* 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. [I. Call to order *A portion of this video contains no audio*] [00:00:33] IT'S LAKE CITY AND I AM JESSE GUTIERREZ. I AM, UH, PRESIDENT, CEO OF TEXAS PAY CREDIT UNION, AND I'M YOUR NEW BOARD MEMBER. THANK YOU. WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME. SO, REAL QUICK BACKGROUND. I MET JESSE OVER THE PHONE BECAUSE HE IS ALSO A SHORT TERM RENTAL OPERATOR HERE IN LEE CITY AND CALLED AND HAD SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THINGS AND, AND THEN I TALKED HIM INTO BEING A BOARD MEMBER. . YEAH, YOU DID A GOOD JOB. IT'S KIND OF AN INTERESTING STORY HOW THAT CAME ABOUT, BUT, UH, CERTAINLY I AM, I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF LEAGUE CITY FOR I GUESS SINCE 2015. AND TEXAS BAY HAS HAD A BRANCH IN LEAGUE CITY, AT LEAST ABOUT THAT TIME AS WELL. UH, BUT WE'RE ORIGINALLY OUTTA HOUSTON. WE, WE'VE GOT BRANCHES ALL OVER, ALL OVER HOUSTON. PERFECT. WELL, WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE HERE. WE NEED SOME REPRESENTATION FOR THE SHORT TERM RENTAL FOR SURE. UM, OKAY. NEXT IS A CITIZENS REQUEST TO ADDRESS THE BOARD, ANY CITIZENS HERE. OKAY. UM, APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM [IV. Approval of Minutes -April 2025 ] APRIL. OKAY. SO HAD A LITTLE TYPO, NOT TYPO. UM, A LITTLE ISSUE WITH THE PRINTER. IT ONLY PRINTED THE BACK PAGE OF YOUR MINUTES. SO I HAD 'EM TO STAPLE TO YOUR AGENDA, BUT I PULLED THEM UP ON THE SCREEN. THEY WERE EMAILED TO YOU GUYS AHEAD OF TIME TO REVIEW, BUT HERE I'M PULLING THEM UP ON THIS THING IF YOU WANT TO REVIEW THEM ON THIS. I WAS NOT HERE, SO I'LL MOVE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. I'LL SECOND. OH, WHO GETS THAT? WHO GETS THAT? AYE. DOESN'T MATTER. ALRIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR A AYE AYE. ANYONE OPPOSED? ALRIGHT. GREAT MINUTES APPROVED FROM APRIL AND NOW WE HAVE A HOT GRANT APPLICATION [V. HOT Grant Application: Patrons of the Arts - Frank Zgonc] FROM OUR RN FRANK WITH THE PATRON OF THE ARTS, ACTUALLY PATRONS OF THE PARKS AND ARTS. WE DO A LOT WITH THE PARKS TOO. THAT'S TRUE. OKAY. FRANK, DO YOU WANNA TELL US A LITTLE [VI. Discuss and take action on HOT Grant Request] BIT ABOUT YOUR HOT REQUEST? WELL, WE'RE LOOKING FOR FUNDS TO HELP US WITH THE KIDS ZONE THIS YEAR. AND UM, ANOTHER BIG PROJECT WE'VE GOT IN THE WORKS RIGHT NOW IS A CELEBRATE THE ARTS, BOTH, UH, PERFORMANCE ARTS AND TRADITIONAL, UM, FINE ARTS FROM THE C-C-I-S-D HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. AND THAT'S GONNA BE AT LYNN DRIP ON PARK. WE'RE GUESSING MAYBE FIVE OR 6,000 PEOPLE THAT WILL ATTEND THAT. WE'RE NOT SURE RIGHT NOW. WE'VE GOT 5,000 BUDGETED FOR IT, BUT I THINK WE MAY WIND UP GOING QUITE A BIT OVER THAT. UM, 'CAUSE THIS IS OUR FIRST TIME DOING IT AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY. . OKAY. WE HAVE YOUR PRINTED OUT APPLICATION IN FRONT OF US. WELL, AND I, I'LL, I'LL ELABORATE FOR FRANK A. LITTLE BIT. THE CHILDREN'S, UH, KIDS ZONE HE'S REFERRING TO IS AT THE WHITE LINEN NIGHT THAT'S COMING UP IN A COUPLE WEEKS. UM, LIKE WE SAID, HE'S BIG ARTS CRAWL ART FESTIVAL. THAT'S AMAZING. AND IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN, YOU'RE MISSING OUT. UM, AND THEY DO A BIG TENT IN A BIG AREA TO, UM, GET THE KIDS INVOLVED AND THEY HAVE ARTISTS THAT COME AND KIND OF TEACH THEM, TEACH THE SEMINARS AND EACH OF THE KID TO OUR CLASS. AND YEAH, WE'LL HAVE FOUR STATIONS AND EACH CHILD THAT WALK AWAY WITH AN ART PROJECT FROM EACH. IT'S REALLY A GOOD WAY TO FOSTER THE LOVE OF ARTS AND THE KIDS THAT DAY. LET'S SEE. SO THE, UH, THE GRANT REQUEST IS FOR $10,000 AND IT SAYS THE PRIMARY PUR PURPOSE IS TO PROMOTE TOURISM AND SUPPORT LOCAL ART INITIATIVES IN THE CITY. UM, SO THIS IS KIND OF JUST A GENERAL REQUEST TO HELP MM-HMM . WITH PROGRAMMING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. YES. IS THAT WHAT THIS IS FOR? YES. OKAY. UH, AND THE BIGGEST EVENT THAT YOU GUYS PUT ON IS THE WHITE LINEN KNIGHTS? THAT WITH THE CITY YES. CURRENTLY IS OUR BIGGEST PRODUCTION. YEAH. AND IT BRINGS IN SEVERAL THOUSAND PEOPLE TO THE DOWNTOWN FOR A BIG PART EVENT. I THINK WE HAVE A FLYER MAYBE ON HERE, I DUNNO. YEP. YEP. WE DO. YEAH. SO IT'S JUNE 14TH, FOUR THROUGH EIGHTH, AND IT'S THREE STREETS OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT AND IT'S JUST PEOPLE THROUGHOUT LOTS OF GORGEOUS PICTURES EVERY YEAR, UM, THAT WE GET FROM THAT. AND SO THE $10,000 WOULD BE JUST TO [00:05:01] SUPPORT PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR THE PARKS? CORRECT. I MEAN, THE PATRONS OF THE ARTS. OKAY. LET'S SEE. IN THE ATTENDANCE LAST YEAR FROM WHITE LAND KNIGHTS IS FIVE TO 6,000 PEOPLE. UM, TELL US, TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS NEW EVENT THAT YOU GUYS ARE PLANNING, BECAUSE I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE WHITE LAND KNIGHT FOR FOUR YEARS NOW. YES. SO TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS OTHER EVENT. WE'RE LOOKING TO SHOWCASE LOCAL UP AND COMING ARTISTS OUT OF THE HIGH SCHOOLS IN LEAGUE CITY THAT ARE PART OF THE C-C-I-S-D PROGRAM. WE HOPE TO GROW THIS TO THE POINT WHERE WE CONCLUDE, UH, THE SCHOOL. THE HIGH SCHOOL IS IN DICKINSON, ISD. UM, OUR FIRST YEAR WE'RE REALLY JUST GONNA FOCUS ON KIDS AND GETTING THEM ALL THE PUBLICITY, PROMOTION FOR THEIR VARIOUS TALENTS. UM, WE HAVE, GOSH, I WISH ANN WAS HERE. SHE, SHE'S REALLY HER BALL OF WAX RIGHT AT THIS POINT. SHE'S WORKED WITH CCIC. SHE'S GOT ALL THE TEACHERS AT THIS POINT COMMITTED TO HAVE STUDENTS WITH ART READY FOR THE FALL. AND OUR BEST GUESS IS WE'RE PROBABLY LOOKING AT PROBABLY FOUR OR 500 CHILDREN FROM THE HIGH SCHOOLS, UH, BETWEEN CHORAL AND MUSIC AND THEATER, AS WELL AS TRADITIONAL ARTS. UM, AND THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY ALL THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS WILL BE THERE. WE'RE, WE'RE JUST GUESSING AT THIS POINT, FIVE TO 6,000 PEOPLE SIMILAR TO WHAT WHITE LINEN LAKE CAN GENERATE. AND YOU'RE HOLDING IT AT LING GRON? PARKLIN GR POND PARK. OKAY. SO THE, THE GRANT IS FOR THAT EVENT AT LING GRON PARK DURING WHITE LINEN, BUT IT'S ALSO FOR SUBSEQUENT EVENTS DURING THE YEAR. YES. DID YOU HAVE ANY, DO YOU HAVE ANY INSIGHT AS TO WHAT THOSE MIGHT BE? YES. IN HERE WE OUTLINED SOME OF OUR ACTIVITIES THAT WE'VE GOT GOING PLAN FOR THIS YEAR. SHOULD BE ON THE LAST PAGE. UM, WE'VE ALREADY SPONSORED THE ARTIST RECEPTION. WE HAVE THE KIDS ZONE COMING UP AT WHITE LINEN NIGHT. WE HAVE A BIRD SIGN DEDICATION COMING HOPEFULLY LATE THIS MONTH OR EARLY NEXT MONTH. UH, THE HERITAGE MUSIC FESTIVAL WILL BE A SPONSOR OF, AND THEN ALSO THE C-C-S-I-S-C-D, UH, STUDENT FALL FESTIVAL. WHAT'S THE HERITAGE MUSIC FESTIVAL? THAT'S THE ONE IN NOVEMBER. OH, OKAY. I CAN SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO THIS. WE'RE CALLING IT A DAY OF MUSIC IN LEAGUE CITY AND WE'RE HOSTING IT HERE AT THE CIVIC CENTER. UM, 'CAUSE THE CITY IS PARTNERING ON, ON THIS EVENT AND WE ARE BRINGING IN A PRETTY FAMOUS SONGWRITER AND MUSICIAN. UH, I'M GONNA MISPRONOUNCE HER NAME'S MARY GOT, UM, AND SHE WROTE THE SONG FOR YELLOWSTONE, BELIEVE IT OR NOT. UM, BUT SHE HAS A PRETTY BIG FOLLOWING PARTICULARLY, UM, WE'RE HOPING TO BRING IN A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM HOUSTON FOR HER SONGWRITING WORKSHOP. AND THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE PERFORMERS THROUGHOUT THE DAY FOR A CONCERT INSIDE THE CIVIC CENTER. AND THEN AT EIGHT O'CLOCK THAT EVENING SHE WILL ACTUALLY PERFORM AS WELL. SO WE'RE EXPECTING A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM HOUSTON BECAUSE THE HOUSTON SONGWRITING ASSOCIATION HAS EXPRESSED INTEREST IN ATTENDING AS WELL. UM, AND THEN ALL OF OUR KIND OF MUSICIANS FROM THE LEAGUE CITY FOLK ASSOCIATION AND ALL OF THAT HAVE EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN ATTENDING. AND SO WE'RE GONNA CALL IT A DAY OF MUSIC JUST BECAUSE WE ARE GONNA BE BRINGING IN OTHER MUSICIANS, UM, BESIDES JUST MARY TO PERFORM. UM, MARY WILL HAVE A CHARGE BECAUSE IT COSTS MONEY TO BRING HER IN. I MEAN, SHE'S NOT FREE AND THAT'S WHAT THE HOT GRANT WOULD BE FOR, UM, FOR HER FLIGHT AND HER HOTEL. AND THEN ALSO HER CHARGE FOR TEACHING A WORKSHOP AND PUTTING ON A PERFORMANCE. AND THEN THE REST OF THE, THE MUSICIANS WOULD BE FREE AND OPEN TO EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, THAT WANTED TO ATTEND THROUGHOUT THE DAY. AND WE'RE HOSTING IT. WE'VE RESERVED HERE AT THE CIVIC CENTER. COOL. YEAH. A DAY OF MUSIC IN LEAGUE CITY IS KIND OF WHAT WE'RE PLAYING AROUND WITH AS THE, THE TITLE. YEAH. THE DAY, UH, NOVEMBER. I CANNOT REMEMBER THE EXACT DATE. I, IT'S IN NOVEMBER, BUT I JUST CAN'T REMEMBER IT. OKAY. I WANNA SAY LIKE 14TH, BUT I COULD TOTALLY BE WRONG. SO IT'S AFTER THE, IT WAS AFTER VETERAN'S DAY AND YEAH, WE HAD TO MAKE SURE WE HAD ROOM AT THE CIVIC CENTER AND WE DIDN'T WANNA DO IT TOO CLOSE TO THANKSGIVING, TOO CLOSE TO HALLOWEEN. SO WE FIGURED THAT WOULD BE A DECENT DAY TO DO IT. AND I JUST SPEAK BECAUSE AS A MEMBER OF THE, UM, I AM THE LIAISON FOR OUR NEW MUSIC COMMITTEE, UH, BECAUSE WE JUST BECAME A TEXAS MUSIC CERTIFIED FRIENDLY CITY. I KNOW I'M SAYING THAT WRONG CERTIFIED COMMUNITY. THIS, THE TITLE'S REALLY LONG. WE'RE TRYING TO DO MORE MUSICAL EVENTS. SO WE HAVE, AS PART OF THAT REQUIREMENT, WE HAVE TO HAVE A MUSIC COMMITTEE. AND SO THIS IS ONE OF THE EVENTS THE MUSIC COMMITTEE IS WORKING ON. AND ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, JAY [00:10:01] WILLIAMS, IS ACTUALLY ON PATRONS OF THE ARTS AND ARTS BOARD. YEAH. ANYONE ELSE HAVE QUESTIONS? UM, I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS. SURE. SO, UM, IN YOUR APPLICATION, YOU LIST THAT YOUR EVENT BUDGET IS 28 GRAND. UM, AGAIN, IS THAT JUST FOR THIS PARTICULAR EVENT OR IS THIS FOR YOUR PROGRAM OF WORK FOR THE YEAR? THAT'S OKAY. YOU'RE, HANG ON, LEMME MAKE SURE I'M LOOKING. WE'RE LOOKING AT THE SAME THING. OUR PROPOSED BUDGET FOR 2025 IS WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT. UH, I'M LOOKING AT PAGE SEVEN WHERE IT SAYS TOTAL EVENT BUDGET AT THE TOP. OKAY. YEAH. THAT'S OUR TOTAL BUDGET FOR THE YEAR. FOR ALL OF OUR ACTIVITIES, YES. FOR THE YEAR. OKAY. DO YOU ANTICIPATE ANY UMS AND BEDS AT ALL FOR ANY OF THESE EVENTS? I KNOW THAT YOU'VE LISTED 20 ON PAGE FIVE. IS THAT JUST FOR THE LINEN KNIGHTS EVENT OR IS THAT ALSO FOR YEAH, THAT'S JUST FOR THE WHITE LINEN KNIGHTS EVENTS IS OUR GUESS. UM, AS WE GROW THE C-C-I-S-D AND IT BECOMES MORE POPULAR, I WE SEE OPENING UP TO THE FINE ART VENDORS IN THE AREA AND THEY, A LOT OF THEM, IF LIKE FROM THE, UH, WHITE LINEN NIGHTS, WE'VE GOT A FEW THAT COME FROM HOUSTON, AUSTIN AREA, UH, SAN ANTONIO AREA THAT NEED HOTELS AND STUFF. WE'LL BE RECOMMENDING THE, YOU KNOW, THE LOCAL HOTELS FOR THAT WHEN THE TIME COMES. OKAY. AND THEN I MENTIONED, JUST TO CHIME IN, THAT MARY GOT EVENT, BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY HOUSTON SONGWRITERS COMING, WE ANTICIPATE SOME OF THEM STAYING THE NIGHT AS WELL. AND WE'LL TRACK UNDER AND WE'LL TRACK THAT. OKAY. AND THEN THAT'S UNDER AGAIN, THIS FOUNDATION? YEAH. MM-HMM . OKAY. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. OKAY. ANYONE ELSE? OKAY. UM, DO WE WANNA VOTE ON IT? UH, I AM A MEMBER OF THE PATRONS OF THE ARKS AND PARKS PROUDLY, AND SO I'LL BE ABSTAINING FROM VOTING, BUT IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION, I'LL MAKE THE MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE HIGH GRANT. SECOND. I'LL SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. A. AYE. ANYONE OPPOSED? ALL FOR IT. AWESOME. MOTION PASSES. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FRANK. AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAY FOR THE REST OF THE MEETING IF YOU WANNA TAKE OFF. OKAY. YOU'RE WELCOME. BUT YOU'RE WELCOME TO STAY. YOU CAN SAY IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, YOU'RE WELCOME TO STAY . NO, I THINK I HAVE, I'VE GOT QUITE A FEW THINGS TO DO YET THIS MORNING. OKAY. FOR THE DAY OF DAY. YEAH. WE, I, THE NIGHTS IS YEAH. ADMIRABLY APPROACHING, SO YES. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH AGAIN FOR OUR GRANT APPROVAL. THANK YOU. GREAT. UH, SARAH, [VII. Update on Communications & Community Engagement - Sarah Osborne] WELL, UH, MY FIRST UPDATE, THANK YOU STEPHANIE, FOR CREATING A GRAPHIC FOR ME. IT'S PERFECT. YEAH. SO THE MURAL IS COMPLETE OVER AT THE I 45 FEETER ROAD, UH, AT THE, UH, PLAZA THERE OFF OF MAIN STREET. UH, THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN BEFORE A COUPLE CHANGES WERE MADE. , UM, SO, UH, CAN YOU SEE IT NOW? MM-HMM. SO THERE'S A, THERE'S A GAUGE EARRING IN THE FISHERMAN'S EAR THAT OUR COUNCIL WASN'T HAPPY ABOUT. SO THAT WAS REMOVED. THERE WAS A TATTOO, I THINK THE TATTOO IS REMOVED ON HIS ARM IN THIS PICTURE. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, EVERYBODY ELSE HAS SIGNED OFF ON THOSE CHANGES. THE REEL, IT WASN'T THE REAL, THE REEL IS NOW. CORRECT. SO THERE'S DIFFERENT, THAT WAS THE BIGGEST, THAT WAS WIDE OFF THE BAT. WE FIXED THE REEL BECAUSE THERE'S, WHO KNEW? THERE WERE DIFFERENT VIRAL THOUGH. YEAH, THAT WENT VIRAL. BUT WHO KNEW? THERE WERE DIFFERENT REELS FOR DEEP SEA FISHING, FISHING IN THE CREEK AND FLY FISHING. SO WHATEVER WE, WE'VE GOT ALL THE FISHERMEN IN THE AREA NOW SATISFIED WITH THE REEL. I WAS CRACKING UP ABOUT THAT. YEAH. I WAS LIKE, WE NEED REEL PROBLEMS. SO WE WERE PLAYING AROUND IN OUR POST. YEAH. SO IT'S ALL DONE. WE'RE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT IT. YOU CAN SEE IT FROM THE FREEWAY. UH, SO WE ENCOURAGE YOU GUYS TO GO AND CHECK IT OUT. SO IT IS NOW COMPLETE. UM, I PUT IN YOUR PACKET, WE HAVE TWO NEW SCULPTURES. IT'S, UH, ONE IS AT CITY HALL. UM, AND YOU WILL SEE THAT THERE, IT WILL BE, UH, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF ABSTRACT. YOU HAVE TO REALLY LOOK AT IT BECAUSE THERE'S TURTLES, BIRDS, BUTTERFLIES, UM, UH, DRAGONFLIES THAT ARE ALL IN THE SCULPTURE. AND WE HAD A MURAL, ONE OF OUR MURAL ARTISTS PAINT ON THE PAVEMENT. A LITTLE, UM, WATER SCENE WITH A TURTLE AND SOME FISH. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO LOOK AT IT. AT FIRST GLANCE, YOU'RE NOT SURE WHAT IT IS 'CAUSE IT'S SO ABSTRACT. AND THEN YOU START LOOKING AT IT AND YOU SEE ALL THE WILDLIFE THAT'S CONTAINED IN IT. SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE [00:15:01] TURTLE ON THE BOTTOM IN THAT ONE PICTURE. SO THAT IS OVER AT CITY HALL AND IS INSTALLED. AND THEN THE OTHER IS, UH, THIS BEAUTIFUL BLUE HERON SCULPTURE THAT IS NOW AT HERITAGE PARK. IT'S QUITE BIG. I DUNNO IF YOU CAN KIND OF GET A SCALE OF IT. UM, BUT IT'S SITUATED RIGHT IN FRONT OF THAT WATER KIND OF POND AREA WHERE THE BRIDGE IS. SO I ENCOURAGE YOU GUYS TO GO CHECK THOSE OUT. UM, THAT, THAT WAS NOT USED. THOSE WERE NOT PURCHASED USING HOT FUNDS. THEY WERE ACTUALLY USED, UH, PURCHASE USING PARK DEDICATION FEES. BUT I WANTED TO SHOW YOU, UH, GUYS THOSE, UH, THE LATEST SCULPTURES THAT WE'VE ADDED AND WE PLAN ON ADDING MORE OVER THE YEARS. WE WANNA DO MORE, MORE SCULPTURES. UM, I'M EXCITED THAT THE ART ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM IS DOING GREAT. THE ARTISTS ARE MOVING IN TOMORROW AND FRIDAY. UH, SO IT'S A BIG, BIG STEP. WE HAVE THREE ARTISTS. YOU'RE GONNA SEE A LOT OF PRESS ON THIS. THE NEXT CITY MATTERS. WE'LL HAVE A PROFILE OF ALL THE ARTISTS. UM, THEY HAVE REALLY INTERESTING BACKGROUNDS. THEY'RE ALL, UH, LOCAL RESIDENTS. UM, THEY ALL HAVE DIFFERENT REASONS FOR WANTING TO PARTICIPATE. SO, AND THEY'RE ALL DIFFERENT AGE RANGES TOO. THERE'S LIKE A YOUNG MOM, THERE'S LIKE A MIDDLE-AGED MOM, A RETIRED WOMAN, AND THEN ALSO A YOUNG, UH, YOUNG MAN WHO'S ONLY LIKE 24. SO IT'S, IT'S SUPER EXCITING THAT WE'VE, THAT WE PICKED SOME PEOPLE THAT WERE ALL DIFFERENT AGE RANGES. AND THEN THEY'LL BE SOON CLASSES AS PART OF THE ARTISAN RESIDENCY. THEY GET THE FREE STUDIO SPACE, BUT THEY HAVE TO TEACH CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS AND THOSE WILL START HAPPENING OVER THE SUMMER. UM, AND THEN WE'LL BE HAVING AN OPEN HOUSE EVENT IN THE FALL WHERE PEOPLE CAN COME TO THE GIRARDI HOUSE OR THE STUDIO SPACES, SEE THEIR WORK, SEE THE SPACE, TALK TO THE ARTISTS, GET TO KNOW THEM A LITTLE BIT. SO WE'RE SUPER, SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THAT, THAT THAT'S MOVING FORWARD. AND THEN WE HAVE A COUPLE EVENTS COMING UP THAT I WANTED TO PROMOTE. UH, JAZZ KNIGHT IS THIS SATURDAY. SO WE HAVE THREE PERFORMERS. UH, THIS IS IN PARTNERSHIP AGAIN WITH KTSU 90.9 OUT OF TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY. SO THEY'RE, UH, PARTNERING WITH US ON THAT. UH, EVENT, UH, WE HAVE PAT WILLIAMS, STEVEN RASH. PAT WILLIAMS IS A PROFESSIONAL DRUMMER AND A SONG COMPOSER. STEVEN RASHARD IS A PRETTY WELL KNOWN SAXOPHONIST. AND THEN THE TSU JAZZ ENSEMBLE ARE ACTUALLY MASTER'S DEGREE STUDENTS THAT ARE STUDYING MUSIC AT TSU THAT WILL BE PERFORMING. WE HAVE GALVESTON BAY BREWING THERE. THAT'LL BE SELLING BEER, WINE, AND CIDER. WE HAVE THREE DIFFERENT FOOD TRUCKS. AND THEN OF COURSE, SOUL FREAK WILL BE THERE SELLING THEIR, THEIR BAKED GOODS, UM, AS WELL. SO IT SHOULD BE A FUN NIGHT FROM SIX 30 TO 10:00 PM DON'T WORRY, AMBER, WE'RE NOT GONNA START, WE'RE DOING ALL OF OUR SOUND CHECKS BETWEEN LIKE THREE AND FIVE. THANK YOU. AND THEN WE WON'T START ANY MUSIC UNTIL SIX 30. SO WE, WE SHOULD BE, WE SHOULD BE GOOD TO GO. I ENCOURAGE FOLKS, BRING A BLANKET, UM, BRING A CH BRING A CHAIR. COME ON OUT AND LISTEN TO THE MUSIC. IT SHOULD BE FUN. UM, PUPS AND PINTS IS ACTUALLY THE 31ST OF MAY. THAT'S OVER AT HERITAGE PARK. THIS SUPPORTS OUR, UM, LAKE CITY ANIMAL CARE. AND WE'RE PARTNERING, PARTNERING WITH ST. ARNOLD BREWERY FOR THIS. SO YOU BASICALLY GET A WRISTBAND. YOU GET TO WALK AROUND THE PARK WITH YOUR DOGS. YOU GET TO TRY FOUR DIFFERENT BEERS FROM ST. ARNOLD'S AND A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE PROFITS GO TO THE LAKE CITY ANIMAL CARE. IT'S A FUN EVENT. UM, ALL AGES ARE WELCOME. BUT THE WHOLE POINT IS YOU GET TO BRING YOUR DOG AND WALK AROUND THE PARK. I MEAN, I GUESS YOU COULD BRING YOUR CAT TOO, BUT WE'RE CALLING IT PUPS AND PINTS RATHER THAN CATS AND PINTS. YEAH. EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE A DOG, IT'S FUN. IT'S FUN TO STEAL THE DOGS WAS FUN. YEAH. AND THE PARK IS BEAUTIFUL. YOU WALK AROUND AND, UM, AND ALL OF THAT. THEN OF COURSE, AS STEPHANIE MENTIONED, WE HAVE WHITE LINEN KNIGHT COMING UP JUNE 14TH FROM FOUR TO 8:00 PM THIS IS OUR WINNING POSTER DESIGN ON THE FLYER. I THINK IT TURNED OUT REALLY WELL. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, ONE OF OUR ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE WE DID NOT KNOW DESIGNED THIS POSTER. TOTAL, TOTAL FLUKE. WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT UNTIL AFTER THE FACT. WE ARE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR, UH, WHITE LINEN KNIGHT. SO IF YOU GO TO OUR WEBSITE, LEAGUE CITY.COM, THERE IS A STORY WE'RE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO BASICALLY CHECK IN ARTISTS, HAND OUT WATER, UM, SET UP CLEAN UP. SO IF YOU KNOW OF ANYBODY OR YOU YOURSELF WANT TO HELP OUT, I KNOW AMBER'S A BIG PART OF WHITE LYDON KNIGHT BECAUSE SHE, SHE HAS A BIG EVENT OVER AT BUTLER'S AND IS SUPPORTIVE OF US. BUT IF YOU'RE ABLE TO HELP IN ANY WAY, WE'D APPRECIATE IT. WE NEED UP TO A HUNDRED VOLUNTEERS. 'CAUSE THIS EVENT IS MASSIVE. SO IF YOU GO TO LEAGUE CITY.COM, THERE'S A WHOLE STORY ABOUT HOW YOU CAN VOLUNTEER. UM, AND THAT'S REALLY ALL I HAVE AS FAR AS, UH, COMMUNICATIONS UPDATE. WE'RE STAYING BUSY, OF COURSE, JULY, WE'LL BE HERE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT. AND WE HAVE THE JULY 3RD AND THE JULY 4TH EVENTS AS WELL THAT ARE COMING UP. SO WE'RE BUSY WITH EVENTS AND BUSY WITH ART. MM-HMM. SO THANK YOU SARAH. EVERYONE IS PLANNING TO GO TO THE WHITE LINEN FOR SURE AT SOME. WELL, YEAH. I MEAN, YOU GOTTA WEAR YOUR WHITE AND IT'S SO FUN. COME TAKE A PICTURE IN THE UMBRELLA ALLEY. YES. OH YEAH. COME TAKE A PICTURE IN RE REALITY. THAT'S RIGHT. ARE YOU GONNA HAVE WHITE UMBRELLAS? NO, MY HUSBAND REFUSES TO CHANGE 'EM OUT. OH, OKAY. . I THINK IF YOU'RE IN WHITE WITH ALL THE COLORS, IT'LL, YOU KNOW WHAT? IT'LL POP. IT'LL POP. YEAH. IT TURNS OUT IT'S NOT AS EASY AS WE THOUGHT TO CHANGE THOSE OUT. SO, UM, OKAY. AND THEN NEXT IS STEPHANIE. [VIII. CVB Manager tourism report - Stephanie Polk] OKAY. [00:20:01] THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME . I WONDER IF I SHOULD PUT THAT, WHERE'S THAT PICTURE AT? 'CAUSE IT'S SUPER PRETTY. WHERE IS THAT PICTURE AT? GOOD QUESTION. GREAT PICTURE. SO ONE OF THE THING I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT IS THAT THIS SUMMER, UH, WE ARE, WE HAVE PLANNED TWO MAJOR PHOTO SHOOT VIDEO SHOOTS A MONTH TO ACCOMPLISH PICTURES OF WATERFRONT DINING. SO THIS IS FROM OUR, OUR SECOND PHOTO SHOOT. IT WAS TAKEN AT SUNDANCE GRILL, UM, AT WATERFORD, UH, MARINA AREA. SO THAT IS A PICTURE THAT WE TOOK WHILE WE WERE BETWEEN, UH, SETUPS THERE. AND I JUST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD TITLE SLIDE PICTURE. SO, UH, WE ARE ACCUMULATING LOTS OF GREAT PICTURES FROM THAT. UH, HERE'S A COUPLE MORE SHOTS FROM OUR FIRST ONE AT OPUS, UH, AT SOUTH SHORE HARBOR. AND WE HAD SOME WONDERFUL MODELS FOR THAT AND WE WERE STAGING 'EM AND, UH, PLANNING THEM THROUGHOUT THE UPCOMING MONTHS. SO THIS IS OUR MAY WAS OUR FIRST MONTH OF, OF THIS. AND WE'VE GOT SOME ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL SHOTS. UH, ON THE COVER OF THE, OF YOUR PRINTED OUT VERSION OF YOUR REPORT, YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THOSE. WE EVEN GOT SOME AERIAL DRONE FOOTAGE, WHICH WAS FABULOUS. SO WE CAN, YOU KNOW, BRING THESE INTO NEW ADVERTISEMENTS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA AND FOR OUR WEBSITE AND FOR EVEN POTENTIAL POSTCARDS THERE. SO, UH, THAT TURN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE TURNING OUT VERY GOOD. SO I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. I WANTED TO SHOW THEM OFF BECAUSE THEY ARE ACTUALLY GORGEOUS. UH, WE ALSO RECENTLY JUST A QUICK PROJECT UPDATE. WE REPRINTED AND UPDATED OUR SHOPPING GUIDES, DINING GUIDES AND VISITOR GUIDE BROCHURES. UM, AND THEY ARE BEING DISTRIBUTED BY CERTIFIED DISPLAY COMPANY. THEY GO AROUND TO ALL THE HOTELS AND AREAS. THEY'RE PUT OUT AT ALL THE CERTIFIED LOCATIONS FROM HOBBY AIRPORT ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO THE GALVESTON AREA. SO, UH, THEY HAD TO RESTOCK ON THOSE AND I HAD TO UPDATE AND REPRINT THOSE BROCHURES AND GET THEM DONE PRETTY QUICKLY. SO THAT'S BEEN DONE. UH, WE ALSO STARTED A NEW MONTHLY E-BLAST TO THE SUBSCRIBERS THAT, UH, SUBSCRIBE THROUGH OUR WEBSITE FORM. UH, WE HAVE 535 SUBSCRIBERS NOW. WE'VE ALREADY SENT OUT TWO EMAILS AND THOSE ARE GOING VERY WELL. UH, JULIAN IS IN CHARGE OF, OF WRITING THOSE FOR ME. I APPRECIATE THAT. UH, OUR, UH, OPEN RATE IS RIGHT AROUND 36% AT THIS POINT, SO WE'RE HOPING TO GROW THAT AS WELL. UH, WE ALSO HAVE A NEW TOOL CALLED THE EVENT IMPACT CALCULATOR. IT'S PUT OUT BY DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONAL. IT IS CONSIDERED THE INDUSTRY STANDARD FOR, UH, EVENT EVALUATION. AND IT PRODUCES A REALLY NICE REPORT ON THE IMPACT OF A SPORTS EVENT OR A FESTIVAL, A COMMUNITY EVENT. SO WE'LL BE USING THOSE MOVING FORWARD. UH, IT ALSO IS RETROACTIVE, SO IT, UH, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT FOR LIKE, THE BALLPARK, THE WORLD CLASSIC EVENT THERE. AND WE'RE PLUGGING IN ALL THE VARIABLES AND PULLING ALL THE DATA STILL FROM THAT. SO I WANTED TO SHOW YOU THE ACTUAL REPORT. I PROBABLY WILL DO THAT AT A FUTURE MEETING, UM, MAYBE FOR WHITE LINE AND KNIGHTS. BUT YOU HAVE TO, UH, PUT IN YOUR ATTENDANCE NUMBERS AND YOUR SPENDING. AND IT'S CUSTOMIZED FOR LEAGUE CITY. SO IT SHOWS A REALLY GOOD ECONOMIC IMPACT. SALES TAX, REVENUE, JOBS AFFECTED EVERYTHING, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE COOL TO THE DETAILED INFORMATION. SO, UH, THAT TOOL IS NOW LIVE. UM, WE ALSO HAVE AN UPCOMING EVENT, THE CLEAR LAKE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. I'M THEIR TOURISM COMMITTEE, UM, CHAIR, I GUESS. AND WE HAVE A TOURISM LUNCHEON PLAN FOR THE JUNE THE 25TH AT THE GREAT WOLF LODGE. UM, IT, OUR FEATURED SPEAKER IS GONNA BE, UH, GEORGE FRANZ FROM HOUSTON. FIRST, WE'LL TALK ABOUT ALL THE BIG UPCOMING EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN HOUSTON THE UPCOMING YEAR. WE HAVE A WORLD CUP AND LOTS OF OTHER THINGS ON THE HORIZON. AND, UH, WE ALSO HAVE A, A TOUR TOURISM COMMITTEE WITH BAY AREA HOUSTON ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP RECENTLY FORMED TO KIND OF UNIFY THE AREA AND, AND BRING EVERYBODY IN TOGETHER TO SEE HOW WE CAN BENEFIT FROM THESE MAJOR EVENTS THAT ARE COMING IN. SO, UM, A LOT OF KIND OF NEAT THINGS HAPPENING WITH THAT AS WELL. SO I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT UP ON MY, ON THE SCREEN SO Y'ALL WERE AWARE OF IT. UM, WE ALSO HAVE A TAP INTO TOURISM PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP PLANNED FOR JUNE 3RD. IT'S GONNA BE AT THE CLEAR LAKE AREA. CHAMBER BOARDROOM. JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT THAT RECENTLY. SO I'LL BE ONE OF THE PRESENTERS ON THAT. WE'RE GONNA DO A LITTLE WORKSHOP AND TALK ABOUT HOW LOCAL BUSINESSES CAN TAP IN AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TOURISM FOR LIKE RESTAURANTS AND, UM, SHOPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THAT'S COMING UP TOO. OKAY. WE ARE BUSY THIS SUMMER WITH GETTING, WE'RE GETTING EVERYTHING READY FOR SUMMER TRAVEL. WE HAVE REFRESHED SOME MERCHANDISE IN OUR VISITOR CENTER AND I BROUGHT SOME OF THE THINGS HERE JUST TO SHOW YOU. 'CAUSE JOE AND TELL'S ALWAYS FUN TO DO, BRINGS YOU BACK TO EL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DAYS. WE HAVE SOME REALLY FUN SOCKS. WE COULD PASS THOSE AROUND. THEY'RE GONNA BE SOLD AT THE VISITOR CENTER, TOUCH THEM, FILL THEM. WE ALSO HAVE SOME REALLY COOL TRAIN WHISTLES AND THEY FEATURE THE, UH, VINTAGE GH AND H RAILROAD LOGO. SO THAT WAS THE LO THE RAILROAD THAT, THAT, UH, CAME THROUGH LEAGUE CITY BACK IN THE DAY. WHAT IS THIS? UH, IT'S A TRAIN WHISTLE FOR KIDS. OKAY. . AND WE ALSO HAVE SOME REALLY NICE, UH, CANDLES AND SOME MUGS THAT FEATURE THE MAP OF LAKE CITY. AND WE HAVE SOME WALL ART TOO WITH A MAP OF LAKE CITY AND SOME NEW STICKERS THERE. WE ALSO ADDED A DIRECTIONAL SIGN. I DON'T KNOW IF AMBER, IF YOU'VE SEEN THAT. THANK YOU FOR THAT, FOR THAT, UH, IDEA. [00:25:01] AND THAT IS NOW ON THE FLOOR OF THE VISITOR CENTER. SO WHEN YOU WALK IN, IT SAYS VISITOR CENTER THIS WAY. THAT'S WHAT THAT SULF AT. SO FREE. YEP. MM-HMM. MM-HMM . AWESOME. AND WE ALSO HAD JUST, WE ALSO ADDED THE LEAGUE CITY FLAG. YES, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YES. BECAUSE WE OFFICIALLY ADOPTED, UH, KIND OF A NEW REVISED LOOKING FLAG THAT FOLLOWS THE FLAG RULES. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THERE ARE FLAG RULES. YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE ANY WORDS ON A FLAG. UH, SO WE NOW HAVE THAT FOR SALE AT THE VISITOR CENTER AS WELL, BECAUSE WE'VE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK THAT THEY WANT TO PURCHASE THE FLAG TO FLY, UM, AT THEIR HOME. SO YOU CAN NOW PURCHASE THAT AT THE VISITOR CENTER. YEAH. SO THERE'S LOTS OF NEW THINGS AND WE'VE GONE OVER THERE AND READ MERCHANDISE THINGS AND MADE SOME CHANGES TO OUR INVENTORY. OKAY. MAY IS EVERY YEAR THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES AND OXFORD DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL, UH, THEY CELEBRATE NATIONAL TOURISM WEEK. SO IT'S NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK. AND WE CELEBRATE THAT IN TEXAS. AND THE STATE RELEASES EVERY YEAR AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, THE ANNUAL TRAVEL IMPACT NUMBERS. AND WE'RE ABLE TO GO IN THAT, GO INTO THEIR DATABASE AND PULL THE NUMBERS FOR LEAGUE CITY. UH, OUR NUMBERS FOR DIRECT TRAVEL SPENDING HAVE INCREASED 2.8% TO $138.4 MILLION. AND THAT IS HERE JUST IN LEAGUE CITY. UH, TOURISM SUPPORTS 830 JOBS WITH EARNINGS OF 4 43 $0.9 MILLION, UH, FOR SALARIES. AND THEN TAX REVENUE IS $19.8 MILLION. THAT IS NOT, THAT IS SALES TAX REVENUE. THAT IS NOT HOT TAX REVENUE. SO THAT WAS DOWN JUST SLIGHTLY, BUT, UM, STILL VERY, VERY GOOD FOR OUR CITY. UH, THEN ON THE NEXT, AND THEN ALSO IN TEXAS, YOU CAN SEE THE INDUSTRY TRAVELER SPENT IN TEXAS LAST YEAR IS $97.5 BILLION, WHICH IS, UH, TRANSLATE TO, WHAT IS THAT? I CAN'T READ IT. $184,975 EVERY MINUTE SPENT BY TRAVELERS IN TEXAS. SO SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF OUR, UH, OR STATE REVENUE COMES IN, IT SUPPORTS 1.3 MILLION JOBS AND, UH, TAX REVENUE IS $9.2 BILLION GENERATED BY TRAVEL IN TEXAS. SO THAT IS VERY GOOD. AND AS FAR AS OUR DESTINATION SUMMARY, I SENT OUT A PRESS RELEASE EARLIER THIS MONTH TO LOCAL MEDIA, UH, WITH THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS FOR JUST LEAGUE CITY. SO DIRECT TRAVEL SPENDING TOTAL $138.4 MILLION, WHICH IS UP. AND THEN OUR TAX REVENUE, $19.8 MILLION, WHICH IS AN ADDITIONAL $54,246 PER DAY TO SUPPORT ESSENTIAL CITY SERVICES. THIS IS LOCAL TAX REVENUE, NOT HOT TAX DOLLARS. UM, HOT TAX COLLECTIONS LAST YEAR HIT A RECORD HIGH OVER A MILLION DOLLARS, UM, WHICH WAS EXCEEDED AMAZING. YES. EXCEEDED PROJECTIONS. AND A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH JUST AN EXCELLENT YEAR, SOLID YEAR IN 2024. AND THEN ALSO THE SHORT TERM RENTAL CHANGES THAT WE MADE THERE. UM, CITYWIDE HOTEL DEMAND LAST YEAR GREW 8.5% FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR. WE HAD 135,864 ROOM NIGHTS SOLD IN, IN THE CITY. UM, AS FAR AS OUR, UH, WHO IS COMING TO OUR AREA, OUR DATA FI INFORMATION SHOWS US 58.8% OF VISITORS ARE FROM IN TEXAS. AND 51, SORRY, 41.2 CAME FROM OUTTA STATE. AND THE TOP THREE MARKETS FOR US WERE SAN ANTONIO, AUSTIN, AND DALLAS. AND THE PEOPLE THAT SPENT THE MOST MONEY OF OUR TRAVELERS AT CAME IN WERE FROM SAN ANTONIO, AUSTIN, AND COLLEGE STATION. UH, WE HAD AN ESTIMATED 184,221 TRIPS TAKING THE LAKE CITY LAST YEAR. AND THE AVERAGE STAY IS ABOUT THREE DAYS. SO THAT IS ALL PROVIDED BY OUR, UH, DATA BY RESEARCH COOL STUFF. SO WE HAVE THINGS GEOFENCE AND WE'RE TRACKING CELL PHONE ACTIVITIES BASED OFF OF THAT. MOVING ON TO SUMMER ADVERTISING, I MENTIONED WE ARE GEARING UP FOR A VERY GOOD SUMMER. UH, WE HAVE SOME ADS NOW RUNNING IN TEXAS MONTHLY. AND THAT IS A, JUST A PICTURE OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. WE HAVE PRINT ADS AND WE ALSO HAVE A DIGITAL TRAVEL GUIDE PIECE AS WELL, AND RUN OF SITE AND SOME SPONSORED CONTENT. SO THAT'S SOME SCREENSHOTS THERE. IT SHOWS YOU, UH, WHAT THOSE LOOK LIKE. AND IT'S DRIVING TRAFFIC TO OUR NEW WEBSITE THAT WAS JUST LAUNCHED, UH, LAST MONTH. WE ALSO HAVE A ARTICLE IN, UH, HOUSTON'S CULTURE MAP AND BANNERS, RUN OF SITE BANNERS RUNNING THERE. THIS WAS FOR OUR MUSIC FRIENDLY CERTIFICATION. UH, WE DID A PROMOTED ARTICLE THERE AND WE ALSO HAD AN E-BLAST THAT WENT OUT AND IT TALKED ABOUT MUSIC THAT WAS RIGHT BEFORE OUR EVENT THERE. UM, WE ALSO HAVE A TOUR TEXAS PROGRAM, AND LAST MONTH WE HAD 3,860 CONTENT ENGAGEMENTS WITH THAT PROGRAM. OUR WEBSITE PERFORMANCE, THIS IS A SNAPSHOT. THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION ON THIS SLIDE. THERE'S A PRINTED OUT VERSION OF IT IN YOUR REPORT THAT MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO SEE, BUT WE HAD 3000 A HUNDRED USERS. UH, OUR PAGE VIEW COUNT WAS 9,345. A LOT OF THIS TRAFFIC IS ADVERTISING DRIVEN. UH, OUR NEW SITE LAUNCHED AT THE VERY END OF MARCH, I BELIEVE. AND WE HAD SOME ISSUES GETTING THE DOMAIN NAME. UH, THE OLD DOMAIN TRANSFERRED AND POINTING TO THE NEW SITE, SO THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF HICCUP THERE. [00:30:01] THAT'S WHY YOU CAN SEE THAT WEIRD LIKE TREND TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH WHEN WE HAD, WE GOT IT FIXED. SO A LOT OF OUR REDIRECTS ARE BEING, UH, NOW THEY'RE WORKING. SO WE HAD SOME ISSUES WITH THAT. BUT THE NEW SITE IS BEAUTIFUL AND WE WERE EXPECTING A LITTLE BIT OF A DOWN, UH, TREND OF TRAFFIC JUST AS GOOGLES CRAWLING IT. AND IT'S GETTING REGISTERED FOR THE NEW SITE THERE. SO YOU CAN SEE OUR TOP LANDING PAGES, OUR TOP SEARCH SEARCH TERMS, AND, UH, WHERE OUR TRAFFIC IS COMING FROM. WE ALSO HAVE THE LEE CITY VISITOR APP. LAST MONTH WE HAD, UH, 1,910 USERS. OUR TOTAL SESSION COUNT WAS 2,879 AND WE HAD ALMOST 5,000 PAGE VIEWS. AND WHAT IS THAT? 16 PLUS SIX IS 23 BRAND NEW DOWNLOADS. UH, WE HAD A SPIKE AT THE BEGINNING OF APRIL AS FAR AS USAGE. AND YOU CAN SEE OUR POPULAR CONTENT. THERE WAS THE, UH, THE HISTORIC DISTRICT WHITE LINEN NIGHT EDITION. WE HAVE A, A NEW CUSTOM TOUR BUILT JUST FOR THE WHITE LINEN KNIGHTS, SO WHEN PEOPLE ARE IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT, THEY CAN EXPLORE IT AND ALSO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE HISTORIC THINGS IN THE DISTRICT. SO WE HAVE A SPECIAL TOUR SET UP FOR JUST THAT EVENT. UM, AND THEN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT ITSELF. AND WE HAVE A PUBLIC ART TOUR. AND THEN THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF THE DIFFERENT ATTRACTIONS THERE. AND SOME EVENTS ARE ACTUALLY FULL AGREEMENT TO THAT. SO THAT JUST SHOWS YOU OUR TOP CONTENT. UH, FOR FACEBOOK. IN APRIL, WE HAD OUR, UH, FAN COUNTS 3,466. WE HAD OVER 85,000 IMPRESSIONS AND ALMOST 2000 CLICKS ON OUR CONTENT THERE. OUR TOP POSTS, UH, WERE ABOUT THE MUSIC FRIENDLY CERTIFICATION AND THE CELEBRATION THERE IN LEE PARK. THOSE ALWAYS DO REALLY WELL. AND THEN WE HAD A WEEKEND, LEMME SEE THIS , I CAN'T SEE IT. LET ME LOOK AT THIS PAPER. ANYWAY, THOSE ARE OUR THREE TOP PERFORMING CONTENT PIECES THERE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA. AND THEN IN INSTAGRAM, OUR FOLLOWER ACCOUNT IS GROWING STILL STEADY, UH, 2,879 FOLLOWERS. WE HAD 20 POSTS. UM, OUR IMPRESSION COUNT 1,718. AND YOU CAN SEE OUR TOP CONTENT THERE, UH, WAS ABOUT BEAUTIFUL DAYS. AND DID YOU KNOW LEAK CITY'S NAME AFTER A LITTLE HISTORICAL TRIBUTE THERE. AND THEN FUN DAY, RAINY ACTIVITY. SO THAT WAS APRIL FOR US. RAINY DAYS, PRETTY DAYS. AND HERE'S, HERE'S A MYSTERY. HERE'S A MYSTERY. YES. WE JUST LAUNCHED A NEW SOCIAL WEEKLY CAMPAIGN TOO THAT HAS STARTED JUST AS OF YESTERDAY. IT'S A TRAVEL BACK IN TIME TUESDAY TYPE IDEA. AND WE'RE HOLDING UP A HISTORIC PHOTO IN FRONT OF THE CURRENT PLACE AND, AND SHARING SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THAT THAT WILL BE RELEASED AT ONE PHOTO LIKE THAT IN CONTENT PIECE EVERY WEEK, THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER AT LEAST. AND I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA KEEP GOING AS LONG AS WE HAVE GOOD PICTURES. OKAY. HOTEL PERFORMANCE. LET'S SEE. SO WE HAVE A NEW, UH, IT'S STILL THE SAME, UM, INFORMATION, THE HOTEL TRENDS THERE. UH, I HAD TO PRINT OUT ANOTHER PAPER FOR YOU GUYS. AND THIS IS THE CURRENT ONE. THIS IS CORRECT. UH, WE JUST GOT THE REPORTS BACK FOR MARCH AND APRIL. UH, THIS SHOWS YOU THE PERCENT CHANGE, UH, JUST FROM YEAR OVER YEAR THERE. UH, AND SO OCCUPANCY, OCCUPANCY PERCENTAGE FOR MARCH WAS 67%. FOR APRIL IT WAS 63%. OUR AVERAGE DAILY RATE FOR MARCH WAS 1 15 17. AND IN APRIL IT WAS 1 0 9 30. AND THEN REVPAR, YOU SEE 77 19 AND 68, 25 THERE. SO I HAVE BOTH MONTHS. USUALLY ONLY HAVE ONE MONTH BECAUSE OF THE LAG. BUT WE HAVE A NEW PROGRAM. AND, UM, LET'S SEE, WE'RE LOOKING, SO MARCH WAS A VERY STRONG, WE'VE HAD A, A SLOW START TO THE YEAR WE JUST WENT, I WENT TO A HOUSTON AND BEYOND MEETING YESTERDAY AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW OUR TRENDS ARE GOING TO YEAR OVER YEAR, LOOK A LITTLE BIT DOWN BECAUSE LAST YEAR, 2024 WAS SUCH A HUGE, STRONG YEAR. WE HAD A LOT OF BIG EVENTS HAPPENING. UM, THE FOOTBALL LAST YEAR, EARLY AND SPRING BROUGHT I GUESS EXTRA PEOPLE INTO THIS AREA AND COMPRESSED THE HOUSTON MARKET INTO OUR MARKET AS WELL. UM, SO THEY SAID NOT TO WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT OUR YEAR OVER YEAR DOWNWARD TREND, BECAUSE LAST YEAR WAS SUCH A HUGE YEAR WITH MORE EVENTS THAN NORMAL IN THESE MONTHS THAT WERE EARLY IN THE YEAR THAT IT'S SHOWING A DECLINE. BUT IT'S REALLY MORE OF A, JUST A SOFT, STRONG RETURN TO NORMAL IS WHAT THEY TOLD US YESTERDAY. SO, UM, GOOD TO HEAR. I'M GLAD BECAUSE WHENEVER I FIRST SAW THIS I WAS LIKE, OH, WOW. MM-HMM . YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOWN, I KNOW JANUARY AND FEBRUARY ARE DOWN. MARCH IS USUALLY A VERY STRONG MONTH. AND THEN APRIL WE'VE SEEN A LITTLE BIT OF A DECLINE, BUT THAT WAS ALSO BECAUSE BIG EVENTS HAPPENING LAST YEAR THAT WEREN'T NECESSARILY HAPPENING THIS YEAR. SO THAT'S YOUR MONTHLY CHANGE DECLINE. IT'S NOT, IT'S STILL GROWING YEAR OVER YEAR. UH, OUR ANNUAL TOTAL IS STILL VERY STRONG AND, AND, AND GOOD THERE. SO IS THAT KIND OF CONSISTENT TO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING? OH, I THINK, I THINK IT IS A 2023 AND 24. THE HOTEL SIDE, 23 AND 24 ON THE HOTEL SIDE. THE GROWTH WAS, IT, IT WAS PRETTY STEEP. STILL COMING OFF OF, [00:35:01] UH, YOU KNOW, I REFER BACK TO COVID, BUT THAT'S WHAT IT'S BEEN. IT'S BEEN A CLIMB, UH, A CLIMB. AND THEN, UH, IT, I WOULD SAY IT'S MORE LEVELED OFF TO GET BACK TO THE, THE NORMS. UH, THE FIRST QUARTER THIS YEAR IT WAS, IT WAS, IT WAS A LITTLE BIT SLOW JANUARY, FEBRUARY. I KNOW ON THE CONVENTION SIDE WE HAD A COUPLE OF, UH, LARGER GROUPS FROM 24 THAT DIDN'T COME BACK TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. OUR LEAGUE CITY IN 25. UH, ONE OF THOSE WILL BE BACK NEXT YEAR. SO JANUARY AND FEBRUARY STARTED A LITTLE SLOWER. AND YOUR MARCH APRIL IS, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S ACCURATE. UH, IN TERMS OF THE OCCUPANCIES CREEP CREPT BACK UP. UM, I WAS MENTIONING WHEN I WALKED IN HERE, UH, YOU KNOW, SUMMER IT'S, IT'S, IT'S HERE. AND, AND, AND LAST WEEK IN THE HOTEL, I, I ALREADY FELT IT. USUALLY IT'S MEMORIAL WEEK AND EVERYBODY RAMPS UP FOR IT. BUT, UM, I I I JUST STARTED SEEING IT A WEEK OR TWO AGO AND JUST MORE KIDS IN GENERAL, SO ON, ON OUR END. I'M VERY HOPEFUL OF THAT JUST TO KIND OF SEE IT, UH, AND TO FEEL IT. BUT, UH, NO, I, I THINK THAT'S VERY ACCURATE IN TERMS OF WHAT'S GOING ON OR AT LEAST REFLECTIVE OF OUR MARKET OR WHERE'RE AT. YEAH, I I FEEL LIKE OUR SUMMER'S GONNA BE STRONG. ARE YOU WITH FAIRFIELD? ARE YOU FEELING YEAH, SAME THING. I MEAN, I THINK EVERYTHING THAT YOU PRESENT IS PRETTY MUCH ON PAR WITH WHAT WE'RE FEELING AS WELL, AS WELL AS JUST THE GENERAL HOTEL INDUSTRY IN THE GREATER, UH, BAY HOUSTON REGION, UM, SPECIFICALLY FOR US. OF COURSE, THAT WITH THE, UM, THE TRAFFIC FROM THE BALLPARK HAS HELPED TREMENDOUSLY. YEAH. UH, WE KNOW IT'S BEEN A FEW YEARS COMING , SO, BUT, UM, YEAH. YEAH, I, I MET WITH CECILY, UH, CECILY TO GO OVER LIKE Q1 REVIEW, Q1 AND TALK ABOUT Q2 AND, AND THEN PROJECT FOR WHAT'S COMING UP AND MEETING WITH THE BALLPARK TOO TO TALK ABOUT A COMING EVENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND IT LOOKS LIKE THINGS ARE GOING REALLY WELL YEAH. AT THAT PROPERLY, LIKE JUST GANGBUSTERS WITH THAT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE BALLPARK BUSINESS. SO, AND ALL THE OTHER BUSINESS THAT SHE'S DRUMMING UP, OF COURSE. YEAH, SHE'S, SHE'S GREAT. BUT YEAH. OKAY. SO THE NEXT THING IS OUR REVENUE UPDATE, WHICH IS WAY UP VERY, VERY POSITIVE HERE. UH, Q1 EXCEEDED LAST YEAR IT WAS A RECORD FOR Q1, Q2, SAME. WE HAD THE HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR Q2 COLLECTIONS EVER. UM, WE ARE, WELL, UH, ON OUR WAY TO MEETING OUR BUDGET GOAL, OUR ANNUAL GOAL, AND MOST LIKELY EXCEEDING THAT AGAIN, UM, IT'S THE HIGHEST FIRST HALF TOTAL IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS, HONESTLY, EVER. UM, WE HAD 9% INCREASE OVER THE SAME PERIOD FROM 2024 AND, UH, WHICH WAS A 29% INCREASE COMPARED TO 23. SO WE ARE ON TRACK FOR A RECORD BREAKING YEAR. OUR HOT COLLECTION'S TRENDING TOWARD OVER BEYOND $1.1 MILLION BY THE END OF THIS YEAR. SO, UM, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT. IT'S LOOKING VERY, VERY GOOD. UH, LET'S SEE, WHAT ELSE DO I HAVE? AND THE OTHER THING IS THAT I HAVE A FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT AT THE VERY BACK OF YOUR PAPER THERE. UH, IT JUST SHOWS AT THE, THIS IS THROUGH THE END OF APRIL. WHAT ARE OUR EXPENDITURES? WERE, AND I JUST WANTED TO GIVE THAT TO YOU. WE ARE IN BUDGET MEETINGS RIGHT NOW. UH, WE JUST HAD OUR SECOND ONE AND WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE. I KNOW, I KNOW, YEAH. WHERE WE TALK ABOUT YEAR END PROJECTIONS NEXT YEAR, TWO MONTHS PROJECTS. SO, UH, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE UNDERWAY. AND I HAVE ANOTHER ONE, UH, I GUESS IT'S IN JUNE, RIGHT? IS THE NEXT ONE IN JUNE OR THE VERY END OF THIS MONTH? END OF THIS MONTH. END OF MONTH. I THINK IT'S NEXT WEEK. YEAH. OH, IS IT, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WELL, MAY HAS THAT WEIRD EXTRA WEEK. YEAH, BECAUSE USUALLY LIKE MEMORIAL DAY, THAT'S IT. YEAH. THERE'S A WHOLE NOTHER WEEK. YES. YEAH. BONUS. IT'S REALLY MOST OFF OUR BROTHERS. SO THAT'S HAPPENING. BUT EVERYTHING IS GOING VERY WELL. WE ARE BUSY, WE ARE BLOWING AND GOING AND GETTING READY FOR A VERY GOOD, STRONG SUMMER. AWESOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH, STEPHANIE. LOTS OF GOOD INFO AS USUAL. UH, ANY BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS OR UPDATES? [IX. Board member comments and updates ] UH, JUST REAL QUICK AGAIN, UH, AT SOUTH SHORE HARBOR, UM, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS LIKE, I LIKE THE COMMENTS AT THE END BECAUSE I, I KIND OF BULLET POINT OUT WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AND, AND IF IT LINES UP WITH WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY, I'M LIKE, GREAT. BUT IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE WE'RE IN LINE JUST REAL QUICK, GOING BACK TO BIG LEAGUE DREAMS. UH, I, I WOULD AGREE. UM, WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN SOME TEAMS AT SOUTH SHORE, UH, RECENTLY OVER THE LAST, I DON'T KNOW, SIX WEEKS. AND, AND, UH, WE, WE TRY TO HELP TO CONTINUE CULTIVATE THAT RELATIONSHIP THERE. I THINK IN ALL, IN GENERAL, I SAID BIG LEAGUE DREAMS, THE BALLPARK AT LEAGUE CITY, , UH, UH, I, I THINK THAT THAT'S STARTING TO MATERIALIZE. AND I THINK THE PRODUCT THERE IS REALLY, REALLY SHOWING BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S, THEY'RE, THEY'RE SHOWING A LOT MORE TEAMS OUT THERE AND THAT, THAT WE ALL WIN WITH THAT. UH, I KNOW ON OUR PROPERTY LEVEL, OUR SALES AND, UH, MARKETING TEAM, THEY REALLY WORK A LOT. UH, THEY'VE BEEN TRYING TO CULTIVATE RELATIONSHIPS WITH CNT, UM, EISI AND TSAE. [00:40:01] UM, PLEASE DON'T ASK ME ABOUT THE ACRONYMS, BUT I DO KNOW THAT, UH, CNT IS, IS MORE OF A CITYWIDE, UM, EVENT PLACEHOLDER FOR US. UH, EISI, YOUR, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE YOUR OIL AND GAS ADMINS. AND, AND THEN WE HAVE TSAE, WHICH IS JUST A GENERAL, UM, UH, TEXAS, THERE YOU GO. TEXAS ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SO KIM KEANE, OUR DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING, AS I'VE MENTIONED BEFORE, UM, SHE'S BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN THESE MARKETS AND, AND WITH THESE GROUPS, UH, WE'RE ACTUALLY HOSTING, UH, EISI AND TSAE OVER THE SUMMERTIME IN DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS. SO WE'RE HOPING TO CONTINUE TO GENERATE SOME, UM, SOME RELATIONSHIPS AND SOME REVENUES THERE. UH, AND ON THE PROPERTY LEVEL, AGAIN, UH, STARTING MEMORIAL WEEKEND IN THE SUMMER FOR OUR GUESTS, UM, WE HAVE ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS, UH, STARTING MEMORIAL DAY, WE HAVE LIVE MUSIC OUT AT THE POOL. UH, IN ADDITION TO ON SUNDAYS WE HAVE OUR, UH, BRUNCH GOING IN OUR PARADISE REEF RESTAURANT, WHERE WE ALSO SHOWCASE LIVE MUSIC AS WELL. UM, AND AGAIN, UH, JUST GETTING READY FOR THAT SUMMERTIME, UH, WE, ON A, ON A KIND OF A FUN THING, WE'VE ALSO PUT UP A SELFIE WALL IN OUR, UH, LIGHTHOUSE BARN BISTRO. IT, IT, IT NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME. AND AGAIN, KIM KIND OF BRINGS ME ALONG ON THINGS. UH, THIS, THIS SELFIE WALL. IT, IT, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE, UH, HOW POPULAR THESE THESE THINGS ARE. WE PUT A QR CODE, UH, NEXT TO IT SO WE CAN HAVE GUESTS THAT CAN LOOK AT OUR WEBSITE AND THEN THAT LEADS INTO OTHERS AND THEY CAN BOOK RESERVATIONS. SO JUST SOME LITTLE FUN STUFF LIKE THAT. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SUMMER. AND, AND ONE LAST NOTE. UH, GALVESTON COUNTY FOOD BANK. UH, AS A HOTEL QUARTERLY, UH, WELL ACTUALLY TWICE A YEAR, UH, WE, UH, WE SEND A TEAM OUT TO THE GALVESTON COUNTY FOOD BANK, UM, TO VOLUNTEER. UH, WE WENT, UH, PROBABLY ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO, UH, MYSELF INCLUDED. UM, AGAIN, JUST TO PUT THAT NAME OUT THERE, THEY'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS. UM, I'M SURE SOME, UH, MANY OF US HAVE PROBABLY BEEN DOWN THERE BEFORE. UH, BUT IT'S SOMETHING NEAR AND DEAR TO OUR HEART AT RE HARBOR, SO I THOUGHT I WOULD PUT A, PUT A NAME OUT THERE. SO GALVESTON COUNTY FOOD BANK, UM, I KNOW THEY'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR STAFF AND, AND PEOPLE TO HELP OUT. SO A GREAT, A GREAT LOCATION DOWN THERE IN TEXAS CITY. SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR SOUTH SHORE. UM, SO AT FAIRFIELD WE'VE MODIFIED, NO, UH, AT FAIRFIELD WE'VE MODIFIED OUR BAR HOURS TO, UH, INCLUDE MORE DAYS. SO MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY WE ARE OPEN FROM FIVE TO 10:00 PM UM, AND THEN OF COURSE THAT FLUCTUATES DEPENDING ON OUR OCCUPANCY AND OUR GROUPS. BUT, UM, OF COURSE OUR BAR IS ALSO OPEN TO EVERYONE, UM, TO THE PUBLIC. SO COME CHECK US OUT. UH, DO YOU GOT ANYTHING PACKED RESTAURANT? ALWAYS? NO. OH, NOT ALWAYS IS YOUR, SEEMS TO BE SORT OF LIKE LEVEL OF LAST YEAR. AND A LOT OF OUR SALES REPS AS GALVESTON'S, LIKE REALLY STRUGGLING, BUT EVEN UP IN HOUSTON IS ALSO STRUGGLING, SO WE'RE LIKE IN THE MIDDLE SORT OF, BUT OVERALL SORT OF FLAT COMPARED TO LAST YEAR. SO, BUT INTERESTING. DO YOU, IS THERE ANY WAY TO KNOW WHAT'S CAUSING THAT? JUST PEOPLE ARE NEEDING OUT? I THINK THAT PROBABLY THAT LIKE THE ADMINISTRATION AND PEOPLE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN OTHER THAN TARIFF STUFF. SO THAT'S THE EASIEST THING TO CUT OUT IS GOING OUT TO EAT. IF YOU ARE GONNA CUT BACK, CUT BACK ON SOMETHING, WELL YOU'VE IMPROVED YOUR BEEF QUALITY, SO I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU TRYING YOUR BEEF FAJITAS. THEY'VE CHANGED THEIR MEAT VENDOR. IT'S, THEY'RE REALLY GOOD. THEY WERE GOOD BEFORE, BUT THEY'RE, I'VE NOTICED THE DIFFERENCE. UM, WELL AT BUTLER'S WE ARE ACTUALLY BOOKING REALLY WELL. I'M HOPING, I'M NOT DOING IT MYSELF, BUT, UM, 2025 KIND OF JUST GONNA BE KIND OF AN INBETWEEN YEAR, WHICH IS WEIRD 'CAUSE I WAS REALLY THINKING THAT 25 WOULD BE A COOL NUMBER. BUT WITH THE ELECTION LAST YEAR, PEOPLE DIDN'T REALLY BOOK THEIR WEDDINGS THIS YEAR. IT'S THE NORMAL CYCLE THAT WE SEE, YOU KNOW, WE TRACK OUR NUMBERS REALLY CLOSELY OVER THE TWO DECADES PLUS. UM, BUT WE'RE BOOKING PRETTY WELL FOR 2026, SO THAT'S GOOD. EVEN NUMBERS, UH, WEIRDLY ENOUGH TO DO BETTER THAN ALL NUMBERS ANYWAY. MM-HMM . UM, WE HAVE OUR SUMMER OPEN HOUSE ON JULY 13TH, UH, SO I'LL BE BRINGING LITTLE CARDS FOR Y'ALL TO SEE YOU NEXT MONTH. UM, AND THAT'LL USUALLY GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF A BOOKING JUMP. AND THEN WE HAVE OUR NEW BALLROOM, UM, THAT IS NEARING COMPLETION. UH, SHE'S, WE, WE HAVE WEDDING READY AND WE HAVE COMPLETE IN WHAT I DO AND SHE'S WEDDING READY. WE'VE HAD, UH, FIVE WEDDINGS IN THERE. UM, BUT WE'RE JUST KIND OF BACK AND FORTH ON WHAT TO DO WITH FINISHING TOUCHES THE FLOORS AND SOME FIRE MARSHAL CONVERSATIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO, UM, BUT WE'RE EXCITED. AND WHEN SHE IS ALL THE WAY COMPLETE, I'LL DEFINITELY INVITE EVERYBODY OUT FOR [00:45:01] A LITTLE, YOU KNOW, MIXER AND SHOW, SHOW HER OFF. UM, BUT WE'RE REALLY THINKING, AND THE FEEDBACK WE'RE GETTING IS PROOF THAT WE'LL BE DOING MORE YEAR ROUND CONSISTENTLY. UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S SO HOT THAT PE WE REALLY STRUGGLED TO GET SUMMER BUSINESS AND IF WE DID, IT WAS LIKE KIND OF THE SMALLER ONES THAT COULD GO INSIDE. SO NOW WE'RE NOT AS LIMITED BECAUSE WE HAVE AIR CONDITIONING. UM, AND THEN I KNOW WE'VE KIND OF BEAT THE HORSE TO DEATH, BUT WHITE LINEN KNIGHT IS A REALLY BIG DEAL FOR OUR CITY. IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN, PLEASE GO. IT'S SO FUN. BRING FRIENDS, INVITE PEOPLE TO COME. UM, IT IS GOOD FOR ALL AGES KIDS, NO KIDS. UH, IT IS HOT, BUT BAR 1909 IS OPEN. WHAT'S YOUR JUICE POUCHES AND MOMMY JUICE POUCHES, . UM, AND UM, WE, I BELIEVE WE GET ANDREW BATEMAN AGAIN, WHICH IS ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, HE FITS REALLY GREAT WITH OUR VIBE. AND SO I WANT TO THANK THE CITY AND SPECIFICALLY WOULD LIKE TO PUBLICLY SHOUT OUT ASHLEY JACKSON FOR ALL OF HER HARD WORK AND HER TEAM. UM, BECAUSE THIS IS A BEAST OF AN EVENT. AND SHE, JUST, AS SOMEONE WHO DOES EVENTS, SHE AMAZES ME EVERY YEAR WITH THIS BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF LOGISTICS. UM, AND ABSOLUTELY THEY DEFINITELY NEED VOLUNTEERS. THAT'S KIND OF THE ONLY AREA THAT WE SOMETIMES STRUGGLE WITH IS GETTING PEOPLE THEY WANNA COME TO THE FUN PART. BUT YOU KNOW, WE GOTTA CLEAN UP AT THE END. SO MY TEAM'S ALWAYS OUT THERE HELPING PICK UP TRASH AROUND THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS. AND UM, SO IF YOU KNOW ANY TEENAGERS THAT NEED VOLUNTEER HOURS OR JUST GOOD PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT THEIR CITY, PLEASE SEND THEM OUT. UM, AND I THINK THAT'S IT FOR ME. AND I COULD ADD TO THAT. ASHLEY DID A GREAT JOB THIS YEAR GETTING SPONSORS FOR THE EVENT. YES. WE HAVE SOME MAJOR SPONSORS, INCLUDING WE'RE ALLY, SELF-SUPPORTING PERRINE ENERGY, AMACO UTMB. YES. UM, I KNOW THAT A CU OF TEXAS IS PROVIDING ALL THE WATER THIS YEAR. MM-HMM . AT OUR WATER STATIONS. AND OF COURSE THE PATRONS OF THE PARTS AND ARTS ARE GONNA BE DOING THE KID ZONE. SO WE'VE GOT A LOT OF SUPPORT, WHICH IS GREAT. 'CAUSE I THINK AS PEOPLE SEE THE EVENT GROWING AND HOW MUCH FUN IT IS AND FUN, THEY WANNA BE A PART OF IT. IT IS HOT, BUT IF YOU'RE HAVING FUN, IT'S NOT THAT BAD. THAT'S WHY YOU WEAR YOUR WHITE LINENS. EXACTLY. IT, IT'S NOT THAT HOT. UM, AND MAKE SURE YOU GO ALL THE WAY, YOU KNOW, GO TO THE MUSEUM, SEE THE OLD CARS, GET SOME ICE CREAM DOWN THERE. UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S DEFINITELY A REALLY UNIQUE THING AND YOU KNOW, I HAVE HEARD THAT FRIENDSWOOD IS JEALOUS, SO THAT MAKES ME HAPPY. AS A FORMER FRIENDSWOOD IN THAT MAKES ME HAPPY . UM, BUT THAT'S, YEAH, DEFINITELY TRY TO COME OUT TO THAT. IT'D BE A GOOD GETAWAY FOR A LITTLE TWO HOUR DATE IF WE CAN FIND A SITTER. LET YOU WATCH 'EM. WILL YOU WATCH 'EM BRING BROTHERS? I CAN HOLD HIM BEHIND THE BAR. YEAH. SO ANYTHING ELSE UM, YOU WANNA MENTION SARAH, MENTION THE RECENT LIST WE MADE? OH, THANK YOU. I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED THAT RIGHT OFF THE TOP. SO IT JUST HAPPENED YESTERDAY, SO IT TYPE SIX AND NO FRIENDS WOULD, SO, UM, WE'RE NUMBER SIX. ACCORDING TO US NEWS AND WORLD REPORTS, BEST TOP PLACES TO LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES, WHICH IS HUGE. NUMBER SIX, I WILL SAY THAT APPARENTLY MADE THE LIST AND THEY WERE A LITTLE ABOVE US. YEAH. BUT ANYWAY, MAKING THE LIST NUMBER SIX, TOP 10 OUT OF THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES, 850 CITIES THAT THEY RANKED. UM, AND WAR SIX. SO THAT'S PRETTY, PRETTY COOL. SO YEAH, I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED THAT RIGHT AT THE TOP. IT'S A BLUR THAT JUST, YEAH. I FEEL LIKE THAT HAPPENED A WEEK AGO AND THAT WAS JUST YESTERDAY. . SO. WELL, AND THAT'S A TRUE TESTAMENT TO YOU THREE AND EXCUSE ME, FOUR LADIES AND THE REST OF THE CITY EMPLOYEES ARE ALWAYS WORKING SO HARD TO THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, GO ABOVE. YEAH. WE HAVE A GOOD GROUP OF STAFF THAT MM-HMM . WE WORK REALLY HARD DO. YEAH. THE WHOLE CITY. SO, YEAH. SO. OKAY. THAT'S IT. OH, [X. Discuss requests for future agenda items] ANYONE HAVE ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, TOPICS THAT YOU'D LIKE? THE PRESENTATION? ANYTHING? WHAT'S THE UPDATE ON THE, UM, 2026, UH, SOCCER THING? ANY BIG HUBBUB? I MEAN, ANY, HAVE YOU BEEN MEETING ABOUT THINGS OR DOING YEAH. OKAY. SO BAY AREA, HOUSTON ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP, BAY HUB HAS FORMED A TOURISM COMMITTEE AND IT HAS BROUGHT TOGETHER EVERY, ALL THE KEY PLAYERS IN THE REGION. SO WE HAVE LONE STAR FLIGHT MUSEUM, KEAH, BOARDWALK, KEAH, CITY MANAGERS, SEA BROOK LEADERSHIP, UH, NASSAU BASE SPACE CENTER, HOUSTON, LONE STAR FLIGHT MUSEUM, UM, GREAT SOUTH SHORE HARBOR, GREAT WOLF LODGE, ALL THE KEY PLAYERS. AND WE HAVE, UH, FORMED A SUBCOMMITTEE NOW. WE HAVE A BIG COMMITTEE AND A SUBCOMMITTEE NOW 'CAUSE IT'S SUCH A BIG THING. UH, AND WE ARE WORKING ON WHAT OUR REQUEST IS AND HOW WE'RE GONNA GO AFTER BRINGING THESE PEOPLE TO OUR AREA. YEAH. BECAUSE THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF COMPRESSION. SO I WENT TO THE HOUSTON MEETING YESTERDAY AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT GEARING UP FOR THAT. THERE'S A GOLD CUP EVENT HAPPENING THIS YEAR. THERE'S LIKE WORLD CUP NEXT YEAR AND A [00:50:01] KIND OF A EARLY GOLD CUP. I'VE HEARD THAT. I DON'T KNOW THAT. NORTH AMERICA, RIGHT. THAT THIS YEAR IS OUR, OUR FIRST RUN AT THAT. AND MAYBE IT'S PART OF, I DON'T KNOW. I'M NOT REALLY SURE THE WORKING OF THAT. BUT YES, WE ARE WORKING WITH VISIT HOUSTON. WE HAVE SIGNED UP TO BE A VENDOR. UH, THEY HAVE A HOST COMMITTEE WEBSITE. AND I WENT ON THERE AND, AND PLUGGED US IN AND, AND SHARED THAT INFORMATION WITH I THINK SOUTH SHORE AND ALSO WITH THE BALLPARK TO GO IN AND REGISTER TO BE A VENDOR. SO IF THERE ARE ANY RFPS THAT ARE BEING SENT OUT FOR ADDITIONAL SPACE OR WHATEVER, UM, THAT WE CAN AT LEAST EXACTLY BE ON THAT LIST. AND, AND ALSO JUST REACHING OUT, I LET 'EM KNOW LIKE IF Y'ALL NEED A CONTACT FOR THE BAY AREA TO BRING ANYTHING HERE YEAH, PLEASE. I WOULD LOVE TO CONNECT THEM TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE. BUT, UM, THERE WILL BE A, IT'LL IMPACT OUR ENTIRE REGION, SO. OH, NO, I KNOW. YEAH. SO WE'RE KIND OF ORGANIZING, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE WE ASKING HOUSTON FOR, HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THIS IN THE GROUP? AND WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON LIKE A MASSIVE INVENTORY OF WHAT DO WE HAVE TO OFFER. LIKE THIS IS OUR SELLING POINT, SO, RIGHT. UM, IT'S GOOD THAT WE HAVE THIS COMMITTEE BECAUSE NOW WE ARE SHOWING A UNIFIED, UH, COLLABORATION EFFORT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT ITINERARIES DO WE NEED TO DEVELOP TO DEVELOP AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO, UM, THOSE ARE ALL POSITIVE THINGS, BUT IT'S, IT'S KIND OF IN THE WORKS. THERE'S ALSO THE, THE CHEER EVENT. YEAH. SO THERE'S JUST A WHOLE STORY. NCA IS MOVING TO HOUSTON FOR THE NEXT TWO OR THREE YEARS, AND THAT'S A REALLY BIG DEAL BECAUSE IT'S A STATE OF PLAY. SO THERE YOU HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, AND THESE TEAMS WILL TRAVEL. OUR HOTEL LAST YEAR WAS 30 MILES OUT FROM THE DALLAS CONVENTION CENTER OR THE K BAILEY, WHATEVER. SO THERE'S VERY GOOD LIKELIHOOD THAT Y'ALL COULD FILL A WHOLE HOTEL WITH ONE GYM. SO DEFINITELY ONE OF CAPITAL WHERE, WHERE'S THAT AT? SO, UM, IT'S GONNA BE OR BEING HOSTED. UM, YEAH, SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE RENOVATING THE KK BAILEY HUTCHINSON, WHICH IS WHERE IT'S TRADITIONALLY BEEN. SO IT'S GONNA BE AT THE GEORGE R. BROWN. AND IT'S, I MEAN, LIKE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE COME TO THIS, UH, FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD REALLY. UM, AND SO DEFINITELY OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE GYMS, THE D ONE GYMS WITH A LITTLE MORE MONEY, LIKE THEY'LL GET FIRST DIBS AT LIKE, YOU KNOW, HILTON, DOWNTOWN, MARRIOTT DOWNTOWN. UM, BUT THEN THE OTHER GYMS WILL FILTER OUT. UM, AND SO THERE'S ABSOLUTELY OPPORTUNITY AND YOU'LL HAVE A HUNDRED CHEERLEADERS RUNNING AROUND AND HAIRSPRAY EVERYWHERE, BUT , UM, YOU KNOW, THESE PEOPLE HAVE MONEY. SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS ON THE HORIZON FOR HOUSTON ITSELF. SO, REAL QUICK ON THE, ON THE WORLD CUP, UM, HOUSTON FIRST I THINK, ANNOUNCED THAT THEY'RE GONNA HOST THE, UH, WHAT, WHAT DO THEY CALL IT? THE, UH, THE FAN FEST, UH, IN IDO. AND IT'S RIGHT AROUND A SET OF PROJECTS THAT I'M ACTUALLY WORKING ON. OKAY. SO THEY'RE ASSOCIATED WITH IT. SO, BUT THAT'S GONNA GO FOR LIKE 37 DAYS, I THINK. OH MY GOD. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S LIKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET IT IS, YOU KNOW, IN FRONT OF THAT FOR WE'RE TRYING, WE'RE, SO WE'RE ORGANIZING, THERE'S AN AROUND HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP MM-HMM . WITH HOUSTON FIRST. AND WE, WE MEET EVERY MONTH. THAT WAS WHAT I WENT TO YESTERDAY. AND WE TALK ABOUT COLLABORATIONS, LIKE EVENT SPACE, ACTIVATIONS AS A WHOLE, SO WHERE WE CAN ALL KIND OF DO THINGS TOGETHER AND IT LOOKS NICE AND IT'S COHESIVE AND EVERYTHING, SO THEY'RE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY WANT US TO DO FOR THAT PIECE. SO IT'S KIND OF JUST ALL EVOLVING. BUT YES, THERE'S TOTALLY, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF ACTIVITIES THAT WE CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF. MM-HMM . AND WE'RE READY TO, AND THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST. AND THE NCA THING TOO, THEY DON'T JUST RENT ROOMS, THEY RENT OUT YOUR WHOLE, THEY RUN OUT THE BALLROOM, THEY RUN OUT WITH THE MEETING SPACES BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO HAVE PRACTICE ROOMS AND THEN THEY DO LIKE TEAM DINNERS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO IT WILL LITERALLY FILL YOUR ENTIRE HOTEL WITH ONE, TWO, OR TWO GYMS DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE GYM THAT'S COMING UP. WHEN, UM, THAT'S IN FEBRUARY EVERY YEAR. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, MY DAUGHTER DOES COMPETITIVE CHAIRS SOME IN THE WORLD. AND SO OUR GYM IS ONLY, IT'S ON, UH, 2 23 51 AND HIGHWAY THREE. AND THEN THERE ARE OTHER LOCAL GYMS THAT WILL BE USED AS PRACTICE LOCATIONS TOO, POTENTIALLY. SO THAT MEANS THEY'LL, THEY'LL STAY IN THE HOTELS HERE. THEY'LL DRIVE TO PRACTICE IF, YOU KNOW, IF THEY CAN'T GET A MEETING SPACE WITH YOU. UM, OR IF THEY, OR A HIGHER LEVEL AND THEY NEED THE MATS OR WHATEVER. SO, AND YOU SAID A STATE OF PLAY? IT IS A STATE OF PLAY EVENT, SO IF YOUR HOTEL IS LISTED, THEY HAVE TO, YOU KNOW. OKAY. SO CITY, UH, PART OF THE BAY AREA, HOUSTON, CVB. MM-HMM . WHICH HAS THE MEMBERSHIP AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET RFPS FOR THOSE TYPES OF THINGS WHENEVER THEY'RE COMING IN. SO YES, WE NEED TO BE ON LOOKOUT FOR THOSE. MM-HMM . YEP. OKAY. AND THEN SPEAKING OF BAY AREA CBB, MAYBE YOU COULD GIVE AN UPDATE ON THAT NEXT TIME? YEAH, I WOULD LOVE TO. TO THIS GROUP? YES. YES. OKAY. SO THERE YOU GO. THERE'S THREE FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, WORLD CUP CHEERLEADING AND BAY AREA CBB. UM, OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? I, ALRIGHT, COOL. THEN WE WILL ADJOURN IN RECORD TIME AT 10 58. [00:55:03] SO. * 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.