* 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. [CALL TO ORDER] [00:00:02] OKAY, GOOD AFTERNOON AND WELCOME TO THE AUSTIN TOURISM COMMISSION JULY 9TH MEETING. I AM VICE CHAIR ED BAILEY, STANDING IN AS CHAIR TODAY FOR CHAIR DANIEL RONAN, WHO'S TRAVELING TODAY. UM, WE HAVE AN INTERESTING AGENDA TODAY AND VERY DIVERSE AND SOME GREAT COMMUNITY PARTNERS WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM. SO I WANNA BRING THE MEETING TO ORDER AND DO WE, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMUNICATION SEEING AS WE HAVE NO PUBLIC COMMUNICATION TODAY? I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, MOVE ON TO, [APPROVAL OF MINUTES] UH, ITEM NUMBER ONE, THE APPROVAL OF THE LAST MONTH'S, JUNE 11TH, APPROVAL OF MINUTES. UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? I MOVE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, COMMISSIONER MASTERS. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER BISHOP. UH, OH, SORRY. CHAPEL. AND, UM, ANY, UH, DISCUSSION, SEEING AS THERE NO DISCUSSION, MAY I HAVE, UH, UH, A VOTE, UH, FAVOR OF PASSING THIS AMENDMENT? SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. ALL RIGHT. VOTE PASSES. MINUTES HAVE BEEN APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. UM, EXCUSE ME. [2. Staff briefing from Staff Liaison, Felicia Burleson, regarding commission board recent vacancy, deadlines, resources, and updates.] SO NOW WE WILL MOVE ON TO, UH, ITEM NUMBER TWO, WHICH WOULD BE A STAFF BRIEFING FROM FELICIA BURLESON. THANK YOU. UM, JUST A REMINDER THAT WE ARE STILL SHORT THREE, UM, DISTRICT, SO WE HAVE THREE VACANCIES IN OUR COMMISSION. UM, IN EMAIL I WOULD SEND YOU, I RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE REGARDING, UM, STAFFING, BRIEFING FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS. AND IF YOU ARE NEEDING THAT, THERE'S A CHANNEL TO GO THROUGH, WHICH INCLUDES ME. SO, UM, I WILL SEND THIS EMAIL OUT TO Y'ALL. Y'ALL SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED IT. IF YOU HAVEN'T CHECKED YOUR, UM, BC ACCOUNTS, GO AHEAD AND DO THAT. IT WAS SENT ON JULY 3RD, SO JUST GO AHEAD AND LOOK FOR THAT. THANKS. RIGHT. EVERYBODY WAS TRAVELING THEN. OKAY. SO, YEAH. THANK YOU. GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, OKAY. SO THIS BRINGS US TO THE FIRST OF OUR THREE PRESENTERS TODAY. [3. Presentation by Justus Zimmerman, CEO and Executive Director of the Austin Symphony, regarding the economic impact of the organization on Tourism and the hotel occupancy tax.] AND ITEM NUMBER THREE IN OUR DISCUSSION, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME JUSTICE ZIMMERMAN, THE CEO AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE AUSTIN SYMPHONY, WHO'S GONNA GIVE US A PRESENTATION ABOUT, UH, THE ECONOMIC IMPACT AND TOURISM IMPACT OF THE SYMPHONY, WHICH IS WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU CAN SIT DOWN THIS TIME. WE DON'T HAVE THE DIA, SO YOU CAN BE A LITTLE MORE COMFORTABLE IN THE OTHER ROOMS. WE, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO STAND, BUT THIS IS GREAT. SO TAKE YOUR TIME AND EASE, EASE INTO IT. WELL, BRILLIANT. WELL, THANK YOU, UH, EVERYBODY FOR HAVING ME. THANK YOU TO DANIEL FOR THE INVITE AND FOR ALL OF YOU FOR TAKING SOME TIME TO HEAR ABOUT THE AUSTIN SYMPHONY AND OUR TOURISM IMPACT AND OUR TOURISM PLAN. UM, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE AUSTIN SYMPHONY TODAY, BUT I WANTED TO START BY GIVING A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT ON THE BROADER SYMPHONIC TOURISM SCENE. UH, WHEN I THINK OF SYMPHONIC TOURISM, I THINK OF THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL IN LOS ANGELES. I THINK OF RED ROCKS IN DENVER. BOTH OF THOSE PLACES OBVIOUSLY HAVE PERFECT WEATHER. WE SOMETIMES DON'T HAVE PERFECT WEATHER AS WE KNOW. AND SO I WANTED TO SHOW YOU SOME STATS FROM A COUPLE SYMPHONIES THAT ALSO COME FROM PLACES WITH LESS THAN STELLAR WEATHER. PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY JUST DID A REPORT LAST YEAR. UM, THEY'RE BASICALLY SHOWING A FOUR TO ONE RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN TERMS OF THEIR ECONOMIC IMPACT. UM, THAT COMES OF COURSE, FROM EMPLOYMENT AND, AND FROM VENDORS, BUT IT ALSO COMES FROM TOURISM. UM, AND ESPECIALLY IN THE EXAMPLE OF BOSTON SYMPHONY. I KNOW PERSONALLY PEOPLE THAT TRAVEL FROM OUT OF STATE TO GO SEE BOSTON SYMPHONY, BOTH IN SYMPHONY HALL AND IN TANGLEWOOD. AND THAT MEANS HOTEL ROOM NIGHTS, IT MEANS MEALS OUT, IT MEANS SHOPPING. UM, BOTH OF THESE SYMPHONIES SHOW HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN ECONOMIC IMPACT. AND WHAT'S INTERESTING TO ME IS THAT BOTH OF THESE SYMPHONIES HAVE LIVE IN CITIES THAT ARE, HAVE ABOUT A 40 TO A HUNDRED YEAR JUMPSTART ON AUSTIN. AUSTIN IS STILL GOING UP. THESE ARE CITIES THAT PEAKED IN THE FIFTIES OR EARLIER, AND WE'RE BLESSED TO LIVE IN A CITY THAT HAS NOTHING BUT POTENTIAL AND, AND CONTINUES TO TAP INTO THAT. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT AUSTIN. THAT'S WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THE AUSTIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. UM, AND IT'S A CONVENIENT TIME BECAUSE CLASSICAL MUSIC IS KIND OF HAVING A SECOND COMING. THERE WAS A REPORT CAME OUT LAST YEAR THAT, UH, MORE THAN HALF OF OUR AUDIENCES ARE NEW TO THE GENRE. PEOPLE ARE A CLASSICAL CURIOUS, UH, AND THEY'RE COMING TO EXPLORE WHAT'S GOING ON. AND SOME OF THIS IS, YOU KNOW, INTEREST FROM VIDEO GAME MUSIC AND INTEREST FROM MOVIE SCORES AND, UH, UH, POP ACTS PARTNERING [00:05:01] WITH SYMPHONIES. BUT A LOT OF THIS IS JUST A, A NEWFOUND INTEREST IN, IN A, A DIFFERENT FORM OF MUSIC. UM, ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING THINGS IS THAT UNDER 30 FIVES ARE ACTUALLY MORE ENGAGED THAN THEIR PARENTS. AND SO I THINK WE WILL FIND, LOOKING BACK ON THIS TIME THAT GEN X AND MILLENNIALS WERE THE LOW POINT IN CLASSICAL INTEREST. UH, AND WE WILL ACTUALLY BE COMING BACK UP. AND SO AUSTIN'S GROWING AUSTIN SYMPHONY'S GROWING TASTING OR, OR INTERESTING CLASSICAL MUSIC IS GROWING. I THINK WE'VE GOT A GREAT FORMULA FOR TOURISM SUCCESS. UM, AUSTIN SYMPHONY'S BEEN AROUND FOR 114 YEARS, UH, AND WE DO OBVIOUSLY HAVE SOME TOURISM PULL. WE'VE GOT ABOUT 3000 PEOPLE COMING FROM OUT OF STATE OR BEYOND 50 MILES TO COME TO OUR SHOWS. UM, WE KNOW PLENTY OF PEOPLE THAT COME UP FROM SAN ANTONIO AND GET A HOTEL AND MAKE A WEEKEND OUT OF IT. UH, WE'VE GOT HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE COMING FROM BEYOND THE STATE, WHICH BECAUSE OF OUR LOCATION IS QUITE A TRIP THAT DEFINITELY REQUIRES A HOTEL, RIGHT? A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN COMING FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE TO MASSACHUSETTS. UH, BUT WE'VE GOT A LOT OF ROOM AND THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE MORE IMPACT IN THE TOURISM SPACE, AND THAT'S PART OF OUR PLAN. UM, YOU ALL ARE IN THIS SPACE. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN WE HAVE A, A HOUSEHOLD THAT SPENDS 180 BUCKS ON TICKETS, THEY'RE SPENDING MUCH MORE ON MEALS, AT LEAST PLUS A HOTEL IF THEY'RE COMING FROM FAR ENOUGH AWAY. WE KNOW FROM AMERICANS IN THE ARTS, THAT ARTS CONSUMERS, ARTS TOURISTS SPECIFICALLY STAY LONGER. THEY SPEND MORE, THEY COME BACK MORE FREQUENTLY, AND THEY TEND TO BE HIGHER EDUCATED AND EARN MORE THAN THE MEDIAN POPULATION. AND FOR A CITY THAT IS AS HIGHLY EDUCATED AND DYNAMIC AS AUSTIN, IT SEEMS LIKE EXACTLY THE TOURISTS WE'RE TRYING TO, TO BRING IN PEOPLE NOT AFRAID OF A HOTEL STAY, PEOPLE NOT AFRAID OF A NICE MEAL OUT. AUSTIN'S ALREADY DOING MORE THAN 8 BILLION IN TOURISM. UM, AND THE SYMPHONY IS ALREADY SERVING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS LIKE PITTSBURGH AND BOSTON. WE'VE GOT A BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN ADJACENT VENUE THAT CAN HOST ALL KINDS OF ACTIVITIES. AND THE CITY, I THINK THE CITY SOMETIMES COMPLAINS THAT THERE AREN'T ENOUGH VENUES AND THERE AREN'T ENOUGH VENUES OF CERTAIN SIZES, BUT THERE ARE TONS OF VENUES THAT WE CAN BE USING. UM, AND I'M INTERESTED TO HEAR MY COLLEAGUES REPORT FROM, UH, THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT. SPEAKING OF VENUES, UM, OUR PLAN, I'VE ONLY BEEN HERE A FEW MONTHS, BUT RIGHT AWAY WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DOING MORE TO MEET OUR COMMUNITY IN AUSTIN, WHERE THEY ARE, AS WELL AS ATTRACTING PEOPLE TO THIS INCREDIBLE CITY. AND WE'RE STARTING WITH OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL CONCERTS, WHICH ARE THE MOVIE SERIES. THESE ARE TEND TO BE SOLD OUT OR 90% PLUS IN CAPACITY. THEY ARE FAMILY FRIENDLY. WE KNOW PEOPLE TRAVEL TO SEE STAR WARS AND SOME OF THESE OTHER MOVIE PROPERTIES TO SEE A LIVE ORCHESTRA WITH THESE MOVIE PROPERTIES. SO WE'RE DOUBLING THE AMOUNT OF NIGHTS THAT WE'RE OFFERING THOSE NEXT YEAR AS OUR, OUR FIRST FORAY INTO GROWING OUR TOURISM APPEAL TO PEOPLE. UM, THOSE OF US WITH KIDS KNOW THAT WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR KIDS TO ANYTHING, IT GETS EXPENSIVE QUICKLY, WHICH IS GOOD FOR TOURISM DOLLARS. UH, IT'S ALSO AN ACCESSIBLE, UH, ENTRY POINT FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. WE KNOW PEOPLE ARE EXPLORING CLASSICAL MUSIC, BUT IT'S EVEN EASIER IF THEY CAN EXPLORE, EXPLORE CLASSICAL MUSIC IN THE CONTEXT OF A MOVIE THAT THEY HAVE GROWN UP WITH AND LOVE. UM, AND PAIRING OUR INCREASED MOVIE ACTIVITY. WE ARE ALSO GONNA WORK HARDER ON PARTNERING AND COLLABORATING WITH BIG POPS ACTS BEYOND CLASSICAL MUSIC, HIP HOP, COUNTRY ROCK, UM, BOTH AUSTIN LOCAL CELEBRITIES, AS WELL AS NATIONAL ACTS THAT WILL BRING IN, UH, CONCERT TOURISM DOLLARS. UM, A FEW YEARS AGO WE PARTNERED WITH ACL AND DID RODRIGO E GABRIELA. WE WANNA DO MORE OF THAT AT ACL AND BEYOND. AND, UH, I'M HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH A LOT OF VENUES IN TOWNS, GETTING DATES AND TALKING TO A LOT OF GUEST ARTISTS ABOUT HOW WE CAN CREATE UNIQUELY AUSTIN EXPERIENCES. SO WE HAVE A, A, A TOURISM DRAW. OUR, OUR PEOPLE SPEND A LOT MORE MONEY. WE'RE REACHING LOTS OF PEOPLE. AND I THINK WITH OUR 114 YEARS OF HISTORY, WE HAVE A CREDIBILITY AND A LOCAL SENSIBILITY THAT WE CAN PAIR WITH A MORE COMMERCIAL AND MODERN APPROACH TO CONCERTIZING, WHICH I'M EXCITED ABOUT. UH, AND I THINK PAIRING THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD WITH AUSTIN'S OLDEST LIVE MUSIC, THE SYMPHONY, UH, IS A RECIPE FOR REALLY UNIQUE OFFERINGS. THINGS LIKE MULTI-DAY EXPERIENCES IN AUSTIN, UH, HOTEL COLLABORATIONS, CULTURAL ITINERARIES OF SEEING WHAT LIVE MUSIC IS HERE IN AUSTIN. UH, AND THAT CAN RUN KIND OF SOUP TO NUTS FROM ROCK AND ROLL, THE INDIE PUNK SPACES, THE JAZZ CLUBS, ALL THE WAY TO THE LONG CENTER AND THE SYMPHONIC WORKS. I THINK THERE'S A DIVERSITY OF FAIR THAT COULD KEEP PEOPLE VERY ENGAGED FOR MULTIPLE DAYS. SO WE'RE 114 YEARS STRONG, AND WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED. WE KNOW THAT MUSICAL TOURISM IS GROWING 14.5% YEAR OVER YEAR, AND THAT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THAT'S GONNA STOP. UH, AND I THINK WE'RE AT A UNIQUE MOMENT, BOTH FOR THE SYMPHONY AND FOR THE CITY TO REALLY, [00:10:01] UH, DOUBLE DOWN ON CONCERT GOERS. AND I KNOW A LOT OF PLACES ARE DOING A GREAT JOB OF THAT. RED RIVER, ACL, ALL OF THESE PLACES. SYMPHONY IS HERE TO PLAY IN THAT SANDBOX TOO, AND WANTS TO BE A NET CONTRIBUTOR TO THIS CITY, UM, AND LIVE UP TO OUR NONPROFIT MISSION TO BE THE SYMPHONY FOR AUSTIN. SO I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND, UH, HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS OR CLARIFY ANYTHING. THANKS FOR THAT. THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION, MR. ZIMMERMAN. UM, I'M GONNA OPEN IT UP TO MY COLLEAGUES ON THE COMMISSION HERE, WHO WANTS TO TAKE THE FIRST STAB AT THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CHAPPEL. THANK YOU JUSTICE, UH, FOR THE PRESENTATION, AND PARTICULARLY GOING THROUGH THE STRATEGIES AND RECOGNIZING, RIGHT, WHILE YOU GUYS DO GOOD ALREADY MAKE THAT EVEN BETTER. UM, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE MUSIC CAPITAL INTEGRATION? UM, I KNOW YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ARTISTS TO PLAY AT YOUR VENUE, BUT WOULD YOU ALSO BE OPEN TO OPPORTUNITIES WHERE THE SYMPHONY PLAYS AT THEIR VENUE AND THESE SORTS OF RIGHT COLLABORATIONS? BECAUSE I, RIGHT. I KIND OF HAVE THE SAME VISION FOR YOU IN TERMS OF WE ARE LACKING KIND OF AN AUSTIN MUSIC EXPERIENCE, AND PARTICULARLY ONE THAT GIVES BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. I KNOW YOU HAD 25,000 STUDENTS COME THROUGH, RIGHT? SO THAT COMMUNITY GIVE BACK IS VERY IMPORTANT. BUT, AND TO YOUR, AND TO YOUR EARLY COMMENTS ABOUT SHOWCASING RIGHT, TO THE SYMPHONIC CURIOUS, I THINK YOU CALL IT SYMPHONY CURIOUS. UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE EXPLANATION ON THAT AND KIND OF PLANNING, UM, FOR THAT. UM, AND YEAH, LIKE I THINK ABOUT LIKE, WHERE WOULD I LIKE TO TRAVEL TO GO SEE A CONCERT? AND I NOTICE THAT, THAT I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE. ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY. SO, I MEAN, THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES. UM, WE WANT TO BE, WE ARE AUSTIN SYMPHONY, BUT WE WANT TO REALLY LIVE INTO THAT TITLE. AND THAT MEANS NOT JUST PLAYING AT OUR BEAUTIFUL HOME AT THE LONG CENTER, BUT BEING A SYMPHONY THAT CAN TRAVEL TO ANYWHERE IN ANY CONFIGURATION TO SERVE CENTRAL TEXAS. OUR MISSION ENCOMPASSES ALL OF CENTRAL TEXAS REALLY. UM, AND THAT MEANS, YOU KNOW, THE OBVIOUS ONES LIKE PLAYING ACL OR, OR BASS HALL. BUT SIMILARLY, I KNOW WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS AT RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT OF WHAT CAN WE DO IN A SMALLER VENUE? HOW CAN WE SUPPORT MORE LOCAL ACTS? UM, AND, AND, AND CRITICALLY TO YOUR POINT, HOW CAN WE BRING IN MORE OF AUSTIN, INCLUDING THE CHILDREN, BUT INCLUDING PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER REALLY CONSIDERED SYMPHONIC MUSIC AS A, AS A PART OF THEIR LIVES. UM, AND I THINK ONE OF MY BIG GOALS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT JUST ON OUR HILL AT THE LONG CENTER, AS LOVELY AS IT IS, BUT THAT WE ARE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, NOT JUST ASKING PEOPLE TO COME TO WHERE WE ARE, BUT THAT WE'RE MEETING THEM WHERE THEY ARE. AND I THINK THAT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT WHAT MAKES PEOPLE TRAVEL FOR A CONCERT, I MEAN, IT'S GONNA BE THE ACTS ON SOME LEVEL, BUT IT'S ALSO GONNA BE THE UNIQUE EXPERIENCE. AND I'VE, I, I REALLY LIKE THIS IDEA THAT WE DON'T WANNA BE A SYMPHONY THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE IN ANY OTHER CITY. WE WANT TO BE UNIQUELY AUSTIN SO THAT WHEN YOU ARE HERE IN AUSTIN, YOU GOTTA CHECK OUT THE SYMPHONY WHILE YOU'RE HERE. GREAT. NO, I MEAN, I LOVE IT, RIGHT? I MISSED THE DAYS OF EARLY SIX AND PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THAT AND WHAT THAT WAS AND BEING ABLE TO EXPERIENCE SOMETHING UNIQUE INTO AUSTIN WITH THE LANDSCAPE AND THE MUSIC CULTURE AND THE ARTISTS THAT ARE HERE. THANK YOU FOR CAPTURING THAT. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER BI, BISHOP CHAPEL. SORRY, WE WE'RE AN INFORMAL YES, I KNOW , WE'RE ON VACATION, RIGHT? . UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANYONE? ANYONE? ANYONE? OKAY. I, I'LL, I'LL THROW ONE IN THERE. I, I NOTICED YOUR, YOUR RECENT, UH, A RECENT AUSTINITE FROM YOUR APPOINTMENT HERE AND THAT YOU CAME FROM SOUTH BEND AND YOU'VE JUST KIND OF REALLY GOT THE REIGNS GOING THIS YEAR. AND I'M VERY CURIOUS ABOUT HOW, WHAT YOU SEE AS ONE OF YOUR MOTIVATORS AND WHAT SOME OF THE PURPOSE OF WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED BY MOVING FROM SOUTH BEND AND MIDWEST TO COMING HERE AND WHAT KIND OF DROVE YOU TO SAY, I WANNA BE THERE AND, AND, AND WHAT YOU SEE AS OUR OPPORTUNITIES. I'VE, I'VE HEARD A LOT OF YOUR STRATEGIES, THEY'RE GREAT HERE, BUT FEEL FREE TO BE JUST AS PERSONAL AS YOU WANT TO BE. IT'S NOT A JOB INTERVIEW, BUT YOU'VE ALREADY GOT IT. BUT WE'RE, WE'RE JUST, I'M JUST CURIOUS OF, AS A NEWCOMER TO THIS CITY AND, UH, TAKING THE REALM, HELM OF SUCH A DYNAMIC, YOU KNOW, OLD INSTITUTION, WHAT YOU THINK, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE UPLIFT COULD BE, WHAT YOU REALLY WANNA SEE CHALLENGES, WHAT ARE YOUR, WHAT ARE YOUR CHALLENGES AND PERHAPS WHAT CAN WE DO TO ASSIST YOU WITH THAT? YEAH, GREAT QUESTION. SO SOUTH BEND IS LIKE POTENTIALLY WHAT AUSTIN WAS LIKE 40 OR 50 YEARS AGO, MAJOR UNIVERSITY THERE IN NOTRE DAME. THE CITY, IF IT GROWS, WILL GROW UP AROUND THE UNIVERSITY. UM, THE CITY HAS EXISTED FOR A LONG TIME THANKS TO THAT UNIVERSITY. UM, AND COMING TO AUSTIN REPRESENTED AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WHAT NOT MATURITY LOOKS LIKE, BECAUSE AS I SAID, I THINK AUSTIN STILL HAS LOTS OF ROOM TO CONTINUE TO GROW AND TO [00:15:01] MATURE. UM, BUT WHAT THAT LOOKS, WHAT, WHAT A CITY LIKE SOUTH BEND COULD LOOK LIKE, SUPERCHARGED. UM, AUSTIN HAS THIS REPUTATION OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN FOR BEING, YOU KNOW, KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD AND SOME OF THESE THINGS. BUT WITHIN AUSTIN, THE REPUTATION IS MUCH MORE, THERE'S STILL KIND OF A HOMETOWN VIBE GOING ON, EVEN AS, AS TECH COMES IN. AND THERE'S ALL OF THIS REALLY INTERESTING, UH, BUSINESS GOING ON AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THERE'S STILL KIND OF A, A HOME, NOT HOME SPUN, BUT, BUT, BUT DOWN TO EARTH, NATURE TO AUSTIN. UM, AND I THINK PAIRING THAT KIND OF DOWN TO EARTH NESS WITH THE INCREDIBLE ECONOMIC THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE TECH SECTOR AND BEYOND IS A TRULY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY THAT EXISTS MORE IN AUSTIN THAN ANYWHERE ELSE THAT I'M, I'M REALLY AWARE OF. AND SO, NOTORIOUSLY ALSO, ONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES IS THAT THE TECH SECTOR HAS NOT BEEN A HISTORIC SUPPORTER OF THE ARTS. AND, UH, YOU SEE THIS IN PLACES LIKE SAN FRANCISCO AND LOTS OF THESE PLACES THAT HAVE HAD TECH FOR A LONG TIME AND THAT HASN'T SPILLED OVER. AND SO I, I FEEL LIKE, WELL, WHY CAN'T AUSTIN BE THE ONE TO FIGURE THAT OUT? WE FIGURED OUT SO MANY OTHER THINGS HERE IN AUSTIN, LIKE, LET'S MAKE THAT THIS THING. AND PART OF THAT VISION IS MAKING THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR WHY SYMPHONIES ARE NET CONTRIBUTORS TO THEIR COMMUNITIES. WE DON'T WANNA BE A CHARITY, WE'RE A NONPROFIT, BUT OUR MISSION IS TO BE OF SERVICE TO THIS COMMUNITY. WE REQUIRE SUPPORT FROM OUR PATRONS AND IDEALLY FROM THE CITY AND FROM, FROM GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES. BUT REALLY THE GOAL IS TO TURN THAT SUPPORT INTO, UM, MULTIPLES FOR THE CITY IN TERMS OF CULTURE AND IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY, AND ULTIMATELY IN TERMS OF ECONOMIC RETURN. THANK YOU. I'M, I'M HAPPY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR, YOUR SITES ARE SET ON THE TECH THERE. IT'S BEEN A, IT'S BEEN AN ONGOING CONVERSATION FOR ALL THE ARTS COMMUNITY AND THE MUSIC COMMUNITY ABOUT HOW WE DO BETTER STRATEGIC WORK WITH THE TECH GROWING TECH SECTOR. MM-HMM . AND, YOU KNOW, IT, IT IS GROWING OUR, UH, POPULATION BASE AND IT'S CERTAINLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO GROW MEMBERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT FOR MANY DIFFERENT QUALIFIED ORGANIZATIONS. SO, GLAD TO HEAR THAT. AND, UH, I GUESS I WOULD JUST SAY THANKS FOR COMING AND THANKS FOR BRINGING, YOU KNOW, THIS PASSION, ENTHUSIASM TO GROWING AUSTIN. I, IN SIGNING OFF, I'LL SAY, I DO WORK WITH AUSTIN PBS, AND I DO WORK FOR AUSTIN CITY LIMITS IN MY DAY JOB. AND I THOUGHT THAT THAT PERFORMANCE WE DID WITH RODRIGO GABRIELLA AND OUR ABILITY TO SHOWCASE YOU TO THE REST OF THE COUNTRY AND GLOBALLY WITH, WITH OUR PROGRAM, IT WAS A GREAT, GREAT SYNERGY, GREAT STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP. AND I AGREE WITH YOU. I'D LOVE TO SEE US DO MORE OF IT. AWESOME. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. AND, AND OH, CERTAINLY WE HAVE, WE HAVE, SORRY, UH, COMMISSIONER MASTERS WOULD LIKE TO JUMP IN. SORRY FOR MY LAST SECOND QUESTION. UM, I SPENT MY TEENAGE YEARS IN BOSTON, AND, UH, WE CERTAINLY ALL KNEW THE BOSTON POPS. WE, EVERYBODY KNEW THE NAME OF THE CONDUCTOR OF THE BOSTON POPS, AND IT WAS, YOU KNOW, UH, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A GROUP THAT IS INCREDIBLY INGRAINED IN, IN THE MASSACHUSETTS, NEW HAMPSHIRE, VERMONT, MAINE, CONNECTICUT, EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY REALLY WANTED TO GO TRAVEL. TO YOUR POINT, POINTING OUT PHILADELPHIA AND BOSTON IN PARTICULAR AND SAYING THAT THEY HAD A 40 TO A HUNDRED YEAR JUMP ON AUSTIN. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN THINK OF THAT YOU USE THEM AS MAYBE KIND OF THAT MODEL FOR AUSTIN? AND LIKE, HOW DO WE, UM, I KNOW WE'RE, WE'RE TOURISM, BUT EVEN GETTING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO HYPE UP THE SYMPHONY IN THE SAME WAY THAT I THINK OF, WHEN I THINK OF THE BOSTON POPS AND, AND HOW MEANINGFUL IT IS TO THE COMMUNITY. ARE THERE ANY KIND OF LESSONS THAT YOU CAN SEE US LEARNING IN, IN THE WAY THAT THEY PROMOTE YEAH. WITH SYMPHONY, I ABSOLUTELY, AND I THINK IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. I THINK FOR THOSE ORCHESTRAS IN PARTICULAR, I MEAN, BOSTON FAMOUSLY KIND OF STARTED THE POPS GENRE, SO THEY INVENTED THE WHOLE THING. UH, AND, AND THEY HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB OF MAKING IT A COMMUNITY ASSET AND, AND, AND FRAMING IT AS SUCH. AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF MY JOBS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THAT HERE IN AUSTIN AND FRAMING THIS AS THE COMMUNITY ASSET THAT THE AUSTIN SYMPHONY IS. I THINK ALSO THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE THIS REALLY, UM, LONG HISTORY OF SUPERB CLASSICAL MUSIC, AND IT HAS NOT GOTTEN IN THE WAY OF THEM EXPERIMENTING WITH OTHER THINGS. AND THEY ARE, THEY ARE NOT AFRAID TO INNOVATE. THEY'RE NOT AFRAID TO PUT POP'S ACTS IN FRONT OF THE ORCHESTRA. THEY'RE NOT AFRAID TO, YOU KNOW, TRY ALL KINDS OF THINGS. AND I THINK ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I WAS REALLY EXCITED TO COME TO AUSTIN IS THIS SENSE OF ENTREPRENEURIALISM AND THIS SENSE OF DYNAMISM. AND THIS IS THE PERFECT COMMUNITY TO TRY NEW THINGS. AND THERE'S NO REASON THAT THE AUSTIN SYMPHONY CAN'T BE PART OF THAT DYNAMISM AND THAT ENTREPRENEURIALISM. SO I THINK THEY ALSO HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB OF GETTING LOTS OF KIDS IN [00:20:01] AND, AND THAT GENERATIONALLY MAKES THEM MORE OF A, A, A CULTURAL ENTITY OR A, A A COMMUNITY ENTITY. YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER MASTERS. UM, ANY, ANY OTHER LAST THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS FROM FOR OUR GUEST? NOPE. NOPE. OKAY. WELL, WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TODAY. THANK YOU FOR GIVING US A, A, A QUICK OVERVIEW AND, UH, A GOOD GLANCE INTO WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING. WE WISH YOU MUCH SUCCESS AND, UH, HOPE TO HAVE YOU BACK, UH, ANOTHER TIME. YEAH. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME. YOU BET. THANK YOU. I WANNA GO LISTEN TO SOME MUSIC TOGETHER, RIGHT, . OKAY. WELL THIS BRINGS US [4. Presentation by Micah Andress, President of Austin Pride, regarding the economic impact of the organization on Tourism and the hotel occupancy tax.] TO OUR DISCUSSION M NUMBER FOUR AND OUR, OUR NEXT, UH, CONVERSATION AND PRESENTER WITH MICAH ANDRES, THE PRESIDENT, OR MR. I'M SORRY, MICAH ANDRES, PRESIDENT OF AUSTIN PRIDE. YOU'RE AT, YOU'RE AT THE, YOU'RE GONNA RUN YOUR OWN SHOW. IS HE HERE? HE'S NOT HERE. NOT HERE. THAT WAS OUR ONLY, OH, COME BACK UP. LET'S TALK ABOUT, SO SORRY. ARE YOU GONNA DO A DJ SET WITH THE SYMPHONY? YES. OH, I APOLOGIZE. I AS A XAL YOUR COMMENT TO RIGHT, IT DROPPED OFF. MADE SENSE. 'CAUSE I WAS LIKE, OH. SO I, UM, WHILE YOU WERE SPEAKING, I GOT EXCITED ABOUT WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT. SO I GOT ON THERE. YOU GO ONLINE AND LOOKED AT THE WEBSITE, AND I THINK THAT I SAW THAT TICKETS GO ON SALE AUGUST 7TH. IS THAT RIGHT? YOU'RE DOING SOME REALLY, LIKE, THERE'S SO MANY, SO MANY THAT ARE LOOK REALLY GREAT. I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS. I DIDN'T EVEN REALLY REALIZE, BUT I, UM, THERE'S STAR WARS AND THERE'S BEETHOVEN AND THERE'S HOME ALONE AND THERE'S PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN AND LIKE RHAPSODY IN BLUE. YEAH. LIKE SO MANY RAD THINGS. AND SO THAT'S AUGUST 7TH IS WHEN, WHEN SINGLE TICKETS GO IN INSIDE. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. SO WE'RE NOT GONNA BE HERE AUGUST 7TH, SO WE ALL NEED TO, UM, WE'RE NOT MEETING, BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET ONLINE AND BUY SOME TICKETS THAT'S RIGHT. AT AUSTIN SYMPHONY.ORG. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP. OF COURSE, , I I LOVE THAT OUR, OUR COMMISSION IS PASSIONATE AND, UM, I APOLOGIZE FOR, FOR DISMISSING YOU AND, AND THEN WE WEREN'T DONE, BUT I'M SORRY. NO, YOU'RE JUST LIKE ME, RIGHT? YOU'RE GREAT. NO, IT'S, IT'S ALL GOOD. IT'S ALL GOOD. AND PARTICULARLY SINCE I'M JUST NOW REALIZING THAT WE'RE MISSING ONE OF OUR PRESENTERS TODAY. AND SO IT'S, IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO DIG IN A LITTLE DEEPER. YEAH. ARE WE ANYTHING ELSE? IM DONE WITH IT. I'M ACTUALLY IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY. OKAY. SO I'M VERY MUCH NOW THINKING ABOUT HOW CAN, YOU KNOW, MARKETING COULD BE DONE TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE A, A HOLIDAY WEEKEND WITH HOME ALONE, AND THEN MAYBE THE TRAIL OF LIGHTS, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN HAS SO MANY SPECTACULAR THINGS IS A DRAW. AWESOME. SO, UM, BUT YEAH. YEAH. LET'S TALK. ALRIGHT. LET, WE CAN, YES. WE CAN MAKE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS HAPPEN EVEN AT THE TOURISM COMMISSION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING ON THIS TODAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND I GUESS GIVEN THAT WE, THAT, UH, MR. ANDRES IS NOT JOINED US TODAY, WE WERE GOING TO MOVE [5. Presentation by Nicole Klepadlo, Executive Director of the Red River Cultural District, regarding the economic impact of the organization on Tourism and the hotel occupancy tax] ON TO DISCUSSION ITEM NUMBER FIVE. AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, HEARING MORE ABOUT THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT FROM, UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NICOLE . YEAH, YOU DID IT. I GOT IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. I, I TRIED TO PRACTICE IT OUT LOUD. . THANK YOU. IT'S NOT AN EASY ONE. THE, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. THANK YOU. WELL, THANKS FOR HAVING ME. UM, THIS IS REALLY GOOD SYNERGY WITH JUSTICE HERE, WITH THEM BEING BACK IN THE DISTRICT. WE'VE BEEN TALKING QUITE A BIT WITH THE SYMPHONY ABOUT HOW WE DO MORE TOGETHER IN A PARTNERSHIP. SO, UM, I'M GONNA KIND OF JUST RUN THROUGH, WE'VE, I'VE BEEN IN FRONT OF THE COMMISSION BEFORE, SO AT THE END, FEEL FREE TO DIVE INTO ANY QUESTIONS. I'M GONNA GO THROUGH SOME OF IT PRETTY FAST. IT'S JUST SOME BACKGROUND STUFF. UM, BUT OUR ORGANIZATION, SO WE'VE ACTUALLY, IN OCTOBER WE'RE CELEBRATING 10 YEARS, WHICH IS PRETTY DARN INCREDIBLE. UM, THIS EFFORT STARTED IN 2013 WHEN A BUNCH OF MUSIC VENUES, UH, WE'RE IN THE MOHAWK AND KIND OF LOOKED AROUND AT EACH OTHER AND SAID LIKE, WE CAN DIE TRYING OR WE CAN DO NOTHING AT ALL. AND THANKFULLY THEY SAID, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO, TO KEEP RED RIVER ALIVE. AND SO, UM, WE, YOU KNOW, IN AN EVER CHANGING AUSTIN, OUR NONPROFIT CONTINUES TO PRESERVE AND GROW. AND I, I WANNA EMPHASIZE THE WORD GROW, UH, [00:25:01] RED RIVER'S CREATIVE BUSINESS AND MUSIC SCENE. UM, AND OUR COMMUNITY IS DEEPLY ROOTED IN ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS, PERFORMERS, ALL DIFFERENT GENRES, BUT VENUES, CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AND SMALL BUSINESSES. AND WE TRULY FEEL, UM, REALLY, UM, AT THE FOUR POINT OF BEING THE HEART AND SOUL OF WHAT AUSTIN HAS TO OFFER. UM, SO OUR BOUNDARIES ARE FOURTH STREET TO 15TH STREET, AND THEN WE CREEP A LITTLE BIT OVER ONTO THE EAST AND WEST SIDES, UM, TO I 35 SERVICE DRIVE AND THEN OVER TO, UH, NECHES AND TRINITY. UM, SO WHO ARE WE BROADLY SPEAKING? YOU KNOW, WE ARE, UM, HOME TO 15 ACTUALLY ICONIC LIVE MUSIC VENUES. UM, AND YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, UH, FREE COMMUNITY POWERED MUSIC EVENTS. UM, WE ARE A STATE CULTURAL DISTRICT DESIGNATION, WHICH HAPPENED IN 2020 AS WELL AS A LOCAL DISTRICT IN 2013. UM, WE HOST THOUSANDS OF LOCAL ARTISTS EVERY YEAR. UM, YOU CAN SEE MUSIC IN THE DISTRICT 365, UM, AND WE ARE A HUB FOR HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM, RIGHT? NOT ONLY AS A A NIGHTLIFE ECONOMY, BUT WE ARE HOME FOR SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST, UM, ACL AFTER SHOWS LEVITATION, AUSTIN BLUES FEST, THE SYM SYMPHONY, UM, YOU NAME IT. IT FEELS REALLY GOOD TO CALL RED RIVER HOME TO ALL THOSE GREAT THINGS. SO JUST THINKING ABOUT HOW WE ARE PRESERVING GROWING, WHAT WE'VE BEEN KIND OF REFERRING TO LATELY IS AUSTIN'S MUSIC MILE. SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT MOODY CENTER TO THE FAR NORTH AT 15TH, UM, WE REALLY ARE FOCUSED ON, UH, A LOT OF DIFFERENT INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS. SO I'M GONNA TOUCH ON THOSE PRETTY BRIEFLY AS I GO THROUGH THIS. BUT WE DO FREE WEEK IN JANUARY, HOT SUMMER NIGHTS IN JULY, UM, A REALLY NEW PROJECT CALLED CULTURAL CURRENTS THAT I THINK Y'ALL WILL BE EXCITED ABOUT FROM THE TOURISM SPACE. UH, WE'RE LEANING INTO SOME DAYTIME ACTIVITY. UM, WE'RE CONSTANTLY SUPPORTING MUSICIANS AND CREATIVES. AND THEN WE HAVE A SERIES OF OTHER EVENTS, UH, SO FREE WEEK. UM, MANY OF YOU KNOW, THIS IS A 20 PLUS YEAR TRADITION IN AUSTIN. IT ACTUALLY EXTENDS FURTHER, UM, THAN AUSTIN. UM, IOWA CITY LAUNCHED THEIR FIRST FREE WEEK THIS LAST YEAR. UM, BUT THERE ARE VENUES THAT USE JANUARY, UM, WHICH IS A SLOWER TIME OF THE YEAR, UH, TO BRING MUSICIANS TO THE STAGES. AND WE ATTRACT OVER 15,000 PEOPLE OVER THREE DAYS, UM, WITH FREE LIVE MUSIC ACROSS ALL OF OUR SPACES. THESE ARE JUST SOME IMPACT STATEMENTS FROM OUR LAST FREE WEEK IN 2025. UM, YOU KNOW, OVER 14,000 FOLKS CAME OUT FOR THAT. WE HAD 19 PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES, WHICH IS REALLY GREAT. WE'RE ABLE TO OFFER, UM, BUSINESS SPECIALS AND UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES WITH HOTELS. WE DO SOME PARTNERSHIPS WITH HOTELS TO BRING FOLKS IN. WE'VE SEEN FOLKS COME AS FAR AS DENVER AND NEW YORK FOR THIS EVENT. UM, IT'S WELL KNOWN, UM, ACROSS THE COUNTRY. UM, AND WE HOSTED 390 PAID ARTISTS AND PERFORMERS, AGAIN, A HUNDRED PERCENT FREE. UM, GREAT MEDIA IMPRESSIONS AND PRESS HOT HITS. UM, WE'VE GOT SOME STRONG MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS. UM, THIS COVERAGE IS EXTENDING THROUGH INTO SAN ANTONIO, DALLAS, AND HOUSTON. WE DO TARGETED MARKETING WITH CERTAIN ORGANIZATIONS AND COMPANIES TO MAKE SURE WE'RE REACHING, UM, FURTHER OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN'S BOUNDS TO BRING FOLKS HERE. AND OUR PROGRAMMING IS GROWING. SO NOT ONLY ARE WE HOSTING MUSIC, BUT WE ARE FINDING OTHER WAYS AND DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES FOR FOLKS. SO WE HAD, UM, A LOCAL VENDOR MARKET AND FOOD POPUPS. UM, EACH FESTIVAL NOW HOSTS, UH, A COMMUNITY HUB, WHICH BRINGS TOGETHER ALL OF OUR GREAT NONPROFITS IN AUSTIN, UM, TO GIVE THEM A SPACE TO SIT FOR FREE AND PROMOTE WHAT THEY HAVE TO OFFER. UM, AND THEN WE DO A LOT OF, UM, FOOD AND BEVERAGE FESTIVALS AND WE HAVE A DEDICATED HOTEL PARTNER FOR EACH OF THESE FESTIVALS. HOT SUMMER NIGHTS, WE DO THE SAME THING IN JULY. IT'S COMING UP AROUND THE CORNER. HOPEFULLY WE'LL SEE YOU ALL OUT THERE ON THE 24TH, 25TH AND 26TH. IT WILL BE HOT. UM, BUT THIS AGAIN, IS A REALLY SMALL, UM, A BIG INITIATIVE THAT WE DO. IT'S A VERY SLOW TIME. YOU START TO SEE THINGS REALLY SLOW DOWN, THE HEAT COMES IN AND, YOU KNOW, LESS TOURING ACTS, LESS FOLKS, UM, PERFORMING ON STAGES. SO IF WE'RE ABLE TO BRING THIS LEVEL OF IMPACT TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND DRAW FOLKS IN WHEN HOTEL STAYS ARE A LITTLE BIT CHEAPER, IT REALLY BRINGS FOLKS DOWN, UM, DURING A TIME WHERE WE NORMALLY WOULD NOT SEE THE AMP UP THAT WE START TO SEE COME SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER. UM, HOT SUMMER NIGHTS 24 WAS OUR BIGGEST HOT SUMMER NIGHTS. UM, AND I WILL SAY 25 IS GOING TO CONQUER THAT. UH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE MORE ARTISTS, UM, PLANNED AND MORE LIVE PERFORMANCES AND ACTUALLY HAVE 18, UM, SPACES THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN AS VENUES THIS YEAR. [00:30:02] UH, AGAIN, LOOKING AT THOSE MEDIA REACHES AND PRESS HITS. SO THIS IS CONSTANTLY SEEING AUSTIN BEING PROMOTED, NOT JUST RED RIVER OR HOT SUMMER NIGHTS, BUT THIS IS SENDING THAT MESSAGE OUT TO DIFFERENT REGIONAL MARKETING AND MEDIA OUTLETS ABOUT WHAT IS AVAILABLE HERE IN AUSTIN THROUGH THESE FESTIVALS. UM, ONE THING FOR HOT SUMMER NIGHTS, UH, WE'VE STARTED INTRODUCING MORE DAYTIME PROGRAMMING. UM, SO WE HAD A YOGA SESSION AT WATERLOO PARK, SO ALSO PARTNERING WITH OUR OTHER LOCAL NONPROFITS ATTRACTED OVER 125 FOLKS TO COME OUT AND DO YOGA. BEFORE IT GOT VERY HOT, UM, WE HAD DEDICATED KIDS PROGRAMMING WITH THE SCHOOL OF ROCK PERFORMANCE WHERE THEY PLAYED SOUNDS OF THE BEATLES. AND WE HAD A PIZZA PARTY. OVER 50 PEOPLE SHOWED UP FOR THAT. THE PARENTS WERE BEGGING TO STAY LONGER, AND THEY WERE LIKE, IT'S ONLY A 90 MINUTE PERFORMANCE. SO WE'RE PLANNING FOR MORE OF THAT, KNOWING THAT THERE'S MORE OF A NEED. UM, AND THEN WE ALSO HAD SOME CURATED VINTAGE HANDCRAFTED, UM, POPUPS, UM, UH, THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT, UM, THAT ATTRACTED OVER 400 PEOPLE FOR THAT POPUP. AND HERE WE ARE FOR 25. I WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE ARE, UM, HIGHLIGHTING THIS. SO, UH, WE'RE DOING A NIGHT MARKET IN PART PARTNERSHIP WITH FUTURE FRONT TEXAS. UM, WE'RE DOING, UH, A MATINEE PROGRAMMING. SO ONE THING THAT WE GET A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT IS WHY DO I HAVE TO BE OUT TILL TWO IN THE MORNING? WELL, NOW YOU DON'T. WE'RE GONNA HAVE EARLIER PROGRAMMING FOR FOLKS. UM, FAMILY AND KIDDO FRIENDLY PROGRAMMING WITH WATERLOO CONSERVANCY. WE'RE DOING A VINYL RECORD OPPORTUNITY FOR ARTISTS, UM, WHICH IS REALLY, REALLY GREAT. UM, THIS WILL GIVE A LOCAL ARTIST THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THEIR MUSIC RECORDED ON VINYL, UM, WHICH IS REALLY, REALLY AWESOME. AND AGAIN, STILL HAVING THAT NONPROFIT COMMUNITY HUB. ALL RIGHT, SO BRINGING IN SOME OTHER NEW PROGRAMMING THAT WE JUST DOVE INTO. WE STARTED A SERIES THAT'S QUARTERLY CALLED DISTRICT DIALOGUES. WE HOSTED OUR FIRST ONE IN MARCH. WE IMAGINE THESE TO GET RATHER, UH, MUCH BIGGER IN TIME. BUT WE HOSTED ONE IN MARCH THAT SHOWED TWO DOCUMENTARY SCREENINGS. UM, WE HAD OVER 125 PEOPLE THERE. AND IT WAS A DOCUMENTARY SCREENING OF TWO MUSIC VENUES IN AUSTIN, UM, BLUE FLAMINGO AND CAVITY. AND SO THEY WERE DOCUMENTARIES OF TWO OLD VENUES ON RED RIVER. IT WAS REALLY AWESOME TO SEE FOLKS THAT HAD MOVED AWAY FROM AUSTIN COME BACK JUST FOR THIS SCREENING. UH, AND THEN WE HAD A PANEL TALK AT THE END. AND SO THIS IS REALLY GETTING INTO KIND OF THAT HISTORY OF RED RIVER, THAT HISTORY OF AUSTIN MUSIC. YOU GO TO ANOTHER CITY AND YOU START TO SEE LIKE YOU CAN WALK UP TO A QR CODE AND LEARN ABOUT WHAT MUSICIANS USED TO PLAY THERE OR WHAT, WHAT WAS THE OLD PHOTOGRAPHY OF WHAT THAT VENUE USED TO LOOK LIKE. AND THIS FIRST DISTRICT DIALOGUES REALLY START, KIND OF SET THE STAGE FOR THIS OTHER PROJECT I'M GONNA TELL YOU ABOUT. BUT WE'RE DOING ANOTHER ONE IN JULY AT OUR FRONT MARKET IN HOT SUMMER NIGHTS. AND THEN WE'VE GOT TWO PLANNED FOR OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER WITH SOME COOL TOPICS COMING UP, CULTURAL CURRENT. SO I THINK THIS ONE, UM, Y'ALL WILL BE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT. SO WHAT WE ARE RE REALIZING IS THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF INDEPENDENT EFFORTS GOING ON WHERE FOLKS ARE, UM, STARTING TO REALLY DIVE DEEP. LIKE ARMADILLO WORLD HEADQUARTERS JUST LAUNCHED A BRAND AND THEY'RE DIVING DEEP INTO THE HISTORY OF LIKE WHO USED TO PLAY AT THAT VENUE. UM, WHO WERE THE TOURING ARTISTS, WHAT WAS THAT SPACE LIKE? WELL, WE'RE DOING THE SAME FOR RED RIVER. SO WE'VE PARTNERED WITH THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO RESEARCH AND DOCUMENT AND SHOWCASE RED RIVER'S HISTORY. AND THAT'S NOT JUST MUSIC HISTORY, BUT DATING BACK TO BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP ON RED RIVER. AND ALSO THINKING THROUGH, UM, WHAT, WHAT WAS THERE FROM THE GERMAN IMMIGRANT STATUS. 'CAUSE WE HAVE THE GERMAN TEXAN HERITAGE SOCIETY, AND WE'RE DIVING INTO THOSE STORIES. AND THE STUFF THAT WE'VE FOUND SO FAR IS REALLY COOL. UM, THE PHOTOS, THE NEWS PIECES, THE VIDEO CLIPS WE ARE HOSTING, UM, ONCE THIS IS FINISHED, THERE WILL BE A STORY MAP THAT'LL BE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. UM, SO IF YOU'RE NOT IN AUSTIN, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO ACCESS IT VIA OUR WEBSITE TO BRING FOLKS HERE. AND EVENTUALLY THIS WILL TURN INTO A TOUR IN THE DISTRICT WHERE YOU CAN DO A SELF-GUIDED, SELF-PACED TOUR. UM, AND WE'RE, WE'VE JUST PUT SOME, UM, UH, GRANT APPLICATIONS IN TO KIND OF LAUNCH THIS TO A SECOND PHASE AS WELL AS AN EXHIBITION WHERE WE'LL HAVE THE ABILITY TO KIND OF SHOW PHOTOS OF EACH OF THESE SPACES AND TRY TO MAKE THIS MORE FORWARD FACING SO THAT WHEN YOU'RE ACTUALLY WALKING UP AND DOWN THE DISTRICT AS A TOURIST, IF YOU'RE HERE FOR A CONVENTION, YOU CAN REALLY START TO SEE WHAT THIS SPACE USED TO BE. UM, WE KNOW JANICE JOPLIN PLAYED ON RED RIVER. WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF ACTS THAT PLAYED ON RED RIVER THAT WERE HOPEFULLY WILL MAKE THEIR WAY INTO THESE STORIES. [00:35:02] UM, ONE THING WE WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IS, YOU KNOW, RED RIVER, WE'RE GOING THROUGH A LOT OF CHANGE. UM, THERE'S A LOT OF PROJECTS AROUND US, THERE'S A LOT. THE CONVENTION CENTER IS CLOSED AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE REALLY FOCUSING ON IS A LOT OF OUR BUSINESSES REALLY WANT TO TAKE THE LEAP AND START THINKING ABOUT HOW ARE THEY OPEN EARLIER, HOW ARE WE DRAWING IN, WHETHER THAT BE A VISITOR TO COME IN AND HAVE EARLY DINNER OR EARLY DRINKS OR SEE AN EARLY MATINEE SHOW. AND SO OUR FALL WILL BE FOCUSED ON WHAT WE'RE CALLING RED RIVER DAYS, FOCUSING MORE ON THAT MATINEE PROGRAMMING. I CAN'T TELL YOU THE NUMBER OF TOURISTS WE SEE EXITING THOSE HOTELS THAT ARE WANDERING UP AND DOWN, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO GO, WHAT IS OPEN. AND WE'VE ACCOMPANIED THIS INITIATIVE WITH A REALLY COOL MAP THAT WE HAD AN ARTIST DO THAT WE'LL BE PUTTING IN HOTELS ALL WITHIN THE DISTRICT. UM, SO THAT'S A BIG PIECE OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ENGAGE WITH OUR LOCAL PARTNERS IN THE DISTRICT AS WELL. UM, WE JUST EMBARKED, WELL, WE'RE WRAP, WE'RE WRAPPING UP, UM, A LONG STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS. UM, OUR LAST STRATEGIC PLAN WAS DONE 10 YEARS AGO, AND SO WE'VE JUST LEANED INTO WHAT WE'VE CALLED THE SOUNDTRACK TO THE FUTURE. UM, AND THIS IS REALLY GONNA SERVE AS A ROADMAP FOR US, NOT JUST EXAMINING RED RIVER AS A PLACE, BUT ALSO WHO WE ARE AS AN ORGANIZATION. UM, SO WE'RE HOPEFUL TO GO LIVE WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN COME OCTOBER, UM, AND KIND OF PROVIDE SOME OPPORTUNITY OF WHAT OUR VISION IS TO REALLY GROW WITH THAT EASTERN PART OF DOWNTOWN HORIZON. ITEMS AND CHALLENGES, I THINK ALL THAT ARE FAMILIAR WITH THIS AREA, KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF HORIZON ISSUES AND WE REALLY LIKE TO PITCH THEM AS OPPORTUNITIES. UM, I WON'T READ ALL THESE OFF, BUT I THINK YOU CAN IMAGINE WE ARE STILL FEELING THE PRESSURES OF SURROUNDING DEVELOPMENT. WE ARE FEELING THE PRESSURES OF CHANGE, UM, BUT WE ALSO SEE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY. SO TRYING TO COORDINATE WITH THE CLOSURE OF THE CONVENTION CENTER AND USE THAT AS A LEVERAGE POINT. WE HAVE 15 PLUS ROOMS ON RED RIVER THAT CAN HOST CONVENTION SPACES, PRIVATE EVENTS, ANYBODY THAT'S COMING INTO AUSTIN THAT WANTS MORE OF A LOCALIZED, AUTHENTIC SORT OF EXPERIENCE. A LOT OF THESE VENUES HAVE CATERING OPTIONS AND THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY NEED WITH THAT SPACE. SO WE'VE, WE'VE REALLY LEANED INTO TRYING TO FIND NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM. UM, AND THEN ALSO WE ARE, UM, WE'VE JUST INITIATED A MEETING WITH SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST. UM, WE SIT DOWN WITH THEM LATER THIS MONTH KNOWING THAT THE CONVENTION CENTER IS CLOSED. WE'D REALLY LIKE TO UTILIZE THE VENUE SPACES, NOT JUST AT NIGHT, BUT DURING THE DAY FOR PANEL EXCHANGES. CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER WAY FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE VISITING AUSTIN TO BE IN THE THICK OF A LIVE MUSIC CULTURAL DISTRICT AND REALLY GET THAT FEELING OF BEING IN THESE SPACES, LISTENING TO PANELS AND TALKS AROUND MUSIC OR FILM OR CREATIVE INDUSTRY. UM, SO THESE ARE THE KIND OF OUR HORIZON ISSUES. THESE ARE THE, THE WORKING GROUPS WE'RE ON OR THE THE CITY INITIATIVES THAT WE'RE PLAYING REALLY CLOSE ATTENTION TO. UM, UH, IT'S A DEEP DIVE. UM, THEY ALL HAVE DIFFERENT TIMING. UM, AND OUR FOCUS HERE IS THAT WE WANNA GROW AS A DISTRICT WHILE THESE INITIATIVES ARE GONNA ADD INVESTMENT. UM, SO WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT HOW DO WE INVEST IN RED RIVER IN A WAY THAT ALLOWS US TO COME OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF A LOT OF THESE EFFORTS, BIGGER, STRONGER, AND MORE EQUIPPED, UM, AND MORE OF AN ATTRACTION FOR FOLKS. CORE CHALLENGES, PARKING. UM, IT IS OUR NUMBER ONE CHALLENGE. I WILL BE VERY UPFRONT. UM, THE DOWNTOWN PLANNING, OUR DOWNTOWN PARKING SITUATION HAS GOTTEN SO BAD. OUR BUSINESSES ARE HAVING A HARD TIME KEEPING EMPLOYEES. WE HAVE MUSICIANS THAT ARE PARKING A MILE AND A HALF AWAY TO COME PLAY ON RED RIVER. UM, WE'VE GOT, UH, RESTAURANTS THAT ARE HAVING A REALLY HARD TIME RETAINING GENERAL MANAGERS. THE SERVICE INDUSTRY STAFF CANNOT AFFORD $30 A DAY FOR PARKING. AND SO WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND WAYS. UM, MOST RECENTLY WE APPROACHED THE CONVENTION CENTER TO SEE IF THE CONVENTION CENTER GARAGE WOULD BE OPEN EARLIER. UM, WE GOT A PILOT OUT OF THAT, BUT WE HAVE NOT PUT, UM, HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN, UM, A COMMITMENT TO THAT MUCH LONGER. BUT THAT IS PARKING THAT'S BEING TAKEN AWAY FROM OUR PATRONS THAT ARE COMING DOWN EVERY NIGHT TO SEE MUSIC. UM, AND IT IS A DETER AND IT'S DETERRING FOLKS FROM COMING DOWN TO SEE MUSIC IN THE DISTRICT AND PATRONIZE THESE BUSINESSES. SO WE'RE HEAVILY FOCUSED ON TRYING TO FIND SOME SOLUTIONS. UM, AND THE OTHER, I WILL JUST KIND OF TOUCH ON ANOTHER ONE HERE IS JUST BUILT ENVIRONMENT. UM, UH, YOU KNOW, SAFETY BUILT ENVIRONMENT IS PLAYING A BIG P BIG FACTOR. UM, WE HAVE SEEN SOME BIG EFFORTS HAPPEN WITH THE DOWNTOWN AMBASSADORS AND WE WORK REALLY CLOSELY WITH DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE AND THE CITY. UM, BUT THERE NEEDS TO BE A WAY TO KEEP THIS DISTRICT ALIVE DURING THE DAY, UM, SO [00:40:01] THAT WE'RE AVAILABLE TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE VISITING. AND RIGHT NOW IT IS A BUSINESS GAMBLE TO DO THAT. UM, THE, THE TRUTH IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC. UM, WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER CLOSED, THE CITY ALSO DESIGNATED RED RIVER AS THE TRUCK EXIT ROUTES. WE HAVE 500 LARGE TRUCKS A DAY COMING DOWN RED RIVER. AND SO WE'VE, WE'VE VOICED OUR CONCERNS ABOUT THIS, BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE CULTURAL DISTRICT BEING THIS EPICENTER FOR PEDESTRIANS, LOCAL AND VISITORS, WE REALLY HAVE SOME CHALLENGES AHEAD OF US TO NAVIGATE A AS WE WEATHER THE BIGGER CHANGES IN INVESTMENTS HAPPENING DOWNTOWN. UM, AND REALLY JUST THINKING ABOUT PLANNING VERSUS IMPLEMENTATION. UH, WE'VE DONE A LOT OF PLANNING TO THIS AREA AND NOW WE'RE WAITING FOR A LOT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION TO HAPPEN AND THE DISTRICT IS REALLY FOCUSED ON HOW DO WE AMPLIFY THESE OPPORTUNITIES, UM, TO, UH, SUPPORT ECONOMIC GROWTH AND TOURISM IN A TIME WHERE WE'RE STILL WAITING ON THE WATERLOO GREENWAY TO BE COMPLETE OR WE'RE WAITING ON CAP AND STITCH TO BE FINISHED. WE JUST NEED TO KIND OF BE CREATIVE ABOUT HOW WE DO THAT GOING FORWARD. AND THEN ACTIVE EFFORTS AND WINS. UM, WE'D LOVE TO RETURN TO YOU ALL IN A COUPLE MONTHS. WE ARE CURRENTLY HAVING AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS DONE ON THE DISTRICT. I THINK SOME OF THAT DATA WILL BE REALLY INTERESTING FOR YOU ALL TO SEE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE KEEP STRETCH STRESSING IS THAT IF WE LOSE ONE OF THESE VENUES, WHAT DOES THAT EQUATE TO? YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THAT CAPACITY, UH, THAT LOSS OF CAPACITY EQUATE TO, UM, RETENTION AND EXPANSION OF THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, WHICH IS A GRANT PROGRAM. I THINK COUNCIL WILL SEE THAT ON THE 24TH OF, UM, OF JULY. WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THE OUTCOME OF THAT GRANT PROGRAM IS. UM, AND THEN LOOKING THROUGH JUST HAVING, UH, A SEAT AT THE TABLE AND UM, WE WERE ABLE TO GET THAT SOUND ASSESSMENT AND DISCLOSURE PASSED, WHICH JUST SAYS ANY NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT COMES IN JUST NEEDS TO BE NOTIFIED THAT YOU'LL BE NEXT TO A LIVE MUSIC VENUE . SO THAT WAS DEFINITELY A BIG WIN. BUT HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. WE KIND OF BLEW THROUGH THAT. I'M SURE THERE'S A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, STUFF THAT WE COULD ELABORATE MORE ON. WELL THAT WAS A VERY COMPREHENSIVE PRESENTATION AND I APPRECIATE IT. AND I WAS REMISS IN NOT WELCOMING YOU BACK BECAUSE I REALIZED THAT EARLIER THIS YEAR WE DID HAVE YOU AND ONE OF OUR, ACTUALLY WE'RE ABOUT TO TURN IN OUR ANNUAL REPORT CARD. YEAH. AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE PROUD ABOUT IS THAT OUR UNANIMOUS, UM, RECOMMENDATION TO SUPPORT YOU AS ANOTHER CULTURAL DISTRICT RECEIVING FUNDING. AND YES, LOVE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT, EXCUSE ME, I'D LOVE TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE OF IF THERE'S ANY UPDATE ON THAT FOR US. SURE. ON THE OTHER HAND, I WANNA OPEN IT UP TO THE REST OF COMMISSIONERS FIRST AND MAKE SURE THAT THAT I SEE COMMISSIONER SHANNON AS A QUESTION. THANK YOU. YES. I WONDER IF YOU COULD DISCUSS, UM, WHAT IMPACT CLOSING THE CONVENTION CENTER WHILE IT'S GOING THROUGH ITS RENOVATION IS HAVING ON THE RED RIVER DISTRICT OTHER THAN JUST THE, THE TRUCKS. YEAH, CERTAINLY. SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE TIMING OF IT IS INTERESTING TOO. 'CAUSE IT'S GEN SUMMER IS GENERALLY SLOWER. SO WE WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO LOOK AT THE REALITY THAT WE KNOW IT'S GONNA BE SLOW. SO WE DON'T WANNA BLAME THE CONVENTION CENTER ON HOW SLOW THINGS ARE. BUT WE HAVE SEEN A DECREASE IN PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC IN AND OUT OF THE DISTRICT. WE KNOW WE'VE TALKED WITH SOME HOTELS AND THE STAYS ARE, ARE LESS THAN THEY HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST. UM, AND WE ARE SEEING LESS PRIVATE EVENTS, UM, THAT COME IN TANDEM WITH SOME OF THE CONVENTIONS THAT COME FOR LIKE PRIVATE EVENTS AFTER YOU DO YOUR CONFERENCE OR PRIVATE EVENTS FOR CERTAIN, UM, CERTAIN GROUPS THAT ARE COMING IN THAT MAY, MAY BE CONFERENCING DURING THE DAY, BUT HAVING LIKE A SPECIAL EVENT AT NIGHT. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER SHANNON. UM, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? AH, PLEASE, MS. COMMISSIONER MATHIS. NICE TO MEET YOU NICOLE. I'M STEPHANIE AND NICE TO MEET YOU. I'M OFF IN THE HOTEL COMMUNITY DOWNTOWN. UM, AND UM, CERTAINLY I CAN FEEL WHERE YOU'RE AT AS FAR AS PARKING. AND I'M WONDERING LIKE I'LL HAVE TO MAYBE GET YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION BECAUSE I ACTUALLY WORK QUITE OFTEN WITH, UH, UM, TOUR CONNECTION AND TOUR AND TRAVEL, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, BOOK BANDS INTO LIKE SAY THE MOHAWK OR WHATEVER. AND IT'S COMING A LITTLE BIT MORE AND MORE CHALLENGING ALL THE TIME ON WHERE WE'RE GONNA PUT THOSE BIG BUSES. 'CAUSE MOST OF THE HOTELS DOWNTOWN CANNOT PUT A BUS. LIKE MY HOTEL CANNOT PUT A BUS YEAH. IN IT. I MEAN, WE CAN'T EVEN DO MORE THAN LIKE JUST A, A LITTLE PASSENGER VAN. SO YEAH, WE'D LOVE TO CONNECT WITH YOU ON THAT. AND THEN, UM, EXCITED TO HEAR THAT YOU'VE RECOGNIZED THAT YOUR VENUE SPACE IS GOLD. HAVE YOU PARTNERED WITH VISIT AUSTIN WHERE WE WOULD EASILY BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT VENUES AND HOW MUCH SQUARE FOOTAGE YOU HAVE AND UM, THE WHAT YOU CAN ACCOMMODATE AND WHO HAS CATERING PARTNERS? YEAH, SO WE ARE IN THE PROCESS. MOST OF THE VENUES HAVE, UH, LIKE A MARKETING DECK THAT KIND OF SHOWS ALL THEIR SPECS. MM-HMM . WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF PULLING THAT ALL TOGETHER TO HAND OFF TO VISIT AUSTIN. OKAY. UM, SO THAT THEY HAVE THAT ON HAND. ALL OF THE VENUES [00:45:01] WERE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO FILL OUT A SURVEY THAT VISIT AUSTIN HAD PUT OUT THERE TO SAY LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE AVAILABLE TO HOST. UM, WE HAVEN'T SEEN MANY LEADS FROM THAT. SO WE HAVE INITIATED A MEETING WITH THEIR NEW MARKETING DIRECTOR OKAY. TO KIND OF SIT DOWN IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AND JUST DIVE INTO LIKE, HOW ELSE CAN WE PUT OURSELVES FORWARD FOR THOSE TYPES OF EVENTS. SURE. WELL I JUST LOOKED AT YOUR WEBSITE AND I DON'T SEE ANYTHING THERE, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE GETTING ALL THAT INFORMATION TOGETHER. YEAH. SO YEAH, WE HAVEN'T, WE HAVEN'T HISTORICALLY DONE A PITCH DECK FOR THAT MM-HMM . UM, 'CAUSE MOST VENUES ARE KIND OF DOING IT ONE BY ONE. BUT WHAT WE SAW THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY IS LIKE EVEN IF LIKE THE FOUR HOTELS IN THE DISTRICT ARE HOSTING SOME OF THE BIGGER ACTIVITIES FOR OUR CONFERENCE, BUT YOU STILL NEED PRIVATE EVENT SPACE. WE'VE GOT CAPACITY IN SOME OF THESE SPACES FOR 2000 PLUS PEOPLE. AND SO IF THERE'S A WAY TO UTILIZE THAT SPACE FOR EVENTS AND CONFERENCES OR WHATNOT, THE DISTRICT IS VERY OPEN TO THAT. I THINK IT'S, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF VALUE IN YOU DOING THE WORK AND GETTING ALL OF THAT TOGETHER. YES. BECAUSE RIGHT NOW YOU, UM, VISIT AUSTIN AND THE, THE HOTELS SALES LEADERS ARE SELLING THE CITY NOT SO MUCH, YOU KNOW, ANYMORE. WE CAN'T SELL CITYWIDE BUT MINI WIDES AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO FIND WAYS TO COMPLEX, UM, VENUES. AND OBVIOUSLY YOU KNOW THIS BECAUSE YOUR VENUE HAS BECOME KEY FOR, FOR HOTELS. YEAH. SO, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, CONNECTING WITH YOU AND LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE VENUES. 'CAUSE DEFINITELY HOTELS WILL SELL IT FOR YOU. OKAY. AND UM, ALSO YOUR PARKING SITE. YES. THAT'D BE GREAT. WE HAVE SOME DATA ON THAT WE COLLECTED JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE ACTUAL PARKING NEED IS AND WHAT ARE THE CORE HOURS OF THAT AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE FROM A STAFFING, FROM A PATRON AND FROM A VISITOR PERSPECTIVE. THANKS. COMMISSIONER MATHIS, COMMISSIONER MASTERS. I SAW YOUR HAND GO AT THE SAME TIME. SO YOU'RE UP. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. UH, SOME OF THE BEST TIMES I'VE HAD IN AUSTIN, UM, IS WE'RE AT ALLIUM OR AT CHEER UPS, SWANIE BARELLA, SOME OF THESE VENUES THAT MAYBE DON'T HAVE THE SAME NAME RECOGNITION, UM, AND THAT DON'T GET THE BIG NAME ACTS, BUT ARE CERTAINLY IMPORTANT AND IMPORTANT PART OF LIKE THE QUEER ALTERNATIVE COMMUNITY IN AUSTIN. UM, I KNOW THAT THE CHALLENGE EXISTS ALL OVER AUSTIN OF WHAT TO DO TO PROTECT THESE SMALLER VENUES, UM, THAT PARTICULARLY HAD A REALLY DIFFICULT TIME BECAUSE OF COVID AND ARE STILL TRYING TO REBOUND. UM, AND I KNOW WITH FUNDING CONVERSATIONS IN THE CITY, THE STATE, THE COUNTRY FOR THE ARTS, THAT A LOT OF SUPPORT HAS BEEN PULLED. UM, CAN YOU MAYBE SPEAK TO SOME OF THE CHALLENGES AND, AND WHAT IS BEING DONE TO SUPPORT THESE SMALLER VENUES THAT ARE STILL INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO THIS COMMUNITY AND, UM, MAYBE THE DIFFERENCES OF WHAT THEY'RE FACING VERSUS SOME OF THESE OTHER VENUES WHEN IT COMES TO KIND OF ELBOWING THEIR WAY, UH, TO KEEP THEIR NAME IN THE CONVERSATION? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS A BIG SUCCESS, SO THE CITY MANAGER JUST, UM, JUST ANNOUNCED THE NEW ACME OFFICE WITH DIRECTOR MEANS AT THE, AT THE HELM OF THAT WE TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT AND UM, THE ORGANIZATION, WHICH IS, UM, AUSTIN MUSIC VENUE ALLIANCE TO PULL TOGETHER A GROUP OF 25 VENUE OWNERS AND SIT DOWN WITH THAT DIRECTOR TO TALK THROUGH WHAT WERE SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES HAPPENING. UM, AND THAT RANGED ANYTHING FROM PARKING INSURANCE IS BY FAR ONE OF THE MOST EXTREME CHALLENGES RIGHT NOW. SO SINCE COVID, UM, THERE'S REALLY A NICHE KIND OF REALITY WITH INSURANCE, UM, FOR MUSIC VENUES, DEPENDING ON YOUR CAPACITY, DEPENDING ON YOUR HOURS OF OPERATION AND DEPENDING ON THE AGES THAT YOU ALLOW IN YOUR SPACE. UM, SO WE HAD FOLKS, UM, WE HAD REPRESENTATION FROM, UM, FROM ANTONE'S DOWN TO ATIUM, DOWN TO CHESS CLUB, DOWN TO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAD SAHARA LOUNGE, RIGHT? SO WE HAD, WE HAD ALL TYPES OF VENUES ON THE CALL TO KIND OF SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES, WHETHER THEY WERE NEW OR OLD OR HAD BEEN THERE FOR A LONG TIME. UM, ONE THING THAT CAME FROM THAT CONVERSATION IS LIKE, WE'RE CERTAINLY BETTER TOGETHER, RIGHT WHEN WE ARE PROMOTING EACH OTHER COLLECTIVELY. WHEN WE'RE DOING THINGS LIKE FREE WEEK AND HOT SUMMER NIGHTS. THAT HELPS VERY MUCH UPLIFT A EXPERIENCE THAT OTHERWISE MAY NOT BE HAPPENING ON THE INDIVIDUAL. A LOT OF THESE VENUES DON'T HAVE A FULL-TIME MARKETING PERSON. THEY DON'T HAVE A FULL-TIME PERSON RUNNING THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA. THEY DON'T DO PAID ADS. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AS AN ORGANIZATION. UM, SO MOST OF OUR FUNDING, AND I'LL TOUCH ON YOUR QUESTION, COMMISSIONER, OF LIKE HOW THE FUNDING HAS GONE FOR US SINCE WE'VE SECURED IT. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL A VERY SCRAPPY ORGANIZATION. UM, I'M THE ONLY STAFF, I'M, I'M NOT FULL TIME AND WE [00:50:01] ARE LITERALLY, UM, USING SPONSORSHIP DOLLARS AND GRANTS TO KIND OF MAKE THESE EVENTS HAPPEN. UM, AND ONE THING THAT WE'RE REALLY LEANING INTO IS TRYING TO IDENTIFY SOME SPONSORSHIPS TO HELP PROVIDE FUNDING SO THAT WE CAN GO AHEAD AND PROVIDE SOME MARKETING STIPENDS TO THESE BUSINESSES THAT MAY GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO UPLIFT THEIR NAME. THE OTHER THING THAT WE WILL FOCUS ON THAT CAME OUT OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN IS STARTING TO REALLY HUMANIZE WHO THESE VENUE OWNERS ARE. UM, IF YOU'VE MET ANY OF THEM BEFORE, THEY'RE SOME OF THE MOST FASCINATING, TALENTED ENTREPRENEURIAL PEOPLE I'VE EVER MET IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. UM, THEY'RE TIRED, BUT THEY'RE STILL DOING IT. AND I THINK THEIR STORIES ARE EXTREMELY CRITICAL TO TELL AND HOW LONG THEIR LONGEVITY, LIKE YOU MENTIONED ELYSIUM, THAT'S 25 PLUS YEARS, YOU KNOW, JOHN IS KILLING IT IN THAT SPACE. AND SO I THINK, UM, STARTING TO REALLY MAKE SURE PEOPLE KNOW THE FACES BEHIND THESE BUSINESSES IS ANOTHER THING. WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT, UM, THE FUNDING THAT WE DID GET FROM THE CITY. SO WE ARE ROUNDING OUT OUR FIRST YEAR. IT WAS INITIATED IN DECEMBER. UM, SO WE'VE UTILIZED THE FUNDING THIS YEAR FOR FREE WEEK HOT SUMMER NIGHTS, THE LAUNCH OF DISTRICT DIALOGUES, THE LAUNCH OF CULTURAL CURRENTS, UM, WHICH WAS A, A REALLY BIG EFFORT. UM, AND THAT'S KIND OF HOW THE FUNDING WAS ALLOCATED. SO WE'VE BEEN SUBMITTING OUR REGULAR REPORTING WITH OUR INVOICING, AND THEN AT THE END WE'LL DO AN ANNUAL REPORT TO JUST SHOW WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH. UM, BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO LOCK US INTO A FOUR YEAR AGREEMENT, UM, WHICH IS REALLY GREAT. AND THEN WE'LL HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO REVISIT THAT AGAIN AT THE END. YEAH, IT'S, I WILL TELL YOU IT'S BEEN INCREDIBLE TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE THAT CONSISTENT FUNDING SOURCE TO BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE OTHER GRANT OPPORTUNITIES. UM, MOST GRANTS WANT YOU TO HAVE MATCHING DOLLARS OR THEY WANT YOU TO HAVE SOME SORT OF SKIN IN THE GAME, WHICH ALWAYS WOULD'VE BEEN SPONSORSHIP DOLLARS. BUT NOW WE CAN SAY WE'VE GOT THIS AMOUNT ALREADY ALLOCATED TO FREE WEEK AND WE'VE GOT THIS AMOUNT ALREADY ALLOCATED TO THE HISTORY PROJECT, WHICH IS REALLY GIVING US MORE LEVERAGE IN THE GRANT WORLD. UM, THANK YOU COMMISSIONER MASTERS. THANK, THANK YOU FOR THAT UPDATE. THAT IS VERY REWARDING FOR US TO SIT HERE AND, UM, WE HAD, WE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATION AND DIALOGUE ABOUT, UM, GETTING OUR RECOMMENDATION TOGETHER. SO IT IS, IT'S FULFILLING TO HEAR THAT, HOW THIS HAS MANIFESTED WITH YOU. THANK YOU FOR SO APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT. SO, UM, FOLKS, UH, ANY OTHER, UH, I SEE SURE. CERTAINLY COMMISSIONER CHAPEL. HI NICOLE. THANK YOU, UM, FOR BEING HERE TODAY. UH, GREAT PRESENTATION. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR LAST TIME AND FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS GOING ON. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING LEVITATION IN THIS SEPTEMBER. YEAH, YEAH. UM, WILL YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, YOU KIND OF TOUCHED ON SECURITY A LITTLE BIT MM-HMM . CAN YOU TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT SECURITY AND OBVIOUSLY THE PARKING SITUATION, I'M SURE YOU GUYS HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT ON LENGTH, BUT HAVE YOU CONNECTED LIKE CAT METRO OR ANOTHER SERVICE TO DO PARK AND RIDE SITUATIONS WHERE YOU'RE COMING IN? SO I WOULD SAY USE AUSTIN'S ROBUST, UM, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION NETWORK, BUT THAT DOESN'T EXIST. YEAH. , SO WE HAVE, JUST TO TOUCH ON THE PARK AND RIDE, SO WE HAVE SAT DOWN WITH MOVABILITY, WE'VE SAT DOWN WITH CAP METRO, SO PARK AND RIDE DOESN'T NECESSARILY WORK FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, SO ACROSS THE VENUES. YEAH, NO, I THINK YOU WOULD NEED A PRIVATE LOT WITH DIRECT ACCESS BACK AND FORTH. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. UM, IT, IT, THEY'RE COMING IN AT ALL HOURS OF THE DAY AND IF IT'S SLOW THEY GET CUT AND, AND WE'VE GOT FOLKS COMING INTO VENUES AT MIDNIGHT BUT ALSO LEAVING AT 6:00 AM SO THERE'S NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL. WE HAVE EXPLORED PARKING OPTIONS FOR MUSICIAN PARKING WITH THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. UM, THEY'RE UNDER CURRENT CONTRACT WITH ANOTHER, UM, ENTITY RIGHT NOW. SO WE'VE BEEN KIND OF EXPLORING WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE. UM, WE ALSO HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS CONVERSATION WITH WATERLOO, GREENWAY CONSERVANCY AND JUST TALKING THROUGH LIKE EVEN THEIR PARK GOERS ARE HAVING A HARD TIME WITH PARKING. SO WE HAVE MADE A REQUEST TO COUNCIL MEMBERS RE'S OFFICE TO APPROACH THE CITY TO TALK ABOUT USE OF THE AUSTIN WATER GARAGE, WHICH IS LOCATED THERE AT, UM, NINTH AND I 35. AND IT IS IT, WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR ABOUT A DECADE, BUT FRANKLY WE'RE AT A POINT WHERE, UM, SAFETY OF PATRONS AND SAFETY OF STAFF WHO ARE COMING OUT AT THE END OF NIGHT MAYBE WITH THEIR, YOU KNOW, CASH FOR THE EVENING. UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF CONCERNS. UM, FEMALE STAFF DO NOT WANNA PARK UNDER I 35 JUST BECAUSE OF, UM, SAFETY CONCERNS. SO TRYING TO FIND DIFFERENT WAYS. WE DID SIT DOWN WITH PARKING ENTERPRISE TWO WEEKS AGO AND THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING A LITTLE BIT OF A STUDY, BUT WE DID IDENTIFY THREE LOTS THAT THEY WERE GONNA [00:55:01] LOOK AT, UM, WHO THE OWNERS WERE TO SEE IF THERE MIGHT BE ANY OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO DO SOME PARTNERSHIP. BUT OUR TWO MAY MAIN ASKS RIGHT NOW ARE THE WATER GARAGE AND HOW DO WE CONTINUE ACCESS TO THAT CONVENTION CENTER GARAGE IN A WAY WHERE MAYBE WE HAVE SOME AFFORDABLE PARKING PROGRAM FOR, UM, OUR STAFF, BUT ALSO BEING ABLE TO, IF WE HAVE 15 PLUS VENUES PROMOTING THE CONVENTION CENTER GARAGE ALL THE TIME, PEOPLE WILL PARK THERE. RIGHT. AND HOW DO WE KEEP PROMOTING THAT, UM, AS A DESTINATION FOR PEOPLE TO PARK SAFELY AND THEN BE ABLE TO WANDER WHETHER THEY'RE GOING TO SECOND OR SIXTH OR RED RIVER. NO, THAT'S GREAT. AND THEN WE'LL POST IT IN REDDIT ABOUT THE, THE HACK OF RED RIVER CULTURE OF PARKING . WE'LL GET OVER THAT. YES, YES. THE HACK. WILL YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE NIGHT MARKET? YEAH. KIND OF WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT. I HAVE A DREAM THAT WE TAKE THAT PARKING LOT THAT'S UNDER SIXTH AND SEVENTH AND TURN THAT INTO A FULL-TIME NIGHT MARKET. SO I THINK WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN TERMS OF NIGHT MARKET AND WHAT IT COULD BRING ALSO SPILLS OVER INTO DAYTIME MARKET. TO YOUR POINT YOU RAISED EARLIER, TOURISTS WALK OUT OF THEIR DOORS AND THEY'RE LOOKING FOR PLACES TO SPEND THEIR MONEY WITH A MILLION PEOPLE THAT GO LOOK AT MURALS ALL OVER SOUTH AUSTIN. FINALLY, FOXTROT BUILT A CONVENIENCE STORE TO BE ABLE TO DROP OFF THEIR CASH. MM-HMM . MM-HMM . IT TOOK 10 YEARS FOR SOMEBODY TO DO THAT. NOW IT'S A SWEDISH HILL. YEAH. UM, BUT IT WORKS. AND SO IF YOU CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE NIGHT MARKET, GIVE US THE DAYS AGAIN FOR SOME, UM, BRANDING AND WE CAN WRITE IT DOWN. YEAH. UM, NOT BRANDING, PROMOTION, PROMOTION, BUT, UH, YEAH. 'CAUSE I THINK THAT COULD BE REALLY COOL. YEAH. SO I THINK, UM, WHAT YOU'VE SEEN ACROSS AUSTIN IS A LOT OF LIKE POP-UP MARKETS WHERE NOT ONLY ARE WE SUPPORTING THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE PUTTING THEM ON, BUT WE'RE ALSO SUPPORTING ALL THOSE CREATIVES THAT THEN HAVE A SPACE TO SELL THEIR CRAFTS, TO SELL THEIR WARES, UM, WHATEVER IT IS THAT THEY ARE HONING. RIGHT. UM, SO WE HAVE OUR FIRST HOT SUMMER NIGHTS EVER. WE ACTUALLY ACTIVATED THE AMPHITHEATER OF STUBS AND WE HAD AN ACTUAL VERY AUTHENTIC NIGHT MARKET WHERE IT HAD PRODUCE AND IT HAD BAKED GOODS. AND THEN WE HAD VENDORS. UM, AND THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, EIGHT YEARS AGO. RIGHT. AND THAT WAS THE FIRST GO AT THAT. WE LEARNED A LOT FROM THAT, JUST IN TERMS OF IT BROUGHT A DIFFERENT AUDIENCE. WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE SOME PERFORMERS ON THERE. WE'RE TRYING TO GET BACK TO THAT. AND IT'S JUST A MATTER OF RAISING SOME FUNDS TO KIND OF MAKE THAT NIGHT MARKET BIGGER. BUT FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS YEAR, THIS IS THE SECOND, SECOND TIME WE'RE DOING IT WITH HOT SUMMER NIGHTS, WHICH IS A NIGHT MARKET WITH, UH, FUTURE FRONT. SO THEY HAVE THE FRONT MARKET, SO THEY'RE DOING A POP-UP VERSION OF THIS IN LIBERTY LUNCH. UH, WE'LL HAVE A MUSICIAN IN THERE THAT'S PLAYING. UM, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO KIND OF SNAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH THERE. IT'S AIR CONDITIONING, WHICH IS A BIG THING FOR VENDORS RIGHT NOW 'CAUSE IT'S JUST TOO HOT. UM, WE ALSO WILL HAVE, UM, SOME TALKS GOING ON. SO THERE'LL BE SOME MUSICIAN TALKS AND ARTIST TALKS. SO IF YOU'RE JUST THERE AND YOU'RE BUYING STUFF, YOU CAN KIND OF LIKE HONE INTO SOME OF THE CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING. UM, WE'LL HAVE OVER 20 PLUS VENDORS IN THAT SPACE. UM, AND THAT IS SATURDAY, JULY 26TH FROM 6:00 PM TO 11:00 PM AND THE NEAT THING ABOUT THAT IS WE'RE ALSO DOING OUR FIRST EVER MATINEE PROGRAMMING FOR HOT SUMMER NIGHTS. SO YOU'LL BE ABLE TO BOP OVER TO 13TH FLOOR CHESS CLUB AND FEEL SO GOOD RETAIL SHOP. AND THEY WILL ALSO HAVE MUSIC STARTING AT SIX. SO IF YOU'RE AN EARLY COMER, YOU CAN HIT THE MARKET, GO SEE SOME MUSIC, BE HOME IN BED BY NINE 30 IF YOU WANTED, YOU KNOW. NO, THAT'S FANTASTIC. I THINK THAT'S GREAT USE OF RIGHT. OCCUPYING SPACE AND GIVING RIGHT. OUR COMMUNITY THE SPACE THAT IT NEEDS. UM, HAVE YOU EVER CONTACTED TO THE, UM, THE ARTIST COMMUNITY ON THORNTON ROAD AS WELL? WE HAVE NOT WORKED WITH THEM. NO. SO THAT'S BY WHERE BAND BAND, BAND-AID SCHOOL OF MUSIC IS, BUT THAT'S THE OTHER, THE ONLY LAST, UH, SPACE FOR ARTISTS AND ARTISANS IN CENTRAL AUSTIN. AND SO I THINK YOU HAVING THE DISTRICT, THEY SUFFER FROM NOT BEING ABLE TO REALLY, UM, THE, THE BUSINESS SIDE OF, OF ART MM-HMM . AND SO I THINK THERE COULD BE SOME GOOD SYNERGIES THERE IN TERMS OF VENDORS THEY STRUGGLE WITH. WHERE DO WE DISPLAY OUR PIECES AND HOW DO WE GET THOSE SOLD? THAT'S GREAT. AND WE'VE GOT A LOT OF TOURISTS WANDERING AROUND WANNA LOOK AT COOL STUFF. YEAH. WE CAN PRODUCE THAT. SO YEAH, WE'D BE HAPPY TO BE CONNECTED WITH THEM. I THINK THE OTHER THING IS, UH, YOU HEARD JUSTICE TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THE SYMPHONY CAN COME INTO THESE SPACES. AND SO WE HAD, WE STARTED TO EXPLORE, LIKE THEY DO A STORYTELLING HOUR, BUT YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY FOR A FREE WEEK, I'M GONNA, WE ALREADY LEFT, BUT I'M GONNA PUT HIM ON THE SPOT SINCE HE'S NOT HERE. UM, BEING ABLE TO, TO PULL THEM INTO MAYBE DOING SOME SORT OF SYMPHONY RESIDENCY AND SOME OF THESE ABSOLUTELY. I HEARD HE WAS VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT YEAH. WE'VE BEEN, BEEN HANGING OUT, TRYING TO COME UP WITH WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER. YEAH. . NO, I THINK THAT'S GREAT BECAUSE I THINK ALSO TO FOSTER, I KNOW THAT AUSTIN HAS A LONG HISTORY OF, OF TALENTED MUSICIANS, BUT TO FOSTER KIND OF THIS, RIGHT. THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE NOW THAT ARE LIVING HERE NOW, UM, AND THE ENERGY AND MUSICIAN TALENT THAT WE HAVE NOW, IT'D BE GREAT TO SHOWCASE THOSE AS WELL. YEAH. THE GENRE D DIVERSITY AND THE [01:00:01] EXPERIENCE IS REALLY THE CORE PIECE, RIGHT. I THINK WHEN PEOPLE ARE COMING TO AUSTIN, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THIS EXPERIENCE THAT FRANKLY THEY'RE NOT GONNA HAVE ANYWHERE ELSE. AND I THINK WE HAVE IN THE CULTURAL DISTRICT, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY GETTING THAT, BUT MAKING IT EVEN FUNKIER TO THINK ABOUT, LIKE, OH, I WENT TO A MARKET AND THEN I SAW A SYMPHONY AND THEN I ATE BARBECUE. I MEAN, THERE'S REALLY JUST KIND OF SOME REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITIES THERE. YEAH, NO, AND I THINK ON AMERICA'S GOT TALENT, THERE'S AN ARTIST NAMED MAMA DUKE WHO LIVES IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, AND SHE WORKS AT THE YMCA. YEAH. SHE'S PRETTY DOPE. SHE'S PLAYED OUR BEST. SHE'S GREAT. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CHAP. GOOD CONVERSATION Y'ALL. UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER COMMENTS? I WAS TRYING TO LOOK AT THE WEBSITE, COMMISSIONER MATHIS TO SEE IF YOU HAVE A LIST OF YOUR VENUES BECAUSE IT'S SO THIS IS TINY. IT IS. IT'S TINY ON THAT FORMAT. YEAH. WE HAVE A LIST OF THE VENUES ON OUR WEBSITE. WE'RE GOING THROUGH A WEBSITE OVERHAUL, JUST SO YOU KNOW. UM, BUT IT HAS A LIST OF ALL OF THE, THE PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES AND THE PARTICIPATING VENUES ON THERE. YEAH, I THINK I, I SAW SOME OF THAT. YEAH, I SAW, UM, THE MAP IS ALSO DATED. YEAH. THE, THE, THE CHURCH. AND SO I GUESS THEY LIKE LET YOU USE THE VENUE THEN MAYBE FOR SOME MUSIC, OR MAYBE YOU JUST LIST THEM AS A PARTNER. THEY'RE A PARTNER. SO THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH ACTUALLY WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE RED RIVER CULTURAL DISTRICT. SO WHEN WE STARTED WORKING TOGETHER, MARSHALL OVER THERE WAS VERY GENEROUS WITH HIS TIME. ANOTHER ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS IS THE GERMAN TEXAN HERITAGE SOCIETY. SO WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING WITH THEM IN OCTOBER ON THEIR OCTOBER FEST. IF Y'ALL HAVE NOT BEEN TO THAT, DEFINITELY CHECK IT OUT. IT IS SO FUN. WHERE IS IT? IT'S ON THE, JUST, UM, UP THE HILL FROM MOHAWK, UH, IS WHERE THE GERMAN TEXTS AND HERITAGE SOCIETY IS. OKAY. THEY GOT A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN BACK THERE. THEY'LL BE DOING SOME POKER MUSIC, A GREAT, UM, THEY, THEY BRING IN ALL THEIR KEGS FROM GERMANY, UM, REALLY AUTHENTIC WEARS. THEY'VE GOT A CHRISTMAS MARKET TOO THAT WE'VE DONE SOME STUFF WITH. VERY COOL. THANK YOU. YEAH, THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER MATHIS. UM, ANYONE ELSE? ANYONE? ANYONE? WELL THEN I'LL, I'LL JUST WRAP BY SAYING THAT I TOOK NOTE OF THE DAYTIME PROGRAMMING AND THE FAMILY EMPHASIS THAT YOU'RE BRINGING INTO THE DISTRICT. YEAH. UM, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, I, I'VE HEARD THIS LAMENT, UM, FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE TOURISM INDUSTRY THAT WE MARKET OURSELVES AS THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. AND WHEN PEOPLE, WE GET TO CONVENTIONS, WE HAVE PEOPLE HERE AND THEY ARE ON A DIFFERENT SCHEDULE. SOME ARE HIGH, HIGHLY PROGRAMMED THROUGHOUT THE DAY, AND THEN THEY DO THE THINGS AT NIGHT. BUT THEY'RE ROUTINELY ARE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT CAN WE DO? THERE ARE TOURISTS THAT ARE HERE THAT ARE NOT PROGRAMMED IN THE CONVENTIONS, AND THEY WANNA SEE WHAT THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL CAN DO IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. AND TYPICALLY THERE'S NOT A LOT OF LIVE MUSIC, UH, OUT THERE. AND I DO FEEL THAT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, YOU KNOW, MAYBE A FIRST MOVER ADVANTAGE, A DISTRICT DOING. IT GIVES IT A LITTLE BIT MORE HEFT, I THINK, THAN JUST, YOU KNOW, RANDOM PLACES AROUND TOWN THAT MIGHT HAVE THAT AVAILABILITY. SO I WANNA CONTINUE TO CHAMPION AND SUPPORT THE, THE DIGGING INTO THAT AND HOPING THAT THERE'S FRUIT THAT COMES FROM THAT. I KNOW THAT SOMETIMES BEING THE PIONEER MAKE, AS YOU SAID EARLIER, I MEAN, IT'S DIFFICULT DOWN THERE AND THERE ARE CHALLENGES WITH THE FOOT TRAFFIC. SO I'M NOT, I HAVE NO ILLUSIONS ABOUT LIKE, THE RISKS INVOLVED. SURE. BUT I, I DO WANNA REINFORCE THAT. I'VE HEARD THAT AS PART OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, AND I'VE HEARD IT AS PART OF THE TOURISM INDUSTRY. IT'S A, IT'S A MISSING LINK. MM-HMM . TO OUR BRAND, THE CITY'S BRAND, TO NOT HAVE DAYTIME ACTIVITIES GOING ON. SO WE AGREE. I HOPE THAT CONTINUES TO, TO FIND A SPOT. SO, AND I, AND I WANNA APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING HIGH HIGHLIGHTING THE PARKING AND THE TRANSPORTATION ISSUES THAT ARE HAPPENING DOWN THERE TO US, BECAUSE I FEEL THAT THAT'S A TOPIC THAT WE NEED TO KEEP OUR EYE ON AS TOURISM COMMISSION BECAUSE IT'S ANCILLARY TO SUCCESSFUL TOURISM. IT'S ANCILLARY TO MANY OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE RECEIVING HOT FUNDS THROUGH THE CULTURAL AND LIVE MUSIC FUNDS. YOU KNOW, AND IF WE NEED TO, I THINK, STAY IN TUNE WITH WHAT THOSE CONVERSATIONS LOOK LIKE, AND IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE FROM OUR TOURISM, UH, COMMISSION PERSPECTIVE TO HELP MEET THOSE CONVERSATIONS OR HELP CREATE MORE DIALOGUE THAT BETWEEN PARTIES. AND FINALLY, I WANNA SAY, I'M GLAD TO HEAR YOU'RE TALKING WITH VISIT AUSTIN AS, UM, COMMISSIONER MATHIS MENTIONED THESE MINI WIDES. THEY MADE THAT PRESENTATION TO THIS BODY ABOUT THEIR STRATEGY WHILE THE CONVENTION CENTER IS DOWN. AND THEY, THEY TALK EXPRESSLY ABOUT THAT STRATEGY. AND SO HOPEFULLY THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, CONTINUED CONVERSATION CREATES AN OPPORTUNITY IN YOUR DISTRICT THAT, THAT SERVES THE GLOBAL TOURISM INTEREST OF AUSTIN BRINGING MORE INTERESTING EVENTS IN DURING THIS TIME. SO, GREAT. I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SUCCESS WITH THE, THE, UH, THE CULTURAL ARTS SITUATION. YEAH. AND, UM, WITH THAT WE CAN RELEASE YOU. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. THANKS FOR COMING. [01:05:01] YES. HAPPY TO COME BACK WHEN WE HAVE OUR ECONOMIC ANALYSIS DONE. . SEE YOU SOON. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING ABOUT IT AS WELL. THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, GOOD, GOOD CONVERSATION EVERYONE. I GUESS THAT BRINGS US, UM, RIGHT UP TO OUR DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS. WE'RE TRACKING VERY WELL WITH THE TIMING TODAY. [6. Review and approval of the Annual Internal Review Report. ] UM, ITEM NUMBER SIX IS, UM, WE HAD A HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT FROM OUR LAST CONVERSATION, AS WAS NOTED IN THE, THE MEETING NOTES THAT WE DID APPROVE THAT WE WERE, WE WERE GONNA WORK ON A TWEAK TO THE SECTION OF THE STR REPORT. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, COMMISSIONER CHAPEL HAD SUBMITTED, HAS SUBMITTED, UH, UPDATED LANGUAGE AS PER HE OFFERED IN THE LAST MEETING. AND IT'S BEEN INCLUDED AND IT'S INCLUSIVE IN THE CURRENT DRAFT OF THE, UH, ANNUAL REPORT THAT YOU HAVE IN THIS PACKET TODAY. SECTION D MM-HMM . ALRIGHT. THANK YOU FOR THAT. SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW IT. UM, IT, IT SEEMS LIKE THAT WAS THE ONE AREA, AS I RECALL THAT, THAT WE THOUGHT COULD BE MODIFIED. SO, UM, I'M OPENING THE FLOOR FOR DISCUSSION ON THE ANNUAL REPORT, UH, ANNUAL REVIEW REPORT. SO DOES ANYBODY HAVE, UH, ANYTHING THEY'D LIKE TO ADD OR COMMENTS BEFORE WE TAKE FURTHER ACTION ON THIS ITEM? NO, I, UH, COMMISSIONER CHAPEL. THANK YOU. VICE CHAIR BAILEY. THE, UM, I THINK THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT WAS UPDATED IN THIS DOCUMENT, AND FELICIA CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, WAS THE, UM, WE CHANGED THE STR SECTION D, BUT THEN ALSO ON FOLLOWING TOURISM GOALS FOR ON PAGE THREE, UH, WE CHANGED THE LANGUAGE AROUND FILLING THE VACANCIES. AND SO I THINK THOSE SHOULD BE THE ONLY TWO SECTORS OF BE UPDATED. SO DO YOU WANNA TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO JUST READ IT? YES, THAT'S, I I WOULD LIKE TO, I, WE, AS WE KNOW, WE NEED TO APPROVE THIS TODAY TO MEET OUR DEADLINE, UH, TO SUBMIT IT. AND THAT WAS SOMETHING WE UNDERSCORED IN THE LAST MEETING. SO, UM, HOPEFULLY YOU ALL HAD A, AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THIS BEFORE THE MEETING. UM, BUT IF WE GIVE US A MINUTE OR SO, I DON'T, I DON'T SEE ANYBODY WANTING TO HAVE DISCUSSION AT THE MOMENT, BUT I, I'LL BE READY TO TAKE A, MAKE A MOTION IN A MOMENT. BUT, UM, AND I DO AGREE, WE DO HAVE THE, UH, THE DISCUSSION ABOUT BOARD VACANCIES ON DISCUSSION ITEM NUMBER EIGHT. AND I THINK THAT THE LANGUAGE THAT'S IN THIS REPORT IS, YOU KNOW, PRETTY GENERIC AND FORCEFUL ENOUGH THAT IT, IT SHOWS THAT IT'S AN IMPORTANT ITEM FOR US AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON IT, THINK THE LANGUAGE WORKS. SO, TIKTOK, UM, COMMISSIONER PENOC. THANK YOU. JUST A QUICK QUESTION. WE'RE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ON, I'M GOT A TOGGLE TO WHERE I OPEN THE FILE. UH, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHERE IT SAYS FULLY FILL, RIGHT? THAT LIKE LAST PAGE SECOND TO LAST POINT D. CORRECT. AND I THINK SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A QUORUM OF, NOT MANDATORY, SAY, WELL, STILL A QUORUM. YEAH. BUT JUST THE CHALLENGES. YEAH. BUT I THINK LAST TIME WE HAD SOME EXTRA, UH, MAYBE LIKE EXPLICIT, NOT EXPLICIT LANGUAGE, BUT MORE DETAILED LANGUAGE AROUND LIKE SPECIFIC SORT OF TYPES OF PROFESSIONALS OR JOB DESCRIPTIONS. AND SO I THINK WE HEIGHTENED THAT UP TO BE MORE GLOBALLY SPEAKING ON THE GOAL. COMMISSIONER, I WAS, I HADN'T ASKED MY QUESTION YET. YOU JUST STARTED TALKING, SO THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER CHAPEL. OH YEAH, YOU ASKED WHERE IT WAS PAGE THREE. YEAH. SO GO. DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION PLEASE? THANK YOU. CONTINUE. COMMISSIONER PENOC? UM, YES, I, I GUESS WHAT I, I DIDN'T KNOW IF IT'S, I DON'T THINK IT'S NECESSARY TO PUT FULLY FILL, I THINK IT SHOULD JUST SAY FILL VACANCIES. I MEAN, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL. I JUST DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, SAYING FULLY FILL, IF THAT REALLY DISTINGUISHES BETWEEN FILLING EVERY POSITION OR NOT FILLING ALL POSITIONS, SAYING FILL VACANCIES KIND OF COVERS THAT. I THINK IT'S A GRAMMAR POINT OF ORDER. I HEAR THAT. I MEAN, I THINK THEY'RE, THEY THEY'RE REDUNDANT. I I SEE IT AS REDUNDANT. I THINK IF YOU SAY FILL, IT MEANS FILL AND THAT MEANS ALL CORRECT. AND FULLY FILL IS JUST REDUNDANT. SO, I MEAN, I I ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR, YOUR OBSERVATION FOR SURE. DOES ANYONE ELSE IN THE COMMISSION HAVE A THOUGHT ABOUT THAT? DO AND DO WE HAVE A, DO WE HAVE A, A MOTION TO A AMEND THAT, THAT STATEMENT. WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A MOTION. YAY. [01:10:01] THANK YOU, FELICIA. SO WE'RE JUST HA PER THIS CONVERSATION, UM, WE HAVE A SUGGESTION THAT WE JUST DELETE FULLY CAPITALIZE FILL AND MOVE FORWARD. CAN I HAVE A MOTION? OR WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A MOTION? SORRY. SO EVERYONE, ANYBODY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT? NO ONE HAS A PROBLEM WITH THAT. THAT'S GREAT. I THINK IT'S GREAT. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. IT'S GOOD CONTRIBUTION. APPRECIATE IT. SO, UH, FELICIA, DO, DO YOU, DO WE, DO YOU MAKE THAT CHANGE BASED ON THIS DIRECTION? OKAY. ALRIGHT, GREAT. WE'VE KNOCKED THAT OUT. UM, ARE THERE ANY, I GUESS I, I'M, I'M READY TO, TO ASK FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE THE INTERNAL REVIEW. SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? I MOTION? THANK YOU SO MUCH. I SECOND COMMISSIONER MASTERS, UH, HAVE A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER CHANIN. ANY DISCUSSION? WOW. WOW, WOW, WOW. LOVE IT. LOVE IT. WELL, I DO THINK I APPRECIATE, SO I GUESS I WOULD GO STRAIGHT TO YOU. LET'S HAVE A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR OF, OF RECOMMENDING WITH THE CHANGE ON ITEM NUMBER D. WHAT WAS IT, UH, ON D IN THE, UH, THE FUTURE, UH, TO FULL TO JUST FILL, CAN HAVE ALL HANDS THAT AGREE SAY, OH, WE'RE NOT AGREEING TO THAT, WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT. IS THAT CORRECT? OR WE DO, WE DO HAVE TO DO THAT. OKAY. ALRIGHT, EVERYONE, EVERYONE. SO IT'S UNANIMOUS. WE HAVE PASSED THIS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION ON THIS. THANKS FOR HELPING US MEET OUR DEADLINE. AND ACTUALLY, I WOULD SAY THANKS FOR THE HARD WORK. I THINK THAT THIS, IT WAS SAID LAST TIME, AND I'M GONNA REPEAT IT NOW 'CAUSE IT'S TRUE. I THINK WE DID A LOT OF GOOD WORK THIS YEAR. I THINK, UH, THIS REPORT SHOWS THE FOCUS AND ATTENTION THAT WE HAVE AND I DO THINK IT WAS IN PART, PART OF OUR RENEWED FOCUS ON OUR ROADMAP, WHICH IS REALLY OUR NEXT DISCUSSION ITEM NUMBER SEVEN. I THINK THAT, THAT THIS, THIS IS MUCH MORE BROADLY FULL THAN OUR PAST REPORT. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE HERE FOR THE HARD WORK. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UH, WE HAVE A COMMENT FROM COMMISSIONER CHAPEL. NO, AND JUST TO PIGGYBACK OFF THAT, LIKE, I WAS LOOKING AT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE ACCOMPLISHED AND SO KUDOS TO THIS GROUP AND EVERYONE ON HERE. 'CAUSE THIS WAS, IT WAS KIND OF REALLY AMAZING TO LOOK BACK AND THINK OVER THE YEAR, UM, THE STUFF THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET DONE. I THINK WE SIT IN THESE MEETINGS SOMETIMES AND HEAR ABOUT ALL THE NEEDS, BUT IT WAS GOOD TO REFLECT AND SEE, UM, WHERE OUR WORK HAS GONE TO IN WAYS WE'RE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE. SO, CHEERS EVERYONE. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. AND I KNOW THAT, UH, UH, COMMISSIONER AND CHAIR RUNIN WOULD, WOULD ADD TO THIS CONVERSATION, AND IT'S IN PART BECAUSE OF HIS, HIS DEDICATION AND WORK THAT HAS HELPED ORGANIZE THIS AND, UM, WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE SAY THAT OUT LOUD. SO HE'S NOT WITH US TODAY. HE DESERVES TO HEAR THAT. OKAY. UM, LET'S TAKE A LOOK [7. Discussion and possible action to set road map for 2025 Tourism Commission Meetings] AT ITEM NUMBER SEVEN. UH, IF YOU SEE THE INCLUSIVE ROADMAP, WHICH WE ARE KIND OF, UH, BREAKING THROUGH ALL OF IT, THIS STAGE OF THE DOCUMENT, WE'RE, I MEAN, AT THIS STAGE OF THE YEAR, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY BLAZING THROUGH SOME OF OUR, UH, FOCUSED AREAS, BUT WE DO HAVE MORE IN FRONT OF US. AND, UM, AGAIN, THIS IS NOT A DOCUMENT FOR PUBLIC, THIS IS NOT A DOCUMENT THAT WE NEED TO SUBMIT. THIS IS REALLY AN INTERNAL GUIDANCE DOCUMENT. IT'S A TOOL THAT WE'RE USING TO HELP US FOCUS ON WHO WE INVITE TO COME SPEAK TO US, AND THAT WE'RE CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN OUR FINGER ON THE PULSE OF IMPORTANT ITEMS, UM, THAT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON. SO I THINK, UH, WE JUST WANT TO ANYBODY HAVE THOUGHTS AND, UH, ABOUT THE ITEMS THAT REMAIN BEFORE US FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR, AND KNOWING THAT WE HAVE AUGUST OFF, WE CAN BEGIN FOCUSING ON THE SEPTEMBER MEETING AND START THINKING ABOUT WHO WE WOULD WANT TO BE A PART OF THAT CONVERSATION. AND CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO ANY SUGGESTIONS FROM EVERYONE HERE OF PEOPLE WE MIGHT WANNA INCLUDE IN MUSEUMS AND TOURISM IN THE SEPTEMBER MEETING. COMMENTS, COMMISSIONER CHAPEL, THE BALLOON MUSEUM. IT'S A NEW MUSEUM THAT OPENED AND I THINK IT WOULD BE. YEAH. AND I THINK THEY'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF PRESS AND MARKETING, SO I THINK THAT COULD BE ONE. UM, THAT'S INTERESTING. UM, ARE THEY IN TOWN? I MEAN, IS THAT A, IS THAT A POPUP, IF YOU WILL? I'VE SEEN BILLBOARDS ON IT. I, SO I ASSUME, I ASSUME IT'S, IT'S COMING AND GOING. SO I, UM, I THINK IT'S AN INTERESTING, I I DO THINK IT'S A GREAT OBSERVATION. I HAVE BEEN SEEING THOSE BILLBOARDS AND, UM, IT IS INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT A, IT, IT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE. WE HAVE HOMETOWN AND HOMEGROWN CULTURAL EXPERIENCES THAT ARE 365. AND THEN WE HAVE PEOPLE, AND I THINK THAT COMMISSIONER POSI AND SUGGESTED WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT FOOD, THAT THEY HAD A, A POPUP, A FOOD FESTIVAL, AND A FOOD ORGANIZATION CAME THROUGH. AND I DO THINK IT'S INTERESTING FOR US TO TAKE NOTE THAT THERE ARE THESE ROTATIONAL OR TOURING CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS. I MEAN, CERTAINLY CIRQUE DE SOLEIL REPRESENTS SOMETHING [01:15:01] LIKE THAT, BUT THESE OTHER ATTRACTIONS THAT ARE COMING INTO AUSTIN AND LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHAT MARKETS THEY CHOOSE, WHY THEY CHOOSE THE MARKETS THEY CHOOSE, WHAT DEMOGRAPHICS THEY'RE LOOKING FOR, WHAT ARE THEIR OBJECTIVES AND WHAT DO THEY DO IN TERMS IF THEY DO ANYTHING OF BRINGING PEOPLE FROM OUTER MARKETS INTO THE, TO THE CORE MARKET OR WHETHER THEY'RE COMING INTO SERVICE RESIDENTS. I'M SURE THAT, THAT, THAT KIND OF A CONVERSATION WOULD BE REALLY INTERESTING TO HAVE. SO THAT'S A GOOD SUGGESTION. ANY OTHER THOUGHTS? ANYONE HERE ABOUT THE ROADMAP ITSELF? NOT NECESSARILY ABOUT SEPTEMBER? WELL, I GUESS WE, WE'VE DONE OUR WORK. IF WE'RE, IF WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT IT, IT MEANS THAT WE'RE ON COURSE WHAT WE LAID DOWN. RIGHT. DID I HEAR YOU SAY RIGHT, GREG? YES. YES. AGREED. ALRIGHT, WELL, UM, WITH THAT, I MEAN, AS FAR AS THAT'S CONCERNED, WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ON OUR SEPTEMBER, ENJOY THE AUGUST, UH, TIME OFF AND, UH, WE'LL SEE YOU BACK HERE IN SEPTEMBER WHEN IT COMES TO THAT, LET'S LOOK AT, UH, ITEM NUMBER [8. Discussion about Tourism Commission Board vacancies. ] EIGHT. I DO WANT TO GIVE A REPORT THAT I RECEIVED FROM, UM, UH, COMMISSION OR CHAIR RONAN, THAT HE WANTED ME TO MAKE SURE THAT I ANNOUNCED TO THIS GROUP. I BROUGHT IT, HE HAD A, UH, HE RECEIVED IT AND HAD A CONVERSATION WITH THE DISTRICT ONE OFFICE, UH, REGARDING NATASHA HARPER MADISON'S OFFICE. AND HE SPOKE WITH THEIR, UH, DISTRICT DIRECTOR, AND THEY HAVE, UH, THEY HAVE AN OBJECTIVE, THEY'D LIKE TO SEE SOMEONE FROM THE ARTS AND CULTURAL SIDE OF THE EQUATION BE THEIR REPRESENTATIVE. AND SO THEY ARE BEGINNING A, A, A SEARCH FOR DISTRICT ONE THAT WOULD ADD SOMEONE, UH, REPRESENTING MORE ARTS AND CULTURE TO BE PART OF THIS BODY. AND PART OF THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND TOURISM AND KNOWING THAT PART OF OUR HOT TAXES ARE GOING INTO CULTURAL BUDGETS AND BEING DISPERSED. I THINK THAT'S CERTAINLY A VALID, UM, SKILLSET. AND IT GOES BACK TO OUR CONVERSATION ABOUT LOOKING AT DIVERSE SKILL SETS THAT WE WOULD WANT TO HAVE REPRESENTED HERE. YOU KNOW, A A BALANCED MIX OF SKILL SETS. AND, AND THEN SINCE WE'VE LOST COMMISSIONER REEDY BACK IN THE DAY WHO DID REPRESENT THAT SPACE PRETTY WELL, I THINK THIS WOULD BE A GOOD ADDITION. AND D JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT HE, HE, HE REPORTED AND THAT I REPORTED ON HIS BEHALF THAT THEY'RE GONNA CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION AND HE'S INITIATED THAT GETTING THAT, THAT DISTRICT SPOT FILLED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. AND IT'S GOOD WORK. I, I, I WAS AWARE OF THE EMAIL EXCHANGE BETWEEN THE OFFICES AND I, AND IT'S LIKE HE'S MOVING ON IT AND THAT'S GOOD. THAT'S GOOD FOR ALL OF US. SO, UM, DANIEL, I'VE MADE THE REPORT, IF YOU WATCH THIS. UM, ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON THAT THOUGH, WHILE WE HAVE THIS TOPIC UP WHILE WE'RE STILL TALKING ABOUT IT FOR MANY MINUTES? OR ANY OTHER IDEAS? I KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD VARIOUS, UM, SUGGESTIONS FROM THIS GROUP ABOUT SKILL SETS. DO YOU WANNA REMIND US? WHICH I, I MEAN, THEY'RE ON HERE AGAIN, THE DISTRICTS THAT WE'RE MISSING ARE DISTRICT ONE, DISTRICT THREE AND DISTRICT FOUR. MM-HMM . SO, UM, KNOWING THAT, I THINK THAT DANIEL'S, UH, OUTREACH HAS BEEN TO ALL OF THEM. I THINK, UH, DISTRICT ONE IN NATASHA'S OFFICE WAS THE FIRST TO, TO JUMP ON BOARD, SO THERE, THAT WAS GOOD. BUT I THINK HE'S REACHED OUT TO ALL OF THEM JUST TO GIVE THE REPORT. HE'S, HE'S, HE'S SENT A, A REQUEST TO ALL OF THEM FOR FOCUS ON THIS MATTER. YEAH. YEAH. OKAY. WELL, YOU ALL ARE MAKING IT EASY TODAY. I APPRECIATE THAT. WELL, I GUESS THAT MOVES, WE'RE GONNA WORK, WE'RE GONNA CLOSE THIS THING OUT GOING INTO OUR WORKING GROUP AND COMMITTEE UPDATES. UM, ITEM NUMBER NINE [9. Update from the AISD Facilities Working Group on new agenda reports regarding the main focus of the working group and efforts for recommendations.] IS AN UPDATE FROM THE A ISD FACILITIES WORKING GROUP. UM, ANY REPORTS, ANY FOCUS ON CONVERSATIONS GOING ON THERE? I KNOW THAT PART OF US DO. I? PARDON? I THANK YOU. GREAT. THANK YOU, . THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER MASTERS, PLEASE. WELL, UH, I GET ON HERE TO SAY I DON'T HAVE AN UPDATE , UH, WE HAD SOME, UH, DIFFICULT SCHEDULING CONFLICTS, HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE AN AMPLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO WORK THROUGH THAT BEFORE OUR NEXT MEETING. UM, AS I SAID IN OUR LAST MEETING, WE'RE LOOKING, LEARNING WHERE THE JURISDICTION LIES WITH THE STATE, UH, AND NOT THE CITY SPECIFICALLY. UH, WE NEED TO CONSIDER, UM, WHERE OUR JURISDICTION LIES AND WHERE OUR RECOMMENDA RECOMMENDATIONS CAN GO. AND THERE'S A FEW DIFFERENT GROUPS THAT I THINK I NEED TO SPEAK TO BEFORE WE KIND OF STEP IN THEIR LANE. UM, I LEARNED THE HARD WAY THAT OUR CITY EMAIL DOES NOT WORK WHEN YOU'RE ABROAD. IT'S COMPLETELY BLOCKED. UM, SO I DID NOT GET DONE THE THINGS THAT I WAS HOPING TO GET DONE IN TIME FOR THIS MEETING. UM, [01:20:01] BUT I KNOW THAT NOW AND I'M NOT LEAVING THE COUNTRY ANYTIME SOON. SO, UM, I'LL WORK ON THAT. MY HUSBAND USED TO WORK FOR THE CITY AND HE IS LIKE, DUH, DIDN'T YOU KNOW THAT? I WAS LIKE, OH. UM. ANYWAY, SO I'LL WORK ON THAT BEFORE OUR NEXT MEETING AND, AND GET THE THREE OF US TOGETHER. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER MASTERS, THANKS FOR THE UPDATE AND THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND PASSION ON THAT TOPIC. AND SO WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL EXPECT MORE LATER. THANK YOU. UM, ITEM [10. Update from the Short-Term Rental Working Group on any new reports regarding the STR’s new focus and efforts for recommendations.] NUMBER 10 IS AN UPDATE FROM THE SHORT TERM WORKING RENTAL GROUP. AND, UH, ANY, ANY, UH, REPORTS, ANY NOTES THAT YOU'D LIKE TO ADD? SEE, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE, I DON'T KNOW, EVERYBODY'S ON, I KNOW COMMISSIONER POSI AND I KNOW COMMISSIONER CHAPEL ARE OPERATING CLOSELY ON THAT. SO JUMP BALL, WHO WANTS TO MAKE A REPORT OR UPDATE US? SO, COMMISSIONER CHAP, I'LL GO AHEAD AND GIVE THE REPORT. UH, COMMISSIONER CHAN AND MYSELF HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET, SORRY, COMMISSIONER CHAN. APOLOGIES. YES, , UH, WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH, UM, DANIEL WORD, UH, WITH THE SHORT TERM RENTAL COMPLIANCE DEPARTMENT, UM, IT WAS A GOOD OVERVIEW TO MEET AGAIN WITH HIM. AND SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE LEARNED THROUGH, THROUGH THAT CONVERSATION, UM, THERE WERE THREE NEW POLICIES THAT BASICALLY STEMMED UP FROM OUR RECOMMENDATIONS COMING OUT OF THIS GROUP FOR SHORT-TERM RENTALS. UM, THE DEPARTMENT IS CURRENTLY REQUESTING TWO RFPS, ONE FOR KIND OF UNLICENSED LISTINGS THAT AI SEARCH THAT WE HAD HAD BEEN MENTIONED TO US PREVIOUSLY. AND THE OTHER ONE IS FOR THE LICENSE PROCESS ITSELF. MM-HMM . AND A LITTLE BIT MORE OPERATIONAL FLOW. THERE WERE A LOT OF START STOPS IN VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, BOTH IN THE CITY AND THE STATE, UM, DOING THAT. SO THEY WERE GONNA DO, UH, A REVIEW OF THAT. THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT WAS LACKING A LITTLE BIT OF PLATFORM ACCOUNTABILITY IS STILL LACKING. AND THEN WE DON'T HAVE THE UPCOMING FINANCIAL NUMBERS IN TERMS OF WHAT THE HOT TAX, THE HOT, IT'S WEIRD TO SAY HOT TAX OR LIKE STR RENTAL, BUT, UM, THE HOT TAX AND IN TERMS OF THE DOLLAR AMOUNTS COMING IN, THE PLATFORMS HAVE AN EXTRA MONTH TO SEND THOSE IN. AND SO WHILE THEY'RE DUE IN JUNE, THEY REALLY WON'T BE FACILITATING THOSE REPORTS UNTIL JULY. ALSO, THE LICENSE ADOPTION TIMELINE IS IN OCTOBER. AND SO WHILE WE'RE NOT SEEING LICENSE COUNT UPTICK NOW, THE HOPE IS THAT ONCE THOSE, ONCE IT THE POLICY GOES LIVE AND IT'S A REQUIREMENT, WE SHOULD SEE SOME, UH, MOVEMENT IN THAT ACTION. UM, THE OTHER THING THAT WE LEARNED WAS THAT AIRBNB AND VRBO, UM, EXCUSE ME, THEY ARE GONNA REMIT THE HOT TAXES, BUT HOUSTON RECENTLY ADOPTED ORDINANCE REQUIRING LISTINGS ON PLATFORMS TO COMPLETE THEIR LICENSE NUMBER ON THEIR LISTINGS TO ALLOW THE CITY TO KIND OF DO THE BACK AND FORTH. AND WE HAD REQUESTED THAT, UM, IN TERMS OF OUR RECOMMENDATION, SO THERE WAS SOME SORT OF LIKE TRUST, BUT NOT VALID TRUST, BUT NOT VERIFY AND VALIDATING THAT NOMENCLATURE. SO I KNOW THAT THE CITY IS NOT NECESSARILY, THE CITY OF AUSTIN DOESN'T LIKE TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO DO THINGS. SO IT'S GOOD THAT HOUSTON'S TAKING THAT UP IN TERMS OF HAVING THAT NUMBER DISPLAYED AND WORKING WITH THE PLATFORMS TO DE-LIST, WHICH WAS OUR ULTIMATE GOAL, SO THAT WE COULD USE THAT AS A HAMMER FOR ENFORCEMENT ON THE REGULATIONS SIDE. UM, GREG, ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANNA ADD TO THAT? NO, I, I THINK YOU PRETTY MUCH COVERED IT OVERALL. ALRIGHT. UM, HOPEFULLY WE'LL SEE SOME GOOD, UH, UM, OCCUPANCY TAX, UM, NUMBERS COME IN THIS MONTH, UM, AND THROUGH THE REST OF THE YEAR WE DID, WE DID CONFIRM THAT VRBO AND, UM, AND, UH, AIRBNB WERE COLLECTING HOT TAX ON THEIR, ON THEIR SITE. SO IT'S GREAT. WELL, THAT'S, THAT'S A, THAT'S A, THAT'S A PITHY REPORT. THANK YOU, . THAT WAS, THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR DILIGENCE ON ALL OF THIS AND FOR, AND I THINK THAT IT IS, IT, IT IS ONE OF THOSE TOPICS THAT HAVE REALLY GOT PUT THE TOURISM COMMISSION IN A, IN A, IN A MORE STRONGER LIGHT, STRONGER POSITION. I THINK THIS TOPIC IS, IS A CONCERN TO MANY IN THE TOURISM, UH, INDUSTRY. AND I THINK, UH, I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT WE MOUNTED AN EFFORT AND THOSE OF YOU WHO'VE TAKEN ON THIS, UH, COMMITTEE HAVE DUG IN DEEP AND, AND BROUGHT A LOT OF CRITICAL INFORMATION THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE. AND IT'S A STRENGTHENED OUR VOICE AND IT'S GIVEN US A PLATFORM TO, TO DEMONSTRATE. I THINK IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT WHEN THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT COMBINING NEW, DOING THE SUNSET, MAYBE CREATING NEW, COMBINING COMMISSIONS AND DOING DIFFERENT THINGS. AND IT WAS ONE OF THOSE ITEMS THAT I, I KNOW THAT WE DISCUSSED THAT WE THOUGHT DIFFERENTIATED US AND IT DIDN'T REALLY ALIGN WITH SOME OF THE OTHER [01:25:01] POTENTIAL COMMISSIONS, MERGERS THAT HAD BEEN DISCUSSED. SO, UM, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE AN ONGOING CONCERN AND WE ARE NOT EASING BACK ON THIS AT ALL, BUT CONTINUING TO FORGE AHEAD ON IT. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT REPORT AND THANKS FOR THE WORK. UM, THAT CONCLUDES OUR, UH, AGENDA FOR TODAY. I'M, I'M, I'M [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS] OPENING UP THE CONVERSATION FOR ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS OR ANY IDEAS ANYBODY HAS THAT THEY MIGHT LIKE TO ADD OR ANY THOUGHTS AS WE ARE HEADING INTO OUR, OUR VACATION MONTH OF MEETINGS. ANY OTHER THOUGHTS, ANY OTHER IDEAS? YOU KNOW, IT LOOKS LIKE WE ONLY HAVE TWO MEETINGS LEFT FOR THE YEAR WHERE THE, UM, AGENDA SORT OF IS AN ALREADY OUTLINED. I SEE. AND I THINK THAT THIS LOOK GOOD. MM-HMM . I I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR WORK SESSIONS WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO NEXT YEAR, UM, WOULD LOVE TO SEE, I DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHO WE WOULD TALK TO OR HOW, BUT, UM, THE PARKING ISSUE, IT JUST KEEPS COMING UP, YOU KNOW, AND, UM, AND THEN JUST, YOU KNOW, NO ONE WANTS TO CHANGE THE, THE AUTHENTICITY OF, OF AUSTIN. UM, I THINK WE ALL UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT OUR BRAND IS, BUT YOU KNOW, AT THE SAME TIME, LIKE ANY EFFORTS TO MAKE DIRTY SIX LESS DIRTY AND MORE SAFE SEEMS TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW GREAT IT WOULD BE TO HAVE A LITTLE MORE DAYTIME PROGRAMS. WELL, WE ALL KNOW WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT CHA CHALLENGES ARE IN PLACE FOR ANY OF THAT STUFF. MM-HMM . SO, UM, JUST THOSE TWO THINGS JUST SEEM TO COME UP AS OBSTACLES, UM, FOR TOURISM GREATNESS HERE IN AUSTIN. I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT I'M, I APPRECIATE IT. IT'S A GOOD CONVERSATION. I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THIS UP, COMM COMMISSIONER MATHIS, BECAUSE I, I THINK THE NOTING OF, UH, SIXTH STREET, IT'S AN IMPORTANT, I MEAN, I NOTED IT IN THE RED RIVER DISTRICT AND AS ONE OF THE POTENTIAL CHALLENGES, BUT THE, THE STREAM, UH, DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION THAT'S BASICALLY WORKING ON MM-HMM . THE SIXTH STREET REDEVELOPMENT PLAN AND HAVE CITED MANY, MANY ORGANIZATIONS ARE GOING DOWN THERE. I I THINK IT WOULD, I MEAN, THERE MIGHT BE A, A, A MEETING WHERE A TOPIC WHERE WE BRING IN SOME, WE'LL CALL, I'LL JUST CALL 'EM DEVELOPERS. WE LOOK AROUND THE CITY AND LOOK AT AREAS OF THE CITY THAT ARE, ARE CONTEMPLATED. I KNOW THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN PAD, I MEAN, THESE ARE TRANSFORMATIVE. IF SOMETHING, SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS ON THE AUSTIN AMERICAN STATESMAN PAD IN ANY MAJOR REDEVELOPMENT OF THE SIXTH STREET CORRIDOR, EAST SIXTH STREET COURT, OR NOT EAST EAST, BUT THE OLD CLASSIC SIXTH STREET CORRIDOR ARE GONNA BE IMPORTANT. AND I KNOW THAT THE MML MORMON, MCGUIRE LAMBERT GROUP ARE DOING A MAJOR DEVELOPMENT ON THE WEST SIXTH SIDE OF TOWN MM-HMM . AND THERE'S, AND SO I, I THINK AS PART OF THE WORK SESSION, I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE DO BEAR DOWN ON THAT A LITTLE BIT AND SQUEEZE OUT MAYBE SOME POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS. AND THERE, AND I KNOW THAT WE HAD THE PRESENTATION FROM, UH, CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS ABOUT EVERYTHING GOING ON OUT THERE. BUT, AND THAT CONTINUES TO BE A, A, A HEIGHTENED FOCUS. SO I THINK JUST THE GLOBAL CONVERSATION ABOUT THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF ATTRACTIONS, OF ASSETS, OF NEW HOTELS, NEW ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS IS, IS FAIR GAME FOR OUR COMMISSION TO DIG INTO. SO I'M JUST GONNA PICK UP WHERE YOU STARTED THAT CONVERSATION AND PLANT SEEDS THAT WE SHOULD THINK MORE ABOUT THAT FOR OUR WORK SESSION IN DECEMBER. ANY, ANY OTHER THOUGHTS OUT THERE? NO. UH, UH, COMMISSIONER CHAPEL. NO, I AGREE. I THINK THOSE WOULD BE GOOD TO DIG INTO. RIGHT. ESPECIALLY KIND OF THE, IT'S THE HOLISTIC FABRIC THAT KIND OF PULLS IT ALL TOGETHER. UM, I THINK WE HAD ALSO MENTIONED LAST YEAR ABOUT MAYBE TALKING TO SOME OF THE CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT PUT ON THESE EVENTS OR ROAD CLOSURES AND THAT SORT OF THING. 'CAUSE THAT'S ALSO A LENS THAT WE ARE NOT REALLY PRIVY TO. AND SO ANY OF THOSE INTERNAL OPERATORS MM-HMM . ON THE CITY SIDE, I THINK THAT WOULD BE, UM, A GOOD TOPIC OF DISCUSSION. AND, UH, I ALWAYS WANNA PUSH FOR OUR FOOD TOURISM. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE HEALTH STICKERS ON THOSE RESTAURANTS. SO I THINK IF THAT COULD BE A TOPIC OR ANOTHER MOVEMENT FOR THE, THIS GROUP NEXT YEAR, UM, TO HAVE YOUR, THE RESTAURANTS HAVE THE FOOD AND HEALTH INSPECTION POSTED VISIBLY ON THE WINDOWS. WELL, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE ALREADY GETTING DOWN INTO THE WORK SESSION AND WE'RE ALREADY STARTING THINKING ABOUT OUR NEXT ROADMAP, SO THAT'S AWESOME. LET'S KEEP IT COMING. UM, I'M HAPPY TO GET US OUTTA HERE A LITTLE EARLY TODAY. I THINK EVERYBODY PROBABLY AGREE WITH THAT. I'M SURE THE FOLKS, UH, I KNOW MR. , UH, SHANNON ON VACATION. WE'D LOVE TO, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR COMING IN TODAY. SAME COMMISSIONER PENOC, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND WEIGHING IN TODAY. IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HAVE EVERYONE HERE. WE'VE GOT THE WORK DONE AND WE ARE ABLE TO, UH, TREAT OUR GUESTS. UM, I'M GLAD THAT WE MADE IT JUST BY THE, JUST UNDER THE WIRE. WE GOT OUR QUORUM TOGETHER, SO THANKS FOR THAT. UM, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND SAY THAT THE NEXT TOURISM COMMISSION MEETING, AS IT SAYS ON HERE, WILL BE [01:30:01] HELD IN CITY HALL CHAMBERS ON SEPTEMBER 10TH. AND, UH, WE, WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THEN. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO CONCLUDE THIS MEETING? MOTION? WE HAVE A MOTION SECOND COMMISSION AND WAS GONNA FILL ABOUT . AND, UH, WE HAVE, WE HAVE, THANK YOU. WE HAVE A MOTION FROM, UH, COMMISSIONER CHAP A SECOND BY, UH, COMMISSIONER MATHIS ALL IN. I GUESS WE, WE CAN JUST, WE DON'T HAVE, DO WE ALL IN FAVOR? WE SAY AYE. WE'RE DONE, EVERYBODY. IT'S FUN TO SAY. WE'LL, ALL RIGHT. AYE, AYE, ALL THANK YOU EVERYONE. HAVE A GOOD THANK YOU AUGUST. LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU BACK HERE IN SEPTEMBER, EVERYONE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. BYE-BYE. BYE-BYE. * 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.