD, BUT THEN ALSO LISTS LIKE IF YOU GET MARRIED AT BUTLER'S, THERE'S PLENTY OF PLACES TO STAY AND PLENTY OF THINGS TO DO. THAT MIGHT BE OUR GOOD LOOPHOLE THERE. UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, JUST WHILE I'M TALKING TO PEOPLE THAT ARE NEW TO MY, UM, LIFE HERE, WE DO USE MOSTLY ALL LAKE CITY BUSINESSES FOR OUR CATERING. OBVIOUSLY WE, WE BLOCK ROOMS AT SOUTH SHORE FOR EVERY WEDDING THAT WE GET, YOU KNOW, SO IF WE BOOK A LOT OF WEDDINGS, IT'S GONNA BE GOOD FOR EVERYONE IN TOWN. UM, AND WE'RE PRETTY MUCH THE ONLY, UM, VERY ACTIVE EXCLUSIVE WEDDING VENUE IN TOWN. I KNOW SOUTH SHORE DOES A LOT OF WEDDINGS AS [01:00:01] WELL, BUT WE'RE REALLY THE ONLY ONES THAT WILL GO TO THESE SHOWS AND DO THESE THINGS AND PUT OURSELVES OUT THERE LIKE THAT. SO ANY SUPPORT I CAN GET WOULD BE HELPFUL. AND SARAH AND STEPHANIE ARE VERY CREATIVE, SO MAYBE WE CAN COME UP WITH A LOOPHOLE WE'RE WORKING EVEN IF IT'S JUST A LITTLE BAG AND A RAT CARD OR SOMETHING. YEAH, WE'RE WORKING ON THAT COLLATERAL ALREADY. YEAH, EXACTLY. I THINK AS LONG AS WE DO THAT AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I AM HANDING OUT AT MY VENUE ALL THE TIME, WHAT CAN SHE SAY ABOUT IT? YOU KNOW, SO, AND I, YOU KNOW, WE DO, WE GIVE THE DINING GUIDES AND ALL THAT TO PEOPLE SO HOUSES ANY DIFFERENT AND THEN IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE CARRYOVER FOR THE OPEN HOUSE AS WELL THE NEXT WEEK. SO THANK Y'ALL. OKAY. UM, REQUEST FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. I THINK THERE ARE TWO THINGS ALREADY FROM THIS MEETING THAT WILL NEED TO BE CARRIED OVER. YES. ANY OTHER REQUESTS? ARE THERE ANY OTHER TOPICS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT OR TOURISM NOW, IS THERE ANY WAY FOR YOU TO, UM, I'M JUST THINKING HOLIDAY IN THE PARK. YOU KNOW, WE JUST CAME OFF OF THAT. MM-HMM. . UM, DID YOU, YOU MENTIONED YOU HAVE YOUR GEOFENCE AROUND THERE. I I WOULD BE INTERESTED TO SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE CAME THAT WEEKEND. YES. SO COULD YOU BRING US THAT I'LL YES. ONE OF YOUR LITTLE MAPS OR SOMETHING? I JUST UPDATED MY POLYGONS. . OKAY. SO, UH, AND I CAN GET, I BELIEVE I CAN GET TWO YEARS OF HISTORICAL DATA BASED OFF OF THE NEW POLYGONS. SO LEMME CHECK AND MAKE SURE IT'S CORRECT. YES. BUT THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES. OKAY. I JUST WOULD FIND THAT VERY INTERESTING AS SOMEONE WHO WORKED ON THAT EVENT AND THEN OBVIOUSLY AS PART OF THIS AS WELL. YEAH. AND I KNOW THE CITY IS HEAVILY ACTIVE IN SUPPORTING THAT EVENT, SO IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO KNOW WHERE PEOPLE CAME FROM. YES. WE HAVE OUR FIRST MEETING FOR THE WHITE LINEN NIGHT IN JANUARY. SO WE HAVE THE DATE SET FOR THAT TO JUNE, IT'S THIS GONNA BE THE SECOND SATURDAY OF JUNE EVERY YEAR. MM-HMM. , WHICH I THINK IS GREAT. YEAH. . YEAH. IT WAS SO MUCH BETTER. YEAH. MM-HMM. . WELL, AND AS A LOCAL BUSINESS, I APPRECIATE THAT IT'S GONNA BE ON A CONSISTENT WEEKEND SO THAT I CAN PLAN AHEAD AND NOT, YOU KNOW, BOOK WEDDINGS ON THAT DAY. UM, SO YEAH, I GUESS WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THAT MORE IN THE FUTURE TOO. OKAY. IF THAT'S IT, THEN WE CAN, I DO WANNA SAY YEAH, EVERYBODY, THE HOCKEY MUGS ARE SOLD IN OUR VISITOR CENTER AND I WANNA BRING ONE FOR EVERYBODY SO THAT YOU HAVE A CITY, YOU DON'T HAVE ONE IN FRONT OF YOU. I'LL GET YOU ONE. UM, AS A THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, FOR YOUR SUPPORT. AND, UH, IF USE IT, SHOW IT OFF AND TELL EVERYBODY THEY CAN GO PICK THEIRS UP. NEW VISITOR CENTER DOWNTOWN. . BIG, BIG TOTE BAG . MM-HMM. . YEAH, IT IS REALLY WELL DONE, STEPHANIE. THANK YOU. OKAY. THAT'S IT. MEETING ADJOURNED. 1104. YAY. HOLIDAYS. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.