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Home My WebLink About5-28-24 90-Day Festival TF ReportConvention & Visitors Bureau 2024 90-Day Festival Task Force Julie Brenman, Fountainworks Michael Mauch, Chair May 28, 2024 The Task Force consisted of 16 voting members including a member designated by each member of the City Council, as well as a representative of the following entities: •The Resort Advisory Commission, •The Arts and Humanities Commission, •The Minority Business Council, •The Central Business District Association, •The Virginia Beach Hotel Association, •The Virginia Beach Restaurant Association. The City Manager and City Attorney provided staff support to the Task Force which included a facilitator, a representative of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, a representative of Parks and Recreation, a representative of Emergency Management, and a representative from Budget and Management Services. The Task Force was charged with proposing revisions to the current Oceanfront Parks Policy and developing a festival funding criteria and process. The 90 Day Festival Task Force met for their first meeting on Thursday, February 15, 2024. The 16 members appointed to the Task Force represented a broad and diverse group of Virginia Beach residents, business owners, and event producers. Resolution Direction 2 Meeting Dates: February 15, 16; March 7, 21; April 11; May 6 Task Force Members: City Staff Members Michael Mauch – Chair BJ Baumann, Vice-Chair Brande Rumpf, Staff Liaison Lauren Bland Jaketa Clark-Thompson Bill Kelly, Convention & Visitors Bureau Nancy Creech Gerald Daniels Hunter Anderson, Budget & Mgmt. Svs. Jeanne Evans-Cox Carla Hesseltine Amanda Parrish, Parks and Recreation Nick Jacovides Mark Johnson Andrew Booden, Emergency Mgmt. David Leader Deepak Nachnani Kara Shoup, Recorder Robert “Bob” Pizzini Dr. Cynthia Romero Julie Brenman, Fountainworks George Waters John Zirkle Beverly Foster, Fountainworks Volunteer Hours: 32 Total Hours: 512 Overview 3 Over the past 90 days the Festival Task Force, through its appointed volunteers, facilitators, and its liaison, worked on the following key matters in furtherance of the direction provided in the resolution. Meeting Dates: •Feb. 15, 2024, from 9:00am – 4:30pm, Feb. 16, 2024, from 9:00am – 12:00pm; •March 7, 2024, from 9:00am – 4:30pm, March 21, 2024, from 9:00am – 2:30pm; •April 11 , 2024, from 9:00am – 4:30pm, •May 6, 2024, from 10:00am – 11 :00am Objectives •Updating the Oceanfront Parks Policy •Criteria for ROI of large festivals for visitors •Criteria for ROI for festivals for local residents •Criteria to ensure festivals are inclusive for diverse audiences. •Process for evaluating requests for financial or in-kind support to festivals. Executive Summary 4 Definitions 5 A Tourism Event is a special event that furthers the City's economic development goals, CVB’s marketing efforts and is primarily intended to attract participants from out of the immediate area. A Tourism Event means an event, such as a major convention, trade show, sporting activity, or festival, with potential to attract guests outside of a 50- mile radius and to produce significant increased economic impact for the City of Virginia Beach through overnight stays. Advertising and marketing must be directed outside a 50-mile radius of the City of Virginia Beach. The event must generate a minimum of 1,000 verifiable hotel room nights during the event to be considered a Tourism Event. Tourism Events 6 A Community Event is focused on the community. These types of events are organized and attended predominately by people from the community or nearby region. People that attend these events generally do not travel from out of town specifically to attend these types of events. There may or may not be a charity focus with these events. A Tourism Event is distinguished from a Community Event by its ability to attract a significant percentage of its attendees from greater than 50-miles beyond the City’s boundaries. Over time, a Community Event may grow into a Tourism Event when it is able to generate a minimum of 1,000 verifiable hotel room nights. Community Events 7 #1 Our Oceanfront is the premier location, so festivals at the Oceanfront will be primarily produced by the City and professional producers in order to protect the Oceanfront and Virginia Beach communities. Recommending Guiding Principals 8 #2 Virginia Beach strives to provide inclusive festivals and events appealing to diverse audiences. Diverse festivals and events provide benefits to the community beyond tourism dollars and thus are welcomed and encouraged. Recommending Guiding Principals 9 #3 Festivals and events that receive in-kind or financial City support need to produce a return on investment (ROI) to Virginia Beach residents. Recommending Guiding Principals 10 #4 The process for approving festivals and events needs to be standardized, consistent, and clear to applicants and Virginia Beach staff. Recommending Guiding Principals 11 #5 Financial or in-kind support from the City must go through an independent process. Recommending Guiding Principals 12 #6 Producers must be held accountable for their events, and the City must enforce rules. Recommending Guiding Principals 13 #7 Politics shall not be a part of the legitimate event approval process. Recommending Guiding Principals 14 Additional Information on Guiding Principal #5 Festival Funding Criteria and Process 15 We recommend City Council allocate separate and distinct funding from the General Fund for Community Events. o Any funding for Community Events should not come from the TIP Fund as that is reserved for tourism investment. o The City must quantify the dollar value of in-kind services provided to events. Even if the City does not currently charge for the services, it is important to recognize their value to event producers and cost to taxpayers. Community Events 16 Process for Funding Community Events: 1.CVB staff conducts an initial vetting to determine if an event is a Community Event or a Tourism Event based on verifiable criteria. The event must generate a minimum of 1,000 verifiable hotel room nights during the event to be considered a Tourism Event. 2.If a Community Event would like to request cash assistance from the City, a newly formed Community Events Committee will review qualifications and determine funding subject to the event coinciding with the City's marketing objectives. In-kind services from the City will be considered as part of the total package. (See recommendations regarding the new Committee below). Community Events 17 Process for Funding Community Events (continued): 3. Evaluation criteria , by priority, for financial or in -kind request for Community Events: a. Community ROI: Events that appeal to diverse audiences and provide a community benefit. Community ROI also supports community vibrancy, well-being, inclusion, belonging, and connectedness. This is the highest priority criteria for Community Events. b. Image of Virginia Beach ROI: Positive media impressions for Virginia Beach (local, regional, national marketing) c. Financial ROI for Virginia Beach: Benefit to the local economy is a priority (anticipated tourism revenue and local economic impact) Community Events 18 4. We recommend the City create a new Community Events Committee (modeled after the City’s Arts & Humanities Commission) a)The committee will comprise of 7-11 members, including pertinent business association representatives, community representatives, and representatives from the hotel and restaurant associations. b)The committee will review funding requests for Community Events three times per year. c)The committee will establish parameters for receipt of funds and/or in -kind services from the City. d)The City will set aside funding from the General Fund annually for Community Events for the committee to allocate. e)The City needs to provide staff (estimated at 3 FTEs) to support the work of the committee and administer funding. Motion Direction For Newly Formed Community Event Funding Committee 19 f)The committee will use the ROI criteria noted above, as well as emphasize funding for events that: i.Are appealing to diverse audiences and fill a unique or unmet need; ii.Have the ability to grow into Tourism Events; and iii.Promote collaborations or partnerships to support newer producers in gaining experience. g)The committee will make recommendations for Community Events that can be held at the Oceanfront during the non-resort season. h)The committee will ensure accountability by reviewing documentation of spending and impact after awards are given. Motion Direction For Newly Formed Community Event Funding Committee 20 Recommended Process for “Tourism Events”: To be handled by the Convention and Visitors Bureau. 1.CVB staff conducts an initial vetting to determine if an event is a Community Event or a Tourism Event based on verifiable criteria. The event must generate a minimum of 1,000 verifiable hotel room nights during the event to be considered a Tourism Event. 2.The CVB Staff will recruit and vet requests for events that promote tourism. Certain large Tourism Events receive incentives. 3.City Council will need to review and approve financial support after the staff brings the proposal to them for consideration. Tourism Event 21 Festival Funding Criteria and Process 22 4.Evaluation criteria, by priority, for financial and in -kind requests for Tourism Events:. i.Financial ROI for Virginia Beach: Benefit to the local economy is the highest priority for Tourism Events (anticipated tourism revenue and local economic impact). ii.Image of Virginia Beach ROI: Positive media impressions for Virginia Beach is a secondary priority (local, regional, national marketing). iii.Community ROI: Events that appeal to diverse audiences and provide a community benefit. Community ROI also supports community vibrancy, well - being, inclusion, belonging, and connectedness. 5.The Resort Investment Committee (RIC) and Resort Advisory Committee (RAC) are designated by Ordinance to review Tourism Investment Program) TIP expenditures; Any TIP fund expenditures for event must be reviewed by RIC and RAC. •With the conclusion of this report, your resolution dissolves this 90-Day Task Force •Other areas that were outside the scope of the resolution that still need some discussions and recommendations: •Fee Schedule Review (P & R vs. Oceanfront) •ROI Study – City Financial Sponsorship dollar amount that would require a study •Food and Alcohol Review addendum Next Steps 23 Questions? Questions