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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Hotel and Signature Events Committee 08/03/2016T3 PALM DESERT MINUTES PALM DESERT HOTEL AND SIGNATURE EVENTS COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING Wednesday, August 3, 2016 — 4 p.m. North Wing Conference Room — Palm Desert Civic Center 73510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92260 I. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Spiegel called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Absent: Mayor Pro Tern Jan Harnik Member Jim Moran Member Arnold Kirschenbaum Vice Chairman Scott White Mayor Robert Spiegel Staff /Others Present: Justin McCarthy, Interim City Manager Rudy Acosta, Assistant City Manager Martin Alvarez, Director of Economic Development Thomas Soule, Tourism & Marketing Manager Ruth Ann Moore, Economic Development Manager David Hermann, Management Analyst Eric Ceja, Principal Planner Amy Lawrence, Program and Events Specialist Warren Jones, CEO, The Jones Group Patrick Klein, General Manager, The Gardens on El Paseo Mike Hardin, Owner, The Lock Shop Laurie Baldwin, President/CEO, Palm Desert Area Chamber of Commerce Brianne Lawson, Recording Secretary III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT HOTEL & SIGNATURE EVENTS COMMITTEE MEETING August 3, 2016 IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF JUNE 1. 2016 Member Kirschenbaum moved, by Minute Motion, to approve the minutes of the June 1, 2016, meeting as presented. Motion was seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Harnik and carried by 3-0 (AYES: Harnik, Kirschenbaum, and Spiegel; NOES: None; ABSENT: Moran and White). V. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None VI. NEW BUSINESS A. BIGHORN BEHIND A MIRACLE PRESENTATION (BAM) Ms. Moore introduced Mr. Warren Jones, CEO of The Jones Group, and producer of Bighorn BAM. Mr. Jones stated that this year marks the tenth anniversary of the Behind a Miracle event, and gave a brief history of its origins. Mr. Jones described several aspects of the event, including: • The tree lighting event has gathered television attention over the years, being broadcast on a local television station and throughout Southern California. • Entertainment that has been featured at BAM includes live music, ice skating, and a Ferris wheel. • The 2015 event was attended by over 2,100 people, and expanded to space that allowed room for a dance floor and DJ booth. • BAM has continued to grow, and its popularity now reaches beyond the boundaries of the Coachella Valley. In 2015, attendees of the event came from local cities, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, San Diego, Las Vegas, and as far as New York. Mr. Jones stated that the 2015 BAM had executives from Gucci, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, and Louis Vuitton in attendance. He remarked that a Louis Vuitton fashion show held at the Bob Hope house was a "game changer" for the Coachella Valley, which brought high end executives to BAM to see the event for themselves. Mr. Jones explained that a sponsorship for BAM from the City of Palm Desert would include a partnership with The Jones Group for their future 2 MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT HOTEL & SIGNATURE EVENTS COMMITTEE MEETING August 3, 2016 events, with the City's logo featured on event advertising. After a short discussion, it was determined that sponsorship from the City would assist with the expense of additional police and traffic control required to accommodate the event's expansion to Sage Lane. Mr. Soule added that the event provides excellent coverage for the City, specifically helping to highlight the El Paseo brand that is not often focused on in general marketing. In response to Mayor Spiegel's question of how much the City gave for sponsorship last year, Mr. Jones and Ms. Moore explained that the City has not previously been a sponsor for Behind a Miracle. Mr. Jones stated that the expansion to Sage Lane would allow room for a zip line to be featured at the event, which would be about 310 feet long. He added that a Learjet would be positioned on the other end of the street, to be used as a VIP suite. In response, Mayor Spiegel stated that both the expansion to Sage Lane and the sponsorship of $15,000 would need to be recommended to City Council. Mayor Pro Tern Harnik made a motion to recommend to the City Council a sponsorship of this event in the amount of $15,000. The motion was seconded by Member Kirschenbaum and carried by 3-0 (AYES: Harnik, Kirschenbaum, and Spiegel; NOES: None; ABSENT: Moran and White). B. PALM DESERT AREA CHAMBER BARBECUE EVENT Patrick Klein, Mike Hardin, and Laurie Baldwin of the Palm Desert Area Chamber of Commerce introduced themselves. Mr. Hardin described how barbeque competition events have risen in popularity, leading to the suggestion that a barbeque event be organized to take place at the Palm Desert Civic Center Park. He then explained that the barbeque currently being planned would be a KCBS (Kansas City Barbecue Society) sanctioned event, meaning that the competing teams at the Palm Desert event would come from across the entire country. Mr. Hardin stated that the date of March 4, 2017 has been secured for the barbeque, and that scheduling a slot as a sanctioned KCBS event must be done several months in advance. Additionally, he explained that there is a fee for securing the date of the event. Following the announcement of the March 4, 2017 date, there was a short discussion regarding other events taking place around that time period. Mr. Soule pointed out that while it is a busy time of year, it would be helpful to have something for that weekend to bump up hotel occupancy. He also pointed out that March 4 was the only weekend still available in 2017 to schedule with KCBS. �43 MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT HOTEL & SIGNATURE EVENTS COMMITTEE MEETING August 3, 2016 Ms. Moore added that January and February of 2018 are being looked at for the second barbeque event, which would be a time with less conflicting events taking place. Mr. Klein replied that the weekend in January before the Super Bowl is specifically being considered. Mayor Spiegel inquired how many barbeque teams would be in attendance, to which Mr. Hardin responded that there will be twenty-five teams. He added that a selection of the teams will only be cooking as a part of the competition, while others will both compete and sell their food to the public. After some discussion regarding the comparison of the potential Palm Desert barbeque event to one previously held in Indio, Ms. Baldwin stated that the goal is to achieve a "festival feel". In addition to the competition, she listed live music, a children's area, a beer and wine garden, and car show as additional potential features of the event. Ms. Moore addressed the issue of alcohol being served by describing the idea of fencing the entire area of the event, and distributing wristbands to those who are legally able to purchase alcohol. Ms. Baldwin added that this gave attendees more freedom to move around the event, as opposed to confining them to beer gardens. Mr. Alvarez inquired how many attendees are anticipated for this first event. Mr. Hardin responded that they are expecting around 10,000. This brought up the issue of parking, to which Ms. Moore suggested that a shuttle system will need to be organized. At this time, Ms. Baldwin stated that the Palm Desert Chamber is requesting $35,000 from the City as sponsorship of the event. She then added that if the event makes a profit of $10,000 or more, the Chamber will return a percentage of the sponsorship to the City. After a lengthy discussion regarding promotion of the event, entrance fees, profitability of the event, and the logistics of traffic control, Mayor Pro Tern Harnik stated that the barbeque sounds like a good potential signature event, although it is not the optimal date. Member Kirschenbaum added that it sounds like a great event, but questioned the value of the $35,000 sponsorship. Following further discussion regarding the $35,000 sponsorship amount, Mayor Pro Tern Harnik made a motion to recommend to the City Council a sponsorship of this event in the amount of $35,000. The motion was seconded by Member Kirschenbaum and carried by 3-0 (AYES: Harnik, Kirschenbaum, and Spiegel; NOES: None; ABSENT: Moran and White). 4 MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT HOTEL & SIGNATURE EVENTS COMMITTEE MEETING August 3, 2016 C. BIGGEST LOSER HALF MARATHON EVENT Ms. Lawrence announced that at their last meeting, the City Council had approved a $20,000 sponsorship of The Biggest Loser Half Marathon and 5K, to be held December 4, 2016 at the Palm Desert Civic Center Park. She added that the JW Marriott Desert Springs will be the event host hotel, and that an expo and VIP dinner will take place the night before the marathon. Following this, Ms. Lawrence stated that the race will have about 1,500 participants and 3,000 spectators. Ms. Lawrence stated that this is the first Biggest Loser race on the West Coast, and that celebrity fitness experts from The Biggest Loser television show are expected to make an appearance. In addition, she commented that this event is scheduled for a low occupancy time of the year. Mayor Pro Tern Harnik commented that the JW Marriott's status as a Biggest Loser Resort has been underutilized for marketing purposes. Mr. Soule responded that he has discussed marketing with the Marriott. He went on to say that they do not have a large marketing budget, but he has talked with them about how the City can help support spreading the word about their Biggest Loser program. Additionally, he brought up organizing a half day familiarization experience for the City Council members to become acquainted with the Biggest Loser features at the hotel. Further discussion followed involving ways to market the resort through the media, including local newspapers and television stations. Mr. Soule commented that the race in December will also be an excellent way to spread the word that the JW Marriott Desert Springs is a Biggest Loser Resort, and that it offers potential national exposure if The Biggest Loser television show is picked up again in the Fall. VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VIII. OLD BUSINESS None IX. REPORTS FROM CITY COUNCIL LIAISONS In relation to Fashion Week 2016, Mayor Pro Tem Harnik commented on the lack of restaurants open late on El Paseo. She stated that it would be a good idea for restaurants to be open for those who would like to get a drink after attending the Fashion Week events. 5 MINUTES REGULAR PALM DESERT HOTEL & SIGNATURE EVENTS COMMITTEE MEETING August 3, 2016 X. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Chairman None B. Committee Members None C. Staff Ms. Moore stated that the attendance for Fashion Week El Paseo 2016 and the Food & Wine Festival was down, which Palm Springs life attributes to the event dates being moved after Easter. She reported that the events will be moved back for their regularly scheduled time before Easter for 2017. Ms. Moore additionally highlighted that 43% of credit card usage at Fashion Week came from out -of -market addresses, and also that $56,700 was raised for local charities during the event. Mr. Soule remarked on the presence of fashion blogger, Claire Sulmers, at Fashion Week. He added that special attention is being given to bringing in more social media influencers and bloggers for Fashion Week, in order to attract a younger audience to the event. XI. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS None XII. NEXT MEETING DATE —October 12, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. XIII. ADJOURNMENT With Committee concurrence, the meeting was adjourned at 4:54 p.m. 6Bnan 6eL;on, RecorVingVecretary 1.1