* 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. [CC Briefings 02042024] [00:00:08] ALL RIGHT. UH, WHO DO WE START WITH? SARAH, LET'S LET, LET'S START WITH YOU SARAH, WHO, WHO AM INTRODUCE, UH, UM, WELL, I CAN INTRODUCE OUR NEW CHAMBER PRESIDENT. YOU GO AHEAD, BRIAN BONDY. WELL, THAT'S WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO DO IS STAND UP . UH, HELLO, UH, MAYOR, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL STAFF. YES. UM, I'M BRIAN BONDY. I WAS, UH, SELECTED TO BE THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER, UH, BACK IN, UH, THE SUMMERTIME. STARTED AUGUST, NO, SEPTEMBER 16TH. SO, UH, ABOUT 120 DAYS INTO IT. UM, GOT ABOUT, UH, 30 YEARS OF CHAMBER EXPERIENCE UNDER MY BELT, VARIOUS COMMUNITIES. I KNOW YOU'RE LOOKING AT ME AND YOU'RE THINKING, WOW, HE MUST HAVE BEEN 10 WHEN HE STARTED IN THIS JOB. I WAS A VERY YOUNG PERSON. UM, UH, I AM CURRENTLY LIVING IN GRANDBERRY, UH, TRYING TO MOVE TO GRAND PRAIRIE, AND, UH, UNFORTUNATELY THE REAL ESTATE MARKET HASN'T BEEN REAL COOPERATIVE. UH, AS OF RIGHT NOW, THE CHAMBER HAS 654 MEMBERS AND WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO BE HAVING OUR ANNUAL AWARDS GALA THIS COMING THURSDAY NIGHT BEST IN BUSINESS AWARDS. IT'S KIND OF A LITTLE BIT OF A CHANGE FROM WHAT IT'S BEEN IN THE PAST, THOSE COMMUNITY AWARDS, BUT WE REALLY WANNA RECOGNIZE BUSINESSES, SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HOSTING YOU. UH, AND, UH, WE'LL BE OVER AT ASIA TIMES SQUARE WITH A LITTLE BIT OF A CASINO NIGHT THEME. VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. UH, AND OF COURSE, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO STATE OF THE CITY. AGAIN, COMING UP ON MARCH THE SIXTH, WE JUST ORDERED THE INVITATIONS, AND THOSE WILL BE GOING OUT VERY QUICKLY, AND WE'RE EXPECTING ANOTHER TERRIFIC TURNOUT. UM, LATER THIS YEAR, THE CHAMBER'S GONNA BE DOING A COUPLE OF NEW THINGS. UH, ACTUALLY IN FEBRUARY, WE HAVE OUR VERY FIRST, UH, BLACK OWNED BUSINESS EXPO THAT'S GONNA BE AT THE EPIC THAT WE ARE PARTNERING WITH THE CITY ON. WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. KEVIN LOCKS FROM OUR STAFF HAS ALREADY GOT NORTH OF, I THINK, WHAT, 25 EXHIBITS? 25, YES. YEAH. SO, UH, IT'S BEEN REALLY WELL RECEIVED. AND THEN IN MARCH, WE'RE GONNA BE DOING A WOMEN OWNED BUSINESS EXPO AT THE GRAND PRAIRIE YMCA, AND I THINK WE'RE UP TO 15 EXHIBITORS FOR THAT. SO, UH, WE'RE TARGETING BUSINESS AREAS, UH, AND WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE OUR, OUR ORGANIZATION BECOME MORE VISIBLE, UH, MORE, UH, MORE AGGRESSIVE, UH, AND POSITIVE AT THE SAME TIME. SO, UH, Y'ALL PROBABLY KNOW HAILEY, UH, MATSON, UH, SHE IS A VALUABLE MEMBER OF THE TEAM. AS I MENTIONED, KEVIN LOCKS IS A HUGE VALUE TO THE TEAM. AND THEN, UH, CLAUDIA HERMAN, I DON'T KNOW IF CLAUDIA MADE IT YET. WE HAVE AN INTERN FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL THAT, UH, IS PICKED UP AT FOUR 30. UM, HER CURRENT BOARD CHAIR, OR WAS SARAH, CAN YOU TELL BY THE SMILE ON HER FACE THAT SHE'S NOT BOARD CHAIR ANYMORE? UH, AND MARK FORD, UH, WHO HAS HIS FARMER'S INSURANCE AGENCY HERE IN GRAND PRAIRIE IS OUR, OUR NEW BOARD CHAIR, SANDERS, UH, MIKE GARCIA ARE ALL MEMBERS OF OUR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. WE'VE TAKEN SOME TIME AS A BOARD TO, UH, KINDA REALIGN WHERE THE ORGANIZATION IS. THE BOARD CAME UP WITH, UH, SEVEN TO FIND GOALS AT OUR PLANNING SESSION BACK IN OCTOBER. THINGS LIKE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, UH, MARKETING THE CHAMBER, UM, ESSENTIALLY GRABBING THE ORGANIZATION AND TURNING IT INTO A, UH, A MEMBER CENTRIC, MEMBER DRIVEN ORGANIZATION AS OPPOSED TO ALWAYS BEING STAFF DRIVEN. BECAUSE THE MORE WE CAN INVOLVE OUR VOLUNTEERS, THE MORE EFFECTIVE THE ORGANIZATION'S GONNA BE. IT'S A LOT LIKE CITY GOVERNMENT. THE MORE PEOPLE THAT YOU HAVE VOLUNTEERING FOR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, THE MORE EFFECTIVE YOU CAN BE IN GOVERNING. SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE ON THE HORIZON. UM, AND AS ALWAYS, UH, THE DOOR IS OPEN BY OFFICE. IF IT'S CLOSED, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOMEBODY IN THERE, OTHERWISE YOU'RE FREE TO WALK IN AT ANY TIME. THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN MY POLICY IN THIS, IN THIS, UH, FIELD. SO HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TO, UH, FORMALLY INTRODUCE MYSELF AND, UM, YEAH. SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. MAY ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHEN THE NEXT, UM, LUNCHEON WILL BE CHAMBER LUNCHEON. NEXT CHAMBER LUNCHEON WILL BE THE 19TH OF FEBRUARY. IT WILL BE AT THE RJC. WE HAVE A PANEL OF FOUR MARKETING PEOPLE, UM, A BILLBOARD COMPANY, UM, A SPANISH WEB DESIGNER, UH, T LOCAL TV SALESPERSON, AND AN AD AGENCY OWNER KIND OF TALKING ABOUT TOOLS THAT SMALL BUSINESSES CAN USE TO EFFECTIVELY MARKET THEIR BUSINESS WITHOUT HAVING TO SPEND AN ARM AND LEG. AND THEN THE WEEK AFTER THAT, WE WILL ACTUALLY BE CHARTERING A BUS TO AUSTIN FOR GRAND PRAIRIE DAY AT THE CAPITAL ON WEDNESDAY THE 26TH. SO WE'RE, UH, WE'RE TRYING TO BE AN ACTIVE ORGANIZATION, UH, AND REPRESENT OUR MEMBERS' INTERESTS IN THE BEST WAY WE CAN. I SEE IN [00:05:01] THE AUDIENCE, LYNN MCGINLEY, A FARMER HEAD OF THE CHAMBER. UH, THE OTHER DAY SOMEBODY MENTIONED, UM, BETTY MACK, AND I WAS THINKING OF BILL SALLY, WHO WAS CHAMBER OF BOARD PRESIDENT YEARS AND YEARS AGO. BACK UP. SO ANYBODY ELSE? THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. UM, BUT I, UH, GO AHEAD, KELLY. AS YOU COME UP, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER BECKY ADAMS IS NOT PRESENT. SHE WILL NOT MAKE IT, UH, FOR THE EVENING. SO WE'LL BE THE EIGHT OF US TONIGHT. SO KELLY MAYOR, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND START OFF. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS RAY SERTA, I'M THE DIRECTOR OF PARKS ARLINGTON RECREATION. TODAY WE'LL PRESENT A RECAP OF THE 24 20 24 PRAIRIE LIGHTS EVENTS. AS I'M SURE YOU ALL KNOW, OVER THE LAST 19 YEARS IN OPERATION PRAIRIE LIGHTS HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR HOLIDAY EVENTS IN NORTH TEXAS. AND WE WILL AGREE THE VERY BEST PRAIRIE LIGHTS IN 2024. WELCOME TO APPROXIMATELY 148,000 VISITORS INTO THE EVENT FROM MORE THAN 893 CITIES AND 46 STATES THIS YEAR FEATURED A VARIETY OF NEW ADDITIONS WITHIN THE PARK, AS WELL AS OTHER OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT ENHANCED THE GUEST EXPERIENCE AND LED TO A BETTER AND MORE EFFICIENTLY RUN EVENT. WE BELIEVE YOU WILL BE PLEASED WITH ALL THE OUTCOMES AND RESULTS THAT THE TEAM IS ABOUT TO SHARE WITH YOU. YOU'LL SEE THAT WE TOOK NOTE OF EACH OF YOUR COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS, AND HAVE WORKED HARD TO ADDRESS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. AMONG THOSE ARE EXPANDING THE DISTRIBUTIONS AND REDEMPTION, THE RATE OF THE GRAND PRAIRIE RESIDENT COUPON AND INCREASING SPONSORSHIP, JUST TO NAME A COUPLE. I WANT TO THANK THE COUNCIL FOR CONTINUAL SUPPORT OF THIS GREAT EVENT, INCLUDING YOUR APPROVAL TO INVEST IN ADDITIONAL DOLLARS BACK INTO THE YEAR, INTO THE EVENT EACH YEAR. ALL THAT BEING SAID, I'M VERY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THIS YEAR'S EVENTS IS THE MOST PROFITABLE YEAR TO DATE MAINTAINING THE HEALTHY CONDITION OF THE PRAIRIE LIGHT ENTERPRISE FUND. THIS YEAR, WE'LL MARK OUR 20TH SEASON OF PRAIRIE LIGHTS, AND OUR TEAM IS ALREADY EXPLORING IDEAS TO CELEBRATE THIS MAJOR MILESTONE AND LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTINUE IMPROVING UPON THE SUCCESSFUL EVENT. I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE THE TEAM WHO WILL BE PRESENTING TO YOU TODAY, KELLY EDELMAN, EMILY RIS, STEVEN BOWLES, AND JONATHAN THOMPSON. I'D ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE CHRIS MICHALSKI FOR HIS LEADERSHIP ON THIS EVENT, AS WELL AS PAUL BROWN AND JOEY GOMEZ WHO WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE SETUP. AND NOW I'LL TURN IT OVER TO EMILY TO BEGIN THE PRESENTATION. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, EMILY EZ. SPECIAL EVENTS MANAGER. LIKE RAY SAID, UM, PRAIRIE LIGHTS IS ALWAYS A SPECIAL TIME OF YEAR FOR THE COMMUNITY. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO SHARE, UM, EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN 2024. WE WANTED TO RUN THROUGH KIND OF A RECAP OF OUR EVENT DATES. SO EACH YEAR WELCOMES A NUMBER OF PRE-EVENT ACTIVITIES. UM, ONE OF THE NOTABLE ONES THAT WE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT WAS VIP NIGHT. THIS YEAR, UM, WE HAD 65 MEDIA STAFF AND INFLUENCERS, AND THAT'S THE LARGEST MEDIA STAFF AND INFLUENCERS WE'VE EVER HAD AT THIS EVENT. AND YOU'LL SEE THAT THAT REALLY PAID OFF IN DIVIDENDS WHEN WE GET TO THE MARKETING SECTION. UM, THIS YEAR IN PARTICULAR WAS REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE THE WAY THE CALENDAR FELL, UM, WE ACTUALLY LOST FOUR DAYS OF SERVICE BECAUSE WE ALWAYS RUN FROM THANKSGIVING TO NEW YEAR'S EVE. UM, HOWEVER, WE WERE MORE THAN IMPRESSED BY THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT STILL CAME OUT, UM, EVEN LOSING FOUR DAYS AND WE'RE EXCITED TO GAIN AN EXTRA DAY BACK THIS YEAR WITH THE CALENDAR. SO 2024 HAD A LOT OF HIGHLIGHTS AND WE BROUGHT TO YOU EARLIER ON LAST YEAR, UM, AND GOT YOUR APPROVAL ON SOME SIGNIFICANT CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS. TWO OF THE MOST NOTABLE WOULD BE THE BRAND NEW RGB TUNNEL. AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE PICTURE THERE, EXPANSION OF THE OLD TUNNEL AND THE NEW ANIMATED LAND WITH MUSIC, WE HAD A LOT OF CHANGES INSIDE THE HOLIDAY VILLAGE AS WELL. A NEW CONCESSIONS VENDOR THAT WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT. UM, WE WELCOMED A NEW LIGHT TOY VENDOR THAT WAS, UM, HOSTED BY OUR CARNIVAL PROVIDER AND A BRAND NEW WALKTHROUGH. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID THIS YEAR TO TRY AND DRIVE TRAFFIC TO THE EARLIER DAYS OF THE SEASON WERE THEME NIGHTS. SO WE HOSTED DOLLAR HOTDOG NIGHT PARTNERSHIP WITH IKEA AND DOG NIGHT, WHICH WAS BY FAR THE MOST POPULAR TO TRY AND GET SOME ADDITIONAL CARS IN ON THOSE EARLY DAYS. UM, AND NOW WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT MARKETING. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU EMILY. SO FOR THE 2024 SEASON, WE HAD 79 [00:10:01] PIECES OF MEDIA COVERAGE ACROSS BOTH DIGITAL AND KIND OF TRADITIONAL NEWS MEDIA OUTLETS AS WELL AS THROUGH INFLUENCER COVERAGE AS WELL. UM, ONE OF THE BIG HIGHLIGHTS OF THAT WAS ON NOVEMBER 29TH, UH, FOR THE GOOD DAY FOX FOUR MORNING SHOW. WE PRETTY MUCH HAD FIVE LIVE ONSITE BROADCAST THROUGHOUT THAT BROADCAST EVENT, WHICH EQUATED, WHICH WHERE THEY HIGHLIGHTED DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE EVENT, THE PARK, AS WELL AS INTERVIEWING BOTH EMILY AND THE MAYOR MULTIPLE TIMES. THE THE VALUE OF THIS, OF THIS EARNED MEDIA SPOT WAS, WAS, WAS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WITH THE EIGHT O'CLOCK 8:00 AM UH, TIME BLOCK BEING WORTH OVER $40,000 BY ITSELF. UM, AS WELL, WE HAD A VERY, UM, EXPANDED, UH, VIEWERSHIP FOR SOCIAL MEDIA AS WELL. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAD OVER 860,000 TOTAL VIEWS ACROSS ALL OF OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS, WHICH IS 16 TIMES WHAT WE HAD LAST YEAR. UM, SO REALLY THE SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK. UM, NEXT SLIDE KELLY. AND THEN FOR WE ALSO, WE CONTINUED OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH IHEART MEDIA AND THROUGH THAT WE HAD OVER 5 MILLION TOTAL MEDIA IMPRESSIONS THROUGH THEIR FAMILIES, UH, THEIR FAMILY OF RADIO STATIONS, BOTH ON STREAMING AND THROUGH LOCAL RADIO. UM, THIS WAS A MILLION, UH, IMPRESSIONS OVER WHAT WE HAD LAST YEAR, SO DEFINITELY A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE. AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE ALSO INCLUDED SPANISH SPEECH, SPANISH LANGUAGE SPOTS ACROSS STREAMING AS WELL AS IN LOCAL RADIO AS WELL. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, WE REALLY HAD A VERY ROBUST VIEWERSHIP AND LISTENERSHIP ACROSS THE ENTIRE SEASON OF THE EVENT AND IT REALLY EQUATED TO A VERY SUCCESSFUL, HELPED TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL CREDIT LIGHTS. OKAY, SO LAST YEAR THE COUNCIL BROUGHT UP THE CONCEPT OF THE GRAND PRAIRIE RESIDENT COUPONS, UH, PRETTY CLOSE TO THE START OF THE EVENT WHEN WE WERE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT IT. UM, AND WE HAD, UM, WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS IMPRESSIVE USERSHIP, BUT THIS YEAR WE DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL. SO WE CONTINUED TO DISTRIBUTE THROUGH ALL OF OUR LIBRARIES AND REC CENTERS, BUT WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DELIVER IT TO ALL OF THE C-P-I-S-D ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS. UM, WE DID REACH OUT TO THE A ISD AND MISD SCHOOLS, UM, AND DID NOT GET APPROVAL FOR THIS YEAR, BUT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TRYING TO GET THOSE IMPLEMENTED INTO THOSE DISTRICTS. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, 2024 WAS A HUGE INCREASE IN REDEMPTION ON THE RESIDENT COUPONS SHOOTING UP ALMOST THREE TIMES. UM, AND ONE OF THE OTHER DISCOUNTS THAT WE'RE OFFERING IS A CYBER MONDAY DEAL. UM, AND THAT DISCOUNT AMONG GRAND PRAIRIE RESIDENTS INCLUDED AS WELL. UPON LIKE RE REVIEWING OUR DATA, WE HAD ABOUT 2,500 CARS THAT WERE GRAND PRAIRIE RESIDENTS AND WITH THESE NUMBERS, 1300 OF THOSE CARS UTILIZED A DISCOUNT. SO WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE STILL PROVIDING GREAT EXPERIENCES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISCOUNT DEGREES FOR OUR RESIDENTS. AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S A LITTLE HARD TO SEE UP THERE, BUT THIS IS A SEVEN YEAR SNAPSHOT OF GATE REVENUE AND CAR COUNT. AND WHILE 2024 WAS NOT OUR HIGHEST YEAR TO DATE, OBVIOUSLY THE COVID YEARS WITHOUT THE TENT ARE STILL KIND OF OUR ANOMALY. UM, WE'RE STILL VERY PROUD OF WHERE WE STAND IN THIS YEAR'S RANK AND ALMOST 27,000 CARS ACROSS 34 GATE. SO GUEST SURVEYS ARE SOMETHING THAT WE IMPLEMENTED LAST YEAR AND WE ONLY DID ABOUT A HUNDRED OF THEM JUST AS A TRIAL PERIOD. AND THIS YEAR WE HAD A LOT OF BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND COLLECTED OVER 800 SURVEYS AND ENDED UP WITH A 99.6% RATE OF MET OR EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS, WHICH WE ARE JUST SO PROUD OF. A LOT OF THE COMMENTS REALLY REFLECTED THE THINGS THAT WE TRIED TO IMPROVE ABOUT THE PARK. SO THIS YEAR WE PROVIDED OUR STAFF WITH UNIFORMS AND HAD NIGHTLY MEETINGS TO DISCUSS LOGISTICS AND THAT WAS REFLECTED IN THE COMMENT CARDS WHEN THEY COMMENTED HOW PUT TOGETHER THINGS LOOKED, HOW FRIENDLY THE STAFF WERE, AND LOTS OF COMMENTS ABOUT THE BEAUTIFUL LIGHTS. THAT WAS A HUGE INVESTMENT FROM THE COUNCIL'S PART AND IT WAS REALLY NICE TO SEE REFLECTED IN THOSE COMMENT CARDS THAT PEOPLE WERE NOTICING THAT YEAR OVER YEAR WE'RE TRYING TO IMPROVE. WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND FEEDBACK AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO GET IS OBVIOUSLY FRUSTRATION ABOUT THOSE AT CAPACITY NIGHTS. SO THAT'S WHEN WE JUST HIT THE MAX. WE HAVE TO CUT OFF THE LINE FOR THE EVENING. SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE GOING TO TRY AND CONTINUE TO DO IS DRIVE TRAFFIC TO THE SLOWER PARTS OF THE SEASON TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GET IN EARLIER ON SO THEY CAN FOR SURE HAVE A CHANCE TO GET THERE. THIS IS JUST A LARGER EXAMPLE OF THE SURVEY CARD THAT WE DID. I REALLY ENJOYED THIS ONE BECAUSE IT TALKS ABOUT THE FACT THAT PEOPLE ARE COMING BACK YEAR AFTER YEAR. I MEAN, FROM A ONE MONTH OLD TO A 7-YEAR-OLD, THIS IS A TRADITION FOR FAMILIES AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE STILL STAYING AT THE TOP FOR GAME EVERY YEAR. SO WE WERE EXCITED TO WELCOME A BRAND NEW CONCESSIONS VENDOR THIS YEAR. AS YOU CAN SEE, REVENUE THIS YEAR WAS BY FAR, UM, THE BEST OF ALL TIME. AT THE BOTTOM WE'VE SHARED A SNAPSHOT OF THEIR NEW SETUP WITH THE FOOD TRUCKS THAT THEY HAVE INSIDE AND A LITTLE BIT OF FEEDBACK. WE GOT A LOT OF REALLY POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE TYPE OF FOOD AND THE FLOW OF THE SETUP. UM, SO THIS WAS SOMETHING WE WERE REALLY EXCITED [00:15:01] ABOUT. SPONSORSHIPS ARE KIND OF MY PERSONAL MISSION WITH PRAIRIE LIGHTS TO REALLY TRY AND IMPROVE. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS IMPORTANT ABOUT PRAIRIE LIGHTS IS THE EXPERIENCE, THE ACTIVATION. SO WE WORKED REALLY HARD THIS YEAR AND HAD A $49,500 INCREASE OF SPONSORSHIPS AND A LOT OF THOSE RESULTED IN ONSITE ACTIVATIONS. SOUTHERN COMFORT CAME OUT AND TASTED EGGNOG. WE HAD DO A PHOTO BOOTH ON SITE AND MANY OF THESE FOLKS HAVE ALREADY EXPRESSED INTEREST IN COMING BACK. SO I'M EXCITED TO CONTINUE THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND EXPAND UPON WHAT WE CAN DO. SO LOOKING FORWARD, IT'S OUR 20TH BIRTHDAY, WE'RE SO EXCITED. WE HAVE A LOT OF FUN THINGS OF OUR SLEEVES, SO WE'LL BE COMING BACK TO SHARE MORE ABOUT THAT LATER ON IN THE YEAR. WE WANNA CONTINUE TO INCREASE SPONSORSHIPS, ONSITE ACTIVATIONS, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT MERCHANDISE. PEOPLE HAVE ASKED US BEFORE ABOUT PRAIRIE LIGHTS SHIRTS AND THINGS AND WE WANT TO BRING BACK OUR THEME NIGHTS. UH, DOG NIGHT IN PARTICULAR, WE GOT A LOT OF REQUESTS TO DO THAT AGAIN. SO WE WOULD REALLY WANNA ESPECIALLY THANK UH, ANIMAL SERVICES FOR THEIR PARTNERSHIP ON THAT BEING PART OF THAT WITH US. SO, UM, HAPPY 20TH AND NOW FINANCE, UH, STEVEN BOWLES, PARK'S FISCAL MANAGER. UM, SO TICKET REVENUE WAS ACTUALLY SLIGHTLY DOWN THIS YEAR. THAT'S LARGELY IN PART TO THE LATER START TO THE EVENT WITH THANKSGIVING BEING SO LATE. AND ALSO THE INCLEMENT WEATHER ON A FEW OF THE WEEKENDS AND PACKING THINGS. HOWEVER, BECAUSE WE SAW INCREASES IN OUR CONCESSION REVENUE, OUR CARNIVAL REVENUE, UM, AND THAT ALL IMPORTANT OTHER REVENUE, WHICH INCLUDES THOSE SPONSORSHIPS THAT EMILY JUST TALKED ABOUT, UM, MAY THE TOTAL GROSS REVENUES CAME IN JUST SHY OF $1.7 MILLION, WHICH IS ACTUALLY THE THIRD TO HIGHEST GROSS REVENUES THAT THERE BEEN HAS EVER DONE. AND THEN ON THE FLIP SIDE, EMILY AND KELLY AND THE ENTIRE SPECIAL EVENT TEAM HAVE WORKED TIRELESSLY THESE LAST TWO YEARS SINCE THIS CURRENT TEAM'S BEEN RUNNING IT TO TRY TO MAKE THIS EVENT MORE EFFICIENT, ESPECIALLY WITH THINGS LIKE STAFF COSTS, UH, MAKING SURE THERE'S THE COVERAGE WE NEED OUT THERE WITHOUT MUCH DOWNTIME, THAT SORT OF THING. AND THEY'VE ACTUALLY BEEN ABLE TO GET SOME OF THESE, UH, NUMBERS A LITTLE BIT LOWER. UM, YOU KNOW, WE, OUR REVENUE SHARE PORTION THIS YEAR WAS 4 36. PERSONNEL WAS DOWN WITH 3 22. AND THE OTHER, WHICH IS GONNA BE THINGS LIKE THE TENT RENTALS, THE RESTROOM RENTALS, THAT SORT OF THINGS DOWN TO 1 92. UM, AND SO WE ACTUALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN RECENT MEMORY HAVE OUR EXPENSES BELOW A MILLION DOLLARS FOR THIS EVENT, UH, WHICH LED TO THE NET PROFIT OF SEVEN 6,000, WHICH NARROWLY BEAT OUT FY 22, WHICH HAD BEEN OUR PREVIOUS HIGH MARK. SO WE HAD THE HIGHEST, OUR NET PROFIT THAT HAS EVER HAD AT THIS TIME. TAKE ANY QUESTIONS, RIGHT? ANYBODY? YEAH. THANK Y'ALL FOR THE PRESENTATION AND GREAT JOB MAKING THIS YEAR THE HIGHEST, THE MOST PROFITABLE YEAR. UH, MY QUESTION QUESTION WAS, IF I SAID THE 2,500 OF THE CARS WERE GRAND PRAIRIE RESIDENCE, WHAT WAS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CARS IN TOTAL? TOTAL NUMBER OF CARS WAS JUST UNDER 27,000 FOR GRAND PRAIRIE. 10 10%. YEAH. CORRECT. POUND, SHORTEN CLOSE. AND THAT'S TYPICAL FROM WHAT WE'VE SEEN YEAR OVER YEAR. I KNOW I GET A LOT OF COMMENTS FROM PEOPLE THAT DON'T PAY AT GRAND PARADE AND I SHOWS 90% OF THE PEOPLE ARE MAKING AN ANNUAL EVENT WAIT UNTIL THEIR RELATIVES COME IN AND SOME, AND THAT'S PART OF THE REASON WHY A LOT OF US RIGHT AT THE END. 'CAUSE THEY'RE WAITING UNTIL THE RELATIVES COME IN. BUT IT SURE IS NICE THAT WE CAN GET SOME PEOPLE OUT THERE. ABSOLUTELY. WELL, I KNOW THAT, I MEAN, AS, AS OUR EVENT GROWS, I MEAN ONE THING I I DO APOLOGIZE Y'ALL MAKING A DIFFERENCE, ADDING MORE FEATURES. AS YOU KNOW, THERE'S CITIES AROUND US NOW, THEY'RE ALL TRYING TO DO SOMETHING UNIQUE, RIGHT. YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN DALLAS. MM-HMM . JUST HAD SOMETHING BRAND NEW WITH THE BIG AFFAIRS WHEEL, YOU KNOW, UH, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THERE'S DIFFERENT PARTS. SO I'M GLAD TO SEE OUR NUMBERS ARE STILL POSITIVE, BUT I WOULD JUST CONTINUE, I JUST KEEP TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, OKAY, WHAT'S, WHAT'S NEW, YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR AND NOW WE CAN DO IT DIFFERENTLY IN MARKETING STUFF, BUT I KNOW THERE'S OTHER COMPETITION POPPING UP ALL OF A SUDDEN, WHICH IS GOOD. I MEAN, I THINK WE ARE, WE COMPETE WITH THEM, BUT YOU KNOW, JUST SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND AS WELL. ABSOLUTELY. COUNCIL MEMBER LOPEZ, I DIDN'T GO TO THE DALLAS ONE, BUT I DID SURE ENJOY DRIVING BY IT. I USED TO BE A MASK STAND. DID ANY OF Y'ALL, DID ANY OF Y'ALL ATTENDED? IT LOOKED REALLY PRETTY SPECIAL. I THINK WE'RE TRYING TO MAYBE, BUT IT LOOKED PRETTY NEAT WITH THE FERRIS SCHOOL AND ALL. DID ANY OF Y'ALL ATTEND IT? YEAH, I DON'T KNOW HOW IT DID HERE, BUT IT WAS, IT WAS PRETTY UNIQUE, VERY VISIBLE RIGHT THERE IN THE OLD REUNION OR IN A SITE. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE STAFF OR COMMENTS? THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK Y'ALL. I'LL TURN IT OVER [00:20:01] TO CLEMSON FOR AGENDA REVIEW. THANK YOU MAYOR. COUNSEL, WILL YOU REVIEW YOUR, I HAVE COURT ON THE CONSENT AGENDA AND DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING ANY OF THOSE? YES. CAN SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT A SUPERVISORY CONTROLLER AND DATA SYSTEM IS? WHAT NUMBER ARE YOU ON? IT'S 1516. JANUARY 16. OH YEAH. IT'S, IT'S, UH, OUR SCADA SYSTEM, UM, THAT IS USED ON ALL OUR LIFT STATIONS, ELEVATED TANKS, GENERATORS, IT HELPS US CONTROL WATER LEVELS, FLOWS, EVERYTHING. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A MASSIVE COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT, UM, IT BASICALLY SENDS SIGNALS SO STACK CAN OFF THE LAPTOP, CONTROL, UH, THE SYSTEM WHEN NEEDED. OKAY. IT'S SOMETHING WE ALREADY HAVE THE, IT'S UH, AN UPGRADE. IT HASN'T BEEN UPGRADED IN A WHILE. I JUST LOST WITH THE NOMENCLATURE OF IT. THANK YOU NORA. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WOW, MAYOR, THE CITY COUNCIL MAY CONDUCT A CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 5 5, 1 SUB CHAPTER D OF THE GOVERNMENT CODE DT CA TO DISCUSS ANY HONOR CLIENT, WE'RE GOING DO ITEM TWO, SECTION 5 5 1 0.072 DELIBERATIONS REGARDING REAL PROPERTY. I AGREE. SECTION 5 5, 1 0.074 PERSONNEL MATTERS, CITY MANAGER'S CONTRACT. WE'RE GOING TO GO, UH, WHERE'S DINNER? EXCUSE THE BREAKOUT ROOM SIR. UH, I THINK WE HAVE TIME TO EAT. WELL, LET'S GO GET HER DINNER. TAKE IT INTO THE BRIEFING SESSION ROOM. WE GET TOGETHER, THERE'S FOOD IN THE EXEC SESSION ROOM AND THERE'S FOOD ALSO IN THE ROOM. GOOD. * 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.