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ALRIGHT, I'LL TURN CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER.[CC Briefings 02172026]
OUR FIRST STAFF PRESENTATION IS, UH, PRAIRIE LIGHTS UPDATE.GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS RAY SERTA, DIRECTOR OF PARKS ARTS AND RECREATION.
TODAY WE'LL DO A RECAP OF THE 2025 PRAIRIE LIGHTS EVENT.
THE PRAIRIE LIGHTS JUST WRAPPED UP.
ITS 20TH YEAR AND TODAY WE'LL SHARE A BRIEF RECAP OF THE 2025 SEASON.
AS YOU KNOW, PRAIRIE LIGHTS CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF OUR SIGNATURE EVENTS, NOT ONLY AS A HOLIDAY TRADITION FOR FAMILIES ACROSS THE REGION, BUT AS ALSO ONE OF THE MOST HIGHEST REVENUE GENERATING EVENTS THAT THE CITY HOSTS EVERY YEAR ACCORDING TO OUR TICKET SALES AND PLACER DATA, PRAIRIE LIGHTS 2025 WELCOME VISITORS FROM MORE THAN 722 CITIES AND 45 STATES.
WE BELIEVE YOU'LL BE PLEASED WITH ALL THE OUTCOMES AND RESULTS THAT THE TEAM IS ABOUT TO SHARE WITH YOU.
OUR TEAM IS ALREADY EXPLORING IDEAS FOR THIS YEAR'S EVENT AND LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTINUE IMPROVING UPON ITS SUCCESS.
I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE THE TEAM WHO WILL BE PRESENTING TO YOU.
KELLY EDELMAN, OUR ADMINISTRATIVE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER, JONATHAN THOMAS, OUR MARKETING SUPERVISOR, AND STEVEN BOWLES, OUR FISCAL MANAGER.
AND NOW I'LL TURN IT OVER TO KELLY TO BEGIN THE PRESENTATION.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL.
UH, BEFORE WE GET STARTED, I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE, UH, TWO MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM, ASHLEY CRADOCK AND, UH, GRAHAM RICHIE, WHO OUR SENIOR SPECIAL EVENTS COORDINATORS.
AND AS I THINK ALL OF Y'ALL KNOW, UH, OUR SPECIAL EVENTS MANAGER, EMILY LENIS, WENT OUT ON MATERNITY LEAVE, UH, RIGHT.
KIND OF AT THE BEGINNING OF HOW'S THE BABY DOING? SHE'S HAD THE BABY.
SHE ACTUALLY COMES BACK IN TWO WEEKS.
HOW'S THE BABY DOING? OH, I'M SORRY.
YEAH, I KNEW SHE'D HAD THE BABY.
YEAH, WE'RE, WE'RE, UH, EXCITED TO HAVE HER BACK HERE IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS.
BUT, UH, I DID WANT Y'ALL TO KNOW THAT, UH, GRAHAM AND ASHLEY WERE THERE EVERY SINGLE NIGHT OF THE EVENT.
THEY WERE RUNNING THE, THE OPERATIONS NIGHTLY AND THEY DID A GREAT JOB AND, UH, SO I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THEM AS WELL.
UH, JUST TO KINDA RECAP, PRAIRIE LIGHTS IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST, UH, THANKSGIVING THROUGH NEW YEAR'S EVE.
WE START THE SEASON OFF WITH SEVERAL OTHER EVENTS, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE ON THE SCREEN.
WE KICKED IT, KICKED IT OFF WITH THE VIP NIGHT, WHICH WE DID A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THIS YEAR.
UH, WE HAD OVER A HUNDRED ATTENDEES, UM, AND THOSE, UH, ATTENDEES INCLUDED, UM, YOU ALL AS WELL AS WE HAD SEVERAL OTHER SPECIAL GUESTS, UH, INCLUDING STATE REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS TURNER AND STATE REP, UH, BRIAN HARRISON, WHO JOINED US THAT NIGHT, AS WELL AS SEVERAL, UM, LOCAL BUSINESS, UH, LEADERS THAT WERE INVITED THROUGH OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPART, UH, DEPARTMENT.
THEN WE HAD OUR SNEAKER PEAK, 5K RUN AND THREE MILE WALK, HAD GREAT REGISTRATION, UH, NUMBERS THERE.
THEN WE HAD THE CYCLING WITH THE MAYOR EVENT, WHICH MAYOR, YOU HAD A GREAT TURNOUT THIS YEAR WITH ESTIMATED CRAZY, OVER 500 ATTENDEES THERE.
UH, THEN WE HAD A BRAND NEW EVENT THIS YEAR, THE REINDEER RUMBLE.
UH, THERE YOU CAN SEE MAYOR, YOUR PICTURE THERE WITH, UH, MISS REBECCA AND, UH, HAD 50 RIDER, UH, THAT NIGHT.
AND THAT WAS JUST A, A GREAT EVENT.
WE HOPE THAT THAT WILL CONTINUE TO GROW AND GREAT FUNDRAISING, UH, EVENT FOR OP.
AND THEN, UH, UH, PRAIRIE LIGHTS KICKED OFF THANKSGIVING NINE.
WE HAD A GREAT YEAR THIS YEAR.
WE CELEBRATED 20 YEARS, WHICH WOW, BY ITSELF IS A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT.
UM, THIS YEAR WE HAD TWO, UH, 23,755 VEHICLES.
AND, UH, PRAIRIE LIGHTS JUST CONTINUES TO BE A STRONG, PROFITABLE, UM, RELEVANT EVENT IN THE DFW AREA.
UM, AND, AND WE'RE PROUD TO REPORT THAT WE HAD ANOTHER GREAT YEAR.
STEVEN, UH, BOWLES WILL REPORT ON FINANCIALS HERE IN JUST A MINUTE.
UH, SOME OF THE IMPROVEMENTS THIS YEAR INCLUDED EXPANDING OUR NEW TUNNEL, WHICH YOU CAN SEE THERE ON THAT TOP PICTURE.
UM, WE ADDED THAT LAST YEAR, BUT THIS PAST YEAR WE, UM, INCREASED THE LENGTH TO NOW 400 FEET OF, UH, RGB BULBS.
AND I THINK JUST IN THAT DISPLAY ALONE, THERE'S WELL OVER HALF A MILLION LED BULBS.
UH, ANOTHER THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S OUR BIGGEST SIGNATURE PIECE THAT WE HAVE NOW.
AND THEN ALL OF THE PARK WAS CONVERTED TO LED ROPE LIGHT AND LED ROPE LIGHT GIVES YOU A HIGHER DEFINITION OF THE DISPLAYS AND IT'S JUST A BRIGHTER, UM, EXPERIENCE FOR THE GUEST, GIVING IT A, AN OVERALL MUCH BETTER LOOK.
WE ALSO ENHANCED OUR THEME NIGHTS THIS YEAR, WHICH WE BEGAN THE YEAR PRIOR.
WE HAD HOT CHOCOLATE NIGHT GIVEAWAY NIGHT, UH, MISCHIEF AND MISSILE TOE IS THAT GREEN CHARACTER THAT WE CAN'T SAY HIS NAME, BUT WE ALL KNOW WHO HE IS.
AND THEN OUR MOST POPULAR NIGHT WAS THE DOG NIGHT, AND THAT'S WHERE DOGS WERE ALLOWED IN THE TENT, WHICH THEY TYPICALLY
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AREN'T.UM, AND THEY WERE ALLOWED TO TAKE PHOTOS WITH SANTA, WHO WAS SPECIALLY PREPARED WITH A, UM, SPECIAL OUTFIT THAT NIGHT THAT WAS DOG FRIENDLY.
AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO GROW THOSE EVENTS AND TRY TO ENCOURAGE MORE TRAFFIC DURING THAT FIRST WEEK, WHICH IS TRADITIONALLY A LITTLE BIT SLOWER THAN THE REST OF THE SEASON.
WE'RE ALSO, UH, CONTINUING OUR GRAND PRAIRIE RESIDENT DISCOUNT COUPON, WHICH YOU ALL ASK US TO IMPLEMENT A FEW YEARS AGO NOW, THAT'S A $10 OFF COUPON THAT WE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH CITY FACILITIES, THROUGHOUT TOWN LIBRARIES, REC CENTERS, THOSE SORTS OF PLACES.
UH, IT WAS ALSO DISTRIBUTED TO G-P-I-S-D ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS.
WE DID ATTEMPT TO, UH, STRIKE A PARTNERSHIP WITH ARLINGTON AND MANSFIELD INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS, BUT WE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN MAKING THAT HAPPEN JUST YET.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO TRY TO DO THAT IN FUTURE YEARS.
IT WAS ALSO INCLUDED IN THE LIFE OF GRAND MAGAZINE.
THAT WAS PROMOTED IN FACILITY SIGNAGE PIPELINE, NEWSLETTER, CITY WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA, ALL THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
TRY TO GET THAT, UM, IN THE HANDS OF AS MANY RESIDENTS AS POSSIBLE.
I ALSO WANNA NOTE THAT WE HAD OTHER DISCOUNTS SUCH AS THE CYBER MONDAY COUPON THAT, UH, I'M SURE MANY RESIDENTS, UH, WERE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.
BUT JUST THE GRAND PRIX RESIDENT COUPON, THE $10 OFF, $10 OFF COUPON, 938 OF THOSE COUPONS WERE REDEEMED, UH, WHICH IS, UH, VERY MUCH IN LINE WITH WHAT WE HAD LAST YEAR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
WE CONTINUE TO GR GET GREAT, UH, FEEDBACK FROM OUR GUESTS.
OF THE HUNDREDS OF, UH, SURVEYS THAT WERE TAKEN AT HOLIDAY VILLAGE BY OUR STAFF, OVER 97% OF THOSE SAID THEY MET OR EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS.
UM, SOME OF THE COMMENTS INCLUDED THAT THE HOLIDAY TRADITION KEEPS GETTING BETTER.
WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT SAY THEY'VE BEEN COMING FOUR YEARS AND YEARS.
SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT THIS IS THEIR FIRST TIME.
SOME PEOPLE SAY THEY HAVEN'T BEEN IN SEVERAL YEARS AND THEY'VE, THEY'VE NOW COME BACK, UH, TALKING ABOUT THE LIGHTS AND THE NEW ADDITIONS.
THE OLD TUNNEL THAT OUR OLD SIGNATURE PIECE, WE MOVED IT TO THE FRONT LAST YEAR.
THAT'S TO BRING THE EXPERIENCE OUT FURTHER, TO MAKE THE WAIT TIMES FEEL A LITTLE BIT LESS, BRING THE EXPERIENCE OUT TO THE GUEST.
THEY COMMENTED HOW GREAT THE FOOD AND HOW FRIENDLY THE STAFF AND HELPFUL THE STAFF WERE.
A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES THERE, A FEW MORE EXAMPLES.
WE ACTUALLY HAD SOMEBODY THAT SAID THEY CAME ALL THE WAY FROM AUSTRALIA BASED ON A RECOMMENDATION FROM SOME OF THEIR FRIENDS IN TEXAS.
SO I THOUGHT THAT'S CERTAINLY NOT THE MOST COMMON COMMENT THAT WE GET, BUT I THOUGHT THAT WAS NEAT.
I WISH I COULD SHOW 'EM ALL TO YOU AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO JONATHAN, TALK ABOUT MEDIA COVERAGE AND ADVERTISING.
UM, SO THIS YEAR OBVIOUSLY WE HAD A GREAT ROBUST FEATURE.
WE WERE FEATURED ROBUSTLY THROUGHOUT THE LOCAL MEDIA.
UM, WHETHER IT'S THROUGH TRADITIONAL NEWS MEDIA ON TELEVISION OR ONLINE FEATURES AS WELL FROM GOOD MORNING TEXAS, WHERE EMILY AND AND THE MAYOR WERE.
WERE LIVE IN STUDIO TALKING ABOUT THE EVENT TO VARIOUS OF OUR PROMO VIDEOS PLAYING ON PRIME SPOTS THROUGHOUT THE NEWS NEWS CYCLE AS WELL THROUGHOUT THE EVENTS.
UM, SO IT WAS A GREAT COVERAGE THROUGHOUT THIS EVENT IN THIS YEAR.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, FROM OUR ADVERTISING STRATEGY, YOU KNOW, WE WERE FEATURED ON 14 DIFFERENT RADIO STATIONS ACROSS THE DFW METROPLEX, INCLUDING MULTIPLE SPANISH, SPANISH LANGUAGE STATIONS AS WELL, UM, JUST TO KIND OF COVER AS MANY OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS AS WE COULD TO KIND OF DRAW AS MANY PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE, THE METROPLEX.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE FEATURED PROMOTIONS THROUGHOUT, UH, GRAPHICS, DIGITAL BOARDS THROUGHOUT ALL DIFFERENT AREAS THROUGHOUT THE DFW METROPLEX.
WE KIND OF A HEAVY CONCENTRATION ON DIGITAL BILLBOARDS KIND OF SCATTERED THROUGHOUT DALLAS AND THE FORT WORTH AREAS.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, OBVIOUSLY IT WAS FEATURED ON MULTIPLE DIFFERENT SHOWS FROM MAYOR'S MESSAGE TO IT'S HAPPENING.
IT WAS, AS KELLY MENTIONED, IT WAS IN LIFE AS GRAND.
WE HAD A NICE COVER FEATURE ABOUT THE 20TH YEAR.
UM, IN ADDITION TO BEING UTILIZING OUR TEXAS MONTHLY PARTNERSHIP AS WELL, WE RAN MULTIPLE ADS THROUGHOUT THE TEXAS MONTHLY, UM, FEE, UH, AVENUES AS WELL.
UM, ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA SIDE, UM, ON IN-HOUSE SOCIAL, WE HAD REALLY GREAT, REALLY GREAT, UH, IMPRESSIONS ON THAT.
WE REACHED OVER 700,000 SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS.
WE HAD OVER A MILLION IMPRESSIONS.
UM, WE GATHERED THOUSANDS OF NEW FOLLOWERS AND WEBSITE CLICKS THROUGHOUT.
ALSO WITH OUR PAID SOCIAL, WE HAD ALMOST HALF A MILLION IMPRESSIONS AS WELL, UM, THROUGH OUR PAID SOCIAL.
SO ALL IN ALL ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA FRONT, WE REALLY WERE ABLE TO COVER A LARGE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO GET THE WORD OUT AS FAR AND AS WIDE AS POSSIBLE.
SO THANK YOU STEVE MOLES, PARK'S FISCAL MANAGER.
I WANNA GIVE YOU A QUICK LOOK AT THE HEALTH OF THIS FUND.
AS I'M SURE ALL OF YOU'LL REMEMBER.
THE PRAIRIE LIGHTS FUND IS A SPECIAL REVENUE FUND THAT OPERATES COMPLETELY INDEPENDENTLY FROM THE PARK VENUE FUND.
UH, IT RECEIVES NO SALES TAX DOLLARS, NO GENERAL FUND TRANSFER IS ENTIRELY SELF-SUFFICIENT.
UM, THIS YEAR, WELL OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS, UH, THE, THE BALANCE OF THIS FUND HAS SOLELY GROWN AS PRAIRIE LIGHTS HAS BEEN A PROFITABLE ENTITY.
UM, AS WE BEGAN THIS FISCAL YEAR, THE FUND BALANCE WAS AT $2.61 MILLION.
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INTO THE EVENT THIS YEAR.REVENUES WERE AT 1.6 MILLION WITH OBVIOUSLY TICKETS TO THE EVENT BEING THE MAIN DRIVER.
BEHIND THAT, ABOUT 84% OF THE REVENUES CAME FROM TICKET SALES, UH, WITH ADDITIONAL REVENUES FROM THE INSIDE CONCESSIONS, THE OUTSIDE CARNIVAL CONCESSIONS, SOME SPONSORS AND VENDORS OUT THERE AT THE EVENT.
AND THAT OTHER MISCELLANEOUS, UH, WHERE THINGS LIKE INTEREST EARNED ON THE FUND BALANCE AS WELL AS SOME REVENUES FROM THE SNEAK AND PEAK RUN AND PHOTOS WAS SANTA TO LIVE.
UH, EXPENSES WERE 1.14 MILLION, WHICH IS ABOUT EXACTLY WHERE WE EXPECTED THEM TO BE.
UH, BIGGEST PORTION OF THAT IS OUR REVENUE SHARE.
WE HAVE A THIRD PARTY PARTNER OUT THERE THAT DESIGNS AND BUILDS THE LIGHTS FOR US AND RECEIVES A PORTION OF THE GATE.
AND, UH, THEIR PAYMENT OUT THIS YEAR WAS 455,000.
UH, WE HAVE ANOTHER ALMOST 300,000 IN PERSONNEL FOR THE EVENT, INCLUDING ALL THE SEASONAL STAFF TEMP LABOR, AND THAT ALSO IS WHERE WE PAY OVERTIME FOR BOTH PARK AND PD PARTNERS THAT HELP US OUT WITH THAT EVENT.
EQUIPMENT RENTAL 211,000, THAT'S MOSTLY THE BIG TENT OUT THERE FOR THE HOLIDAY VILLAGE, BUT ALSO INCLUDES THINGS LIKE THE LIFTS, THE LIGHT TOWERS, THE UM, THE RESTROOMS THAT ARE STATIONED OUT THERE THROUGHOUT THE EVENT.
AND THEN WE HAVE SOME OTHER THINGS THAT LIVE IN THERE AS WELL.
LIKE THE, UM, THE MARKETING EXPENSES, DECORATIONS FOR THE TENT, UH, COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SNEAKER PEAK RUN.
UH, OVERALL VERY PROFITABLE EVENT.
THE CONTRI UH, THE CONTRIBUTION TO THE FUND BALANCE THIS YEAR IS $460,000.
SO AS OF TODAY, UH, THAT FUND BALANCE IS NOW SITTING A LITTLE OVER $3 MILLION.
AND I BELIEVE WITH THAT WE'LL TURN OVER TO ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
THERE'S OVER $3 MILLION IN THAT FUND BALANCE.
I'M NOT SAYING WE WANT TO OR WILL, I JUST WANNA KNOW IF WE CAN, CAN THOSE FUNDS BE USED ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE LAKE PARKS? IN LAKE PARKS? YES.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? IT WAS A GREAT EVENT.
I MEAN, IT WAS A GREAT, WE HAD GOOD WEATHER.
UM, ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? YEAH.
UH, APPRECIATE ALL THE DATA IN, IN THE PRESENTATION.
JUST ONE THING THAT WE MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER OR MAYBE WE COULD DO SOMETHING WITH, UM, MESSAGING LIKE, UM, I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, TRY TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE, HEY, STAY IN THE CARS.
BE CAREFUL AS YOU'RE WAITING IN LINE.
I THINK ADDING A MESSAGE BOARD OR ADDING SOMETHING TO THAT LAYER, UM, I KNOW THAT I, I'VE BEEN THERE WITH, WITH KIDS, IT'S VERY IMPATIENT.
THEY WANT TO GET OUT, THEY WANT TO DO STUFF, BUT JUST TRY AND THROW THAT FROM DIFFERENT POINTS AS THEY'RE WAITING.
PROBABLY JUST POINTING THAT OUT FOR Y'ALL.
SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE COURTLAND.
SO WE HAVE, THERE'S A COURTLAND ACROSS LAKERIDGE FROM THE MARINA.
WE CAN USE PART OF THAT 3 MILLION OR A PORTION OF IT, WHATEVER.
I TOOK HIS ANSWER, MEANING WE CAN USE IT ANYWHERE IN THE LAKE PARKS AND THAT'S CONSIDERED PART OF THE LAKE PARKS.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT ANY REVENUES EARNED ON NO.
IS THAT PORTION CONSIDERED PART OF THE LAKE PARKS? I BELIEVE YOU'RE REFERRING TO LYNN CREEK WEST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MM-HMM.
WELL, NO, JUST THOSE 12 ACRES RIGHT ACROSS.
IS THAT PART OF THE LAKE OF LAKERIDGE WEST PART OF THE LAKE? YES, IT IS PART.
WHICH IS GOOD FOR US TO KNOW IN CASE WE EVER NEED TO GET SOMETHING ACROSS THE GOAL LINE OUT THERE.
I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MAYOR PRO TEM ZANU RIGHT OUTTA THE BAT, WE NEED TO PULL ITEM 11 AND PUT IT IN INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION.
UH, COUNSEL, WE HAVE ITEMS FOUR TO 10 UP FOR CONSENT AGENDA AND ITEM 11 WILL BE PULLED LIKE THE MAYOR JUST STATED.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? PRETTY SHORT AGENDA TO THAT.
I'LL PASS IT BACK TO THE MAYOR.
WE'RE GONNA DO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
CITY COUNCIL MAY CONDUCT A CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 5 5 1 SUBCHAPTER D OF THE GOVERNMENT CODE VTCA TO DISCUSS ANY OF THE FOLLOWING TONIGHT.
ITEM FIVE, SECTION 5, 5, 1 0.087.
DELIBERATIONS REGARDING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS.
UM, YEAH, LET'S JUST DO WHAT WE NORMALLY DO TO GO GET FOOD AND MEAT IN THERE AND.