* 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] [00:00:03] WELCOME MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND, UH, MEMBERS OF THE TOURISM COMMISSION TO THE NOVEMBER 17TH, SPECIALLY CALLED MEETING OF THE TOURISM COMMISSION. FIRST STEP FOR AGENDA ONE. UM, EXCUSE ME. UH, WE NOW HAVE THE CALL TO ORDER COMPLETED. [PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL] WE NOW MAKE A CALL FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION. UM, ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTERS ALL, UH, PLEASE STEP UP TO THE PODIUM. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU CHAIR. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON COMMISSIONERS, AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK THIS AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS, UH, NAVAL MADI CHAIR. I'M AN INDEPENDENT MUSICIAN, AND, UH, I SERVE AS THE CHAIR OF THE AUSTIN MUSIC COMMISSION AND AS, AS WELL AS, UH, THE MAYOR'S APPOINTEE TO THE ARTS COMMISSION. I'M HERE TODAY TO EXPRESS MY FULL SUPPORT FOR RALLY AUSTIN'S KEEP AUSTIN HOURS 2026 BOND PROPOSAL, AND TO ALSO SHARE THAT THE MUSIC COMMISSION UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDED THIS PROPOSAL AT OUR REGULAR MEETING EARLIER THIS MONTH. AS WE ALL KNOW, MUSIC, ARTS AND CULTURE AREN'T SIMPLY FEATURES OF AUSTIN. THEY ARE THE FOUNDATION OF OUR TOURISM ECONOMY, AND OUR GLOBAL IDENTITY. AUSTIN ATTRACTS MILLIONS OF VISITORS EVERY YEAR BECAUSE OF OUR LIVE MUSIC SCENE AND OUR CREATIVE ENERGY, AND OUR SENSE OF CULTURAL AUTHENTICITY. ALSO GENERATING CLOSE TO $2 BILLION IN ANNUAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY. RISING RENTS AND REAL ESTATE PRESSURES CONTINUE TO IMPACT ARTISTS, MUSICIANS, LOCAL NONPROFITS, AND CULTURAL VENUES. RALLY AUSTIN AS THE CITY'S FIRST MULTIPURPOSE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATION IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO SECURE AFFORDABLE, CULTURAL, CREATIVE, RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL SPACES, NOT JUST FOR NOW, BUT FOR DECADES TO COME. THEIR PROPOSAL LEVERAGES PUBLIC FUNDING ALONGSIDE PRIVATE AND PHILANTHROPIC INVESTMENT, REDUCING THE LONG-TERM FINANCIAL BURDEN ON THE CITY, WHILE ALSO ACCELERATING ACTION ON CULTURAL PRESERVATION. THIS APPROACH EXPANDS AUSTIN'S, UH, THE AUSTIN CULTURAL TRUST AND ADVANCES COMMUNITY DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT SLOWING DOWN CITY OPERATIONS AND INCREASING ADMINISTRATIVE STRAIN. IT ENSURES THAT CREATIVE AND CULTURAL SPACES ARE PROTECTED NOT ONLY AS ECONOMIC ENGINES, BUT ALSO AS COMMUNITY CORNERSTONES. THE MUSIC COMMISSION ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT CITY COUNCIL RECEIVE A FORMAL BRIEFING FROM RALLY AUSTIN, UH, UM, SO THAT THE FULL SCOPE STRATEGY AND PUBLIC BENEFIT OF THIS MODEL CAN BE WELL UNDERSTOOD AND COMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO MOVE TOWARDS PROACTIVE INVESTMENT UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF, UH, CEO TERRY ALVAREZ, WHO HERE, UH, THIS AFTERNOON, AND WITH THE C3 PRESIDENT, COO EMIT VO, WHO'S ALSO THE NOMINEE OR THE APPOINTEE FROM THE MUSIC COMMISSION TO REPRESENT, UH, THE COMMERCIAL MUSIC INDUSTRY. AT RALLY CHAIRING. RALLY AUSTIN'S BOARD HAS THE EXPERIENCE, VISION, AND CREDIBILITY TO DELIVER RESULTS. I'M CONFIDENT THAT THIS TEAM WILL SUCCESSFULLY FULFILL THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION AND THE GOALS OUTLINED IN THIS PROPOSAL. I RESPECTFULLY ASK THE TOURISM COMMISSION TO JOIN AND SUPPORTING RALLY AUSTIN'S PROPOSAL TODAY AS WE WORK TOGETHER TO STRENGTHEN AUSTIN'S BRAND AND AUSTIN'S CULTURAL FUTURE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MS. CHARLA, FOR COMING THIS AFTERNOON. UH, AND WITH THAT, WITH NO, UH, PUBLIC COMMUNICATION, [APPROVAL OF MINUTES] UM, IN ADDITION TO OUR SPEAKER, WE NOW MOVE ON TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE OCTOBER 8TH, 2025 TOWARDS THE COMMISSION MEETING. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO SO APPROVE. SO MOVED BY COMMISSIONER PIAN. SO SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SHANNON. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, A PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU. [1. Staff briefing from Staff Liaison, Felicia Burleson, regarding commission board recent vacancy filled and status, deadlines, resources, and updates.] MOVING ONWARD TO INCORRECTLY NUMBERED NUMBER ONE, NUMBER , GOSH. UH, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO, WE HAVE A BRIEFING FROM OUR STAFF LIAISON, MS. FELICIA BURLESON, REGARDING, UM, COMMISSION, UH, VACANCIES, [00:05:01] AS WELL AS OUR RECENTLY FILLED VACANCY ON THE COMMISSION FROM D ONE, INCLUDING, UM, DEADLINES, AS WELL AS RESOURCES FOR THE COMMISSION AS WE MOVE FORWARD INTO 2026. MS. BUREN, THANK YOU. UM, I'M SHARING TODAY WITH YOU THE UPDATED, UM, ROSTER THAT WE HAVE FOR OUR COMMISSION BOARD. UH, WE WELCOME, UH, FRANCISCO CISCO GA FROM FOR DISTRICT ONE, SO WELCOME TO THE PARTY. AND WE ALSO HAVE IN YOUR PACKET A PROPOSED REQUEST FOR 2026 CALENDAR. SO I'M STILL WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM CITY CLERK'S OFFICE TO SEE IF OUR REQUEST WILL BE APPROVED BY THEM. AND, UM, THANK YOU. THAT'S IT. AND I APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE TODAY. HOPEFULLY YOU CAN APPRECIATE EVERYTHING I HAVE TO GO THROUGH TO PREPARE FOR TODAY'S MEETING. SO, , THAT WAS JUST A, A LITTLE, UH, SAMPLE OF WHAT I GO THROUGH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. BURLESON. UH, BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD, JUST A POINT OF ORDER WITH THE AGENDA, UM, STARTING WITH, UM, MS. BURLESON'S AGENDA ITEM, UH, WE NEED TO ADD ONE TO EVERY AGENDA ITEM. SO WHEN I REFER TO AN AGENDA ITEM, IT'S GOING TO BE PLUS ONE . SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. NOW MOVING ON [2. Presentation by Visit Austin regarding an update on Austin Tourism Industry, including the Austin Convention Center and the Tourism Public Improvement District. Presentation by Tom Noonan, President & CEO.] TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE, PRESENTATION BY VISIT AUSTIN REGARDING, UM, AN UPDATE ON THE AUSTIN TOURISM INDUSTRY, INCLUDING THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER, UH, THE TOURISM PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, UM, AS WELL AS OTHER UPDATES PURSUANT TO THE TOURISM INDUSTRY. UH, WE WELCOME TODAY, UM, TOM NOONAN, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF, UH, VISIT AUSTIN, AS WELL AS TIFFANY KERR, THE CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER OF THE SAME ORGANIZATION. WELCOME TO YOU BOTH. UH, THANKS, UH, MR. CHAIR AND, AND COMMISSIONERS. I'M TOM NUNAN, PRESIDENT, CEO OF VISIT AUSTIN. FIRST OF ALL, DANIEL, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR YEARS OF SERVICE ON THIS COMMISSION, ALL YOUR GREAT WORK. UH, ENJOYED WORKING WITH YOU AND ENJOY WORKING WITH THIS COMMISSION BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY YOU SUPPORT TOURISM. THAT'S WHAT WE DO AS WELL. SO, WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO TODAY IS WE'RE GONNA HAVE TIFFANY START AND KIND OF WALK YOU THROUGH OUR MARKETING, TPI AND ALL THOSE THINGS. THEN I'LL TALK ABOUT HOTEL TAX COLLECTION, TOUCH ON THE CONVENTION CENTER, AND TAKE ANY QUESTIONS WE MIGHT HAVE. TIFFANY, GOOD AFTERNOON COMMISSIONERS. UM, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US THIS AFTERNOON. UM, I ENJOY CONVERSATIONS LIKE THIS BECAUSE THE WORK THAT MY TEAM DOES, OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY DOESN'T SEE IT, UM, BECAUSE EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IS OUTSIDE, UM, OF AUSTIN AND ALL OF OUR STRATEGIC MARKETS. AND SO I HAVE A LOT OF PRIDE BRINGING SOME OF THE WORK AND SOME OF THE IMPACT AND THE RESULTS THAT THE TEAM DROVE. UM, I PROBABLY AM PART OF THE REASON WHY MS. BURLESON WAS A LITTLE BIT FRAZZLED, UM, BECAUSE WE WERE, WE WERE TO THE WIRE GETTING EVERYTHING FINALIZED FOR YOU TODAY. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING FLEXIBLE WITH US. THERE MAY BE SOME VIDEOS, UH, THAT DON'T SHARE HERE, BUT WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS A COPY POST MEETING. FIRST, WE ALWAYS JUST LIKE TO START WITH A REINTRODUCTION OF WHO WE ARE. I THINK THAT THIS GROUP IS QUITE FAMILIAR WITH US AS A PRIVATE NONPROFIT, 5 0 1 C SIX. REALLY, AT THE END OF THE DAY, OUR JOB IS TO DRIVE THE TOURISM ECONOMY OF AUSTIN, AND WE DO THAT BY GENERATING ROOM NIGHTS ACROSS BOTH THE LEISURE, DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL, OUR MEETING SPACE, ALL WITH THE END BENEFIT OF ALL OF THE COMMUNITY BENEFIT THAT COMES ALONG WITH, UM, THE RISING TIDE OF HOT TAX COLLECTION. I'M GONNA TAKE YOU THROUGH A LITTLE BIT OF OUR LEISURE ADVERTISING STRATEGY TO START. UM, THIS SLIDE REALLY REPRESENTS HOW WE'RE THINKING ABOUT ALL OF OUR, UH, MARKETING EFFORTS WITH THE INCLUSION OF THESE NEW TI FUNDS. UM, SO WHEN WE ARE THINKING ABOUT HOW WE DEPLOY OUR RESOURCES, EVERYTHING REALLY FALLS INTO TWO BUCKETS. ONE, THOSE THINGS THAT ARE PROVEN AND SCALABLE, RIGHT? SO WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT WERE HAVE PROVEN TO BE PERFORMANT TO HAVE ROOM NIGHT GENERATING IMPACT? HOW CAN WE BOLSTER THOSE? AND THEN EXPANDING OUR ADVERTISING, UM, TO NEW MARKETS. THIS MAY BE NEW SOURCE MARKETS, THIS MAY BE NEW AUDIENCE SEGMENTS, UM, BUT EXPANDING WHAT'S ALREADY WORKING. ON THE OTHER SIDE, YOU'LL SEE THE IDEA OF NEW AND NECESSARY. WE'VE BEEN OUTSPENT BY OUR COMPETITORS FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, AND SO THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY PLAY A LITTLE BIT OF CATCH UP, UM, WITH, YOU KNOW, EXTENDING OUR ADVERTISING FLIGHT TO YEAR ROUND. HISTORICALLY, WE'VE REALLY HAD TWO BURSTS. WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SUPPORT ADVERTISING FOR THE SUMMER MONTHS, AND THEN AGAIN FOR WHAT WE CALL OUR WINTER NEED PERIOD. NOW WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE SUSTAINABLE YEAR ROUND [00:10:01] EVERGREEN PRESENCE WITH OUR ADVERTISING, UM, A SCALED MEETINGS MARKETING CAMPAIGN. AND THIS IS TO DRIVE CONSIDERATION THROUGHOUT ALL OF AUSTIN. THIS IS THE VERY FIRST TIME THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO A DEDICATED MEETINGS CAMPAIGN. TYPICALLY, WE'VE JUST DONE AN ADAPTATION OF THE LEISURE WORK AND PROMOTED IT TO A MEETINGS AUDIENCE. BUT YOU'LL START TO SEE HOW WE'RE BRINGING TO LIFE THIS IDEA OF THE CAMPUS STYLE MEETINGS DURING THE CON, DURING THE CONVENTION CENTER REDEVELOPMENT YEARS, AND HOW AT THE SAME TIME WE'RE PROMOTING AND SETTING UP, UH, A LOT OF MOMENTUM FOR THE NEW BUILDING. AND YOU'LL ALSO SEE HOW THIS IS REALLY TOUCHING EVERY POCKET OF THE CITY. UM, INCREASE INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE. I'M GONNA SHARE MOST NOTABLY SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IN THE MEXICO MARKET. UM, AND THEN JUST INNOVATION AND TESTING NEW EFFORTS IN MEDIA AND PRODUCTION. WHEN WE START TO LOOK AT HOW, WHEN I TALK ABOUT THAT YEAR ROUND EVERGREEN PRESENCE, UM, THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT WE MEAN. SO YOU'RE GONNA SEE ALWAYS ON STRATEGIES THAT ARE YEAR ROUND. AND THEN THE MOUNTAIN PEAKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS SLIDE REALLY DEMONSTRATE HOW WE'RE BOLSTERING OUR SPEND. SO WE KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THE AVERAGE TIME FOR A POTENTIAL VISITOR TO BE EXPOSED TO OUR ADS, THEN SEARCH FOR A HOTEL BOOK, AND THEN ARRIVE IN MARKET IS RUNNING ABOUT 59 DAYS. SO YOU'LL SEE A, A QUICK KIND OF PEAK AND SPIKE AT THE FRONT OF THESE CYCLES, AND THEN YOU'LL START TO SEE THAT TAPER OFF. SO THIS IS JUST, UH, THIS IS THE BEST WAY THAT WE COULD VISUALIZE HOW WE'RE GOING TO MARKET AND INVESTING IN ADVERTISING FOR AUSTIN THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THIS IS YOUR TYPICAL FUNNEL, UM, FOR, YOU KNOW, ANYONE WHO'S, WHO'S HEARD A MARKETING PRESENTATION BEFORE, YOU'VE, YOU'VE LIKELY HEARD OF KIND OF THAT TOP OF THE FUNNEL WHERE WE'RE REALLY DRIVING IDEATION AND INSPIRATION FOR AUSTIN, GOING A LITTLE BIT DEEPER WITH ENGAGEMENT, AND THEN FINALLY DRIVING THAT DECISION TO BOOK. AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE TACTICS AND PLACEMENTS, UM, THAT, UH, THAT USERS IN OUR KEY MARKETS MIGHT SEE. THIS VIDEO MAY OR MAY NOT PLAY. YEP, IT'S WORKING WHILE IT'S STARTING. THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF BUILDUP I JUST WANNA CALL OUT. YOU'LL SEE ABOUT 20 DIFFERENT LOCAL BUSINESSES REPRESENTED HERE. YOU'RE GONNA SEE ABOUT EIGHT DIFFERENT MUSICIANS EITHER FEATURED OR HEARD, AND IT REALLY JUST SPOTS LIKE SPOTLIGHTS, THE SOUNDS OF AUSTIN. SO, UM, THAT VIDEO JUST KIND OF DEMONSTRATES HOW YOU CAN REALLY TRY TO BRING THE FULL CHARACTER OF THE CITY TOGETHER IN A REALLY, UM, ENGAGING AND ENERGETIC CUT. UM, WE ALSO, I WANNA SHARE A LOT OF THE DIFFERENT PILLARS. UM, AND THIS IS JUST GOING TO BE A SAMPLE OF OUR ADVERTISING, BUT TO GIVE YOU A TASTE FOR THE DIFFERENT, UM, THE NEW ADS AROUND FIRST CULINARY. SO YOU'LL SEE HEADLINES LIKE FROM ROCK [00:15:01] STARS, HOME TO ROCK STARS AND MICHELIN STARS, OLD SCHOOL BARBECUE WITH NEW SCHOOL TACOS. AND IF ANY OF THESE VIDEOS YOU'LL WILL WORK, YOU'LL START TO SEE SOME OF THE, THE MORE RICH MEDIA ELEMENTS THAT ARE BRINGING SOME OF THIS CULINARY STORY TO LIFE. ALSO, WITH OUTDOORS AND WELLNESS, YOU'LL SEE MORE CUT DOWNS FROM THAT ORIGINAL VIDEO, BUT REALLY CELEBRATING THE GREEN SPACES AND THINKING ABOUT HOW NATURE AND NIGHTLIFE AS NEIGHBORS IN AUSTIN ARTS AND CULTURE IS ANOTHER PILLAR THAT OUR ADVERTISING IS SITTING ON. SO REALLY, WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT OUR AUDIENCES, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING IN FRONT OF, YOU KNOW, DIVERSE AUDIENCES WITH DIFFERENT INTEREST POINTS THAT ARE GONNA PEAK THAT, UM, PEAK, THAT INSPIRATION TO, TO VISIT AUSTIN. AND OF COURSE, LIVE MUSIC. JUST LAST WEEK WE WERE VERY EXCITED TO, UM, UNVEIL THE BRAND NEW VISIT AUSTIN.ORG. UM, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON ON THIS SLIDE WITH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT SCREEN RECORDINGS, BUT I WANNA INVITE ALL OF YOU TO SPEND SOME TIME ON THE WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN SEE HOW THE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS OF THE CITY ARE REPRESENTED. MY FAVORITE FEATURE IS, UH, BEING DEMONSTRATED IN THAT BOTTOM LEFT HAND CORNER WITH THE EXPLORING AUSTIN TOGGLE FROM DAY TO NIGHT. UM, THE, ALL OF THE EDITORIAL CONTENT IS COMING THROUGH, UM, IN A REALLY RICH WAY, AND SO WE INVITE YOU TO SPEND SOME TIME THERE. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS SITE. SO NOW I WANNA TALK ABOUT DID ALL OF THIS ADVERTISING WORK, , UM, WE, FOR THIS YEAR, WE WERE, UH, ABLE TO WORK WITH A PARTNER CALLED SARI INSIGHTS. AND SARI IS A KIND OF THE BEST IN CLASS IN TERMS OF ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS. THEY'RE TRUSTED BY, UH, MANY STATE LEVEL TOURISM BOARDS, AS WELL AS I THINK AROUND 70 DIFFERENT CITY DMO. AND SO THEY ARE LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE THE REACH OF THE CAMPAIGN OVERALL, WAS IT EFFICIENT IN DOING ITS JOB, UM, THE REACTIONS TO THE CREATIVE OR ACROSS DIFFERENT BENCHMARKS? WERE THERE ANY LIFTS, RIGHT, IN TERMS OF PERCEPTION, FAMILIARITY, OR WITH INTEREST IN VISITING? AND THEN ULTIMATELY, DID IT INFLUENCE INCREMENTAL VISITS TO THE CITY? THAT PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT THE EXPOSURE TO THE ADVERTISING. SO THE HIGHLIGHTS ARE REALLY ON THIS SLIDE WHERE WE'RE SEEING FROM MAY THROUGH SEPTEMBER. THIS IS OUR FIRST WAVE OF RESULTS, SO MORE THAN 400,000 ADVERTISING INFLUENCE TRIPS. AND THIS IS A PRETTY CONSERVATIVE FIGURE BECAUSE WHAT THEY'VE DONE IS THEY'VE TAKEN THE MEAN ACROSS THE UNEXPOSED AND THE EXPOSED TO SHOW THAT LIFT. THEY'VE ALSO, UH, STRATEGICALLY PULLED OUT ANYTHING THAT WAS VISITING FRIENDS AND RELATIVES. SO THIS IS ALL FIRST PARTY DATA WITH RESPONDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN SURVEYED IN ALL OF OUR SOURCE KEY MARKETS WHERE OUR ADVERTISING IS RUNNING. SO ANYWHERE THAT I'M GONNA SHOW THESE REALLY NERDED OUT BAR GRAPHS, YOU'LL GET AN IDEA OF THE UNEXPOSED, THOSE WHO DON'T REPORT SEEING ANY ADVERTISING FROM AUSTIN TO THE EXPOSED. SO WE'RE QUITE PROUD OF THE IMPACT THAT THIS CAMPAIGN WAS ABLE TO DRIVE JUST MAY THROUGH SEPTEMBER. YOU'LL SEE, UM, THE VISITOR SPEND HERE. A $364 RETURN ON EVERY $1 SPENT ON ADVERTISING IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF. AND AS WE GO THROUGH MULTIPLE WAVES OF THIS, UM, OF THIS TESTING, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FULFILLING THAT. ON THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE HOW EXPOSURE TO AUSTIN LIFTS TRAVELER PERCEPTIONS. SO ON THE FIRST SIDE, YOU'LL SEE THAT THOSE WHO ARE UNAWARE, WE'VE GOT A PRETTY HEALTHY MIX OF EITHER AN EXCELLENT OR A VERY GOOD PERCEPTION OF THE CITY. BUT THEN WHEN YOU LOOK TO THE RIGHT OF THAT, UM, IT ALMOST DOUBLES IN TERMS OF THAT LIFT IN THE EXCELLENT OR VERY GOOD PERCEPTION OF AUSTIN HAVING BEEN EXPOSED TO THE ADVERTISING. IT HAS THE SAME EFFECT ON NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS. SO IF YOU LOOK ON THE RIGHT SIDE, YOU'LL SEE THE UNAWARE VERSUS AWARE, AND YOU'LL START TO SEE THAT NEGATIVE PERCEPTION SHIFT OR SHRINK, EXCUSE ME. THEN WHEN IT COMES TO TRAVEL INTENT, SO THOSE WHO RECALLED SEEING, UH, VISIT AUSTIN ADS, THIS SIGNIFICANTLY BOOSTED THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THOSE TRAVELERS WERE GOING TO VISIT AUSTIN REPORTED IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS. SO YOU'LL SEE THAT BY 122% OVERALL, THE AD AWARE DEMONSTRATED BEING MUCH MORE LIKELY TO VISIT THE CITY. AND THIS WAS JUST A CALL OUT THAT, UH, THE VENDOR, UH, SHARED WITH US IN THE REPORT THAT JUST SAID THAT BELIEF THAT AUSTIN HAS A STRONG MUSIC AND CREATIVE CULTURE GROWS EVEN MORE WHEN TRAVELERS WERE CALLED ADS INDICATING THAT VISIT AUSTIN'S [00:20:01] ADVERTISING IS ACCENTUATING THE STRENGTH OF THE CITY. UM, WE THOUGHT THAT WAS WORTH CALLING OUT BECAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE HERE TO DO. UM, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO SEE THAT THAT'S COMING THROUGH FROM THE RESPONDENTS. WE ALSO REALLY WANTED TO DIG IN TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO BETTER. SO THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES, I'M GONNA SHOW JOBS TO BE DONE. ONE THING THAT WE SEE HERE IS THAT PERCEPTION AS A FAVORABLE LEISURE DESTINATION COMPARED TO SOME IN OUR COMP SET. WE'RE GETTING OUT, UM, KIND OF OUTPACED BY NASHVILLE, DENVER, AND NEW ORLEANS. UM, TOM, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS DATA LAST WEEK, HE BROUGHT UP A GOOD POINT THAT THIS IS REALLY BEFORE WE EVEN GET TO SEE THE IMPACT OF IN INCREASED SPEND, THANKS TO THE TID. SO THIS IS A METRIC THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE KEEPING AN EYE ON OVER, UH, FUTURE WAVES TO SEE IF WE'RE ABLE TO INFLUENCE THIS. TIFFANY, I WOULD ALSO ADD JUST YOUR, YOUR RESULTS FROM THIS LAST SUMMER. TID WASN'T IN PLACE FROM THE ADDED CAMPAIGN. YEAH, THAT WAS STRICTLY ONLY HOT BECAUSE WE HADN'T RECEIVED OUR FIRST, WE DIDN'T RECEIVE THE FIRST TID CHECK TILL OCTOBER ONE, SO THAT WAS ALL HOT RELATED TO ADVERTISING. YEAH, THANK YOU. WE WERE, WE WERE DEPLOYING SOME OF THE STRATEGIES THAT WE WERE EXCITED ABOUT FOR TPID, BUT DIDN'T REALLY SEE THE, THE REALITY OF THAT, OF THAT INVESTMENT UNTIL KIND OF THE END OF THAT FLIGHT. OTHER JOBS TO BE DONE. THERE WERE A COUPLE OF PERCEPTIONS, UM, THAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE IMPROVE. ONE OF THEM BEING AUSTIN AS A GOOD PLACE FOR FAMILIES. AND WHEN I TALKED TO THE TOP OF THE PRESENTATION ABOUT EXPANDING TO DIFFERENT AUDIENCE SEGMENTS, FAMILY IS A SEGMENT THAT WE ARE LEANING INTO. AUSTIN HAS A GOOD VALUE AND THEN EASY TO GET AROUND. UH, I WANNA ALSO SHARE, WHEN I TALK ABOUT TOUCHING EVERY CORNER OF THE CITY, THIS IS A BRAND NEW PROGRAM, UM, THAT WE DEPLOYED WITH EXPEDIA THAT WE'RE CALLING THE NEIGHBORHOOD CAMPAIGN. AND THIS WAS CUSTOM CREATIVE UNITS DEVELOPED FOR FIVE DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS TO DRIVE TRAFFIC TO THOSE SPECIFIC REGIONS. AND SO IF A USER IN ONE OF OUR SOURCE MARKETS IS LOOKING FOR A HOTEL, SO MAYBE THEY'RE LOOKING FOR A COMPETITIVE, UH, DESTINATION, MAYBE THEY'VE LOOKED AT AUSTIN IN THE PAST THREE TO SIX MONTHS BUT HAVEN'T CONVERTED. NOW THEY'RE GOING TO BE SERVED UP AN AD FOR THE DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS ACROSS AUSTIN AND THEN GO TO A DEDICATED LANDING PAGE THAT'S CALLING OUT THE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU CAN EXPECT THERE. SO FOR EXAMPLE, YOU SEE STAY NORTH FOR SPORTS AND SHOPPING. THEN BELOW THAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ONLY T ID DISTRICT HOTELS THAT ARE WITHIN THAT REGION OF THE CITY. SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE KIND OF PUSHING THAT INSPIRATION ACROSS THE DIFFERENT POCKETS OF THE CITY. THE EARLY RESULTS ON THAT, UM, THIS CAMPAIGN JUST LAUNCHED, BUT AFTER THE FIRST TWO WEEKS, WE SAW AN ATTRIBUTED ALMOST 9,000 HOTEL ROOM NIGHTS WITH A HOTEL REVENUE OF $1.2 MILLION. AND THAT WAS IN TWO WEEKS. SO THIS IS A CAMPAIGN THAT WE'RE DEFINITELY GOING TO KEEP AN EYE ON TO DETERMINE IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD SCALE. INTERNATIONAL WAS ONE OF THOSE NEW AND NECESSARY, UM, UH, ASSETS THAT I TALKED ABOUT. AND I WANNA SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE ARE DOING IN MEXICO. WE'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO HAVE A DEDICATED TEAM REPRESENTING US IN THAT MARKET. MEXICO IS THE NUMBER ONE INTERNATIONAL IN INBOUND DESTINATION FOR TEXAS, YET WE DIDN'T HAVE THE RESOURCE TO REALLY INVEST AND REALLY MAKE A, A, MAKE AN IMPACT THERE. OUR COMPETITORS WERE THERE, DALLAS IS THERE, HOUSTON IS THERE, THEY KNOW THE VALUE OF THIS MARKET. AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE USING THIS TIME TO DEMONSTRATE AUSTIN AS A WELCOMING DESTINATION FOR MEXICAN VISITORS. AND IT'S REALLY PAYING OFF. SO WE HAVE, UH, A TEAM, UH, CALLED, UH, PTG, WHO IS OUR PARTNER WHO SITS IN MEXICO CITY AND IN GUADALAJARA WHO'S REPRESENTING US ALSO IN MONTEREY. WE'VE HAD SOME VERY EARLY EARNED MEDIA WINS WITH COVERAGE IN, UM, SOME TOP MEXICAN, UH, PUBLICATIONS SUCH AS THE US TRAVELER, THE HAPPENING LEISURE AND LUX. WE HOSTED MEDIA FROM TRAVEL AND LEISURE FROM FOOD AND WINE, MEXICO, AND THE HAPPENING DURING THE MLS ALL-STAR FAM. AND WE'RE EXPECTED TO SEE SOME OF THEIR STORIES BREAK BY THE END OF THIS YEAR. WE HAD TWO, UH, INFLUENCER COLLABORATIONS. THOSE VIDEOS ARE NOT PLAYING FOR US RIGHT NOW, BUT THE CALL OUT HERE IS THAT BOTH OF THESE DROVE TREMENDOUS, UH, IMPACT AND TREMENDOUS VISIBILITY IN THE MEXICO MARKET, AND REALLY DEMONSTRATED FOR US WHAT THE PENT UP DEMAND WAS IN THAT MARKET FOR AUSTIN, BECAUSE WE ARE NEW NEWS. UM, THEY KNOW HOUSTON, THEY KNOW SAN ANTONIO, THEY KNOW DALLAS, AUSTIN IS THAT EXCITING NEWS IN THE MARKET, AND THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE MORE CONNECTED WITH ADAM MEXICO AND WITH VEEVA. UM, BUT THIS WORK, OVER THE [00:25:01] TIME THAT IT WAS RUNNING, OUR DIGITAL DIRECTOR CAME OVER TO ME AND SHE WAS LIKE, WHAT IS HAPPENING IN MEXICO? AND I WAS LIKE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS WRONG? THE SPANISH LANGUAGE LANDING PAGE OF OUR WEBSITE JUMPED TO THE NUMBER ONE VISITED LANDING PAGE OVER THAT PERIOD. SO WE KNOW THAT THE MESSAGE IS RESONATING AND WE KNOW THAT WE'RE MAKING AN IMPACT AMONG THE MEXICAN VISITOR. I MENTIONED THE FIRST EVER, UH, MEETINGS ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN. AND WITH THIS VIDEO, UM, THIS IS OUR BRAND NEW VIDEO THAT'S CALLED MEET MORE AUSTIN. AND THE SPIRIT OF THIS CAMPAIGN IS THAT, UM, ESPECIALLY RIGHT NOW DURING THE CLOSURE YEARS, AUSTIN IS YOUR CANVAS. THE WHOLE CITY IS YOUR CANVAS FOR A MEETING PROFESSIONAL TO PLAN ACROSS OUR DIFFERENT HOTEL PRODUCT, BECAUSE WE'VE GOT THE INVENTORY, WE'VE GOT SOME MEETING ROOM SPACE, WE'VE GOT THESE UNEXPECTED VENUES. AND AUSTIN IS A DESTINATION THAT HAS KNOWN HOW TO DO THIS. WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 40 YEARS WITH SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST. AND SO WE'RE INSPIRING MEETING PLANNERS TO TAKE SOME RISK AND GET CREATIVE WITH HOW THEY GO ABOUT THE CITY, WHILE ALSO SELLING THE NEW CONVENTION CENTER. UM, THAT I'LL SHARE, OR TOM WILL SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE DEMAND THAT WE'RE ALREADY SEEING FOR THAT SPACE. THIS VIDEO, UM, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR LIVE MUSIC DNA THREADS THROUGH EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, EVEN ON, EVEN ON THE MEETINGS AND EVENTS SIDE. SO, UM, YOU WILL HEAR A TRACK THAT WE LICENSED FROM LOCAL MUSICIANS, THE BROS FRESH, AND WE ALSO INVITED THE BROS TO BE OUR VOICEOVER FOR THIS CAMPAIGN. SO I'D LOVE TO SHARE IT WITH YOU, AUSTIN, WHERE EVERY MEETING COMES WITH MORE FROM HOTELS TO ROOFTOPS DESIGN YOUR SESSIONS ACROSS THE CITY WITH THE FIRST EVER ZERO CARBON CONVENTION CENTER OPENING IN 2029. YOU'LL HAVE MORE ATTENDEE ENGAGEMENT WITH MORE AUSTIN FLAVOR ALONG THE WAY. THIS IS HOW OUR CITY CONNECTS. WE'LL GIVE YOU OUR BEST AUSTIN WELCOME PLAN YOUR MEETING, WHETHER IT'S MORE TO EXPERIENCE MEET MORE AUSTIN. SO THAT SPIRIT OF MORE AUSTIN IS GOING ACROSS ALL OF OUR DIGITAL ADS, UM, OUR PRINT ADS AND TRADE PUBLICATIONS. AND WE'RE INVESTED DEEPLY IN LINKEDIN CAMPAIGNS. UH, THIS JUST LAUNCHED IN AUGUST, BUT WE'RE EXCITED TO CONTINUE MONITORING THE RESULTS. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON THE ADVERTISING SIDE BEFORE I HAND OVER TO TOM TO GIVE MORE MARKET UPDATES? I THINK IF WE COULD JUST KEEP GOING. GREAT. WE'LL SAVE THE QUESTIONS TO THE END. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANKS AGAIN FOR HAVING US TODAY. SO I THOUGHT, I, I THOUGHT I'D SHARE THIS SLIDE WITH YOU 'CAUSE I THINK IT'S PRETTY POWERFUL. IT REALLY GOES BACK FROM 1990 TO 2023, AND IT SHOWS YOU THE NUMBER OF JOBS AND TOURISM, AND IT SHOWS YOU THE HOTEL TAX COLLECTION HERE IN AUSTIN. IF YOU LOOK AT THE TWO BLUE BARS, THAT'S WHEN THE CONVENTION CENTER WAS BUILT. WHEN THE CONVENTION CENTER WAS EXPANDED. THE GREEN BARS ARE MAJOR HOTELS. SO THE FIRST ONE IS OBVIOUSLY WHEN THE HILTON WAS BUILT. YOU SEE THE CLIMB AFTER THAT. AND THEN YOU SEE THE THREE LATER, WHICH ARE THE JW MARRIOTT, THE, UH, FAIRMONT AND THE AUSTIN MARRIOTT DOWNTOWN. AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IF YOU GO FROM 2014 TO 2025, THAT 10 YEAR PERIOD THE HOTEL TAX GREW IS BY 300% OVER THAT 10 YEAR PERIOD. AND IT'S BECAUSE WE HAD AN OPERATING CONVENTION CENTER, AND IT'S BECAUSE WE IMPROVED OUR HOTEL CAMPUS AROUND THE CONVENTION CENTER, AND WE BECAME A MUCH BIGGER MEETINGS DESTINATION. SO, AND YOU THINK ABOUT THAT, THAT'S WHEN WE FILL HOTEL ROOMS SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. WE HAVE GREAT TOURISM ROOM NIGHTS ON THE WEEKENDS. THIS IS THAT SUNDAY THURSDAY PATTERN ALONG WITH BUSINESS TRAVEL. SO WE BUILT THIS REALLY STRONG MEETING SEGMENT FOR DOWNTOWN AND WE'VE SEEN THIS 300% GROWTH. SO BACK IN, SO BACK IN 2014, THERE WAS ABOUT $7 MILLION THAT WENT TO ARTS AND INHERIT ARTS. ABOUT 2% WENT TO HERITAGE. NOW IN 2025, WE'RE SEEING OVER $20 MILLION, INCLUDING THE LIVE MUSIC FUND, GO TO ARTS. AND THE SAME THING GOING TO HER HERITAGE. NOW, I WILL TELL YOU, WHEN I LOOK AT THE FUTURE, UM, AND THE, WITH THE CONVENTIONAL EXPANSION THAT WILL DRIVE MORE HOTEL ROOM NIGHTS FOR OUR MARKETPLACE, I THINK HAVING THE T PIT IN PLACE AS WE BUY AND INCENTIVIZE BUSINESS FOR HOTELS, AS WE DO MUCH LARGER ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS, WE WE SECURE MORE SPORTS BOOKINGS. WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO SEE THE HOTEL TAX GROW, WHICH MEANS THE 15% FOR ARTS AND HERITAGE WILL CONTINUE TO GROW BECAUSE WE HAVE MEETINGS BUSINESS ABOUT ONE OUT OF EVERY THREE ROOM NIGHTS THAT COMES INTO AUSTIN IS GROUP RELATED. SO WE WANT TO KEEP THAT SEGMENT STRONG. WE'RE GONNA SEE, UH, MORE ADVERTISING SPEND BECAUSE OF THE TID AND WE'RE GONNA SEE MORE SPORTS BOOKINGS, IN-HOUSE BOOKINGS, ET CETERA. AND THEN YOU THINK ABOUT AIRBNB IN FULL COLLECTION OF AIRBNB THAT'S ALSO GONNA GROW THE HOTEL TAX. ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE DO AT THE VISIT AUSTIN BOARD MEETING, EVERY BOARD MEETING, THE FIRST THING WE DO IS WE GO THROUGH THE QUARTERLY, UH, PROJECTION, THE QUARTERLY, UH, COLLECTIONS, EXCUSE ME, OF THE HOTEL TAX. WE KNOW HOW THAT IS VITAL [00:30:01] TO THE CITY. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TAKE PRIDE IN JUST GROWING THE HOTEL TAX IS WE KNOW THAT BENEFITS, YEAH, VISIT AUSTIN, THE CONVENTION CENTER, BUT ARTS AND HERITAGE ESPECIALLY, WE KEEP OUR EYE ON THAT PRIZE ALL THE TIME. SO YOU'VE SEEN THIS, THIS, THIS TIMELINE ABOUT THE CONVENTION CENTER. WE STARTED TEARING IT DOWN IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR. THIS IS THE FIRST ZERO CARBON CONVENTION CENTER IN THE WORLD. UM, WE HAVE, UH, I SPOKE AT THE MUSIC COMMISSION. I SAID WE HAD 14 BOOKINGS. AS OF THIS WEEK, WE HAVE 15 BOOKINGS FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER. WE HAVE 64 TENTATIVES. AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT WE'VE ONLY REALLY BEEN ABLE TO CONTRACT FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS. 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THE FINAL DETAILS ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE EXHIBIT HALLS, THE MEETING SPACE, THE BREAKOUT ROOMS, AND ALL THOSE THINGS. SO WE COULDN'T REALLY DO A CONTRACT. WE NOW CAN GO OUT AND START CONTRACTING THIS BUSINESS, AND WE HAVE SEVERAL, I WOULD CALL ABOUT A DOZEN MORE VERBAL DEFINITIONS THAT ARE TRYING TO GET TO THE FINISH LINE AND SIGN THEIR CONTRACTS WITH US. SO WE EXPECT TO TAKE THAT NEXT LEAP PRETTY SOON. BUT THERE IS A LOT OF DESIRE TO, TO USE THIS BUILDING. 40% OF THE BOOKINGS THAT ARE HOLDING DATES IN OUR BUILDING ARE LARGER THAN COULD HAVE FIT IN THE PREVIOUS BUILDING. SO THIS IS A LOT OF NEW BUSINESS COMING TO AUSTIN. SO, UH, IT'S WORKING. WE'RE VERY EXCITED. I MEAN, FOR ME, THIS IS TIME TO MOVE FORWARD. WE HAVE TO, WE CAN'T SIT STILL ON THIS BUILDING. WE HAVE TO MOVE FORWARD. WE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, BRING IT TO OUR FUTURE AND HAVE THIS, UH, OPPORTUNITY FOR AUSTIN, UH, TO NOT DO, TO NOT DO DOING. SO TO NOT HAVE THIS BUILDING WOULD, WOULD BE DETRIMENTAL TO OUR TOURISM INDUSTRY, IN MY OPINION, SECONDARILY ONLY TO WHAT COVID WAS. AND, UM, SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE, WE GET THIS, WE ALREADY HAD THIS PROJECT STARTED. WE'RE ALREADY DIGGING THE HOLE. WE ALREADY BOUGHT STEEL. WE'RE ALREADY POURING THE FOUNDATION, BUT WE'VE GOTTA FINISH IT IN LATE 2028 SO WE CAN PUT MORE BUSINESS IN IT STARTING IN 2029. UM, SO LOVE, TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE ABOUT THE CONVENTION CENTER, ABOUT WHAT ELSE VISIT AUSTIN'S DOING OR THE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN THAT, THAT TIFFANY TALKED ABOUT. THANK YOU, MR. NUNAN. DOES THIS CONCLUDE THE PRESENTATION? I KNOW YOU HAVE A COUPLE MORE SLIDES HERE REGARDING THE, THE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT FOR TOURISM, AS WELL AS TALK ABOUT THAT. OKAY. YEAH. FIRST, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. GREAT. SO, YOU KNOW, WE PASSED HERE AND HAD YOUR SUPPORT FOR THAT, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, 20% OF THAT T PIT, AS YOU KNOW, IS USED FOR BUYING CONVENTION BUSINESS AS WELL AS TAKING CARE OF THE CENTER. WHY IT'S DOWN OR TAKING CARE OF THE CITY, WHY THE CENTER IS DOWN. UM, YOU KNOW, EVENTUALLY 20% OF THIS TPI WILL GO TO HELP THE CITY WITH ITS HOMELESS, UH, SERVICES. AND SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE, THE BENEFIT THAT THAT COMMUNITY IS GONNA SEE FROM THE TI 60% OF THE TID IS USED FOR ADDITIONAL SALES AND MARKETING CAMPAIGNS. UH, 10% IS WHAT WE CALL FOR THE HIP PROGRAM, WHICH IS THE HOTEL INCENTIVE PROGRAM TO HELP HOTELS BUY, UH, AND INCENTIVIZE BUSINESS COMING INTO THEIR OWN HOTELS. IT GOES TO THE, THOSE INCENTIVE CHECKS GO TO CUSTOMERS. AND THEN THE LAST PART IS RESEARCH AND ADMINISTRATION. SO THIS HAS LEVELED OUR PLAYING FIELD WITH AUSTIN, WITH OUR COMPETITIVE SET. WE USED TO HAVE ABOUT HALF THE BUDGET OUR PEERS HAD. NOW WE HAD THE SAME KIND OF BUDGET THAT PLACES LIKE SAN ANTONIO, DALLAS, HOUSTON, DENVER, NASHVILLE, PLACES LIKE THAT. WE NOW HAVE THE SAME LEVEL OF ADVERTISING SUPPORT AND BUDGET TO, TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN HERE IN AUSTIN. SO AGAIN, 72, BUT IT'S NOW 15 AND, AND 64 I THINK. SO LET'S CALL THAT 69 PIECES OF BUSINESS, 40%, WHICH NOT A FIT IN THE BUILDING, WHICH IS A GREAT, AND THE, THERE'S THE PERCENTAGE THAT I TALKED ABOUT THE 60 20, 10 10. AND THEN JUST SO YOU KNOW, WE, WE PUT TOGETHER WHAT WE CALL THE TWENTY FIVE THIRTY COMMITTEE. IT WAS A SERIES OF SALES AND MARKETING EXECUTIVES IN THE HOTEL BUSINESS AS WELL AS, UM, THE CONVENTION CENTER, OUR TEAM, DESTINATION MANAGEMENT COMPANIES, ANYBODY INVOLVED IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY. WHAT'S THE BEST PLAN FOR US TO USE THE TPID WITH OUR BUDGET DURING THE CLOSURE YEAR. SO WHAT ARE WE DOING BEFORE 25? WHAT ARE WE DOING BETWEEN 25 AND 30 AND HOW WE SELL IN THE CITY FROM 20 AND 30 AND BEYOND? AND WE PUT TOGETHER KIND OF A MARKETING PLAN. AS YOU KNOW, WE TURN OUR MARKETING PLAN INTO THE CITY EVERY YEAR FOR THE HOTEL TAX BUCKET. THIS IS OUR MARKETING PLAN, BASICALLY FOR THE TPI THAT WE BRING FORWARD EVERY YEAR. THANKS. THANKS MR. CHAIR FOR REMINDING ME OF THESE LAST SLIDES. OF COURSE. AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, NOW IF ANY COMMISSIONERS HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THE PRESENTATION, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. COMMISSIONER CHAP. HEY, TIFFANY AND TOM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING BACK. I REMEMBER LAST YEAR WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS PLAN, SO I THINK FIRST AND FOREMOST, UM, GREAT JOB. KUDOS ON THE EXECUTION. IT'S GOOD TO SEE, UH, A SMART [00:35:01] ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN EXECUTED VERY WELL. SO CHEERS TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM AND YOUR LEADERSHIP FOR THAT. GOOD TO SEE, UM, AND KEEP INVESTING IN IN WHAT WE'RE DOING. RIGHT? YOU GUYS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB. UM, MY QUESTION IN TERMS OF BALANCING RIGHT ON THE, THE EXPOSURE TO THE VIDEOS, RIGHT? WE KNOW GOOD MARKETING WORKS, AND SO IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ALREADY HAVE YOUR PLAN GOING FORWARD TO ALMOST BETA TEST THOSE TWO THINGS, RIGHT? IT'D BE GOOD TO SEE SOME OTHER THEMES COMING THROUGH OTHER THAN AUSTIN IS GOOD FOR, ITS, ITS MUSIC CULTURE, WHICH I THINK RIGHT, IS GREAT, BUT WE'RE BEATING IT TO DEATH. SO IT WAS GOOD TO SEE THE NEAR NEXT ROUND. SO YOU HAD ADDITIONAL KIND OF POINTS OF INTEREST TO REALLY CAPTURE AUSTIN AND ITS HOLISTIC VISION. UM, I GUESS TO BE STRAIGHTFORWARD, WHAT'S YOUR ASK FROM THIS COMMISSION BODY TODAY? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT, THAT, THAT THIS ORGANIZATION VISIT AUSTIN, COMES IN FRONT OF THE TOURISM COMMISSION A COUPLE TIMES A YEAR AND KEEP YOU UPDATED. UH, 'CAUSE YOUR, YOUR JOB IS TO ALSO CONSULT WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ABOUT WHAT TOURISM'S DOING FOR THE CITY. SO WE WANT TO KEEP YOU INFORMED, NUMBER ONE. UH, NUMBER TWO, WE JUST WANTED TO UPDATE YOU AND OBVIOUSLY THE NEWS BROKE LAST WEEK ABOUT THE CONVENTION CENTER, THE PETITION. SO I WANTED TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE ABOUT THAT. UM, BUT THAT WAS NOT, THAT WAS NOT ON OUR PLAN. WE WERE, YOU KNOW, WE WERE PLANNING ON MEETING LONG BEFORE THAT, BUT THINGS CHANGED BETWEEN FRIDAY AND TODAY. SO WE WANTED TO BE HERE FOR THAT. UM, SO WE, WE JUST THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. WE ALSO WENT IN FRONT OF THE MUSIC COMMISSION ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO FOR THE SAME REASON TO MAKE SURE THEY KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING AS WELL. SO I THINK, UM, NO, MY ONLY SUGGESTION WOULD IS I DON'T THINK FOLKS KNOW HOW COLD BARTON SPRINGS IS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I WANNA VISIT AUSTIN LOOK QUITE WELCOMING. AND I THINK THAT, SO I LOVED YOU LEFT SOME SURPRISES IN THERE, RIGHT? WE'RE NOT GIVING EVERYTHING OUT AT, AT ONCE. NO, I THINK MY COMMENTS TODAY, RIGHT? GOOD JOB. WE'VE SMARTLY INVESTED IN THIS. YOU'RE EXECUTING AT AN EXTRAORDINARY LEVEL. UM, I WOULD SAY CONTINUE TO DO THAT. AND WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU. I THINK ONE OF THE FUN NEW THINGS THAT WE'RE SPENDING TIME ON IS CULINARY EVEN MORE THAN WE ALWAYS DID BEFORE. AND THE WHOLE MICHELIN GUIDE AND WHAT THAT'S DOING FOR US IS WE'RE, WE'RE SEEN AS THE CULINARY CAPITALIST STATE OF TEXAS NOW, RIGHT? UM, WHICH IS A GREAT THING TO HAVE. WE ALWAYS KNEW WE HAD A GREAT CULINARY COMMUNITY HERE, BUT IT'S NICE TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THOSE RESTAURANTS, OUR LEGACY RESTAURANTS, YOU KNOW, THE RESTAURANTS THAT ALL NIGHTS HAVE LOVED FOR A VERY LONG TIME. BUT IT JUST GIVES US THEIR, LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW WE'RE A CULTURAL TOWN. WE KNOW WE'RE A MUSIC TOWN, WE KNOW WE'RE A TECH TOWN, A FILM TOWN, BUT WE'RE ALSO THIS AMAZING CULINARY TOWN TOO. RIGHT. NO FAN. AGAIN, FANTASTIC JOB. I THINK. THANK YOU TELLING THE STORY OF WHAT IS AUSTIN IS WHAT WE'RE ALL HERE FOR, AND SHOWING HOW THAT INVESTMENT IMPACTS THIS TOWN DIRECTLY AND WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO WITH THOSE DOLLARS AND THE BENEFIT THAT IT HAS. SO THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER CHAPEL. COMMISSIONER MASTERS. HI. THANK YOU. AND I'D LIKE TO ECHO COMMISSIONER, UH, CHAP'S, KUDOS OF HOW GREAT THE WEBSITE LOOKS AND THE MARKETING AND THE FEEDBACK THAT YOU'RE RECEIVING. UM, AND IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE A LOT OF GREAT DATA ON WHAT IS DRIVING PEOPLE TO COME HERE AND WHAT WE MAYBE NEED TO DO BETTER. UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY FEEDBACK FROM VISITORS ON WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE MEETING THEIR EXPECTATIONS? UM, IN PARTICULAR, WE HAVE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS HERE ABOUT WHETHER WE'RE STILL KEEPING AUSTIN WEIRD OR WHETHER OR NOT WE STILL ARE MEETING EXPECTATIONS AS THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. DO WE HAVE, DO YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE ANY DATA ON WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE ARE WANTING TO COME BACK AND ARE ARE SEEING WHAT THEY'RE HEARING? WE ARE, YEAH. I THINK THAT THE, UM, THE DATA POINT THAT WE GOT FROM THIS LATEST STUDY AROUND, UM, EXPOSURE TO ADVERTISING KIND OF BOLSTERING OUR EQUITY THAT WE HAVE AS THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD WAS HELPFUL IN TERMS OF, UM, LIKE SPECIFIC POST VISIT, UM, ANALYSIS. WE DON'T HAVE, UM, RESEARCH THAT'S GOING BACK OUT TO VISITORS, BUT ONE THING THAT WE ARE SEEING IS THAT WE DO SEE, UM, REPEAT BUSINESS. WE DO SEE, FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE MEETING SIDE, IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE, UH, 35 TO 40% OF PEOPLE WHO COME HERE FOR BUSINESS AND FOR MEETINGS, EXTEND THEIR STAY. UM, THAT'S COMPARED TO AN INDUSTRY AVERAGE OF LESS THAN 15%. UH, SO PEOPLE WHO GO FOR MEETINGS, EVENTS, AND BUSINESS REASONS IN OTHER CITIES DO THEY STAY OVER. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, THE SENTIMENT THAT WE'RE HEARING WHEN WE'RE GOING OUT AND TALKING TO TRAVEL, TRADE AND THINGS LIKE THAT, WE, WE AREN'T NECESSARILY HEARING THAT WE'VE LOST, UM, ANY OF THAT. BUT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, DEFINITELY KEEPING AN EYE TO THAT. OUR BLOG CONTENT IS ALSO EXTREMELY RICH, UM, AND CURATED GOING INTO ALL OF THE DIFFERENT KIND OF PILLARS OF THE CITY. AND THAT WAS ALSO SET TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS, UM, AND AI BECAUSE NOW WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THEM AS A TARGET AUDIENCE AS WELL, TO MAKE SURE THAT VISIT AUSTIN INFORMATION IS BEING SOURCED. UM, BUT ON THE WHOLE, UH, THE VISITOR FEEDBACK THAT WE DO SEE, WHETHER IT'S THROUGH OUR VISITOR CENTER AND THINGS LIKE THAT, HAS BEEN POSITIVE, BUT WE CAN'T GET COMFORTABLE, RIGHT? LIKE, WE HAVE TO KEEP BEING OUT THERE AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE KIND OF TOUTING EVERYTHING THAT [00:40:01] AUSTIN STANDS FOR. I MEAN, WE'RE, WE'RE ALWAYS SEEN AS ONE OF THE HOT DESTINATIONS IN AMERICA. AND I THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING AS A COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF JUST OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, LIKE THE Q TWOS AND THE MOODS AND THE, AND THE, YOU KNOW, UT UH, STADIUM EXPANSION AND THE CONVENTION CENTER, WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE AIRPORT? WHAT'S GOING ON WITH RAINY STREET, WATERLOO GREENWAY, WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH SIXTH STREET? AND IF YOU LOOK AT US AS A DESTINATION, EVERYTHING YOU'D WANT, EVERY MAJOR ASSET YOU'D WANT FROM A DESTINATION WHERE IT'S EITHER NEW, RELATIVELY NEW BEING REBUILT, UM, OR BEING EXPANDED. AND, UM, AND THEN WE HAD THIS CULINARY MESSAGE. IT'S, WE'RE, WE'RE HARD TO COMPETE WITH. WE'RE GONNA GET A LOT HARDER TO COMPETE WITH. AND THAT'S, WE LIKE THAT A LOT. I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S, WE'RE WE'RE GETTING BETTER AS A DESTINATION, UH, ACROSS THE BOARD FROM BOTH A LEISURE PERSPECTIVE AS WELL AS A MEETING'S PERSPECTIVE. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER, MASTERS, UH, COMMISSIONER, UM, MATHIS. HI TOM. SO GOOD TO SEE YOU TODAY. UM, AND I WANNA THANK YOU FOR, UM, COMING HERE AND SHARING THE RESULTS OF THESE, UH, MEDIA CAMPAIGNS, OUTSTANDING JOB. UM, AND I REALIZE THAT THE LENS, UM, THAT A LOT OF US IN THE ROOM ARE LOOKING AT, UM, IS WHAT THIS MEANS AS FAR AS HOT TAX. AND THAT IS SO IMPORTANT. I THINK THAT WE CAN ALL AGREE EVERY MONTH WE HAVE ANOTHER VISITOR THAT COMES IN TO SPEAK WITH US. NO ONE IS SAYING, WOW, WITH YOUR HUGE SURPLUS OF FUNDS AND MONEY, YOU KNOW THAT WE HAVE SO MUCH, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN WHAT WE NEED. IT. IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A NEED EVERY MONTH FROM, FROM THE VISITORS THAT COME IN AND SEE US HERE. UM, BUT ALSO BECAUSE I WORK IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY, WHAT IS ON MY MIND IS HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS FOR AUSTIN'S JOBS. I MEAN, I THINK HOSPITALITY IS THE FOURTH LARGEST EMPLOYER IN AUSTIN. UM, AND, AND IT'S SUCH A WIDE BIRTH OF DIFFERENT SORTS OF PROFESSIONALS THAT COME TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. IT'S THE ACCOUNTANT, BUT IT'S ALSO THE COLLEGE STUDENT WHO IS WAITING TABLES. AND WE ARE THE CULINARY CAPITAL AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO SUPPORT THESE SOM AND THESE GREAT, YOU KNOW, CHEFS THAT ARE DELIVERING THIS GREAT CUISINE. UM, AND A LOT OF THAT IS OUR VISITORS. YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN SOME OF THE RESTAURANTS THAT ARE CLOSE TO THE CONVENTION CENTER, THEY CLOSE DOWN. SO, UM, I'M JUST DELIGHTED TO SEE THE RESULTS OF THESE CAMPAIGNS. I RECOGNIZE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR THE WHOLE CITY WITH THE HOT TAX, BECAUSE WHAT WILL WE DO IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT CONVENTION CENTER COME BACK? LIKE, ARE WE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, START DOING A TACO TAX? YOU KNOW, WE CAN HAVE A BARBECUE TAX? HOW WOULD WE MAKE THAT UP? UM, AND IT'S JUST SO KEY TO HAVE PEOPLE COME HERE AND ENJOY AUSTIN, TO KEEP THESE JOBS HERE, UM, AND TO GROW THAT. UM, SO THANK YOU FOR BEING SUCH DILIGENT, RESPONSIBLE STEWARDS OF THIS TPI MONEY. I LOVE SEEING AUSTIN WIN LIKE THIS. AND IT IS FUN HOW WE ARE BECOMING A LITTLE TOUGHER OF A COMPETITOR FOR OUR, UH, OUR, OUR, OUR COMPETITIVE MARKET AS FAR AS CONVENTIONS ARE. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THAT YOU DO. IT MEANS MORE THAN JUST HOT TAX, IT'S JOBS. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER MATHIS, UH, COMMISSIONER PRUIT. UM, LOOK AS EVERYONE ELSE ON THE COMMITTEE. THANK YOU FOR, UM, YOUR TIME AND ALL OF THIS, UH, GREAT INFORMATION ON WHAT YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON. I NOTICED, UM, ONE OF THE OBSTACLES THAT YOU NOTICED OR THINGS THAT YOU COULD DO BETTER WAS IN RELATION TO TRANSPORTATION. UM, I'M CURIOUS, UM, IF YOU COULD SPEAK MORE TO THE SPECIFICS OF THOSE OBSTACLES AND POTENTIALLY LIKE HOW YOU MIGHT BE MOVING FORWARD. 'CAUSE I KNOW, UM, WHEN MY PARTNER AND I TRAVEL, LIKE THAT'S THE FIRST THING THAT WE WANNA KNOW IS LIKE, HOW GOOD ARE THE BUSES? WE REALLY DON'T WANNA RENT A CAR. UM, AND SO THAT IS A BIG, UM, HIGHLIGHT FOR US IS IF, IF THE CITY IS EASY TO GET AROUND IN AND AFTER LIVING HERE FOR 20 YEARS, IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE AUSTIN IS EASY TO GET AROUND IN. BUT I'M ALSO NOT A TOURIST, SO I'M KIND OF GOING ALL OVER THE PLACE INSTEAD OF SAYING CENTRAL. BUT I'M CURIOUS YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT AND WHAT YOU'VE SEEN ON THAT. THE FIRST THING I WOULD SAY ABOUT 'EM, PLEASE WEIGH IN MM-HMM . UM, THE FIRST THING I WOULD SAY IS, YOU KNOW, YOU THINK ABOUT OUR TOURISM DISTRICTS, MOST OF 'EM ARE, MOST OF IT IS A LOT OF IT'S DOWNTOWN. THEY'RE NEAR EACH OTHER. SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, GETTING UBERS GETTING AROUND OR WALKING OBVIOUSLY, AND, YOU KNOW, GUNNING RUNNING ON THE TRAILS AND ALL THOSE KINDA THINGS. SO WE DO HAVE, WE HAVE A VERY CONDENSED TOURISM PLATFORM FOR THE MOST PART. BUT I THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT DESTINATIONS, YOU LOOK AT DESTINATIONS AND TO YOUR POINT THAT HAVE GREAT TRANSPORTATION IS A HUGE ASSET. AND I KNOW THAT WE'RE WORKING ON THAT, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE GOTTA CONTINUE TO STRIVE FOR AS A CITY AS BETTER COMMUNICATION OR BETTER, EXCUSE ME, TRANSPORTATION ALL THE TIME. OBVIOUSLY LOVE WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE AIRPORT. WE KNOW THAT I 35 AND THE WORK'S GONNA BEING DONE THERE AND OBVIOUSLY THERE'S THE LIGHT RAIL CONVERSATION, BUT WE NEED TO KEEP PUSHING FOR BETTER TRANSPORTATION [00:45:01] SYSTEMS IN OUR COMMUNITY. UH, IT'S JUST GREAT CITIES HAVE GREAT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. AND SO IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, WE AS A COMMUNITY NEED TO KEEP WORKING ON. AND FROM A MESSAGING STANDPOINT, I MEAN, WE CAN'T WAVE A WAND AND MAKE AN AD AND LIGHT RAIL UP HERE, FOR EXAMPLE, BUT WHAT WE CAN DO IS KIND OF PLAY TO OUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR INSTATE COMPETITORS AROUND WALKABILITY. UM, A LOT OF TIMES WHAT WE'RE SHARING WITH VISITORS IS, YOU KNOW, YOU LAND AT THE AIRPORT WHERE YOU CAN MAYBE GRAB SOME LOCAL FOOD, HERE'S SOME LIVE MUSIC. AS SOON AS YOU STEP OFF THE PLANE, ONCE YOU FINISH YOUR 20 MINUTE UBER RIDE, YOU DON'T NECESSARILY NEED A CAR FOR THE REST OF THE TIME. YOU KNOW, AND YOU THINK ABOUT LIKE, OUR ACCESS TO THE BUTLER HIKING BIKE TRAIL AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND SO THOSE ARE WHAT WE WOULD CONTINUE TO SPOTLIGHT, UM, SO THAT WE CAN START TO PUT A DENT INTO THAT PERCEPTION AROUND AUSTIN NOT BEING EASY TO GET AROUND AS THE INFRASTRUCTURE CATCHES UP WITH US. YEP. YEAH, I WOULD SAY THANK YOU THAT, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES IN TEXAS, WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE REALLY GREAT UM, ACCESS TO THINGS. SO, UM, I APPRECIATE THAT PERSPECTIVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GREAT QUESTION. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER PRUITT, VICE CHAIR BAILEY. UM, TOM INDULGE ME, I, THIS IS A SIDE QUESTION, BUT WHAT, WHAT YEAR DID YOU ASSUME THE CEO POSITION AND COME TO AUSTIN TO, TO LEAD VISIT AUSTIN? UH, MAY OF 2016. 2016. COULD WE, AND COULD WE PUT THAT CHART BACK UP THAT SHOWS THE, THE, THE GROWTH, THE, THE ONE THAT HAS THE 1990 TO 2, 203 COLLECTION, HOT COLLECT COLLECTION? I'M JUST, WHAT I, WHAT I, I WAS CONFERRING WITH COMMISSIONER PENOC OVER HERE THAT IT WAS 2012 WHEN WE HAD THE FIRST GRAND PREM LOOKING AT THE HOCKEY STICK OF WHAT HAPPENED. WHAT, I MEAN, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE HOTELS, BUT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT OTHER THINGS. AND THE YEP. THE THREE THINGS THAT I HAD IN MY QUESTION LIST OVER HERE WAS THE IMPACT OF THE AIRPORT, THE IMPACT OF CODA OPENING. AND, AND I'M GONNA GIVE, I'M GONNA THROW YOU ON THE LIST OF, WE HAVE A SHIFT IN LEADERSHIP, NEW PERSPECTIVES, NEW STRATEGIES, NEW WAYS TO GO TALK TO THE CITY ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT THIS INDUSTRY IS. RIGHT. AND, YOU KNOW, THE, I WAS ALSO HERE FOR, I WAS ALSO HERE FOR 20 AND 21, SO KIDDING. . WELL, YEAH, WE ALL, WE ALL LIVE THAT. SO WE ALL GET A, WE ALL GET A BUY ON THAT PERIOD. WE ALL GET, WE ALL GET A BREAK. BUT I JUST, I WAS REALLY WANTING TO EMPHASIZE THAT. I THINK THAT IN ADDITION TO THE HOTEL SUPPLY INCREASING AND THAT IS A DIRECT DRIVER FOR OUR HOTEL TAX RE RECEIPTS, I, I ALSO KNOW THAT THE, THE COMMUNITY HAD SOME BIG CHANGE SHIFTS AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HAD, YOU KNOW, HAVING NEW LEADERSHIP IN THIS TYPE OF POSITION IS IMPORTANT. 'CAUSE WE KIND OF HAD, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN HERE A WHILE, SO I KNOW IT WAS A SHIFT FOR SURE IN THINKING AND IN THE CONVERSATION ABOUT, UH, TOURISM'S ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY AND THE FACT THAT WE EVEN HAVE THIS COMMISSION THAT EXISTS TODAY, IT DIDN'T EXIST BACK IN THE DAY. SO THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF IS IMP INCREASED AS THE HOTELS HAVE INCREASED, AS WE'VE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A, AN ATTRACTION LIKE THE GRAND PRIX AND THE DAKOTA HERE TO SERVE THAT. AND I WOULD ALSO, AND, AND I, I GUESS THE LAST QUESTION I HAD, OTHER THAN THOSE STATEMENTS, AND THANKS FOR INDULGING ME ON THE DATES, IS HOW DOES THE, THE, THE AIRPORT IS NOT REALLY IN THIS CONVERSATION. IT'S MUCH MORE DRIVEN AROUND, BUT HOW IS THE AIRPORT AND, AND THE, I WOULD SAY EVEN SOME OF THE AIRLINES IMPACTING THE GROWTH. I MEAN, WHAT, I MEAN, GOT, GOT A GREAT STORY TO TELL YOU ABOUT THAT. SO, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE MOVED IN FROM THE MID MIDDLE SIZE CATEGORY TO THE LARGE SIZE CATEGORY AIRPORT IN AMERICA. UM, AND WE HAVE REALLY OUTGROWN OUR CURRENT FACILITY. AND OBVIOUSLY WE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE EXPANDING IT. BUT WHEN YOU SEE AIRLINES LIKE DELTA AIRLINES SAYING, I'VE GOTTA HAVE NINE NEW GATES AND SOUTHWEST AIRLINES SAYING I NEED TO HAVE NINE NEW GATES. OH, BY THE WAY, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES IS GONNA HAVE MORE FLIGHTS OUT OF AUSTIN THAN THEY OUT OF, OUT OF HOUSTON AND OR DALLAS. I MEAN, UH, AND I, YOU KNOW, I THINK ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH 148,000 JOBS IN TOURISM, JUST OUR LARGER COMMUNITY, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GROW OUR AIRPORT AND BECOME KIND OF THAT THIRD HUB IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, WHICH IS WHERE I THINK WE'RE HEADED. UM, AND THAT'S JUST GONNA BE, UH, A GREAT ECONOMIC ENGINE FOR US. AND THEN WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS AIRPORT EXPANSION, AND, AND TIFF'S DOING A LOT OF WORK WITH THE AIRPORT ON THIS, BUT MORE INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS FOR AUSTINITE, SO THEY CAN GO TO EUROPE AND THEY CAN GO TO THE PLACES NONSTOP. AND THAT'S, THAT'S GREAT TOO. AND, AND BRINGING MORE INTERNATIONAL FOLKS INTO OUR MARKETPLACE. YEAH, WE'RE GROWING DOMESTICALLY, AND THAT'S AWESOME. I WILL TELL YOU, THE INTERNATIONAL AND MEXICO AND ALL THOSE THINGS WE'RE WORKING ON IS THE FUTURE OF WHERE WE'RE GONNA BE MARKETING MORE. UM, WE HAVE A REP FIRM IN EUROPE. WE HAVE A REP FIRM IN MEXICO. IF WE GO TO ASIA, I IMAGINE WE'LL PROBABLY JUST [00:50:01] FOLLOW THAT SAME PATTERN THAT WE'VE DONE BEFORE. UM, SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO, UM, TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO GROW OUR AIRPORT AND, AND THAT THE IMPACT IT'S HAVING ON THE COMMUNITY. THANKS FOR HAVING THAT. THE CONVERSATION I WOULD ALSO ADD, WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THE FESTIVALS OR A MAJOR DRIVER LIKE YOU TALKED ABOUT, AND NOW WE'RE EVEN SEEING LIKE UT GOING TO SEC FOOTBALL AND, YOU KNOW, I KNOW IT'S KIND OF A TOUGH CONVERSATION TODAY, BUT I MEAN, THE REALITY IS, I MEAN, UM, YOU, YOU START TO SEE PEOPLE COMING IN FOR THREE DAY WEEKENDS VERSUS DRIVING DOWN FOR THE DAY AND GOING BACK. SO WE'RE SEEING OTHER DEMAND GENERATORS THAT ARE COMING IN OUR MARKETPLACE, YOU KNOW, MEXICO, MARKET FOOTBALL GAMES, YOU NAME IT. RIGHT. THANK YOU THAT I, I KNEW THERE WAS MORE TO THIS STORY AND THAT CHART NEEDS, THEY DESERVES SOME MORE COLOR COMMENTARY, SO THANK YOU. MM-HMM . ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, HEARING NONE. I WANTED TO ALSO ADD, I I REALLY APPRECIATE VISIT AUSTIN'S, UM, CONTINUED ADVOCACY FOR THE TOURISM ECONOMY HERE IN AUSTIN AND THE GREAT WORK THAT'S BEING DONE TO PROMOTE AUSTIN AS A NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION. I THINK FOR THE LONGEST TIME, SINCE I MOVED HERE IN 2021, WE'VE BEEN KIND OF IN THIS MIDDLE TIER PHASE AND WE'RE REALLY TRANSITIONING INTO A LARGER CITY, UM, AND, UH, INTERNATIONAL ONE AT THAT. AND WITH THAT, I REALLY DO WANT TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF PROJECT CONNECT CONNECTING THE AIRPORT TO DOWNTOWN AUSTIN. MM-HMM . UH, AND NOT ONLY FOR OUR TOURISM, UM, OUR TOURISTS RATHER, BUT ALSO FOR THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT WORK AT THE AIRPORT AND WHO ARE THE FIRST PEOPLE ON THE LINE WELCOMING A TOURIST TO OUR CITY, RIGHT? AND SO IT'S REALLY IS A JOB CENTER. AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, AS I LEAVE THIS COMMISSION AFTER THIS MEETING, UH, THAT FOLKS ON, UM, THIS COMMISSION ALSO, UM, SEE THAT IMPORTANT CONNECTION TO THE AIRPORT AND HOW IT REALLY HELPS BUILD OUR, UM, LOCAL TOURISM ECONOMY. AND THAT SAID, UH, PASSENGER RAIL AS WELL, . SO ANY EFFORTS TO SUPPORT PASSENGER RAIL IN TEXAS AS WELL AS PUBLIC TRANSIT ARE, UH, ARE VERY GOOD. SO WITH THAT HEARING, UH, NO ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS, I'D LIKE TO THANK MS. KERR AS WELL AS MR. NEWTON TODAY FOR THEIR PRESENTATION. AND, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING. THANK HAPPY TO BE HERE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR FEEDBACK. THANK YOU. AND IF YOU HAVEN'T GONE TO OUR NEW VISITOR CENTER, PLEASE GET OVER THERE. CERTAINLY. WONDERFUL. MOVING [3. Presentation by Rally Austin regarding the work of the city-sponsored non-profit organization to maintain cultural spaces across Austin to the benefit of Austin tourism. Presentation by David Colligan, Chief Operating Officer.] ON TO, UH, TOPIC DISCUSSION ITEM, TOPIC NUMBER FOUR. UH, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM BOTH, UH, MR. DAVID COLLIGAN, CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER, AS WELL AS, UH, THERESA ALVAREZ, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF RALLY AUSTIN, FORMERLY THE AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPING CORPORATION. UH, FEEL FREE TO COME AND STEP UP TO THE DAIS. AND FOR THOSE OF YOU IN PAPER LAND, IT'S THE PURPLE PACKET IF YOU'D LIKE TO FOLLOW ALONG. OKAY. EITHER OR. OKAY. CHAIR, I HAVE A QUESTION. UH, WE WERE ASKED TO BE HERE FOR, TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, CORRECT? WE WEREN'T PLANNING YES, CORRECT. OKAY. UM, , SORRY, I, I SPACED OUT A LITTLE BIT. I WAS LIKE, WELL, UH, SO WHAT I WANTED TO DO WAS, UM, OF COURSE, UH, WE HAVE MR. COLLIGAN COMING BACK, UM, UH, TO THE COMMISSION. UH, HE PRESENTED LAST MEETING THIS PACKET IN FRONT OF YOU. SO I AM GOING TO, AND I SHOULD HAVE EXPLAINED THIS, APOLOGIES, I WANTED TO OFFER, UM, THE OPPORTUNITY IF ANYONE HAD ANY QUESTIONS WITH REGARD TO THIS PROPOSED, UM, PACKAGE, UH, CONCERNING THAT WE HAVE, UH, TWO RECOMMENDATIONS TO GET THROUGH, INCLUDING THAT OF THE, THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER, AS WELL AS THE, UM, RALLY AUSTIN BOND, UH, PACKAGE PROPOSAL. UM, SO IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS, UH, IT SEEMS LIKE WE HAVE ONE QUESTION FROM COMMISSIONER PRUITT. UM, FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR, UM, EXTENDED CONTRACT FOR ANTONES. UM, GOOD WORK THERE. I SAW THAT POSTED IN THE CHRONICLE LAST WEEK, AND, UM, IT WAS VERY, UH, EXCITING. UM, AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR THAT AND THE WORK THAT Y'ALL DID ON THAT. UM, MY SECOND QUESTION, I TOOK SOME TIME TO GO LOOK AT YOUR, UM, THE KIND OF THE RALLY AS AUSTIN WEBSITE. UM, I DO APPRECIATE YOU ALL GIVING OPPORTUNITIES FOR, UM, KINDA LIKE TOWN HALL MEETINGS AND HAVING THE COMMUNITY AVAILABLE TO COME TO THOSE. UM, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAD, UM, THAT DIDN'T, WASN'T REALLY ANSWERED IS, I'M CURIOUS HOW YOU ALL DEFINE CREATIVES. THAT'S SUCH A WIDE SCOPE, UM, AND BEING A CREATIVE MYSELF, UM, I FIND THAT A LOT OF TIMES, UM, PEOPLE ARE [00:55:01] LEFT OFF THAT LIST OR FORGOTTEN. UM, SO I'M JUST CURIOUS, UM, HOW YOU ALL, UM, ARE DEFINING THAT AND THEN ALSO JUST AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND ARE SENDING FUNDING TO ALL THESE DIFFERENT PLACES, LIKE WHO, WHO COMPROMISES THOSE GROUPS? YES. I'M TERESA ALVAREZ, CEO, AND PRESIDENT OF RALLY AUSTIN. THANK YOU FOR THAT, UH, QUESTION. SO I'LL, AND I'LL START BY SAYING THAT WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF REVAMPING OUR WEBSITE, AND SO THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT MORE, UM, DETAIL ABOUT OUR PROJECTS WITH TIMELINES, UM, INCLUDED THERE. SO I, BUT I DO APPRECIATE YOU GOING TO THE WEBSITE, UM, TO LOOK, AND WE HAVE BROADLY DEFINED, UM, THE TERM CREATIVES, UM, THROUGH OUR CULTURAL TRUST ADVISORY COMMITTEE. WE'VE INCLUDED, UM, MUSIC, DANCE, VISUAL ARTS, ARCHITECTS, UM, I MEAN, WE'VE, WE HAVE A VERY BROAD, BROAD LIST. UM, AS A FORMER DANCER MYSELF, I'M VERY SAD THAT I DON'T HAVE A DANCE COMPANY TO TALK ABOUT AS ONE OF THOSE INVESTMENTS. UM, BUT THERE ARE THEATERS, THERE'S, UM, ARTISTS, WE JUST HAD AN ARTIST, THE ARTS COMMISSION JUST NOMINATED, UH, A PAINTER TO OUR BOARD. UM, SO I WOULD SAY THAT IT'S VERY BROADLY, UM, IT'S A, IT'S A BROAD TERM, AND SO WE HA WE'VE TRIED VERY HARD TO BE AS INCLUSIVE AS POSSIBLE AND NOT EXCLUDE ANYBODY. AND SO, UM, I WASN'T SURE IF THERE'S A CERTAIN, UH, SECTOR YOU WERE SPECIFICALLY ASKING ABOUT. UM, I MEAN, SPECIFICALLY I FEEL LIKE, UM, IN THE LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD, AS YOU SAID, DANCERS, THE PERFORMING ARTISTS THAT ARE NOT MUSICIANS TEND TO KINDA GET PUSHED TO THE, THE BACK END OF THE LINE. UM, AND THEN ALSO VISUAL ARTISTS AS WELL. SO I APPRECIATE THAT THAT'S IN THAT SWATH. UM, BUT MY MAIN CONCERN HAVING BEEN A FORMER EVENT AND STAGE MANAGER IS LIKE OUR AUDIO ENGINEERS, OUR LIGHTING DESIGNER, DESIGNERS, OUR CREW, UM, BECAUSE AFTER THE PANDEMIC, THOSE JOBS WERE JUST LIKE DECIMATED. UM, AND THERE WAS A LOT OF, UM, UH, NEGATIVE FEEDBACK ON THE CITIES, UM, AVAILABLE, KINDA LIKE GRANTS AND FUNDING, RIGHT? UM, AUDIO ENGINEERS WERE DENIED FUNDING FOR THOSE THINGS BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T CONSIDERED ARTISTS AND THEY WEREN'T CONSIDERED CREATIVES. BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER. RIGHT? SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE'RE, UM, PROVIDING THESE RESOURCES FOR THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY, THAT IT'S NOT JUST PEOPLE ON THE STAGE, BUT IT'S ALSO THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE STAGE. SO ABSOLUTELY, I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO SEE THEM SPECIFICALLY WHEN YOU GUYS ARE, HAVE THAT DEFINITION THERE SPECIFICALLY LISTED THAT'S GONNA ALLOW YOU, UM, A LOT OF TRUST AND A LOT OF FAITH FROM THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE, ARE BUILDING THOSE EVENTS. YEAH. AND OUR, OUR INVESTMENTS ARE, UM, HAVE BEEN TO, FROM A REAL ESTATE PERSPECTIVE, SO I DO BELIEVE THE ANTONE'S, THE HOLE IN THE WALL EMPIRE OF THOSE SURE. IT INCLUDES ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE, RIGHT? WE TRY TO ADDRESS THE WHOLE ECOSYSTEM, RIGHT, OF, OF JOBS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN, IN THOSE INVESTMENTS. YEAH. THANK YOU. OF COURSE. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER PRUITT, ARE THERE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR THOUGHTS REGARDING THE PRESENTATION FOR THE BOND PROPOSAL? HEARING NONE. UM, THANK YOU. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON AND WE'RE GONNA COME BACK TO THE RECOMMENDATION. OKAY. UM, SO IF YOU COULD SIT TIGHT FOR A SEC, WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU IN THE ROOM STILL. UM, THANK YOU TO OUR SPEAKERS, MR. COLLIGAN, AS WELL AS MS. ALVAREZ. [6. Approve a recommendation to Council for the Council to continue Austin Convention Center construction project.] NOW, UM, CHAIR'S PREROGATIVE. I'M GOING TO, UH, MOMENTARILY PUT A PAUSE ON AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE, MOVING, UM, FIVE AND SIX DIRECTLY. MOVING TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, UM, TO APPROVE THE PROPOSED RECOMMENDATION TO COUNSEL FOR THE CONTINUATION OF THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER CONSTRUCTION. THIS WAS EMAILED TO YOU, UM, LAST WEEK, UH, FOR YOUR REVIEW AND, UH, CONSIDERATION. AND, UH, WITH THAT, IS THERE A PROPOSAL TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS RECOMMENDATION? I PROPOSE THAT WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE SO MOVED BY COMMISSIONER PEN, PEN. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. SO SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER WEBB. UH, DISCUSSION. ANY THOUGHTS, UH, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER? HEARING NONE, UH, WE SHALL MOVE ON TO A VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE RECOMMENDATION FOR CONTINUATION OF AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER CONSTRUCTION. THE RECOMMENDATION NUMBER 2 0 2 5 1 1 1 2 WHICH NEEDS TO BE UPDATED TO 1 1 1 7, PLEASE SAY AYE. A AYE RECOMMENDATION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY, UH, TO CONTINUE, UH, THE AUSTIN CENTER, UH, CONVENTION CENTER CONSTRUCTION. THANK YOU. MOVING [7. Approve a recommendation to Council to approve the Rally Austin bond proposals for the 2026 bond election.] ON TO THE APPROVAL OF THE RECOMMENDATION TO COUNSEL TO APPROVE THE RALLY AUSTIN BOND [01:00:01] PROPOSALS FOR THE TWO, EXCUSE ME. YES, THAT WAS UNANIMOUS. THAT WAS UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU, MS. BUREN, UH, AGAIN REPEATING. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, UH, APPROVE A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL TO APPROVE THE RALLY AUSTIN BOND PROPOSALS FOR THE 2026 BOND ELECTION. DO I HAVE A PROPOSAL TO, UH, APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION FOR ENDORSEMENT OF RALLY AUSTIN BOND PROJECTS? SO APPROVED, EXCUSE ME. SO PROPOSED BY COMMISS CHAPEL . DO I HAVE A SECOND? SO, SECONDED BY, UH, VICE CHAIR ED BAILEY, DISCUSSION QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER? HEARING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. I IS ABOUT PAST IS UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, . UH, AND [4. Discussion regarding the Tourism Commission Board vacancies.] NOW WITH THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, MOVE FORWARD BACK TO DISCUSSION ITEM NUMBER FIVE, DISCUSSION REGARDING THE TOURISM COMMISSION BOARD VACANCIES. UM, FIRST OFF, I WANT TO WELCOME, UM, OUR NEWEST MEMBER OF THE COMMISSION, UM, CISCO, FORGETTING YOUR LAST NAME, EZ GOMEZ. EZ EZ, UM, WHO I MET FOR COFFEE ON FRIDAY AND WAS REALLY EXCITED TO WELCOME TO THE COMMISSION. UNFORTUNATELY, WE'RE LIKE SHIPS PASSING IN THE NIGHT AS THIS IS MY LAST MEETING, AND THIS IS HIS FIRST. SO I WANTED TO GIVE HIM AN OPPORTUNITY TO WANNA INTRODUCE HIMSELF AND THEN ALSO A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF ALL OF US SO HE CAN BECOME BETTER ACQUAINTED WITH THE COMMISSION. GO AHEAD. OKAY. HI, MY NAME IS FRANCISCO GOMEZ. UM, BUT CISCO IS FINE, OR WE'RE GONNA BE KNOWING EACH OTHER HERE ON THE, ON THE BOARD. UM, I HAVE A BACKGROUND IN COMMUNICATIONS MEDIA. I'VE, UH, UH, WORKED FOR OVER A DECADE AT KXN, UM, IN THE, A LOT OF THAT WAS DOING, UM, PROMOTING A LOT OF THINGS THAT WERE AUSTIN DURING THAT TIME ARE STILL AUSTIN, HOPEFULLY. AND, UM, INCLUDING SOME, UH, COOL STUFF, UH, THAT'S STILL GOING ON. SO, UM, I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THIS. I WANTED TO BECOME MORE CIVICALLY ENGAGED. UH, I DID LEADERSHIP AUSTIN AND HISPANIC CUSTOM LEADERSHIP AND, UH, LOOKED FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, VOLUNTEER AND PARTICIPATE. SO, SO HERE I AM. THANK YOU. WELCOME. IF, IF, UM, COMMISSIONER CHAN, IF YOU'D LIKE TO START JUST TO GIVE CISCO AN IDEA OF WHO'S ON THE COMMISSION. MY NAME'S GREG CHAN. I'M AN ATTORNEY IN AUSTIN. I DO A LOT OF, UM, HOTEL DEVELOPMENT WORK, UM, AND ALSO ON VISIT AUSTIN BOARD. UM, BEEN ACTIVE IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IN AUSTIN FOR, I DON'T KNOW, 30 YEARS. SO I THINK IT'S REALLY, I THINK TOURISM IS A BIG DRIVER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND, UM, AND JUST GETTING OUR CITY NOTICED. COMMISSIONER MATHIS. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. CHAIRMAN. HI, I'M STEPHANIE AND I'M A DIRECTOR OF SALES FOR A HOTEL HERE IN AUSTIN. SO NICE TO MEET YOU. COMMISSIONER WEBB. I'M DAN. UH, I CAME TO AUSTIN AS A TOURIST IN 2010 AND MOVED HERE SIX MONTHS LATER, WHICH IS EITHER A SUCCESS STORY OR FAILURE FOR AUSTIN TOURISM, DEPENDING YOUR PERSPECTIVE. UH, I, I, I'VE, UH, BEEN HERE 15 YEARS, WORKED IN STARTUPS, THINGS LIKE THAT. ACTUALLY, NOT A LOT OF CAREER EXPERIENCE IN TOURISM, APART FROM, I LOVE TO TRAVEL AND BEEN ALL OVER THE WORLD, BUT EXCITED TO, TO BE ON THE COMMISSION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER WEBB, VICE CHAIR BAILEY. UM, HI. I'VE BEEN, UH, I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN TOURISM MOST DIRECTLY FOR MOST OF MY CAREER. UM, I SPENT MANY YEARS IN ADVERTISING. I HAD AN AMUSEMENT PARK AND RESORT AS A CLIENT AND THAT, AND THEN I WAS IN CLEVELAND AND I HELPED OPEN THE ROCK AND ROLL OF FAME. SO I SAW WHAT A BIG PROJECT THAT, WHAT THAT DOES TO A CITY. AND I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO MOVE TO AUSTIN AND I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN AUSTIN CITY LIMITS FOR MOST OF MY TIME HERE. AND THIS FESTIVAL AND THE PLACE ACROSS THE STREET HAVE BEEN PART OF THE OUTPUT OF THE WORK. AND, UH, IT'S ALL ABOUT BUILDING A BETTER AUSTIN AND, UH, HAVING A GREAT TIME FOR EVERYBODY WHO LIVES HERE AND VISITS US. SO, WELCOME. THANK YOU. VICE CHAIR BAILEY. COMMISSIONER PIAN. HELLO, UH, I'M ANNA PIAN. I'M WITH CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS AND I WAS APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR TO BE ON THE TOURISM COMMISSION AND JUST HAPPY TO HAVE YOU JOIN THE BOARD. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER POSI AND COMMISSIONER PRUITT. HI. WELCOME. UM, DANNY PRUITT, UM, SERVING FOR DISTRICT THREE, JOSE VELAZQUEZ DISTRICT. UM, MY BACKGROUND IS AN EVENT AND STAGE MANAGEMENT. I'VE BEEN IN AUSTIN FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS. UM, I'VE WORKED IN VENUES ALL OVER TOWN, [01:05:01] UM, MOST NOTABLY BASS CONCERT HALL IN THE LONG CENTER. UM, SO I UNFORTUNATELY DON'T DO THAT ANYMORE, UM, AFTER THE GREAT PANDEMIC, UM, CURRENTLY IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT, UM, AT A TECH COMPANY. UM, BUT I DID WANT TO USE MY EXPERIENCE AND MY SKILLS, UM, AND MY COMMUNITY, UM, TO BE ABLE TO REPRESENT THEM HERE, UM, FOR THE HOT TAX AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AS AUSTIN GROWS THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THEY'RE TAKEN CARE OF AS WELL. PEOPLE STILL WANNA SEE THE ARTS. . THANK YOU COMMISSIONER PER COMMISSIONER CHAPEL. YEAH, PLEASURE TO MEET YOU, CISCO. IT'S GREAT TO HAVE ANOTHER, UM, AMBASSADOR OF ALL THINGS AUSTIN ON THE DAAS. I'M A FORMER MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT AND HEALTH TECH EXECUTIVE. KIND OF A STRATEGY OPERATIONS APPROACH TO THINGS. SO WE LIKE TO MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE, UH, UM, ALL OUR PRODUCTION FOLKS THAT THEY'RE INCLUDED AS WELL. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER CHAPPEL, COMMISSIONER MASTERS. HI AND WELCOME CHRISTINA. UM, I AM APPOINTED FOR DISTRICT 10, SO WEST NORTHWEST AUSTIN. UM, I WORK FOR THE STATE LEGISLATURE FOR MY SINS, AND, UH, A LOT OF MY WORK TENDS TO BE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND I AM ALSO A LEADERSHIP AUSTIN ALUM. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER MASTERS, UH, WELCOME CISCO. REALLY APPRECIATE YOU STEPPING UP, UH, FOR D ONE, UM, TO THE TOURISM COMMISSION. IT'S CERTAINLY A RIDE. AND ALL YOUR FELLOW COMMISSIONERS WILL, UH, UH, BE SURE TO WELCOME YOU TO YOUR NEW ROLE AS A MEMBER OF THIS COMMISSION. WELCOME. AND, UM, OF COURSE, YOU'VE MET THE LOVELY MS. BURLESON. OUR, UM, OUR LIAISON, UH, TO THE COMMISSION. MOVING ON CHAIR'S [Update from the Short-Term Rental Working Group on any new reports regarding the STR’s new focus and efforts for recommendations.] PREROGATIVE TO MOVE TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER NINE. UH, AN UPDATE ON THE STR WORKING GROUP. UM, COMMISSIONER CHAPEL. DO WE HAVE AN UPDATE ON THE STR AS WE, UM, SO HAVE THEM, UH, NOT MUCH MORE THAN, UH, TOM HAD MENTIONED THAT WE'RE GETTING THE STR INCOME THROUGH OUR STR INCOME. WE'RE GETTING HOT TAX COLLECTION FROM THE PLATFORMS THAT WILL CONTINUE TO GROW. UM, WE WILL PROBABLY DO ANOTHER UPDATE, MAYBE NEXT MONTH. WE'LL HAVE THE QUARTERLY UPDATES FOR THE NEXT DROP. I ACTUALLY THINK IT MIGHT BE TWO MONTHS, 'CAUSE THEY MIGHT BE A MONTH IN REAR, BUT WE'LL PLAN FOR THAT. AS FOR THE NEXT UPDATE TO DO THE FINANCIALS OF INTAKE, ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS ON THE STR WORK GROUP UPDATE? HEARING [5. Discussion and possible action to modify the road map for 2026 Tourism Commission Meetings.] NONE, WE'LL BE MOVING ON TO DISCUSSION, UH, AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEM NUMBER SIX, THE LAST AGENDA ITEM FOR THIS AGENDA. I WANT TO POINT YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS WORKSHEET THAT WE'VE CREATED, UH, TO HELP YOUR DISCUSSION IN DECEMBER'S MEETING, UH, WITH REGARD TO THE DIFFERENT TOPICS AS WELL AS FOCUS AREAS THE COMMISSION WOULD LIKE TO, UH, FOCUS ON IN 2026. SO NEXT MEETING IS ESSENTIALLY A WORKING SESSION. HOWEVER, IT IS NOT TECHNICALLY A WORKING SESSION. SO IT IS A MEETING THAT'S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, AND YOU'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, ESSENTIALLY SPEAK OPENLY AND, AND CONVERSE AMONG, UH, COMMISSIONERS TO TALK ABOUT THE TOPICS AND, AND AREAS YOU'D LIKE TO FOCUS ON IN 2026. SO I JUST WANTED TO POINT THIS OUT. THESE ARE ALL OF THE PROPOSED DATES THAT ARE, I BELIEVE MS. BURLESON STILL SUBJECT TO APPROVAL FOR 2026. SO TAKE THIS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. UH, TODAY'S MEETING NOTWITHSTANDING, WE USUALLY MEET THE SECOND, UH, WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH. SO THAT IS OUTLINED HERE. UH, IN TIMES PAST, WE'VE TAKEN AN AUGUST RECESS, UM, AND DECEMBER HAS ALSO BEEN UP FOR QUESTION, BUT, UH, USUALLY WE'VE PLAYED THAT BY EAR. UM, PENDING, PENDING IMPORTANT TOPICS OF THE COMMISSION. UH, SO FEEL FREE TO TAKE US HOME, PUT THIS ON YOUR FRIDGE, ON YOUR DESK WHERE YOU CAN SEE IT. UH, ADD SOME IDEAS AND BRING THIS TO THE DECEMBER MEETING WHERE THE VENERABLE VICE CHAIR, UH, AND BAILEY WILL BE HERE TO, UH, LEAD THE MEETING AND, AND, UH, TO HELP, UM, CHANNEL THE DISCUSSION AROUND, UH, FUTURE AGENDA TOPICS AND ITEMS FOR NEXT YEAR. UH, ALSO, I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT NEXT MEETING THERE WILL ALSO BE, UH, ELECTIONS FOR, UH, CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR. UH, SO EVERYONE HERE IN THIS ON THE DIOCESE WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, ELECT YOUR NEW LEADERSHIP. UM, WE HAVE TWO, UM, PROPOSE COMMISSIONERS THAT ARE SORT OF IN THE WINGS, UH, IN D FOUR AS WELL AS D NINE THAT WE'RE AWAITING APPROVAL OF FROM BOTH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VELA, AS WELL AS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ZOE CADRE. AND, UH, SO STAY OUT, UH, SIT, [01:10:01] PAY ATTENTION, UH, I GUESS FOR THE UPDATES ON THAT. UM, HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD SOON TO HAVE THOSE COMMISSIONERS PLACED, UM, IN JANUARY, UH, ONE, WHICH WILL BE MY REPLACEMENT FOR D NINE. UM, COMMISSIONER CHEN, I SEE YOU HAVE A QUESTION. THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU, DANIEL, FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THE TOURISM COMMISSION AND ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND KEEPING US ON ON THE RIGHT PATH. DID, DID A GREAT JOB. HERE. HERE. I WAS GONNA SAY THIS, I WAS GONNA SAY THE SAME THING. THANK YOU, DANIEL. WELL, YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE, AND YOU'VE GOT SOME BIG SHOES TO FILL. ARE, WILL YOU BE LEAVING YOUR GAVEL BEHIND? UH, YES. AND ACTUALLY THANK YOU FOR PROMPTING THE CEREMONIAL HANDOVER OF THE GAVEL THAT I HOPE TRAVELS WITH THIS TOURISM COMMISSION EVERYWHERE IT MAY GO. AND IMPORTANT ISSUES, TOURISM AND OTHERWISE HERE ON THE COMMISSIONS AS I PASS IT TO OUR VICE CHAIR. ED BAILEY, UM, UH, THANK YOU TO COMMISSIONER CHANIN AND COMMISSIONER IAN FOR THOSE WORDS. ARE THERE ANY MORE WORDS, COMMENTS, QUESTIONS FOR THE GOOD OF, OF THE ORDER BEFORE WE ADJOURN THIS MEETING? THANK YOU, DANIEL. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER . YEAH, I, I JUST WANNA, I GUESS I WANTED TO MAYBE EXPLORE A LITTLE BIT, UM, HOW WE WANT TO APPROACH THE OFFICER IN THE NEXT MEETING. THE OFFICER VOTE IS THERE, IS THERE ANYTHING HOMEWORK WISE OR ANYTHING THAT WE SHOULD DISCUSS? YOU KNOW, I'M HERE BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF WE ALL WANNA JUST HIT THE ROOM ON THE NEXT MEETING DECEMBER AND START IT FROM SCRATCH. SO, I DON'T KNOW. IT'S, I'M JUST THROWING IT UP AS A TOPIC THAT I DON'T KNOW WHO IS REALLY INTERESTED IN POSITIONS. THEY'RE BOTH AVAILABLE UNTIL WE VOTE. I, UH, MY JOB IS TO BE CHAIR FOR ONE MEETING, THAT ONE, AND WE, EVERYBODY HERE IS ELIGIBLE. AND, AND IF YOU WANT TO, TO STEP UP INTO THE, ONE OF THE ROLES, VICE CHAIR AND CHAIR, I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE, HAVING BEEN IN THE SPOT THAT IT'S, ANYBODY IS WELCOME AND WE, WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT FULLY, BUT I, I WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S NOT A FREE FOR ALL. UH, OR IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE GET FRUSTRATED OVER. SO , YOU KNOW, SO JUST THROWING THAT OUT THERE. AND YOU HAVE, SHE IS, YES, YOU HAVE TO CALL HER. UH, THANK YOU VICE CHAIR BAILEY. COMMISSIONER POSI, YOU HAD A QUESTION? UM, YES, I WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO ALSO, UH, BRING UP, UH, I WANTED TO ASK IF ANYONE WAS INTERESTED IN EITHER THE POSITIONS TO KIND OF SPEAK NOW, SO THEN WE KNOW WHO'S INTERESTED IN THE POSITION. UM, I'VE, I'VE GOT, UH, MY HANDS FULL WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT BOARDS AND SUCH, SO I AM, I AM NOT INTERESTED IN EITHER ONE OF THE ROLES, SO I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT OUT THERE. AND I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR THE BOARD IF WE KNEW WHO WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE AND STEP UP FOR EITHER CHAIR OR VICE CHAIR. ALTHOUGH I AM ASSUMING THAT, UM, ED WILL TRANSFER INTO THE CHAIR POSITION. THAT IS MY EXPECTATION. , UH, THANK YOU COMMISSIONER PENOC. IF FOLKS WOULD LIKE TO STATE THEIR INTEREST IN RUNNING FOR EITHER CHAIR OR VICE CHAIR, NOW IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY. HOWEVER, YOU CAN ALSO TELL US NEXT MEETING, UH, , IF THAT'S YOUR PREROGATIVE, I WILL NOT BE HERE. UH, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT BEING A CHAIR OR VICE CHAIR, FEEL FREE TO COME TO, UH, ED OR MYSELF AND WE'RE HAPPY TO SHARE, UH, DIFFERENT, ARE DIFFERENT YET SIMILAR EXPECTATIONS AND, UH, EXPERIENCES. MS. BURLESON, DID YOU HAVE A CLARIFYING QUESTION OR COMMENT? YES. JUST TO CLARIFY THAT THE AGENDA NEEDS TO BE PREPARED AND READY TO GO BY NOON ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4TH. [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS] SO IF YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT NEXT MONTH'S AGENDA NOW, THAT WAY WE CAN HAVE THAT READY TO GO, UM, AS WE CAN FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. THERE'S ONLY TWO TOPICS, RIGHT? THANK YOU. I AGREE WITH THAT. UM, I THINK REALLY THERE ARE ONLY, FRANKLY, THREE AGENDA TOPICS, WELL, FOUR OR FIVE CONSIDERING THE, SO PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES, YOUR UPDATE, MS. BURLESON, AS WELL AS A GENERAL CONVERSATION AS TO THE FUTURE ROADMAP OF THE TOURISM COMMISSION, ITS TOPICS AND ARIES OF FOCUS FOR 2026. AND THEN IN ADDITION, THE ELECTIONS, UH, IT MIGHT BE GOOD TO HAVE THE ELECTIONS BEFORE THE ROADMAP TO SORT OF GET A SENSE OF, UM, WHO IS GOING TO BE LEADING ON THESE, UH, TOPICS, PUTTING [01:15:01] TOGETHER THE AGENDAS, INVITING THE SPEAKERS. YOU'RE REALLY KIND OF PUTTING TOGETHER A RUN OF SHOW FOR THESE MEETINGS THAT CAN ALLOW THE COMMISSIONERS TO BEST PARTICIPATE WITH THEIR QUESTIONS AS WELL AS COMMENTS AND TO HAVE A REALLY GOOD, UH, FLOW OF CONVERSATION ACROSS THE DAAS REGARDING THE SUBJECT MATTER, UM, AT HAND. THAT'S HOW I DID IT, , AND I THINK IT'S, IT'S REALLY HELPED, UH, DRIVE THE CONVERSATION FOR TOURISM AND, UM, BUILD THE DIALOGUE FOR, FOR TOURISM HERE IN AUSTIN. SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO CONTINUE THAT, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY IT'S PROBABLY ABOUT TWO WEEKS OF TWO HOURS OF PREPARATION, UH, THE WEEK BEFORE THE MEETING, AND THEN OF COURSE THE WEEK OF THE MEETING, UM, YOU KNOW, GETTING, GETTING TO CITY HALL AND SERVING ON THE DIETS. VICE CHAIR BAILEY, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A POINT THAT THE, THE WAY THAT THIS ROADMAP DOCUMENT IS WRITTEN OUT, IT KIND OF IMPLIES THAT WE'RE GOING TO DECIDE WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN ON, ON EACH OF THESE MONTHS. WE DO NOT NEED TO DECIDE, WE JUST NEED TO GET THE TOPICS, AND THEN WE NEED TO LOOK INTO THE COMMUNITY AND THE, AND WHAT THE COMMUNITY CALENDAR LOOKS LIKE, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE, THE, THE ONLY STRUGGLE THAT I SAW DANIEL, YOU KNOW, HAVE, AND AS HE BUILT THAT ROADMAP, IS IN SOME CASES THE ABILITY TO EXECUTE THE TOPIC WE WANTED ON A CERTAIN MEETING DATE GOT THWARTED BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WE NEEDED AND WANTED TO STEP UP AND MAKE A PRESENTATION WERE NOT AVAILABLE TO US. SO, I, I JUST WANTED TO REASSURE EVERYBODY HERE THAT IT'S NOT, THOSE, THE DATES ARE NOT IMPORTANT. THE, THE TOPICS ARE IMPORTANT, AND I WOULD DEFINITELY DRAW EVERYONE BACK TO THE ROADMAP THAT WE HAD. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME THINGS LIKE TOM MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, HE THINKS THAT HE SHOULD BE HERE, AT LEAST VISIT US AND SHOULD GIVE A REPORT A COUPLE TIMES A YEAR. I, I AGREE WITH THAT FOR SURE. AND WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER IN PLAY AND UNDER CONSTRUCTION, I THINK THAT WE DEFINITELY WANNA STAY INFORMED. SO OTHER THAN THAT, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOME FRESH TOPICS AND, UH, THE ONES THAT SOME OF US OR ANYBODY HERE FEELS LIKE WE SHOULD BE BEARING DOWN ON THIS ANNUALLY. BRING THAT TO THE TABLE FOR DISCUSSION FOR SURE. THANK YOU. VICE CHAIR BAILEY, UH, WE HAVE A QUESTION FROM COMMISSIONER PRUITT OR COMMENT, AND THEN FOLLOWED BY COMMISSIONER CHAPEL. THANK YOU. UH, BEING NEW TO THE COMMISSION, I HAS THE, THE ROADMAP, I'M SORRY, NOT THE ROADMAP, THE ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2025, IS THAT OUT YET? HAS THAT BEEN PUBLISHED? IS THAT ON WHAT THE ANNUAL MEETING IS? EXCUSE ME. THE ANNUAL INTERNAL REVIEW. THAT'S WHAT IT IS. SORRY. YES, THANK YOU. IS IS FILED IN JULY, IF MEMORY SERVES. YEAH, I'M STILL WAITING FOR THE FINAL TOUCHES. IT HASN'T BEEN SENT TO ME YET. I BELIEVE IT HAS, BUT I WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AFTER THE MEETING. MS. BURSON. THANK YOU. YEAH, SO I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, I, AS PART OF MY PREPARATION FOR NEXT MONTH, I WANTED TO KIND OF SEE WHAT WAS TALKED ABOUT LAST YEAR MM-HMM . AND I JUST HADN'T SEEN THAT ON OUR, ON THE WEBSITE YET. UM, SO I ALSO DON'T KNOW IF I CAN MAYBE GET THE NON-OFFICIAL COPY BEFORE IT GETS POSTED, , IF THAT COULD BE SENT TO ME. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER PRUITT. I'LL BE SURE TO PASS ALONG, UM, THE COPY, WHICH SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN POSTED, SORRY FOR THE, THE MISCOMMUNICATION THERE AND YOU CAN, UH, FREELY VIEW WHAT WE'VE COVERED AS A COMMISSION IN THE PAST YEAR. OKAY. THAT SOUNDS GREAT. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CHAPPEL. DANIEL, YOU'VE BEEN A WONDERFUL CHAIR FOR THIS COMMISSION, SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU. THIS IS, UH, IT'S BEEN A JOY SERVING WITH YOU AND I APPRECIATE YOUR ORGANIZATION AND YOUR RALLYING OF SUPPORT OR WHATEVER, UM, ISSUES ARE GOING ON AND THE WAY THAT YOU HANDLE YOURSELF, UM, RESPECTFULLY ON THIS DAY. SO I WANTED JUST TO COMMENT ON THAT AND JUST SAY THANK YOU. UM, I WISH THAT THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO RUN FOR ASSISTANT TO THE LIAISON OF THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD, BUT THERE'S NOT, THAT'D BE THE ONLY POSITION I WOULD BE LOOKING FOR. . THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. CHAP. I ALSO AGREE IN TERMS OF HAVING TOM AND VISIT AUSTIN HERE, PARTICULARLY WITH, UM, THE CONVENTION CENTER DOWN REALLY, AND ALSO OPENING UP WHAT OTHER OPPORTUNITIES COULD REMAIN AS HEADWINDS GOING FORWARD WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER BEING OPENED. BECAUSE YES, THERE'LL BE A RETURN TO THAT, BUT FOLKS ALSO REALLY ENJOY OFFSITE MEETINGS AND GATHERINGS AS TIED TO THAT. SO I THINK THERE COULD BE A REALLY STRONG CONTINUATION ON A GO FORWARD FOR THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE WHILE THE CONVENTION CENTER'S CLOSED ISN'T NECESSARILY, UH, TEMPORARY PER SE. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER CHAPPEL, VICE CHAIR BAILEY. I JUST WANNA CHASE MY OWN THOUGHTS WITH ONE MORE THOUGHT, AND THAT IS, UM, I THINK WE, WE HAVEN'T AS MUCH AS WE WANTED TO, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD MOVING FORWARD, BE [01:20:01] MUCH MORE ENGAGED WITH HOW THE FUNDS THAT ARE BEING GIVEN TO THE HERITAGE ACCOUNT AND TO THE MUSIC FUND ACCOUNT THAT WE'RE ACTIVELY AWARE OF, AND WHERE THEY ARE IN PROCESS WHEN THEY'RE GIVING THEIR GRANTS AND WHEN THEY'RE, I MEAN, THERE'S A CYCLE FOR HOW THEY DO WHAT THEY DO. I, I, I'M RECOMMENDING THAT WE, SINCE WE ARE A PART OF SENDING THOSE MONIES, AND WE'RE HERE TO HELP ACKNOWLEDGE AND MONITOR HOW THOSE INVESTMENTS ARE SERVING THE TOURISM AND THE HOT TAX IN GENERAL. I JUST WANNA SAY THAT, AND I'M JUST SAYING THAT SO OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF THINGS LIKE THAT. I'M SAYING OUT LOUD WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME. I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU IN THE SIMILAR, SIMILAR FASHION. THANK YOU. VICE CHAIR BAILEY. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, MS. BURLESON. SO JULY 9TH IN OUR WEBPAGE, YOU WILL FIND THE APPROVED ANNUAL REPORT FOR OUR COMMISSION BOARD. THANK YOU. IT HAS BEEN APPROVED AND IT WAS POSTED . THANK YOU FOR THAT FOLLOW UP. APOLOGIES FOR THE CONFUSION. NO, NO WORRIES. GLAD GLAD WE KNOW IT'S THERE. . UH, ONE THING THAT I WANNA, UH, PERHAPS EMPHASIZE AND, YOU KNOW, IF I WERE TO CONTINUE ON THE COMMISSION, I WOULD PROBABLY PUSH FORWARD IS, UM, A MEETING THAT REALLY APPROACHES, UH, TOURISM THAT'S DRIVEN BY IDEAS. JUST THIS PAST WEEK WE HAD THE TRIBUNE FEST AS WELL AS THE TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL. I THINK THOSE ARE REALLY CRITICAL, UM, FESTIVALS AT THIS TIME THAT REALLY BRING A LOT OF FOLKS TO AUSTIN, UH, FROM ALL OVER TEXAS AS WELL AS THE COUNTRY AND EVEN INTERNATIONALLY. UH, I THINK BRINGING IN THE TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL AS WELL AS THE ORGANIZERS OF THE TRIBUNE FEST WOULD BE A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWCASE HOW AUSTIN IS NOT ONLY BECOMING, UH, INTERNATIONAL AND A NATIONAL TOURISM DESTINATION, BUT ALSO A CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT THOUGHT. UM, AND AS REFLECTED NATIONALLY, INTERNATIONALLY, WHICH IS ALSO I THINK, A BIG DRIVER OF, UH, THE AUSTIN BRAND AS WELL AS OUR MUSIC AND, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR VISUAL ART. SO, UH, CONTINUE, UH, EXPLORING THE TOURISM ECOSYSTEM HERE IN AUSTIN. I THINK, UM, I GUESS IF I MIGHT CLOSE THIS OUT HERE, I, UM, REALLY FEEL HONORED TO HAVE SERVED WITH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU ON THE COMMISSION, UH, FOR WHATEVER, UM, LENGTH OF TIME. I, I REALLY DO APPRECIATE THE, THE DIFFERENCES OF OPINION, UM, AND ALSO WHERE WE'VE COME TOGETHER, UM, TO REALLY MOVE AUSTIN AND THE AUSTIN TOURISM ECONOMY FORWARD. I THINK BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ARE IMPORTANT, UH, PLACES FOR OUR DEMOCRACY, FOR ALL OF US TO BE ENGAGED AND TO REALLY SHOWCASE WHAT, UM, CIVIC PARTICIPATION LOOKS LIKE. SO I REALLY, I, I FEEL HONORED AND HAPPY TO HAVE SERVED IN THIS ROLE AND, UM, KNOW THAT WE'RE ALL HERE TO IMPROVE AUSTIN AND, UH, ITS TOURISM ECONOMY. AND, UM, YEAH, I, I JUST AM ALL SMILES AND, UH, PROBABLY CRY LATER. BUT, UH, , IT'S BEEN AN HONOR AND I, I REALLY THANK EVERY ONE OF YOU. THANKS. AND WITH THAT, ED, WOULD YOU LIKE TO, OUR GUESS I WILL. MOTION. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE? UH, EXCUSE ME, A MOTION TO ADJOURN? I MOTION, I, I'VE MOVED. SO A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER IAN. SECONDED. SO SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SHANNON. SO SECONDED ALSO BY SOMEONE ELSE. DID SOMEONE NOT, UH, COMMISSIONER PRUITT. WE'LL DO BOTH. TWO SECONDS . THANK YOU EVERYONE. THIS CONCLUDES OUR MEETING, UH, FOR TODAY, UH, NOVEMBER 17TH OF THE AUSTIN TOURISM COMMISSION MEETING. THANK YOU. OKAY. AND WE HAVE CUPCAKES, SO DON'T LEAVE CAKES FOR ALL. * 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.