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CASE Committee Meeting Minutes 5-18-23 FINALCASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2023 IN PERSON AT THE AVON PERFORMANCE PAVILION IN THE GREEN ROOM CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 18 MAY 2023 PAGE 1 | 4 1. ROLL CALL Present: Committee Member Calyn Rieger, Doug Jimenez, Justin Chesney, Pedro Campos, Danielle McNair, Committee Chair Lisa Mattis and Town Council Member Ruth Stanley Staff: Culture, Arts & Special Events Manager Danita Dempsey, and Special Events Coordinator Chelsea Van Winkle Absent: Town Council Member Lindsay Hardy and Committee Member Thomas Walsh The meeting was called to order at 12:37 p.m. 2. PUBLIC COMMENT No public comments were made. 3. MINUTES Committee Chair Lisa Mattis motioned to approve the minutes from April 13, 2023. Committee Member Calyn Rieger seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. 4. VOTING: CHAIR AND CO-CHAIR CASE Manager Dempsey directed the voting for a new chair and co-chair for the CASE. She then explained the role of the chair is to set the agenda as well as to guide the meetings. She then reviewed the top nominations for chair and co-chair and read them to the group. Two votes for Pedro Camps, two votes for Doug Jimenez, and two votes Justin Chesney for Chair. Justin Chesney had the most votes for co-chair at three. Candidates were then asked to speak about their nomination and reasons why or why not they would like to chair or co- chair the committee: A. Pedro Campos stated he would love to do it, but he is of the old guard, and is nervous about the time commitment due to his other arrangement and boards he is on. He continued to say there may be virtue in someone else. He finished explaining that the CASE Committee is near and dear to him, but he does not think it is the right thing for him to take the chair role on. B. Justin Chesney then spoke and stated he is also on the Board of Mountain Pride, but he does not foresee issues with not being able to make a meeting. He asked what the process is for pre-meeting prior to the Committee meetings. He also said that he is happy to continue to fulfill his role as co-chair or happy to step up and be chair. C. Doug Jimenez spoke and said how incredible Lisa Mattis has been as the chair and thanked her for her time. He stated that he was flattered about being named chair and that anyone on the committee who is selected will be the right candidate as everyone is in the same job of making Avon better. He continued saying he would love to be chair as the committee is headed in the right direction but needs someone who can bring clarity to the ideas, manage the ideas, and make everyone feel safer in the decisions we are making. The Committee commented/inquired: A. Thinking about the work in the next two years and what the role will be after meeting with council. As well as what the challenges will be in the next two years. CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2023 IN PERSON AT THE AVON PERFORMANCE PAVILION IN THE GREEN ROOM CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 18 MAY 2023 PAGE 2 | 4 B. The chair needs to be able to drive what Danita and her team need to drive. Is the person prepared to drive it? This is what we said we would do, and this is what we need to move forward with. I think the next phase is a hard lift. C. What they are trying to launch in 2024 is a rollercoaster and it takes a while to grow. D. What is it that you (Danita) need for the next two years? well, Manager Dempsey explained that it is rare we have a pre-meeting prior to the Committee meeting but what Lisa does well is ask me “…what my desired outcome…”? That being said, with the new chair in place there will likely be a need for a few meetings. CASE Manager Dempsey stated, when we start to think about when terms are ending in January, the next round there is going to be a shift to bring in more experience in culture, art, and heritage side of things. Our events centered around “music” feel nearly developed and we need to begin a conversation about culture and heritage. Also, it is likely we will release an RFP for the ticketed events for 2024. CASE Manager Dempsey said she appreciates the ability of the CASE Committee to carry messages forward about staffing and that we have a vision in place and now we need the budget and policy to make it happen. VOTE CASE Manager Dempsey read off all member votes for chair, Pedro Campos – 2, Doug Jimenez – 2, Calyn Rieger - 1, and Justin Chesney - 2. She then read all co-chair votes Danielle McNair - 1, Calyn Rieger - 1, Thomas Walsh – 1, and Justin Chesney – 3. Votes for Chair A. Doug Jimenez: Chair – Doug / Co-chair – Justin B. Pedro Campos: Chair – Doug / Co-chair – Justin C. Justin Chesney: Chair – Doug / Co-chair – Justin D. Calyn Rieger: Chair – Doug / Co-chair – Justin E. Lisa Mattis: Chair – Doug / Co-chair – Justin F. Danielle McNair: Chair – Doug / Co-chair – Justin Unanimously, Doug Jimenez was voted as the chair and Justin Chesney as the co-chair. Pedro Campos wrapped up the conversation stating that the committee has come a really long way, we are light years away from where we started. There are a ton of accomplishments, I am really excited for the future. Seeing all the progress we have made has given me conviction to keep going. 5. STAFF UPDATE CASE Manager Dempsey then went into the committee packet (available at Avon.org). The Town Clean Up and Sustainability Fair was a rebrand and expansion of the Town Clean Up and is next Wednesday. This event was the only budget amendment. We had a nice savings in Winter Fireworks from fencing and sound. This is the last year in a 3-year agreement with Western Enterprises therefore, we will need to release an RFP in 2024. Our fireworks contract, at $45,000, is no longer going to give us the same level of fireworks display, as it has done in the past and she anticipates a significant increase in CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2023 IN PERSON AT THE AVON PERFORMANCE PAVILION IN THE GREEN ROOM CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 18 MAY 2023 PAGE 3 | 4 fireworks 30-40% if the same level of program is desired CASE Manager Dempsey explained that she anticipates our revenue is going to come in higher than we budgeted due to private rentals, bars, and vendors. Art Around Avon is back and the biggest piece is that Checkmate will be moving back to Roundabout #4. Post event reports were attached for Winter Fireworks, Egg Hunt, and Ultimate Après Avon in the committee packet (available at Avon.org). She stated that Ultimate Après Avon had a decrease in attendees, and revenue, that Avon, and the producer decided the event will not continue next year. 2023 Special Event Calendar CASE Manager Dempsey then went through the events calendar which is included in the committee packet (available at Avon.org). She explained that the team switched things up a little with some of the bands at SunsetLIVE!. New this year is Battle of the Bands on June 14th, and everyone will get to vote for their favorite Eagle County band. Triple Bypass and Salute to the USA takes all hands-on deck for Town of Avon staff. We signed a three-year agreement with Triple Bypass and Team Evergreen. Avon Arts Celebration changed to just one weekend over two days and will have alcohol sales. Vail Valley Brew Au’ has a new producer and they are doing really well planning this year. XTERRA switched weekends to the end of August and stated that when it comes to budgeting for 2024, she anticipates XTERRA may ask for cash support. For Summer’s End, we did not get the talent budget we wanted. It was significantly decreased so it is a local band with a long set. She stated that she thinks this year’s concert will help us determine what happens in 2024 if it is not meaningful enough over a holiday weekend through the data we collect. We also pulled apart Paddle Battles from Summer’s End and are marketing them separately and together in hopes of having a better turn out with different marketing strategies. For 2024, we have the luxury of being able to target some dates. There is opportunity but we must free up a weekend and make difficult decisions about what we want. This may lead to less volume but more strategic events. Lakeside Cinema we put more money into it with free popcorn and advertising to get more people so if it is not meaningful we may recommend cutting it next year. The Committee commented/inquired: A. Triple Bypass is incredible and takes 19 Avon PD. B. I gained a different appreciation from riding in Triple Bypass. There are people from in, and out of the state, the exposure we get is amazing. C. If XTERRA asked for $50,000, would you be in favor of that? D. XTERRA ties Avon and Beaver Creek together, which is hard to do and is fantastic. E. When is Best of the West slotted? F. I ended up attending the Gerald Ford Amphitheater Saturday April show and I was really surprised at how well attended and successful that was. They defied the odds with the genre of music so could be something we considered. G. What do you think about the value of Man of the Cliff? i. We always talked about the potential, and it is so unique, but it never seems to grow. There is an Axe Throwing establishment so you would think they would be able to grow and evolve. ii. It needs a significant investment in marketing, especially marketing in Denver to bring that crowd in. CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2023 IN PERSON AT THE AVON PERFORMANCE PAVILION IN THE GREEN ROOM CASE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 18 MAY 2023 PAGE 4 | 4 iii. It needs to evolve or if not, maybe it needs to go away. It rounds out our calendar at the end, but it is always risky with the weather. Maybe it is okay the way it is because it is not on a prime weekend or season. I do think the local crowd appreciates it. iv. I campaigned at it last year and a lot of people were from out of town. v. Feedback I have heard that people really enjoy it and like it on the calendar. vi. This event could be one where we provide less of an investment from the Town. vii. Personally, it is one of my favorites. H. There is enough business for weddings to go around. This is a great place to host a wedding, you could require them to have a day of coordinator to help alleviate the time commitment for yourselves. CASE Manager Dempsey said for XTERRA they would have to tie it to metrics for us to fund in cash. She continued that Best of the West is slotted for the third weekend of June. For Man of the Cliff, we currently give them roughly $10,000 in cash and $6,000 in in-kind. She agreed it is unique and loves it on the calendar, but it is stale. Events Coordinator Van Winkle talked about private rentals and how the team has been inundated with requests and bookings. Rentals are becoming hard for the team to manage as private groups require a lot of help. CASE Manager Dempsey spoke about wanting to ensure we are having connections with private groups, but it is tasking for our small team. 6. CLOSING COMMENTS A committee member acknowledged that there is great interest in a skate park in our old town hall site and that there are also a lot of event repercussions if it goes there. Another member responded and said, in Winter Park there is a skate park next to their events and I did not feel like it would deter from the experience. The other side is, if you have kids that do not want to come to the events, now they may come. CASE Manager Dempsey explained that P & Z is the forum to offer your comments about the Skate Plaza location. 7. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 2:21 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: Chelsea Van Winkle Special Events Coordinator