* 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. [00:00:03] GOOD MORNING. [CALL TO ORDER] WELCOME TO THE VISIT MCKINNEY BOARD MEETING. MY NAME IS KATIE SCOTT, AND WE ARE MEETING AT CITY HALL IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS, LOCATED AT 4 0 1 EAST VIRGINIA STREET, MCKINNEY, TEXAS. TODAY IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25TH, 2025, AND IT IS 8:01 AM THE FOLLOWING BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT. JILL BARNES, BRIAN MEDINA, KEITH GAUL, JANIE PENA, AND MYSELF. CITY COUNCIL. PRESENT IS JUSTIN BELLA. WE HAVE CITY STAFF MIKE KOWSKI, ANDREW JONES AND MARCUS LLOYD. VISIT MCKINNEY STAFF. DID I FORGET? OH, CAROL. HI CAROL. WHEN DID YOU SHOW UP? I DIDN'T SEE YOU. I'M SO SORRY. AND CAROL. CAROL SULLIVAN IS PRESIDENT. I'M SO SORRY. I'LL SEE KOWSKI. DO WHAT? KOWSKI IS HERE. OH, KOWSKI IS NOT HERE. GOSH, I AM BLOWING IT THIS MORNING, GUYS. CAROL. CAROL. I DIDN'T SEE COME OUT THANKSGIVING WEEK. AND MIKE KOWSKI IS NOT HERE. UH, VISIT MCKINNEY. STAFF. WE HAVE AARON WERNER, ALICIA HOLMBERG, SARAH TING, EMILY MYRICK, AND PAULA MARTIN. WE'RE NOW TAKING TIMES FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS. THERE ARE NONE. WE'LL MOVE ON. MOVING [CONSENT ITEMS] ON TO CONSENT. ITEM TWO FIVE DASH 3 3 9 7 MINUTES OF THE VISIT MCKINNEY BOARD MEETING OF OCTOBER 28TH, 2025. MAY I GET A MOTION TO, TO PASS A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? MOTION BY KEITH? MAY I GET A SECOND? I'LL SECOND. A SECOND BY BRIAN. PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. OKAY. MOTION APPROVED. [Board and Liaison Reports City of McKinney MEDC MCDC McKinney Main Street / MPAC McKinney Parks and Recreation Visit McKinney Finance Report Visit McKinney Marketing Report] MOVING ON TO BOARD AND LIAISON REPORTS. AGENDA ITEM TWO FIVE DASH 3 3 9 8. UH, WITH, WE'LL START WITH CITY MANAGER PAUL GR OH, NOT HERE. OH, YOU ARE HERE. SORRY. I'M SO OFF TODAY. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? WE SHOULD SHOOK HANDS EARLIER. NO PROBLEM. GOOD MORNING, MADAM CHAIR. YOU WERE HERE LAST TIME. MR. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MY NAME'S PAUL GRIME, CITY MANAGER. HAPPY TO BE HERE. YES, I DID MISS THE LAST, UH, THE LAST, UM, SESSION. I BELIEVE YOUR LAST MEETING. UH, A FEW THINGS TO UPDATE YOU WITH. FIRST OF ALL, I WANTED TO WISH ALL OF YOU A HAPPY THANKSGIVING. MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY. IT'S KIND OF, CAN'T REALLY BE COMMERCIALIZED TOO MUCH, RIGHT? IT'S HARD TO COMMERCIALIZE THANKSGIVING, WHICH I THINK MAKES IT EVEN MORE MEANINGFUL. SO I WISH ALL OF YOU THE BEST FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES. EAT LIKE YOU MEAN IT. AS I TELL PEOPLE, EAT LIKE YOU MEAN IT. UM, COUPLE UPDATES. WE HAVE REDESIGNED OUR WEBSITE, SO, UH, IT'S EVEN MORE FRIENDLY TO MOBILE USERS. UH, SO IF YOU WANNA TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND IF YOU HAVE ANY FEEDBACK OR ANY SUGGESTIONS, WE ARE ALL EARS. WE'D LOVE TO HEAR, UH, ANY FEEDBACK THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE. UM, I'M SCROLLING THROUGH MY NOTES HERE FOR THINGS THAT I FLAGGED TO PASS ON TO YOU. UH, I KNOW THAT YOU LIKE TO HEAR. UM, UM, WELL, PATRICK'S NOT HERE TODAY, BUT PATRICK ALWAYS LIKES TO HEAR OUR MONTHLY POPULATION ESTIMATE. WE ARE UP TO 234 5 7 6. OUR MONTHLY ESTIMATE, UH, AS OF NOVEMBER ONE IS 2 34 5 7 6. UM, I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU JUST SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING ONLY ON THE FACILITY SIDE, THE, THE CONSTRUCTION OR THE, THE WORK THAT'S GOING ON IN OUR BUILDINGS IN THE CITY. SO THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF WORK. UM, WE OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE THE AIRPORT EAST SIDE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT, INCLUDING THE VERTICAL, UH, CONSTRUCTION OF THE AIRPORT TERMINAL. THE MCKINNEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER WILL START, UH, AND ANDREW MAY TOUCH ON IT, BUT THEY'LL START RENOVATION WORK IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2026. UH, FIRE DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS IS UNDERWAY, NEARLY COMPLETED. THEY SHOULD BE MOVING INTO THE NEW FIRE HEADQUARTERS FIRST QUARTER, PROBABLY IN JANUARY OF 2026. OF COURSE, WHEN YOU VACATE THE SPACE IN THE EXISTING PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING, THE POLICE ARE GOING TO, UH, TAKE THAT SPACE THAT WAS PLANNED, OF COURSE. AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE DO SOME RENOVATION WORK IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING TO RETROFIT AND, AND RENOVATE THAT SPACE FOR POLICE USE. SO THE POLICE BUILDING WILL NO LONGER BE A PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING, PER SE. IT'LL BE A POLICE HEADQUARTERS AND A FIRE HEADQUARTERS ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER. UM, AND WE HAVE, UH, THE REC CENTER AT TOWN LAKE RENOVATIONS. THAT IS NEARLY DONE. UH, IN FACT, WE ARE HAVING A RIBBON CUTTING FOR THE TOWN, UH, THE, THE REC CENTER AS WELL AS THE, UM, LIGHT WALK, UH, WHICH IS A LIGHTED AREA ALONG THE TRAILS THERE. THAT'S COMING UP, I BELIEVE, UH, THE FIRST WEEK OF DECEMBER. AND IT'LL BE A, A GREAT, UH, INTRODUCTION, UM, FOR THE, THE, UH, THE LIGHT WALK IN THE TOWN LAKE REC CENTER. AND THEN, OF COURSE, UH, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN AUTHORIZATION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR A NEW DOWNTOWN PARKING STRUCTURE. UH, SO WE ARE WORKING, THAT'S ALL PART OF THE REDEVELOPMENT, SORT OF THE LARGER REDEVELOPMENT OF THE OLD CITY HALL AND THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES BUILDING. FIRST PHASE OF THAT'S GONNA BE LOOKING AT A NEW PARKING STRUCTURE, GET THAT IN PLACE AND PUT THE OTHER PIECES IN PLACE OVER [00:05:01] TIME. SO, UH, THOSE ARE JUST A COUPLE HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME OF THE MANY THINGS WE'RE DOING IN TERMS OF OUR FACILITY WORK. AND WITH THAT, I WANTED TO TOUCH ON A COUPLE THINGS. YOU HAVE THE BENEFIT OF, NOW THAT WE HAVE TO POST OUR AGENDAS EARLIER. WE HAVE OUR AGENDA POSTED AS OF YESTERDAY. SO I WANNA TOUCH ON A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT, UH, ARE ON THE AGENDA THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST. IF YOU WANNA TUNE IN. WE HAVE, AT OUR WORK SESSION, UM, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT A COUPLE OF ITEMS. UH, ONE, UH, THE, UH, ONE MCKINNEY 2040, THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND HOW WE IMPLEMENT IT. UM, WE'VE ADOPTED THAT PLAN ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE, UH, IT'S FIVE YEARS OLD ALREADY, BUT, YOU KNOW, THEY TAKE AMENDMENTS PERIODICALLY. THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS IS. THIS IS REALLY TALKING, THAT'S A SORT OF AN INFORMATIONAL SERIES FOR THE CITY COUNCIL SINCE WE HAVE SOME NEW MEMBERS SINCE IT WAS ADOPTED TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THE COMP PLAN IS AND ISN'T. WE DID THAT ONE ALREADY. THAT WAS PART ONE OF THE PRESENTATION. THIS IS HOW WE IMPLEMENT IT AND HOW IT APPLIES TO OUR DEVELOPMENT, UH, PROCESS. SO IT'LL BE KIND OF AN INFORMATIONAL SERIES. WE'RE ALSO GONNA TALK ABOUT, UH, POTENTIAL TRAP NEUTER RELEASE OPTIONS FOR, UM, FERAL CATS, UH, PRIMARILY. AND, UM, WE HAVE BEEN ASKED TO TAKE A LOOK AT TRAP NEUTER RELEASE TNR PROGRAMS. WE'RE GONNA HAVE A WORK SESSION ON THAT, IF THAT INTERESTS YOU. UH, TUNE IN. AND THEN, UH, PARKS AND REC WILL BE HERE TO DO A CAPRA PRESENTATION. THEY'VE GOTTEN THEIR CERTIFICATION AS PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT AND, UH, THEY'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT, AS ARE WE. AND, UH, THEY'LL, THEY'LL PRESENT THAT A LITTLE BIT IN WORK SESSION. AND WE'RE ALSO GONNA TALK ABOUT SOME GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR AN RFQ THAT WE HAVE ARE CONTEMPLATING, AS WITH WE'RE GOING TO, AT THE CITY COUNCIL IS GONNA DISCUSS THIS FOR A REGIONAL SPORTS PARK FACILITY, UH, LOCATED OFF OF, UH, BLOOMINGDALE ROAD, UM, UH, 230 ACRES THAT WE OWN. AND CITY COUNCIL IS DELIBERATING ON WHETHER OR NOT TO PROCEED WITH THAT. SO THAT WILL BE PRESENTED AS WELL AT WORK SESSION, UH, NEXT TUESDAY. WITH THAT, I'LL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS, NOT A QUESTION, BUT A, A QUICK COMMENT. AND MR. GRAHAMS, I THINK THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU'LL HAVE TO ENDURE, UH, THIS, BUT, UH, 'CAUSE I THINK WE'RE THE LAST MEETING OF THE MONTH, BUT WHILE WE WERE ATTENDING ICMA, UH, UH, PAUL WAS AWARDED THE, I THOUGHT I WAS DONE WITH THIS. I I KNOW THIS IS THE LAST ONE. HE WAS AWARDED THE, UH, THE CAREER EXCELLENCE AWARD BY ICMA, UM, WHICH, UH, IS DISTINGUISHED HIM AS ONE CITY MANAGER OUT OF, UH, ALL OF THEM IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, UM, TO RECEIVE THAT AWARD THIS YEAR. IT'S THE HIGHEST HONOR YOU CAN RECEIVE AT ICMA FOR SOMEONE IN HIS PROFESSION. AND, UH, SO JUST TO, AND I WANTED YOU GUYS TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE BEST OF THE BEST IN MCKINNEY AND, UH, WE'RE REALLY PROUD TO WORK UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP. AND I KNOW HE HATES EVERY MOMENT OF THESE, UH, ANNOUNCEMENTS, BUT, UH, IT'S WORTH TALKING ABOUT. SO, YEAH, THANK YOU, MR. RAMS. CONGRATULATIONS. THE ONLY THING I WOULD SAY, AND I SAY THIS TO EVERYBODY, WE CAN'T AWARDS LIKE THIS. I GET THE PRIVILEGE AND THE HONOR, OF COURSE, TO RECEIVE IT, BUT IT'S NOT POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE GREAT TEAM. WE HAVE. WE REALLY HAVE A SENSATIONAL TEAM HERE IN MCKINNEY. GREAT PROFESSIONALS. IT'S NOT JUST THAT THEY'RE GOOD AT WHAT THEY DO, YOU CAN FIND THAT, BUT ANYWHERE. BUT THEY REALLY HAVE CARING HEARTS. I MEAN, THEY REALLY, REALLY CARE. NOT THAT THE OTHERS DON'T, I MEAN, EVERYBODY DOES, BUT, UH, IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER. BUT OUR FOLKS, I THINK, REALLY TAKE IT UP A NOTCH WHEN IT COMES TO SHOWING, UH, SORT OF TRUE, UH, SORT OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ALL ABOUT. AND, UM, THAT'S PART OF OUR ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE, AND IT WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE GREAT PEOPLE. SO, THANKS. THANK YOU. AND NO, THANKS TO YOU FOR SHARING. HE HAD TO DO IT. YEAH. THANK YOU, PAUL. UH, COUNCILMAN, ER, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO SAY? HE SAID EVERYTHING. UHHUH . OKAY. UH, WE'LL MOVE ON TO MCDC, UH, MARCUS LLOYD, GOOD MORNING BOARD MEMBERS. GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL FOR THE FIRST TIME. ADAM, CHAIR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WARN, UH, WINNER, UH, WE, UM, I, I HAVE NOTHING ELABORATE TO SAY. I JUST, THIS IS MY FIRST MEETING FOR VISIT MCKINNEY, SO I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE AND REPRESENT CDC. UH, I JUST WANTED TO INTRODUCE MYSELF. UH, THIS IS MY SECOND YEAR ON, UH, CDC. AND, UH, IT'S EXCITING TO CONTINUE TO HEAR ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT THE CITY IS DOING. SO GRATEFUL TO SO MANY PEOPLE WHO, YOU KNOW, SERVE ON BOARDS AND ALL THE BOARDS THAT ARE AROUND. IT'S HARD TO KEEP UP WITH EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BUT YOU GUYS ARE DOING SOME GREAT WORK HERE. WE GET TO HEAR AARON EVERY MONTH, AND HE JUST PRAISES EVERYTHING THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING. AND IT'S, AND IT, IT'S, IT'S NOTED, IT, IT'S, IT'S WORTHY. UM, BECAUSE I'M CONSTANTLY SEEING THE COLLABORATION THAT WE AT, UH, CDC HAVE WITH VISIT MCKINNEY AND JUST BRINGING PEOPLE TO MCKINNEY TO ENJOY IT AND TO LOVE THE CITY THAT I'VE BEEN A PART OF FOR 20 PLUS YEARS. SO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, UH, IN THAT WAY, UH, CREATING, UH, JUST A GREAT WAY FOR PEOPLE TO COME AND ENJOY THE CITY. AND, UM, I'D LOVE SEEING ALL THE CONSTRUCTION THAT'S GOING ON, NEW HOTELS AND THINGS THAT ARE COMING, AND ALL THE EVENTS THAT ARE COMING OUR WAY. SO, EXCITED TO BE THE LIAISON THIS YEAR AND LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, GETTING TO KNOW YOU GUYS EVEN MORE PERSONALLY. SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I'LL STAND FOR ANY QUESTION. WELCOME. YEAH, WELCOME. THANKS. THANK YOU, MARCUS. NICE TO MEET YOU. THANK YOU. MCKINNEY. MAIN STREET. ANDREW JONES. GOOD MORNING, MADAM CHAIR. [00:10:01] UH, VISIT MCKINNEY BOARD. ANDREW JONES, CULTURAL DISTRICT DIRECTOR. GOT A LOT OF UPDATES. THIS IS A BUSY TIME OF YEAR FOR DOWNTOWN. UH, FIRST THOUGH, UH, WE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF GOING DOWN TO, UH, WACO TO RECEIVE, UH, A NUMBER OF AWARDS FOR THE, FROM THE TEXAS DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION. UH, BEST RENOVATION HARVEST ON AT THE MASONIC, IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN THERE, WELL DESERVED FOR THAT, UH, AMAZING RENOVATION OF THE OLD, HIS HISTORIC, UH, MASONIC LODGE. AND WE HAD THE BEST, UH, PROJECT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WHICH WAS OUR DOWNTOWN TROLLEY, WHICH WAS A CDC FUNDED GRANT, AS WELL AS A HOT TAX FUNDED, UH, PROJECT. AND HAS BEEN A REALLY GREAT, UH, ADDITION TO THE DOWNTOWN SQUARE. WE ALSO RECEIVED THREE PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS, UH, ONE FOR BEST OF THE, UH, BEST BUSINESS IN THE STATE. AND THAT WAS MCKINNEY KNITTERY. UM, IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN TO MCKINNEY ERY, THEY'RE STANDOUT IN THAT, IN THAT INDUSTRY. AND, UH, SHE BRINGS PEOPLE FROM PARIS ALL AND ALL OVER THE, THE WORLD TO COME IN AND TEACH AND, AND DO, UH, GREAT LITTLE EVENTS IN AT THAT BUSINESS. AND THEN, UH, WE ALSO RECEIVED, UH, BEST PROJECT FOR DOWNTOWN TROLLEY, AND THEN BEST DOWNTOWN FOR THE, FOR DOWNTOWN MCKINNEY. UM, WE, UH, JUST LAUNCHED A NEW EVENT, UH, OUR GRANDMA STAND. UH, WE HAD A, A GREAT LITTLE FEATURE ON SOME LOCAL NEWS CHANNELS ON THAT. IT'S A LITTLE, UH, MOBILE POPUP STAND. THIS, THIS CONCEPT STARTED, UH, IN NEW YORK CITY DURING COVID, WHERE PEOPLE WERE DOING VIRTUAL VISITS WITH A GRANDMOTHER. UH, WHEN EVERYBODY WAS IN ISOLATION, THE, UH, INVENTOR OF THIS, UH, HE, HE BROUGHT IT OUT TO THE PUBLIC WHERE THEY CREATED AN ACTUAL PHYSICAL STAND WHERE PEOPLE CAN JUST ON, IN A PARK, MEET A GRANDMOTHER, AND JUST HAVE A GREAT, UH, MOMENT. UH, WE ARE THE FIRST COMMUNITY OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK CITY TO ACTUALLY HOST THIS. AND IT'S BEEN A REALLY WARM, UH, RECEPTION ALREADY. I THINK GRANDMA SARAH HAD A, HAD A GREAT WEEKEND. THIS, THIS PAST WEEKEND. UH, LOTS OF TEARS AND HUGS, AND IT'S JUST BEEN A GREAT LITTLE, UH, ADDITION. UM, AND THEN, UH, YOU MIGHT HAVE, UH, SEEN LAST YEAR WE DID A SMALL BUSINESS, UM, KIND OF VIDEO. IT WAS A BUY HARD VIDEO, UH, GAINED A LOT OF, UH, TRACTION. WE JUST LAUNCHED A NEW ONE THIS YEAR, KIND OF A BEAUTY AND THE BEAST INSPIRED, UH, MUSICAL THAT HIGHLIGHTS DOWNTOWN AS A SHOPPING DISTRICT, UM, ALREADY GETTING GREAT RESPONSE FROM THAT. AND THEN, UH, TALK ABOUT, UH, A FEW EVENTS COMING UP. UH, SO OUR GIVING MACHINES, UH, NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 4TH, ARE GONNA BE IN DOWNTOWN NEXT TO IMPACT. UH, WE ARE GEARING UP FOR, UH, HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS THIS WEEKEND. SO NOVEMBER 28TH THROUGH 30TH, HOPE Y'ALL ARE ABLE TO JOIN US FOR THE TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY. WE DO HAVE A NEW, UH, KIND OF SURPRISE FOR THE TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY. WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LASER SHOW, LASER LIGHT SHOW, UH, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY. AND THEN THAT, UH, LASER SHOW IS GONNA BE ACTUALLY IN DOWNTOWN ON THE SIDE OF IMPACT BY THE TREE EVERY SINGLE DAY THROUGH THE, UH, UH, THROUGH THE 24TH OF DECEMBER. SO IT'S A GREAT ADDITION THIS YEAR. UH, MRT PRESENTS, UH, CHRISTMAS CAROL. THAT'S, UH, NOVEMBER 28TH THROUGH 29TH. UH, DECEMBER 4TH, WE HAVE GIRLS NIGHT OUT. UH, DECEMBER 6TH, WE HAVE OUR COFFEE CRAWL, UH, DECEMBER 11TH. SANTA'S HELPERS, UH, WITH WFAA COMES BACK OUT. UM, IF YOU'VE EVER HAD A CHANCE TO, UH, PARTICIPATE IN THAT, THAT'S A GREAT COMMUNITY EVENT. UH, PEOPLE DONATE, UH, GIFTS, THEY BRING THEM ON. AND, UH, PETE DEL ALWAYS DOES A, A GREAT LIFE SPOT FROM THE DOWNTOWN MCKINNEY. UM, AND THEN DECEMBER 13TH, WE HAD THE PARADE OF LIGHTS. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, UH, DECEMBER 18TH, WE HAVE THE MENORAH LIGHTING AT MITCHELL PARK. SO A FULL, UH, MONTH OF, UH, FESTIVITIES AHEAD. BUT, UH, I'LL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS. GOOD LUCK THIS WEEKEND. IT'LL BE FUN. THANK YOU. YOU CAN DO THE BOOKS, MARK. UH, YOU WANNA SKIP IT? YEAH, WE CAN SKIP IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY NOTES. OKAY. WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE VISIT MCKINNEY FINANCE REPORT. ALICIA, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. UM, OUR FINANCE COMMITTEE MET LAST WEEK AND WE WENT OVER OUR FINANCES. UM, DO WE HAVE, SEE IF WE CAN GET 'EM UP ON THE SCREEN. THANK YOU. UH, OKAY. SO THIS IS FOR, UM, THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. THESE ARE PRE PRELIMINARY NUMBERS. THERE MIGHT BE SOME SLIGHT CHANGES AS OUR, UM, BUDGET OFFICE IS STILL FINALIZING THE FISCAL YEAR. UM, BUT THIS IS THE COMPLETION OF THE YEAR. AND YOU CAN SEE THERE WE WERE, OUR TOTAL EXPENSES WERE, WERE ABOUT 96%. SO WE WERE, UM, JUST SLIGHTLY UNDER BUDGET, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHERE WE NEED TO BE. UM, WE DID MOST OF OUR, THAT BIG ACCOUNT, THE SERVICES AND SUNDRIES ACCOUNT, UM, WHICH IS WHERE THE MAJORITY OF OUR, UM, SPENDING IS. WE WERE RIGHT AT ABOUT 90%, BUT AGAIN, THAT, THAT NUMBER MIGHT SHIFT SLIGHTLY. UM, BUT WE WERE HAPPY WITH WHERE WE WERE. WE DID A, A GOOD JOB STAYING ON OUR BUDGET, UM, WHICH WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THANKS TO PAULA'S, UM, ORGANIZATION. LET'S SEE THIS THERE. WE, OH, NOT TOO MANY. UH, [00:15:01] HERE'S OUR NUMBERS FOR THE HOT TAX COLLECTION, UM, FOR SEPTEMBER. SO AGAIN, THIS IS THE FINAL OF OUR, OUR FISCAL YEAR. UH, WE ENDED THE YEAR AT THREE POINT, JUST OVER 3.3 MILLION. SO AGAIN, UM, A RECORD NUMBER FOR US CONTINUING TO CLIMB EVERY YEAR. WE WERE HAPPY TO SEE THAT FOR SEPTEMBER. UH, WE WERE UP, UH, UM, 9.68% FROM LAST SEPTEMBER. UH, ANOTHER STRONG MONTH FOR US THAT WE ENDED THE YEAR VERY STRONG. THOSE YOU CAN SEE, THOSE LAST FOUR MONTHS OF THE FISCAL YEAR, UM, WERE, WERE REALLY HIGH NUMBERS FOR US. AND THEN OVERALL, WE WERE UP, UH, $210,000 COMPARED TO LAST YEAR. SO, UH, ALMOST 7%, UM, UP. SO OUR HOT TAX GROWTH IS CONTINUING TO TREND UP. UM, UNLIKE OUR, OUR SALES TAX IS A LITTLE STAGNANT FOR THE CITY, BUT WE'RE HAPPY TO SEE THAT FOR US, THAT HAWK TAX IS CONTINUING TO, TO, TO GROW. UM, HERE ARE THE NUMBERS FOR OUR HOTELS. YOU CAN SEE, UM, SEPTEMBER OVERALL FOR THE CITY WAS PRETTY FLAT. IT'S FLAT COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, 70%. UM, OUR, UH, THE TOP TIER ONE WAS SLIGHTLY DOWN. UM, TIER TWO WAS JUST, WAS UP A DECENT AMOUNT. AND THEN TIER THREE WAS ABOUT FLAT, JUST SLIGHTLY DOWN. SO TIER TWO WAS REALLY WHAT KIND OF HELD US WHERE WE NEEDED TO BE. UM, WHICH IS TYPICALLY THAT KIND OF, UM, MID TIER LEVEL OF, UH, UM, LIMITED SERVICE TYPE OF HOTELS, WHICH, WHICH IS SUPPORTS US PRETTY WELL HERE IN MCKINNEY. OUR, UH, YOU'LL SEE THE A DR, UM, WAS UP SLIGHTLY 90, 98, ALMOST $98. SOME OF YOU ATTENDED OUR HOTELIER MEETING, UM, WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT THAT WITH OUR HOTELS THAT EVERYONE AGREED THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT GO UP AS WOULD, UH, WOULD WE. UM, BUT THAT'S A DIFFICULT THING. THE HOTELS KIND OF ALL NEED TO GET ON BOARD AT THE SAME TIME TO BE ABLE TO, TO BRING THAT UP. SO, UM, WE'LL HOPEFULLY STILL SEE THAT KIND OF CHUGGING ALONG. UM, AND INCHING ITS WAY UP. WE'D LOVE TO SEE IT. UM, HOLD STEADY AT OVER A HUNDRED, UM, A HUNDRED DOLLARS. AND THEN YOU'LL SEE HERE THIS IS, UM, THE INDIVIDUAL REPORTING FOR ALL OF OUR HOTELS. UM, WHEN WE WERE IN OUR MEETING, JILL POINTED OUT THAT THE GRANT WASN'T ON THERE, BUT, UH, THAT'S JUST DUE TO THE, THE TIMING OF THE REPORTING COMING OUT. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY DIDN'T, THEY'LL, THEY'LL SUBMIT IT, IT'LL REFLECT ON THE FOLLOWING MONTH. UM, BUT ANOTHER ONE TO POINT, POINT OUT, UM, KIND OF A LITTLE MIDWAY DOWN THERE, HOME TWO SUITES, UM, I THINK I MENTIONED THE LAST TIME IT WAS EITHER THEM OR SPRING HILL OR FAIRFIELD, ONE OR THE OTHER. BUT THEY ARE AT A, THEY WERE AT A HUNDRED PERCENT, UM, OCCUPANCY FOR THEIR MONTH. SO ANOTHER STRONG MONTH FOR, FOR ONE OF THOSE HOTELS. SO WE'RE HAPPY TO SEE THAT. AND I THINK THAT'S MY LAST SLIDE. I'LL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALICIA, WELCOME. VISIT MCKINNEY MARKETING REPORT WITH SARAH AND EMILY. GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY. HAPPY THANKSGIVING. UM, OKAY. SO WE'RE REPORTING ON OCTOBER FOR THIS MONTH. UM, THE WEBSITE STAYED PRETTY STATIC ALL OF OCTOBER, WHICH IS GOOD. IT STAYED PRETTY FLAT. WE DID HAVE AN INCREASE IN NEW USERS, WHICH IS ALWAYS EXCITING. UH, SOME OF THE TOP PAGES VISITED WAS, UM, THERE WAS A DIWALI EVENT HAPPENING, AND OCTOBER IS KNOWN FOR DIWALI, SO THAT'S NOT TOO SURPRISING TO US. PEOPLE WERE VISITING THE HOMEPAGE A LOT, THE EVENTS PAGE LOT. AND THEN THOSE TWO OTHER EVENTS, THE MONSTER NASH AND THE CREEPY COFFEE CRAWL. SO PEOPLE ARE DEFINITELY VISITING OUR EVENTS PAGE, WHICH IS ALWAYS EXCITING TO SEE. FOR THE VISIT WIDGET, WE ALSO HAD AN INCREASE IN, UM, TOTAL USERS. AND THEN THE TOP VISITS WERE THE TINY DOORS, THE BIRDS OF DOWNTOWN, AND THE HISTORIC WALKING TOUR. I PUT A STAR NEXT TO THE WALKING TOUR BECAUSE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN 12 MONTHS THAT THE WALKING TOUR IS IN THE TOP THREE. SO THAT WAS KIND OF, UH, NICE TO SEE. WE DID ADD AUDIO TO THE WALKING TOUR SO PEOPLE CAN NOW, UM, FOLLOW ALONG THE TOUR ON THEIR PHONE AND LISTEN TO THE SOUND OF SOMEBODY SPEAKING ABOUT THE TOUR AS WELL. AND WE'VE DONE THAT WITH A MURAL TOUR THIS PAST MONTH, SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL SEE THAT ONE IN THE TOP THREE, UH, COMING SOON. UH, FOR EARNED MEDIA IN OCTOBER, WE HAD THE FARMER'S MARKET THAT WAS RANKED, UH, NUMBER ONE IN TEXAS AND THIRD IN THE SOUTHWEST. WE DID A JOINT PRESS RELEASE WITH THEM, AND THAT GOT PICKED UP BY LOCAL PROFILE, COMMUNITY IMPACT, STAR LOCAL MEDIA. AND THEN WE DID A LIVE SEGMENT WITH GOOD MORNING TEXAS, WHICH WAS EXCITING. AND THEN WE ALSO PITCHED THE MCKINNEY WINE AND MUSIC FESTIVAL, AND TEXAS E-NEWS PICKED THAT UP, UH, FOR SOCIAL MEDIA. UH, OCTOBER WAS REALLY STRONG FOR US. WE SAW STRONG OVERALL VISIBILITY ACROSS SOCIAL AND EMAIL CHANNELS. UM, ON SOCIAL MEDIA IMPRESSIONS, NEARLY DOUBLED YEAR OVER YEAR FROM 370, SORRY, 307,000 VERSUS 156,000. UH, AND THAT WAS DRIVEN MOSTLY BY, UH, POSTING MORE REELS THAN PREVIOUS YEARS. UM, ENGAGEMENT [00:20:01] AND ENGAGEMENT RATE WERE SLIGHTLY DOWN COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, BUT THAT IS AN EXPECTED TREND FOR DMO. AS AUDIENCES SHIFT INTO MORE OF A PLANNING, UH, SORRY, SHIFT FROM A PLANNING MODE. UM, WE STILL ADDED 679 NEW FOLLOWERS ACROSS ALL THREE SOCIAL CHANNELS, UM, AND SAW A NOTABLE RISE IN VISITOR INQUIRIES, EMAIL MARKETING. THIS WAS OUR FIRST MONTH AT, UH, A MONTHLY CADENCE INSTEAD OF WEEKLY, SO TOTALLY SWITCHED UP OUR EMAIL MARKETING STRATEGY. AND IT HAS BEEN REALLY STRONG. UH, WE HAD A OVER A 51% OPEN RATE AND 13% CLICK THROUGH RATE, WHICH IS SUPER STRONG FOR US. AND THEN, UM, OPT OUTS AND BOUNCE WERE NEGLIGIBLE, SO THAT'S REALLY GREAT. IT MEANS WE'RE KEEPING OUR LIST REALLY TIGHT AND STRONG. SO OVERALL, A REALLY STRONG ENGAGEMENT, STRONG PERFORMANCE. ANY QUESTIONS? I'D LIKE TO SAY A FEW THINGS. MM-HMM . WE HAD A GREAT MEETING LAST WEEK AND THE TEAM'S REALLY ON IT. UM, SHARE A LITTLE BIT WITH EVERYBODY ABOUT KIND OF UPDATING THE EVENT PAGE A LITTLE BIT, KIND OF HOW THAT MIGHT HELP. YEAH. JUST, YOU KNOW, SATURATION ON THINGS. YES. SO THIS PAST MONTH, WE REALLY TOOK A LOOK AT OUR EVENTS TAB ON THE WEBSITE, AND THERE WERE LIKE HUNDREDS OF EVENTS. THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON IN MCKINNEY, WHICH IS REALLY GREAT, BUT WE'VE HAD A FEW VISITORS COME IN THAT SAY THEY FIND IT A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT TO FIND THINGS HAPPENING ON THE WEEKENDS BECAUSE THERE'S LIKE 10 TO 15 EVENTS A DAY. SO WE KIND OF TOOK A LOOK AT IT AND TOOK A STEP BACK AND ASKED OURSELVES LIKE, WHAT DOES THE VISITOR ACTUALLY WANT? AND THEY WANNA, THEY'RE HERE OVER THE WEEKENDS, THEY WANT LARGER EVENTS TO GO TO. SO WE TIGHTENED UP OUR REQUIREMENTS TO SUBMIT AN EVENT. UM, OBVIOUSLY IT STILL HAS TO BE IN MCKINNEY, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, THINGS LIKE THAT. UM, BUT IT REALLY NEEDS TO, UM, HAVE A DRAW TO VISITORS THAT ARE COMING INTO TOWN. SO WE HAVE SHIFTED TO NOT ACCEPTING FEWER EVENTS, BUT KIND OF JUST, I DON'T KNOW THE CORRECT TERM, BUT BEING MORE STRATEGIC YES. ABOUT THE EVENTS THAT WE ACCEPT THAT WE WERE PUTTING ON OUR CALENDAR. AND THEN WE DON'T REALLY DECLINE EVENTS. INSTEAD, WE PUT, UH, LIKE THE CLASSES, THERE'S A BUNCH OF ART CLASSES AND, UH, THE SMALLER EVENTS ON PEOPLE'S INDIVIDUAL LISTINGS. SO WHEN YOU'RE STILL SEARCHING FOR THINGS TO DO IN CLASSES ON OUR WEBSITE, YOU CAN STILL FIND THOSE EVENTS. THEY'RE JUST IN A DIFFERENT SPOT. GREAT. AND THE LAST THING, THE, THE TURKEY IN THE ROOM OVER THERE. CAN YOU GIVE US THE INSPIRATION ON THAT AND JUST KIND OF SOME OF THE ENGAGEMENT Y'ALL GUYS HAVE GOTTEN FROM THAT? ALL RIGHT. SO IT'S GONNA BE CRAZY . YEAH. WE ARE THE SELF-PROCLAIMED INFLATABLE TURKEY CAPITAL OF TEXAS AND MAYBE THE WORLD, BECAUSE WHO CAN TELL US NO AT THIS POINT? , UM, THAT REALLY JUST CAME FROM, UM, ME HAVING SOUR GRAPES THAT WE'RE NOT GRAPEVINE WITH THE CHRISTMAS CAPITAL AND WE'RE NOT DENTON WITH THE HALLOWEEN CAPITAL. AND OUR RESIDENTS ALREADY HAVE THIS REALLY FUN TRADITION, AND WHY NOT CAPITALIZE IT ON A LITTLE BIT? SORRY, MR. GRIMES, I'M CAPITALIZING ON YOUR HOLIDAY . UM, THERE YOU GO. IF I WILL FIND A WAY, I'LL DO IT. UM, YEAH, IT'S BEEN REALLY STRONG. WE HAVE ALMOST 400 SUBMISSIONS, SO THAT'S 400 RESIDENTS THAT TOOK TIME OUT OF THEIR BUSY, BUSY LIVES DURING A BUSY SEASON TO SUBMIT A PICTURE AND A MADE UP STORY FOR AN INFLATABLE TURKEY ON OUR APP. UH, SO GET READY FOR SOME CRAZY VISIT WIT NUMBERS NEXT MONTH. . UM, WE WERE JUST FEATURED ON NBC LAST NIGHT, UH, SO THAT WAS REALLY STRONG. AND BY AI'S ESTIMATE, WE'VE EARNED $17,000 WORTH OF EARNED MEDIA. SO IT'S BEEN REALLY FUN, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT YEAR. CONGRATULATIONS. YEAH, YOU GUYS HAVE DONE AN AWESOME JOB WITH, I MEAN, WITH EVERYTHING. THE TURKEY STUFF HAS BEEN AMAZING TO WATCH. IT'S BEEN WILD. AND SEEING Y'ALL TAKE TURNS IN THE TURKEY OUTFIT TOO, WELCOME. YEAH, PAULA, REALLY, PAULA LOVES IT. SHE DOESN'T MEAN TURKEY SO MUCH. YES. GREAT JOB. THANK YOU. THANKS, Y'ALL. MOVING [Executive Director’s Report] ON TO AGENDA ITEM TWO FIVE DASH 3 3 9 9 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT, ER WARNER. PERFECT. AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO OUR VISIT MCKINNEY BOARD AND EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM WE'RE, UH, EXCITED TO, UM, CELEBRATE WITH Y'ALL THE WEEK OF THANKSGIVING AND TALK ABOUT ALL THE EXCITING THINGS HAPPENING IN MCKINNEY. UH, TRULY A SPECIAL PLACE TO, TO LIVE AND WORK. UH, THE FIRST THING I HAD ON MY LIST WAS TO TALK ABOUT, UM, TURKEYS AND, UH, AND SO, UH, WE, WE HAD A CHANCE TO BRAG ON THAT. AND, AND I'LL JUST, UH, EXTEND THE, THE BRAG OUT JUST TO THE TEAM AND, UM, TO THEIR EFFORT AND, UH, AND CREATIVITY JUST TO TAKE SOMETHING THAT, UH, IS SILLY AND, AND QUIRKY AND MCKINNEY AND, UH, REALLY BLEW IT UP INTO THIS REALLY, UH, FUN THING. SO, UH, IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEEN KIND OF HILARIOUS TO WATCH THE AMOUNT OF COVERAGE AND, AND THEN THE, THE MEDIA THAT NOT ONLY COVERED IT ONCE, BUT THEN THEY COME BACK AND DO A SECOND STORY A WEEK LATER TO GIVE AN UPDATE TO ALL OF DALLAS OF HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE SUBMITTED THEIR TURKEYS AND MCKINNEY. UM, YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHEN SOMETHING'S GONNA CATCH LIKE THAT. AND THIS ONE JUST REALLY CAUGHT ON. SO, UH, BETWEEN US AND ANDREW'S TEAM, NEXT YEAR, WE HAVE TO GO BIGGER . AND SO [00:25:01] STAY TUNED. WE'LL FIGURE OUT SOME WAY TO TO TO EXPAND THIS, UH, TO CONTINUE THE TREND. UM, ONE OTHER THING THAT, UH, WE DID OVER THE PAST MONTH, UM, SEVERAL OF YOU WERE ABLE TO JOIN IN ATTENDANCE, UH, WAS, UM, CHECK SOMETHING OFF, KIND OF OUR, UH, OUR BIG STRATEGIC PLAN TO-DO LIST, WHICH WAS A, UH, A HOTELIER MEETING, UM, GETTING ALL OF OUR HOTELIERS INTO ONE ROOM. UH, WE MET RIGHT OVER HERE IN CITY HALL IN THE ZI ROOM, AND, UH, I THINK WE HAD ABOUT 35 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE OR SO. UM, AND THIS IS YOUR GMS, YOUR, UH, SOME OWNERS, UH, DIRECTOR OF SALES OF OUR HOTELS IN MCKINNEY, UM, ALL JOINING TOGETHER TO ONE, COLLABORATE AND HEAR ABOUT, UM, DEVELOPMENT UPDATES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, UM, THAT WE TALK ABOUT A LOT IN OUR WORLD. UH, AND THEN ALSO TO ALLOW JUST OPEN DIALOGUE BETWEEN THEM ON, UM, HOW WE CAN BE BETTER, UH, AS A GROUP. AND, UM, WE ALWAYS TOUT THAT, UH, WE WANT TO BE THE MOST WELCOMING GYM IN TEXAS. AND, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT IN THAT ROOM IS THAT, WHILE WE MIGHT SAY THAT VERBALLY, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE IF OUR, UM, PARTNERS AREN'T, UH, PLAYING ALONG WITH THAT. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S A GOOD, IT'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR US ALL TO HAVE LIKE A SHARED VISION OF WHAT WE WANT TO VISIT VISITOR EXPERIENCE TO BE LIKE, UM, IN THE CITY. AND A LOT OF TIMES THAT STARTS AT THE FRONT DESK OF A HOTEL. AND SO, UH, IT MIGHT BE COMPLETELY OUT OF OUR CONTROL AS VISIT MCKINNEY TO, TO MANAGE THAT. AND SO WE, WE REALLY ENJOYED THAT, AND WE'RE GONNA DO THAT, UM, QUARTERLY FOR A WHILE AND, UM, SEE IF THAT CADENCE IS APPROPRIATE. AND, UH, WE CAN ADJUST IF WE NEED TO GO TO, UH, A COUPLE TIMES A YEAR OR, OR SO. BUT RIGHT NOW, I THINK THAT GROUP IS KIND OF HUNGRY FOR THE COLLABORATION AND WORKING TOGETHER. UM, SO, AND A BIG SHOUT OUT TO ALICIA FOR REALLY PULLING THAT TOGETHER WITH OUR HOTELIERS AND THE RELATIONSHIP SHE'S BUILT WITH THEM OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS. AND THEN THE LAST THING, UH, WE DON'T SLOW DOWN FOR THE HOLIDAYS. WE'RE GETTING READY FOR, UH, A BIG GAME IN MCKINNEY. WE'VE GOT, UM, THE N-C-A-A-D TWO NATIONAL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP COMING UP IN DECEMBER, UH, DECEMBER 20TH AT 3:00 PM IS KICKOFF. OF COURSE, FAN FEST WILL BE ON THE 19TH AT TUBS BREWERY. AND YOU ALL ARE WELCOME TO, UH, JOIN US AT EITHER OF THOSE EVENTS. UH, AS FAR AS, UM, HOW THINGS ARE TRACKING WITH D TWO THIS YEAR, UH, COUNCILMAN BELLA'S ALMA MATER IS, UH, IS, UH, HEAVILY FAVORED IN, IN, UH, ONE CATEGORY OF THE BRACKET STILL. SO WE, WE COULD TOTALLY HAVE ANOTHER, UH, HARDING, UH, MATCH HERE. AND THEN, UH, THE OTHER SIDE, WE, WE MOST, THERE'S A CHANCE WE COULD HAVE A NEW TEAM, UM, IN MCKINNEY THIS YEAR THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD, UM, IN A COUPLE YEARS, JUST, UH, WITH VALDOSTA LOSING LAST WEEKEND. SO, UH, IT'S FUN TO KIND OF TRACK THE BRACKET FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND JUST SEE WHO'S GONNA MAKE THEIR WAY TO MCKINNEY. AND, UH, WITH THAT, I THINK I'LL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS. ANYONE? NONE. NONE. OKAY. NONE. COOL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, AARON. MOVING ON TO REGULAR [Consider/Discuss/Act - 2025 Visit McKinney Tourism Partner of the Year Chamber Awards Recipient] AGENDA ITEMS. THE FIRST REGULAR AGENDA ITEM IS TWO FIVE DASH 3 4 0 0. CONSIDER DISCUSS ACT 20 20 20 20 25. VISIT MCKINNEY TOURISM PARTNER, PARTNER OF THE YEAR CHAMBER AWARDS RECIPIENT. THIS WILL BE A BLIND VOTE TO GIVE THE STAFF ENOUGH TIME TO NOTIFY THE WINNER PRIOR TO THE INFORMATION BEING MADE PUBLIC. EACH ONE OF THE NOMINEES HAS BEEN ASSIGNED A LETTER FOR VOTING PURPOSES. IF WE DISCUSS THE NOMINEES, PLEASE REFER TO THE NOMINEE BY THE LETTER THEY HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED ON THE SHEET IN FRONT OF YOU. IF THERE'S ANY DISCUSSION, ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING THEY NEED TO WANNA DISCUSS, UM, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I LIKE OPTION B, UM, BUT I THINK OPTION A IS TO ME THE, THE OBVIOUS CHOICE, UM, FOR THIS YEAR. OKAY. DOES ANYONE ELSE OKAY AT THAT? WE CAN, UM, WE CAN GET A MOTION, MAY, UH, GET A MOTION TO, UH, APPROVE AND SECOND EITHER A OR B. I'LL, UH, MAKE A MOTION FOR OPTION A. CAN I GET A SECOND ANONYMOUS ? OKAY. ALRIGHT. MADE. IS THERE A SECOND FOR, FOR A I'LL SECOND. IS A SECOND FOR A, YES. OKAY. SO, UH, MOTION BY KEITH, A SECOND BY JANIE FOR A ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. OKAY. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NEXT [McKinney Chupacabras - Michael Hitchcock] ON THE AGENDA IS MICHAEL HITCHCOCK, WHO WILL BE PRESENTING ON AGENDA ITEM TWO FIVE DASH 3 4 0 1 MCKINNEY [00:30:01] SABRES. THANK Y'ALL FOR INVITING US TO, TO THE MEETING TODAY. IT'S, UH, SO GREAT, UH, TO HEAR FIRSTHAND ABOUT ALL THE AMAZING THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE, WE'RE PROUD TO CALL HOME. UH, BEFORE WE GET STARTED WITH SHARING A RECAP OF OUR INAUGURAL SEASON AND, AND TALKING ABOUT WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE, NOT JUST FOR THE MCKINNEY CHUPACABRAS, BUT ALSO SOCCER AND, UH, NORTH TEXAS AND, AND, UH, SPECIFICALLY IN, IN THE MCKINNEY AREA. UH, I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU THAT ON APRIL 1ST, 2026, WE ARE GOING TO, UH, ANNOUNCE A REBRAND OF THE TEAM. UH, WE ARE GONNA BECOME THE MCKINNEY INFLATABLE TURKEYS . HOPE YOU GUYS ARE READY FOR THAT BIG ANNOUNCEMENT ON APRIL 1ST, WHICH WE WILL FOLLOW UP ON THIS YEAR'S APRIL 1ST ANNOUNCEMENT OF OUR FIRST PROFESSIONAL PLAYER EVER SIGNED. 52-YEAR-OLD OWNER, PRESIDENT, GENERAL MANAGER MICHAEL HITCHCOCK, WAS SIGNED AS THE FIRST PLAYER IN MCKINNEY CHU'S HISTORY, UH, THAT ACTUALLY WENT VIRAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND LATER PEOPLE REALIZED IT'S APRIL 1ST. THE FAT OLD GUY IS NOT ACTUALLY GONNA PULL A JERRY JONES AND TRY TO PLAY, UH, HE'S JUST GONNA BE THE OWNER. ANYWAYS, THANK, THANK Y'ALL FOR ONCE AGAIN HAVING US HERE TODAY. UM, I, I'M A RESIDENT OF, UH, MCKINNEY LIVE IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT RIGHT DOWN THE STREET, OWN MULTIPLE MCKINNEY BUSINESSES. UH, MY WIFE AND I ARE, ARE PROUD TO LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY IN THIS INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY. UH, WE, WE WEREN'T BORN AND RAISED HERE, BUT WE GOT HERE AS QUICKLY AS WE COULD. UH, I LIVED IN FRISCO, TEXAS WHEN I WAS THE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER FOR FC DALLAS. I WAS A PART OF BUILDING OUT PIZZA HUT PARK, THE 111 ACRE, UH, STADIUM, UH, 17 FIELD SOCCER COMPLEX AND MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT AROUND THAT. I DID THAT FOR FIVE YEARS AND THEN LEFT AND, AND STARTED A SPORTS MANAGEMENT COMPANY, WHICH I STILL OWN TODAY. UH, WE'VE WORKED WITH OVER A HUNDRED PROFESSIONAL SOCCER LEAGUES, TEAMS, EVENT VENUES ALL OVER THE WORLD. I'VE BEEN IN THE SOCCER MANAGEMENT BUSINESS FOR 30 YEARS. UH, THAT'S WHY I LOOK THE WAY I LOOK. 'CAUSE IF YOU'VE BEEN SELLING SOCCER FOR 30 YEARS IN THIS COUNTRY, IT'S, IT'S BEEN A, A BIT OF A GRIND FROM REAL HUMBLE BEGINNINGS BACK IN 1996. UH, BUT LOVE THE GAME. UH, I LOVE THE IMPACT OF, OF WHAT THE GAME CAN MEAN ON COMMUNITIES. UH, I OWN 20 TEAMS AT THE SIMILAR SORT OF LOWER DIVISION, MINOR LEAGUE LEVEL AS MCKINNEY CHUPA CA'S ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. AND SO WE SPEND TIME ALL OVER THE COUNTRY FROM CALIFORNIA TO ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN. AND, AND WE, WE WORK WITH INCREDIBLY DYNAMIC LEADERSHIP TEAMS, UH, AROUND, UH, THE COUNTRY WORK IN WONDERFUL COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ALL, YOU KNOW, REALLY GREAT IN THEIR OWN WAYS. BUT I CAN SHARE WITH YOU, UH, THAT THIS IS A SPECIAL PLACE. UH, IT IS JUST DIFFERENT. AND, AND SO, YOU KNOW, MY WIFE AND I MOVED HERE. YOU KNOW, WE, WE BOUGHT OUR FOREVER HOME DOWN IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT. UH, WE OWN PRO RAIL SOCCER SHOP, WHICH, UH, WAS, WAS A, A, A FUN, CRAZY IDEA. ORIGINALLY IT WAS OFFICE SPACE OF WHY WE LEASED THE SPACE RIGHT NEXT TO THE GRAND HOTEL. AND THEN OCTOBER FEST, TWO YEARS AGO, UH, MY WIFE AND I, WE WORKED SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. WE WERE IN THERE WORKING, UH, BEFORE WE WERE GONNA GO MEET SOME FRIENDS FOR OCTOBER FEST. THERE WAS A STAGE RIGHT IN FRONT OF, UH, UH, OF OUR OFFICE THERE, AND WE WERE WORKING, AND I SWEAR I SAW A THOUSAND PEOPLE WALK BY WEARING A SOCCER JERSEY DRINKING A BEER. SO I TURNED TO MY WIFE AND I SAID, LET'S OPEN A LIFESTYLE SOCCER SHOP. AND I'M NOT GONNA REPEAT EXACTLY WHAT SHE SAID, BUT I'M GONNA PARAPHRASE, UH, WHAT, WHAT THE HECK IS THAT? I SAID, I DON'T REALLY KNOW. 'CAUSE BY THE WAY, THIS DOESN'T EXIST. WE'RE NOT GONNA SELL SHOES. WE'RE NOT GONNA SELL SHIN GUARDS. WE'RE GONNA PUT IN COUCHES, WE'RE GONNA PUT TVS. WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE WORST RUN BAR IN THE BUSINESS WHERE YOU GET FREE BEER AND WINE WHILE YOU SHOP AND HANG OUT AND WATCH SOCCER. AND LET'S JUST BRING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER, 364 DAYS A YEAR THROUGH SOCCER. AND SHE GOES, I'M IN. I'M IN. SO SIX WEEKS LATER, WE OPENED UP BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS AND, AND NOW WE'RE CELEBRATING OUR, OUR SECOND YEAR. UH, THE MA KENNY CHUPACABRAS WERE REALLY AS FUNNY AS IT SOUNDS, UH, SOMETHING THAT WASN'T A PART OF THE ORIGINAL PLAYBOOK. UH, ORIGINALLY IT WAS OFFICE SPACE. AND THEN WE WANTED TO CREATE A COOL SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO COME TOGETHER THROUGH OUR PASSION, WHICH IS SOCCER. AND, UH, AND THEN THE CHUPACABRAS WERE THIS LIGHT BULB MOMENT THAT, UH, MY WIFE AND I WERE TRAVELING, AS WE DO IN THE SUMMER, VISITING ALL OF OUR TEAMS AROUND THE COUNTRY, GOING TO GAMES. AND, UH, WE WERE ON ONE OF OUR MANY FLIGHTS THAT WERE DELAYED. AND I TURNED TO MY WIFE AND I SAID, WHY DON'T WE OWN A TEAM IN OUR HOMETOWN, ? SHE GOES, YEAH, WHY, WHY DON'T YOU? AND I SAID, OKAY, WELL, LET'S DO THIS THING. SO WE DECIDED TO LAUNCH THE MCKINNEY CHUPACABRAS AND, AND TOOK A, A, AN APPROACH THAT, UH, FOR MANY OWNERS IS UNIQUE, WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE WEREN'T GONNA BE THE MARKETING GENIUSES AND COME UP WITH THE BRAND AND, YOU KNOW, BUILD OUT THE TEAM. WE WERE GONNA LET THE COMMUNITY DO IT. AND SO WE HAD A REALLY UNIQUE SPACE IN PRO EL SOCCER SHOP THAT PEOPLE COME TO WHO LOVE SOCCER AND WANT TO COME HANG OUT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE PEOPLE IN TOMORROW WATCHING THE, THE ARSENAL MATCH. WE'LL, PEOPLE IN TODAY WATCHING CHELSEA BARCELONA AND, YOU KNOW, KIDS ARE HAVING FUN SHOPPING, PARENTS ARE HANGING OUT, HAVING A BEER, WATCHING SOCCER, AND I SAID, LET'S CREATE THIS, UH, AREA WHERE PEOPLE CAN COME VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITE NAME. AND SO WE OWN A BRANDING AGENCY, UH, THAT, THAT JUST WORKS IN SOCCER. SO WE CREATED MULTIPLE BRANDS, STARTED WITH A HUNDRED, NARROWED IT DOWN TO TO FIVE, AND THEN WE NARROWED IT TO FOUR. AND WE HAD OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE COME IN, UH, DURING SEPTEMBER, UH, OVER A YEAR AGO AND VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITE NAME. AND MCKINNEY CHUPACABRAS WAS THE MOST POPULAR NAME BY FAR. AND SO, UH, I'LL, I'LL SHARE WITH YOU JUST, UH, SOME OF THE, THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS PAST YEAR, AND THEN TALK ABOUT WHAT WE THINK THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE, AND THEN WOULD LOVE TO OPEN IT UP FOR, FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT, UH, Y'ALL MIGHT HAVE. SO, HOW IT STARTED, I, I GAVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF THE BACKSTORY, BUT OCTOBER 23RD, 2024, OVER 400 FANS CAME OUT TO, UH, THE BRAND REVEAL PARTY AT TUFTS BREWERY. UH, WHAT HAPPENS IS, WHEN YOU ASK PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT, THEY TELL YOU IF YOU LISTEN, YOU KNOW, [00:35:01] YOU, YOU CAN HAVE SOME SUCCESS IN ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY. UH, ALL THOSE THAT WE HAD OVER A THOUSAND FANS THAT VOTED, UH, DURING, DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. AND OVER 400 OF THOSE FANS CAME OUT AND ATTENDED THE BRAND REVEAL PARTY, UH, I BELIEVE AT THAT TIME, UH, BROKE, UH, THE TUFTS RECORD FOR A, A MIDWEEK IN, IN BEER SALES. AND WE SOLD A, A HECK OF A, A LOT OF GEAR WITH THE BRAND. UH, FROM THERE, UH, WE JUST, UH, FINISHED UP OUR INAUGURAL SEASON. WE PLAYED AT RON POST STADIUM. UH, PART OF THE, THE, THE PLAN WAS, IS LET'S UTILIZE SOMETHING THAT'S AS CLOSE TO HISTORIC DOWNTOWN MCKINNEY AS POSSIBLE TO HELP DRIVE BUSINESS TO, YOU KNOW, LOCAL BUSINESSES ON GAME DAYS AND THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. UH, IT'S A, AN INCREDIBLE STADIUM THAT'S GOT SO MUCH HISTORY. UH, I THINK WHEN WE FIRST REACHED OUT TO THE MCKINNEY ISD WHO HAVE BEEN UNBELIEVABLE PARTNERS TO WORK WITH, THEY WERE THINKING WE WANTED TO PLAY IN THE BIG BEAUTIFUL NEW STADIUM. UH, BUT I SAID, NO, NO, NO. I WANT TO UTILIZE, UH, SOMETHING THAT IS BEING UNDERUTILIZED. SO LET'S USE THIS WHERE, YOU KNOW, ALMOST IN, AND I OWN A TEAM OR OWNED A TEAM IN ENGLAND, WE JUST SOLD IT WHERE FANS WALK FROM THEIR HOUSES, THEY RIDE THEIR BIKE, THEY WALK FROM THE PUBS, WHICH IS WHERE THE TERM PUB PUB CRAWL COMES FROM. UH, 'CAUSE THEY HIT ALL THE PUBS ON THE WAY INTO THE STADIUM AND ON THE WAY OUT BACK HOME. AND SO IT, IT JUST CREATES THIS REAL COMMUNITY FEEL. AND I WAS LIKE, LET'S, LET'S DO THAT. AND SO, VERY FIRST GAME ON GAME DAY, UH, I WAS SITTING OUT AND WE WERE HAVING A LITTLE PARTY OUT IN THE PARKING LOT AND, UH, YOU KNOW, LOOKED OVER AND FANS WERE RIDING THEIR BIKES AND THEY WERE WALKING FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND JUST, IT, IT WAS, IT WAS THE VISION OF WHAT WE WANTED TO CREATE. SO AT RON POST STADIUM, UH, WE AVERAGED CLOSE TO 3,500 FANS, UH, WHICH IS PRETTY GOOD FOR A TEAM AT THIS LEVEL IN YOUR INAUGURAL SEASON THAT SHOWS, UH, INCREDIBLE INTEREST. OUR, OUR GOAL WAS, YOU KNOW, CAN WE AVERAGE 3000 FANS A GAME? UH, WE EXCEEDED THAT NUMBER. UH, HIGHEST SINGLE GAME ATTENDANCE WAS 4,192. SO THAT SHOWS THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WASN'T REALLY SKEWED BY SOMETIMES YOUR FIRST EVER GAME, YOU GET A, A MASSIVE CROWD AND THEN IT DIES OFF FROM THERE. IT WAS PRETTY CONSISTENT THROUGHOUT THE SEASON. AND THE BIGGEST CROWD WAS ACTUALLY A, A MIDWEEK GAME, WHICH MOST TEAMS STRUGGLE MIDWEEK, BUT OUR FOCUS WAS SO HYPERLOCAL THAT THOSE PEOPLE WALKING DIDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH SITTING IN A CAR FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF TO COME TO THE, TO THE GAME. THEY COULD JUST WALK. AND THEN WE HAD OVER A THOUSAND SEASON SEAT HOLDERS, WHICH WAS OUR GOAL AS, AS WELL, WITH WHAT WE WANTED TO DO. SO, YOU KNOW, AND OBVIOUSLY THE REF WAS NOT DOING HIS JOB WITH THE NUMBER OF FANS WHO HAVE THEIR HANDS IN THE AIR THERE, UH, MM-HMM . BUT THE INCREDIBLE THING WAS THAT THE PASSION AND THE EXCITEMENT, UH, THE COMMUNITY GENUINELY, YOU KNOW, CARED ABOUT THE CLUB. UH, WE'RE PROUD TO PROMOTE, UH, VISIT MCKINNEY, ALL THE DIFFERENT EVENTS HERE, THE CITY AND, AND, AND, AND PROUDLY REPRESENT, UH, WHEN WE TRAVEL VISIT MCKINNEY ON OUR TRAVEL GEAR. AND SO, AS A SPONSOR OF THE TEAM, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT, IT, IT DOES TAKE A VILLAGE TO, TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS. UH, WHEN WE'RE TRAVELING THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND REGION, WE PLAY IN THROUGHOUT TEXAS, UH, MISSISSIPPI, LOUISIANA, OKLAHOMA, ARKANSAS, UH, VISIT MCKINNEY IS WHAT THE GUYS WEAR. AND SO ALL THE SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT THAT'S CREATED, EVERY RESTAURANT WE GO INTO, EVERY HOTEL WE STAY IN, UH, WHEN WE'RE TRY ARRIVING AT THE STADIUM, UH, IT'S ALL, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE VISIT THE MULTIPLE BUCKYS, UH, ON OUR ROAD TRIPS, , IT'S, UH, IT'S WHERE, AND, UH, VISIT MCKINNEY JERSEY PARTNERS. UH, ONE OF OUR STRATEGIES WAS, UH, AND ONCE AGAIN, HAVING LIVED IN FRISCO FOR, FOR MANY, MANY YEARS BEFORE MOVING HERE, UH, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS WHO OWN BUSINESSES IN FRISCO, AND THEY LOVE TO COME VISIT US AND COME HANG OUT AND PARTY AND HAVE A GOOD TIME. AND, AND HISTORIC DOWNTOWN MCKINNEY, WHEN WE DECIDED TO LAUNCH THE TEAM, THEY'RE LIKE, OH, THIS IS SO COOL, MAN. AND THEY OWN BUSINESSES. THEY'RE LIKE, I WANNA BE A SPONSOR. AND I WAS LIKE, THAT IS SO NICE OF YOU, BUT YOU DON'T LIVE IN MCKINNEY. YOUR BUSINESS ISN'T IN MCKINNEY. WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON MCKINNEY. NOW, IF MCKINNEY ISN'T GONNA SUPPORT US, THEN WE'LL COME TO FRISCO AND , YOU KNOW, WE'LL CERTAINLY, UH, TAKE YOU ON AS A SPONSOR, BUT OUR FOCUS WAS WORK WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES AND, AND BUSINESSES THAT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT, UH, UH, PRESENCE AND, AND IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY. SO, UH, OUR JERSEY SPONSORS WERE VERY STRATEGIC. LOCKWOOD DISTILLING COMPANY, UH, TUFTS BREWERY STUFF, IO, WHICH IS PART OF THE, THE BOOK IO FAMILY. TEXANS CREDIT UNION WAS A, A MAJOR SPONSOR OF THE CLUB AS WELL. AND, UH, WE DID A LOT OF PROMOTIONS WITH THEM AND, AND THEIR MCKINNEY BRANCH. SO, UH, WE, WE KEPT IT JUST, YOU KNOW, HYPERLOCAL AND, AND OUR START TARGET WAS LET'S WORK WITH MCKINNEY BUSINESSES AND TRY TO BUILD OUR BUSINESSES TOGETHER. UH, SOME OF THE FUN STUFF WE DID WITH, WITH THE LOCAL BUSINESSES IS, AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, SMALL BUSINESS IS MY PASSION IS, UH, WE CREATED REALLY COOL CO-BRANDED OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE A REALLY ENGAGED FAN BASE. I MEAN, OUR CLICKTHROUGHS, WHICH, WHICH YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA NUMBERS. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, EMAIL IS SO IMPRESSIVE, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL SEND OUT AN EMAIL AND WE'LL GET, YOU KNOW, 80% OF THE PEOPLE THAT WILL CLICK THROUGH ON IT, WHICH MEANS THEY REALLY CARE. LIKE, THOSE ARE REALLY, REALLY GOOD NUMBERS. UH, WE DON'T HAVE THIS MASSIVE DATABASE, BUT IT'S, IT'S VERY MCKINNEY FOCUSED. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE DID OUR PROMOTIONS AND STARTED, YOU KNOW, PROMOTING FANTASTIC LAGGER, WHICH IS OUR BEER THAT WE LET THE COMMUNITY GO INTO TUFTS IN, IN ONE MONTH, VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITE BEER. AND THAT BECAME THE, THE OFFICIAL BEER OF THE CLUB, UH, WITH A REALLY COOL CO-BRANDED CAN, WORKING WITH, UH, MARY'S MOUNTAIN COOKIES AND HAVING A CHURRO COOKIE, WHICH, UH, MAYBE ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS YOU'LL EVER EAT IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE IS THE CHUPA CA'S CHURRO COOKIE ICE CREAM SANDWICH. SO, I'M JUST SAYING STOP IN AND GET ONE OF THOSE, UH, CHUPA CA SANDWICH IN, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HUGS, UH, WE HAD A, A WAKE UP CALL, WHICH WAS OUR OWN SPECIALTY DRINK WITH HABITAT. FROZEN FANG WAS A BOURBON MARGARITA. SOUNDS WEIRD, BUT IT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. ON A HOT SUMMER NIGHT WITH, UH, LOCKWOOD, UH, WE HAD OUR OWN DONUTS AND, AND HAD OUR OWN, UH, SNOW CONE. AND SO THAT, THAT WAS JUST THE START. 'CAUSE YEAR ONE, WE'RE SELLING THIS CONCEPT OF MINOR LEAGUE SOCCER COMING TO ROM POST STADIUM. [00:40:01] UH, NOW WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE THAT, UH, WERE LIKE, UH, I JUST WANNA WAIT AND SEE THAT WERE LIKE, I CAME TO A GAME. MY EMPLOYEES CAME TO A GAME. THIS WAS PRETTY INCREDIBLE. SO I THINK YOU'RE GONNA SEE THE LINEUP OF, OF COOL CO-BRANDED THINGS THAT WE CAN HELP PROMOTE AND DRIVE BUSINESS TO LOCAL BUSINESSES. UH, YOU KNOW, UH, GROW EXPONENTIALLY THIS YEAR. UH, SEASON GIVEAWAYS, EVERY GAME THERE WAS A PREMIUM ITEM. SO WHEN YOU CAME TO A MATCH, YOU GOT A GIFT. UH, WE HAD THE, UH, THE ONLY TO MY KNOWLEDGE, UH, FOAM CHUPACABRA, UH, UH, CLAUSE THAT HAVE EVER BEEN HANDED OUT IN THE HISTORY OF SPORTS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. WITH TEXAN CREDIT UNION, WITH SUPER COOL PROMOTION. WE PROMOTED OCTOBERFEST, UH, AT ONE OF OUR GAMES WITH THE BEER SIGN THAT WE HANDED OUT. UH, WE DID THE, UH, TED LASSO MUSTACHES, WHICH WE HAD THOUSANDS OF FANS WEARING A TED LASSO MUSTACHE, UH, GAVE OUT FANS ON ONE OF OUR SUPER HOT NIGHT, UH, THAT WE SEE PEOPLE USING ALL OVER TOWN. AND THEN WE, UH, GAVE OUT WITH STUFF IO UH, AS PART OF OUR PRE-GAME PARTY, UH, UH, THE COZI. SO EVERY GAME YOU GOT A GIFT WHEN YOU, YOU CAME TO THE MATCH. AND TICKETS ARE 10 AND $12 FREE PARKING. SO JUST FUN, QUALITY, AFFORDABLE FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT, UH, MERCHANDISE WE SET A GOAL OF, AND THIS IS THROUGH THE SEASON, DOESN'T INCLUDE OUR NUMBER CINCH, WHICH OCTOBER FEST. WE DID $8,000 IN MERCHANDISE THAT ONE SATURDAY AT CHUPA COPPER'S PITCH DOWN IN LOUISIANA. UH, AND SO WE WANTED TO SELL 4,000 MERCHANDISE ITEMS. THE REASON THAT'S IMPORTANT MERCHANDISE IS MARKETING THAT PEOPLE PAY YOU FOR AND IF THEY'RE WILLING TO BUY IT, 'CAUSE IT'S COOL, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE PARTNERS WITH PUMA. 'CAUSE PUMA MAKES REALLY COOL STUFF. UH, PEOPLE ARE GONNA WEAR IT IN THE COMMUNITY. WE SEE IT EVERY DAY IN THE COMMUNITY. OUR GOAL WAS 4,000 MERCHANDISE ITEMS THROUGH THE SEASON, AND WE SOLD OVER 5,000, UH, INDIVIDUAL MERCHANDISE ITEMS, UH, WHICH ONCE AGAIN EXCEEDED OUR EXPECTATIONS. AND, UH, IT IS JUST CONTINUED TO GROW SINCE, UH, PROLE SOCCER SHOP IS HQ. SO ONCE AGAIN, IT WASN'T BUILT OR, OR FOR, FOR, WE DIDN'T MOVE IN THERE FOR THAT PURPOSE. BUT WHEN WE BUILT THE SHOP AND THEN ADDED THE CHUPACABRAS, UH, WE'VE GOT OFFICE SPACE IN THE BACK FOR THE TEAM. SO IT'S NICE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE MEETINGS THERE WHEN WE BRING IN SPONSORS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TO MCKINNEY JUST LIKE PUMA, UH, TO, TO ENTERTAIN HIM. UH, WE'VE GOT A GREAT SPACE TO BE ABLE TO USE IT. AND THEN ONCE AGAIN, UH, YOU KNOW, YEAR ROUND WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO SELL MERCHANDISE. AND, UM, MONDAY A WEEK AGO, WE HAD A LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER WALK IN AT 5:55 PM WE WERE ABOUT TO CLOSE AT SIX. I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE AREN'T OPEN ON MONDAYS, BUT WE'RE ALWAYS IN THERE WORKING. SO WE'RE OPEN ABOUT $1,200 WORTH OF CHUPA CABS MERCHANDISE FOR HIS STAFF TO, TO HAND OUT AT THEIR, UH, STAFF DINNER. SO JUST REALLY COOL TO HAVE THAT SPACE AND, AND ONCE AGAIN, TO, TO BE WOVEN INTO THE FABRIC OF THE COMMUNITY. UH, OUR PLAYERS, OUR PLAYERS ARE A COMBINATION OF PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS AND COLLEGE PLAYERS WHO ARE ASPIRING TO PLAY PRO PLAYERS FROM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF LOCAL PLAYERS THAT GO OFF TO COLLEGE AND COME BACK, UH, OR PLAYERS THAT HAVE MOVED TO THIS AREA AND, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO, TO MAKE IT AS A PROFESSIONAL PLAYER. UH, MANY OF WHOM HAD REALLY TERRIFIC COLLEGE SEASONS THIS YEAR IF THEY WENT BACK TO COLLEGE. UH, MANY HAVE GONE ON TO PLAY HIGHER LEVEL PRO SOCCER. UH, SO REALLY IMPRESSIVE. THIS, THIS IS WHAT THE, UH, PROFESSIONAL SOCCER LANDSCAPE LOOKS LIKE IN TEXAS. AND WE'RE PROUD TO BE ABLE TO ADD, UH, MCKINNEY TO THIS MAP. SO THIS IS FROM MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER THROUGH THE, THE MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM, UH, SOCCER'S BOOM IN, IN, IN THE GREAT STATE OF TEXAS AND, AND IS OBVIOUSLY AN IMPORTANT, UH, PART OF LIFE. AND WE'RE GONNA SEE THAT WITH THE WORLD CUP IN 2026. YOU'VE GOT NINE GAMES THAT ARE GONNA BE AT COWBOY STADIUM. YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER SIX OR SEVEN THAT ARE GONNA BE IN HOUSTON. SO TEXAS, UH, IS GONNA BE A, A MAJOR PLAYER WHEN IT COMES TO THE BIGGEST SPORTING IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. UH, WHAT, WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT IS COMMUNITY. UH, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, UH, WE TOOK A COMMUNITY FIRST APPROACH. OUR PLAYERS DO OVER A HUNDRED PLAYER APPEARANCES A YEAR. UH, WE'RE DIFFERENT THAN A LOT OF OTHER CLUBS AT THIS LEVEL WHERE YOU SIGN YOUR PLAYER CONTRACT. UH, WE HAVE A PLAYER CONTRACT THAT INCLUDES AN ADDENDUM THAT SAYS EVERY WEEK YOU WILL DO ONE TO THREE PLAYER APPEARANCES IN THE COMMUNITY. SO WHETHER THAT'S A COMMERCIAL APPEARANCE WITH ONE OF OUR SPONSORS, IT'S GOING AND DOING A FREE CLINIC, UH, FOR, FOR KIDS GOING TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, DOING KICKING AND READING PROGRAMS, WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE. UH, YOU, YOU ARE AN AMBASSADOR FOR THE COMMUNITY. YOU'RE A POSITIVE ROLE MODEL FOR KIDS, AND YOU PROUDLY REPRESENT, UH, MCKINNEY. AND SO WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, HIGHER STANDARDS THAN A LOT OF TEAMS HAVE. AND WE HOLD OUR, OUR PLAYERS TO THOSE VERY HIGH STANDARDS. UH, WE LOSE SOME TALENTED PLAYERS BECAUSE OF IT, BUT DON'T WORRY, THEIR LAST NAME ISN'T MESSY, SO IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER. , THERE ARE PLENTY OF GREAT PLAYERS THAT, YOU KNOW, WANNA PLAY AT THIS LEVEL, WHICH IS THE EQUIVALENT OF SINGLE A BASEBALL, YOU KNOW, SO THESE ARE PLAYERS WHO ARE TRYING TO MAKE IT TO, TO THE MAJOR LEAGUES, UH, YOUTH CAMP. UH, WE, WE HAD TWO CAMPS THIS SUMMER FOR, UH, LOCAL MCKINNEY, UH, KIDS AND SEASON C HOLDERS KIDS. AND WE HAD OVER 250 PLAYERS COME OUT. UH, CONNOR, WHO'S OUR, OUR BUSINESS OPERATIONS MANAGER, TOLD ME HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR, UH, WHILE GAME DAYS WERE GREAT, WAS WAS THE CAMPS. JUST THE, THE SMILE ON THE KIDS' FACES AND JUST SEEING THAT, THAT CONNECTION THAT THEY MAKE WITH THE PLAYERS THAT THEY SEE IN THE STADIUM AS WELL. SO, AND, AND ONCE AGAIN, WHEN YOU HIRE PLAYERS FOR THE CULTURE, WHICH WE DO, WHICH ONCE AGAIN, THE PLAYERS THAT DON'T WANNA DO THE AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS AFTER THE GAMES, THE POST-GAME AUTOGRAPH ALLEY, THEY DON'T WANNA DO THE PLAYER APPEARANCES. THEY'RE NOT A PART OF OUR TEAM. THEY GO PLAY FOR SOMEONE ELSE AND THEY MIGHT BE VERY SUCCESSFUL. BUT WHEN YOU HIRE PLAYERS THAT FIT THE CULTURE, THEY LOVE THIS, THEY EMBRACE IT, AND THEY WANT TO GET BACK TO THEIR COMMUNITY GAME DAYS, UH, ARE THE BEST DAYS. AND SO EVERYTHING FROM PRE-GAME ACTIVITIES WHERE KIDS CAN WALK OUT HOLDING THE HANDS OF THE PLAYERS WITH THE DREAM TEAM, THE MAGIC OF WHAT WE DO IS POST-GAME AUTOGRAPH ALLEY WHERE THE KIDS GET IN HUNDREDS OF THEM AND SOME GAMES, THOUSANDS WILL STICK AROUND AND GET AUTOGRAPHS FROM THE PLAYERS THAT PART OF THEIR CONTRACT WITH THE PLAYERS. THERE'S NO PLAYERS UNION. SO THEY STICK AROUND FOR 30 MINUTES TO AN HOUR AND SIGN EVERY AUTOGRAPH, TAKE EVERY SELFIE, WIN, LOSE OR DRAW. THEY HAD 90 MINUTES TO CHANGE THE RESULT OF THE GAME. NOW IT'S THEIR JOB TO, [00:45:01] TO MAKE SURE THEY MAKE THAT MEANINGFUL CONNECTION. WE HELP TRAIN THESE PLAYERS ON GETTING EYE LEVEL WITH THE YOUNGER KIDS, IDENTIFYING THEIR FAVORITE PLAYER, THEIR POSITION. IF YOU'RE TALKING TO A KEEPER, GRAB OUR GOALKEEPER TO COME OVER AND TALK. SO WE THINK WE MAKE A REALLY MEANINGFUL CONNECTION, AND I THINK SOME OF YOU HAVE PROBABLY EXPERIENCED THAT WITH, WITH YOUR CHILDREN. AT, AT OUR EVENTS, UH, WE HIRE LOCAL BANDS, SO MCKINNEY BANDS TO, TO PLAY GAME DAYS. UH, WE BRING IN SEVEN LOCAL FOOD TRUCKS, SO JUST MCKINNEY FOOD TRUCKS TO, TO PARTICIPATE IN GAME DAYS. AND I THINK AS A RESULT OF THAT, YOU CREATE SOMETHING THAT REALLY IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COMMUNITY AND SOMETHING THAT, UH, EVERYONE CAN TAKE PRIDE OF. UH, WE, WE, UH, GOT SOME PRETTY DECENT MEDIA COVERAGE. IT'S TOUGH IN A MARKET LIKE OURS WHERE YOU'VE GOT MORE MAJOR LEAGUE TEAMS AND MINOR LEAGUE TEAMS, ALL SPORTS PER CAPITA THAN ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. SO WE HAVE TO BE VERY, UH, STRATEGIC IN, IN THE APPROACH WE TAKE. BUT DALLAS BUSINESS JOURNAL DID A GREAT FEATURE. WFAA DID A FEATURE JUST BECAUSE OF THE COMMUNITY. AND THEY HAD HEARD ABOUT, UH, THE SUCCESS WE WERE HAVING. UH, CW 33 DID MULTIPLE FEATURES. COMING UP TO MCKINNEY, WE BROADCAST ALL OF OUR GAMES. SO IN OUR LEAGUE, THE HOME TEAM IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BROADCAST. WE DO A VERY HIGH LEVEL, UH, DIGITAL BROADCAST THROUGH THE LEAGUE'S PLATFORM. AND WE PROMOTE MCKINNEY AND MCKINNEY EVENTS ON, ON THIS BROADCAST. AND A LOT OF THE PEOPLE TUNING IN THOSE BROADCASTS AREN'T LOCAL 'CAUSE THEY'RE GONNA BE AT THE GAME. THEY'RE FROM ALL THESE DIFFERENT AREAS, UH, AROUND THE, THE REGION. SO HOPEFULLY IT HELPS DRIVE SOME, SOME PEOPLE TO, TO ATTEND THE DIFFERENT EVENTS. UH, DURING OUR SEASON, UH, WE ARE REALLY HAPPY WITH THIS NUMBER. WE HAD 4.45 MILLION, UH, SOCIAL MEDIA IMPRESSIONS. SO THIS IS JUST DURING OUR SEASON. UH, AND SO, YOU KNOW, REALLY HAPPY WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE AND, AND SOME OF THE DIFFERENT METRICS THAT WE ENDED UP GETTING. I THINK HAVING THE BRAND OF THE CHUPACABRAS, UH, HELPED US IN SOME AREAS. UH, I'LL SHARE A FUNNY STORY. WE DO A LOT OF BUSINESS ANALYTICS. SO LOOK AT WHERE ARE THE ONLINE SALES COMING FROM AND WHERE DO WE NEED TO SPEND MONEY, TIME, ENERGY MARKETING, GETTING CONTENT OUT. AND WE FOUND THIS ONE THAT WE GOT A MASSIVE SPIKE IN SALES, AND IT WAS THIS THING CALLED COAST TO COAST. AND I WAS LIKE, WHAT, WHAT ON EARTH IS COAST TO COAST? SO WE DO THE REVERSE ENGINEER, GET TO IT, COAST TO COAST.COM IS THE NUMBER ONE PARANORMAL WEBSITE IN THE WORLD. , THEY DID A FEATURE ON THIS LITTLE HISTORIC TEXAS TOWN THAT'S GOT A, A CRYPTED BRANDED TEAM. AND ALL THESE PEOPLE WERE CLICKING AND ENDED UP BUYING MERCHANDISE FOR THE MCKINNEY CHUPACABRAS, UH, ALL OVER THE, THE COUNTRY FROM COAST TO COAST. WILD STUFF. BETTER TO BE LUCKY THAN GOOD, I GUESS SOMETIMES. SO THA THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT. WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THE, THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE FOR THE CHUPACABRAS, UH, FOR SOCCER IN THIS COMMUNITY. WE'RE ENTERING THE, THE BIGGEST GROWTH STAGE IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME WITH THE 2026 WORLD CUP COMING, UH, 2031, THE WOMEN'S WORLD CUPS COMING TO THE US. UH, RUMORS HAVE IT THAT DALLAS, 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T GET THE MEN'S WORLD CUP FINAL. WE'LL GET THE WOMEN'S WORLD CUP FINAL. I HAPPEN TO THINK FOR THE AMERICAN SPORTS FAN, I THINK THE WOMEN'S WORLD CUP IN 2031 CAN BE AS BIG AS THE MEN'S WORLD CUP. UH, BUT THE MEN'S WORLD CUP'S GONNA BRING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. THERE'S NINE GAMES. UH, THE CITY, AS I'M SURE MANY OF YOU KNOW, UH, OF DALLAS AND AND ARLINGTON ARE VIEWING THIS AS NINE SUPER BOWLS AS FAR AS ECONOMIC IMPACT. 'CAUSE YOU'RE GONNA TURN OVER THOSE FANS. 'CAUSE IT'LL BE TWO DIFFERENT TEAMS EVERY THREE TO FOUR DAYS. UH, DECEMBER 5TH IS A WORLD CUP DRAW PARTY. SO NOW WE'LL KNOW WHO'S GONNA BE PLAYING WHEN, WHERE, UH, WE'RE DOING A WORLD CUP DRAW PARTY AT, UH, PRO RAIL SOCCER SHOP. SO IT'S 11:00 AM ON FRIDAY, UH, DECEMBER 5TH IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO, TO JOIN US. UH, WE DID, UH, A PARTY WHEN, UH, THEY ANNOUNCED WHO WAS GONNA HOST THE WORLD CUP FINAL AND BOUGHT ALL THESE WORLD CUP CLASSES AND A BUNCH OF CHAMPAGNE. 'CAUSE WE THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA WIN IT. UH, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE ARROGANCE OF BEING A TEXAN, BUT WE THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA WIN. NO WAY. NEW YORK NEW JERSEY'S GONNA GET IT RIGHT. WE GOT A BETTER STADIUM. WE DIDN'T GET IT, BUT WE GOT MORE GAMES AND WE STILL DRANK LOTS OF CHAMPAGNE IN THOSE POOL GLASSES. . SO IF YOU CAN JOIN US ON DECEMBER 5TH, PLEASE DO. AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE FOR THE CHUPACABRAS? UH, YEAR ONE, UH, IS, IS SET THE FOUNDATION. I THINK WE'VE SUCCESSFULLY DONE THAT. NOW. WE GET TO BUILD THE HOUSE. AND SO, UH, SOME OF THE FUN THINGS WE'RE EXPLORING IS WE'RE LOOKING AT PUTTING IN A CHUPA COPPER'S PITCH AT TUFTS BREWERY. SO IT'D BE A SEVEN V SEVEN, UH, SOCCER PITCH ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE BREWERY BUILDING, UH, THAT WE COULD USE FOR ADULT SOCCER, PICKUP SOCCER FOR KIDS CLINICS IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, HAVING SEVEN ADULT LEAGUES AND HELPING BRING, UH, PEOPLE ON A REGULAR BASIS THROUGH PROGRAMMING TO, TO TUFTS, TO DRINK BEER AND HAVE FUN. AND, YOU KNOW, SOCCER AND BEER ARE SORT OF KINDRED SPIRITS. UH, WE'RE STARTING VERY EARLY, BUT EXPLORATORY, UH, SOCCER STADIUM. UH, WE, WE HAD SET CERTAIN KPIS FOR OUR FIRST SEASON THAT IF WE HIT THOSE AND MANY OF THOSE, WE, WE WENT THROUGH, UH, THERE'S A MARKET HERE THAT COULD JUSTIFY, UH, BUILDING A, A SMALL COOL SOCCER STADIUM. SO WE'RE STARTING THOSE CONVERSATIONS NOW AND TALKING TO ALL THE KEY STAKEHOLDERS AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS. UH, THE MARKET'S HERE TO SUPPORT THAT. UH, IT WOULD NOT BE JUST A SOCCER STADIUM. IT'D BE MULTI-PURPOSE FOR FESTIVALS, CONCERTS, OTHER EVENTS. AND THEN WE ACQUIRED THE RIGHTS TO A WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL TEAM. SO WE HAVE THE ABILITY, UH, BETWEEN NOW AND WE HAVE FIVE YEARS TO EXERCISE THOSE RIGHTS. THE 2031 WORLD CUP IS TO ADD A, UH, A WOMEN'S TEAM, WHICH WILL BE VERY POPULAR IN THIS AREA. AND, UH, WOMEN'S SOCCER'S INCREDIBLY POPULAR, MAYBE EVEN MORE POPULAR THAN MEN'S SOCCER IN THIS AREA. SO EXCITED FOR WHAT THE FUTURE HAS IN STORE. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN THE PAST AND LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK WITH YOU AND, AND HELPING PROMOTE THIS INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY THAT WE CALL HOME. YEAH. AWESOME. I, I WANNA SAY JUST LIKE I APPRECIATE HOW COMMUNITY CENTRIC YOU ARE AND HOW MUCH YOU OBVIOUSLY CARE ABOUT MCKINNEY. I GET YOU'RE, YOU'RE AT EVERYTHING. LIKE, I GO TO SOMETHING AND YOU BECOME RESILIENT. I, I JUST THINK THAT'S FANTASTIC ALSO. THANK YOU. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THE GOODIES. YES. WE REALLY [00:50:01] APPRECIATE IT. YEP. WE APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT. SO A SMALL TOKEN OF OUR APPRECIATION. I HAVE A QUESTION. YES. SO, UM, DON'T YOU HAVE LIKE A DEAL FOR SEASON TICKET HOLDERS AND THEN WHAT IS LIKE THE AVERAGE PRICE TO GO TO A GAME? YEAH, SO FOR, FOR ME, THE, UH, SPORTS SHOULD NOT, UH, BE INSTEAD OF PAYING RENT BILLS, YOU KNOW, UH, FOOD. SO I TRY TO KEEP THE COST AS, AS LOW AS POSSIBLE. THAT'S WHY I LOVE THIS LEVEL OF SOCCER. UH, OUR SEASON SEATS ARE A HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR ADULTS, $80 FOR YOUTH, AND INCLUDES A FREE JERSEY. SO YOU GET AN $85 JERSEY, UH, FOR FREE. AS PART OF THAT, WE HAVE A SPECIAL SPONSORSHIP WITH PUMA THAT ALLOWS US TO DO THAT. THE JERSEYS ARE CUSTOM MADE IN EUROPE. UH, WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE REVEALING THE JERSEY THAT WE'LL WEAR NEXT YEAR ON DECEMBER 4TH. UH, AT TOPS WE'RE DOING A PARTY THERE. UH, THE FANS SELECTED THAT, SO THE JERSEYS HAVE BEEN SELECTED BY THE FANS JUST LIKE THEY WERE LAST YEAR. UH, AND THEY GET THE FREE CAMP FOR THE KIDS, WHICH I SHOWED THE PICTURE OF THAT. UH, BRING A FRIEND TICKETS SO THAT YOU CAN INTRODUCE YOUR FRIENDS TO, TO THE GAME. UH, WHICH BECOMES A GREAT SOURCE FOR GROWING OUR SEASON SEAT BASE. 'CAUSE WHEN PEOPLE COME OUT WITH THEIR FRIENDS AND HAVE A GREAT TIME AND HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? $180 AND YOU GET THAT FREE JERSEY, WHICH COST, BY THE WAY, $85 IF YOU WERE TO COME IN THE SHOP AND BUY IT. UM, IT'S JUST TREMENDOUS VALUE, BUT WE TRY TO KEEP THE COST LOW. UH, OUR PRIMARY, UH, REVENUE SOURCE AND, AND PROFIT CENTER IS SPONSORSHIP. AND SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, ONCE AGAIN, THAT THAT'S WHERE WE, AND, AND FOR US THE MERCHANDISE IN PART BECAUSE WE HAVE THE SHOP, YOU KNOW, THAT'S DOING SO WELL. UH, MERCHANDISE IS WAY BETTER THAN MOST TEAMS AT THIS LEVEL. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE FANS PICK GREAT COLORS. GREAT, GREAT NAME, GREAT BRAND. THAT'S BEEN FUN. UH, BUT I APPRECIATE YOU ASKING. SO IT'S A HUNDRED DOLLARS AND $80. YEAH. GREAT. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? I JUST WANNA SAY, UH, A COUPLE THINGS. ONE, I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU DID IN THE NEIGHBORING CITY AS WELL. UM, BUT BRINGING EVERYTHING HERE TO MCKINNEY AND YOUR INTENTIONALITY OF KEEPING EVERYTHING COMMUNITY CENTRIC IS, IS JUST ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. AND THEN YOU ARE AN ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC STORYTELLER, OH, THANK YOU. PLEASE KEEP THAT UP. AND, AND, AND I JUST LOVE EVERYTHING YOU SAID AND I'M FULL IN SUPPORT OF YOU. THIS IS, THIS IS OUTSTANDING. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WELL THANK, APPRECIATE YOU GUYS. APPRECIATE IT. OKAY. MOVING [FY26 Visit McKinney Advertising Plan] ON TO TWO FIVE DASH 3 4 0 2 FY 26. VISIT MCKINNEY ADVERTISING PLAN. GOOD MORNING AGAIN, . UM, SO THIS MORNING I'M JUST GONNA TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT KIND OF OUR ADVERTISING PLAN FOR THE FISCAL YEAR THAT WE JUST STARTED. SO THE END OF 2025 AND THEN THROUGH 2026. OKAY. UM, SO ADVERTISING OBVIOUSLY PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN ALL OF OUR JOBS HERE. UM, IT HELPS US PROMOTE MCKINNEY AS A PREMIER DESTINATION. WE OBVIOUSLY WANT PEOPLE TO COME HERE AND EXPERIENCE THE COMMUNITY THAT YOU JUST SAW WITH, UM, THE PAC COBRAS AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU CAN, UH, DO HERE. SO ADVERTISING HELPS INSPIRE PEOPLE TO PLAN AND BOOK THEIR TRIP HERE. UM, OUR EFFORTS HIGHLIGHT THE CITY AS A MUST VISIT DE DESTINATION. WE HIGHLIGHT ALL OF THE ATTRACTIONS, THE THINGS TO DO THE RESTAURANTS, JUST EVERYTHING THAT MAKES MCKINNEY UNIQUE. UM, WE HAVE SOME SPECIAL CHARM AND JUST VIBRANT EXPERIENCES THAT PEOPLE CAN EXPERIENCE HERE. AND WE DO THIS THROUGH A MIX OF DIGITAL, UM, DIGITAL ADVERTISING, SOCIAL MEDIA, WHICH IS KIND OF WHAT EMILY FOCUSES ON. AND THEN OUR PRINT AND OUT OF HOME ADVERTISING. UM, THIS HELPS US REACH OUR POTENTIAL TRAVELERS WHERE THEY ARE BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY IS IN THE SAME BOAT WHEN THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT TRAVELING. YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE WANT TO TRAVEL REALLY FAR, SOME PEOPLE WANT ROAD TRIPS. SO IT KIND OF HELPS US REACH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE. AND THEN OUR WEBSITE FOR THEIR SUPPORTS, OUR ADVERTISING EFFORTS, WE USE A LOT OF, UH, CLICK THROUGH LINKS. WE USE QR CODES TO POINT PEOPLE TO OUR WEBSITE, TO OUR APP SO THAT THEY CAN PLAN THEIR TRIP AND SEE WHAT ALL WE HAVE TO OFFER. AND THEN ALL OF OUR TEAMS CONTACTS ARE ON THERE AS WELL, SO THAT WHEN PEOPLE HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT SOMETHING, THEY CAN REACH OUT TO US DIRECTLY INSTEAD OF WONDERING LIKE WHAT TO DO NEXT. OUR APPROACH FOR THIS YEAR IS SIMILAR TO PREVIOUS YEARS, WHILE WE'RE FOCUSING ON LEISURE TRAVELERS WHO ARE COMING FROM MORE THAN 50 MILES AWAY. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO WE WANT TO SPEND THE NIGHT IN MCKINNEY. WE WANT THEM TO STAY IN OUR HOTELS, THE AIRBNBS, UM, AND SPEND MORE THAN JUST A DAY HERE. UH, WE ARE DOING CAMPAIGNS THAT RUN ALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND HIGHLIGHT OUR KEY TOPICS. SOME OF THEM ARE LISTED THERE, LIKE SPORTS, WE FOCUS ON GROUPS, UH, FOOD AND DRINKS, ATTRACTIONS. AND THEN JUST GENERAL LIFESTYLE. UH, A LOT OF FAMILY TRIPS. AND THEN SOME OF THE TIMES OF YEAR THAT WE WERE GONNA DO AN EXTRA BOOST OF ADVERTISING ARE THE HOLIDAYS, OF COURSE, WHILE PEOPLE ARE ALREADY THINKING ABOUT TRAVELING. AND THEN DURING THE PRIMARY TRAVEL PLANNING PERIOD, WHICH IS LATE WINTER, EARLY SPRING, AND THEN LATE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL. 'CAUSE PEOPLE USUALLY WILL TRAVEL DURING THE HOLIDAYS. BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE PLAN THEIR TRIPS MONTHS IN ADVANCE. AT LEAST I DO . MM-HMM . SOME OF OUR TARGET AUDIENCES INCLUDE FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN AND THEN ADULTS, UH, WITHOUT CHILDREN. YOUNG ADULTS ARE LOCATIONS THAT WE ARE KIND OF TARGETING ARE THE HOUSTON, SAN ANTONIO, LONGVIEW, TYLER AND AUSTIN AREAS. THESE ARE GOOD, UH, TRAVEL MARKETS BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT TOO FAR AWAY. PEOPLE CAN STILL DRIVE HERE IN A DAY, [00:55:01] A COUPLE HOURS, BUT IT'S STILL FAR ENOUGH WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO STAY THE NIGHT AND THEY DON'T WANNA NECESSARILY DRIVE BACK THAT SAME DAY. UM, I THINK I COVERED THAT. SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING THIS YEAR ARE PAID MEDIA, EARNED MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND THEN INFLUENCERS. PAID MEDIA IS JUST WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE. WE'RE PAYING TO HAVE ADVERTISEMENT PLACED IN DIFFERENT PUBLICATIONS AND MAGAZINES. THESE CAN BE DIGITAL BANNER ADS, UH, WEBSITE LISTINGS, FULL PAGE PRINT, HALF PAGE PRINT, KIND OF A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT THINGS. EARNED MEDIA, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF RECENTLY WITH THE TURKEYS. THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE PITCHING TO THE MEDIA AND THEY ARE PICKING IT UP. WE'RE NOT PAYING THEM TO DO THIS. THEY SEE THE VISION, THEY SEE THE STORY AND WE COMMUNICATE WITH THEM AND WORK WITH THEM TO CREATE SOMETHING REALLY UNIQUE AND SPECIAL. SOCIAL MEDIA, OF COURSE, IS VERY IMPORTANT. WE POST ON INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, AND WE'RE JUST NOW EXPLORING PINTEREST AS A NEW WAY TO POST, UH, BLOGS AND TRAVEL ITINERARIES. AND IT HELPS US GET MORE VISIBILITY. AND THEN THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, WE WORK WITH INFLUENCERS TO, UM, PROMOTE TRAVEL PEOPLE FROM NOT, UM, LOCAL MCKINNEY, BUT UH, INFLUENCERS THAT ARE LIKE IN ARKANSAS OR OKLAHOMA AND THEY'RE COMING HERE AND THEY'RE TRULY EXPERIENCING MCKINNEY THEMSELVES TOO. UM, WHICH MAKES IT MORE ENGAGING. AND THEN WE ARE GONNA SHOW YOU ALL OUR 20 25, 20 26 CAMPAIGN VIDEO. THIS IS SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON WITH, UM, OUR AGENCY THAT THEY'VE HELPED US CREATE. AND IT KIND OF JUST SHOWS WHAT ALL MCKINNEY HAS TO OFFER. YOU KNOW, WE'RE PRETTY FRIENDLY HERE IN MCKINNEY, TEXAS AND WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU OVER, BUT THERE'S REALLY NOTHING TO SEE HERE. NOT A LOT COMES TO MIND. JUST YOUR AVERAGE RUN OF THE MILL. SMALL, SLEEPY, LITTLE TEXAS TOWN, RIGHT? NOTHING TO SEE HERE. SO STOP, NOTHING TO SEE HERE. KEEP IT MOVING. NOTHING A SEE HERE, IT'S THE KIND OF PLACE WHERE IF YOU KNOW YOU GO. SO THAT WAS OUR NEW VIDEO FOR THIS YEAR. UM, WE'LL BE POSTING IT SOON AND THEN WE'LL SEE IT ON THE HERO VIDEO OF OUR WEBSITE WHEN YOU FIRST LIKE, LOAD THE WEBSITE ON THE HOMEPAGE. AND THEN EMILY WILL BE POSTING MORE CONTENT THAT WE'VE GOTTEN WITH THEM. UM, THEY WERE HERE IN AUGUST, END OF AUGUST I BELIEVE. SO WE GOT SOME REALLY GREAT CONTENT WITH THEM AND WE'RE REALLY, REALLY EXCITED TO SHOWCASE THIS. LIKE YOU SAW IN THE VIDEO, KIND OF THE THEME IS IF, YOU KNOW, YOU GO LIKE, AND THERE'S NOTHING TO SEE HERE, BUT THERE'S SO MUCH TO SEE IN MCKAY. THERE'S SO MUCH TO DO AND SEE. AND EVEN IF YOU JUST SPEND ONE DAY HERE, THERE'S SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY TO SEE. UM, SOME ADVERTISING EXAMPLES OF THINGS WE'RE DOING THIS YEAR. UM, I HAVE A FEW THAT I'LL SHOW YOU. UH, ONE IS ADVERTORIALS. I REALLY LIKE ADVERTORIALS. IT'S A JOURNALISTIC APPROACH TO ADVERTISING. IT ALLOWS US TO TELL A STORY ALONG WITH PICTURES. UM, I THINK THERE'S A PLACE FOR REGULAR, YOU KNOW, ADVERTISING AND PRINT ADS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT THESE REALLY ALLOW US TO TELL A FULL STORY AND FULLY EXPLAIN EVERYTHING. SO THEY JUST PROVIDE MORE IN-DEPTH CONTENT. UM, USUALLY THEY ARE, UM, LIKE ON A WEBSITE AND YOU CAN SEARCH THEM. SO WHEN YOU SEARCH KEYWORDS LIKE SOCCER AND MCKINNEY OR SPORTS AND MCKINNEY, THEN THIS WILL COME UP AND PEOPLE CAN READ MORE ABOUT IT. AND THEN IT USUALLY LINKS BACK TO OUR WEBSITE AND THEN HAS CONTACT INFORMATION AS WELL IF PEOPLE WANNA LEARN MORE. WEB BANNERS ARE SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE ARE DOING MORE OF THIS YEAR. UM, THEY'RE TYPICALLY PLACED ON A ADVERTISER'S WEBPAGE, SO, UM, THEY'RE PLACED LIKE ON THE SIDEBARS OF WEBSITES, IF YOU EVER SEE THAT. OR AT THE TOP AS A LEADERBOARD AD. THESE HAVE A CLICK THROUGH LINK TO OUR WEBSITE AS WELL. AND WE CAN TARGET WHERE WE WANT THAT TO GO. SO LIKE THAT TOP ONE THERE THAT SAYS PLAY HERE, STAY HERE. THAT WOULD LINK BACK TO OUR SPORTS PAGE, WHEREAS THE BOTTOM ONE MEETING BEYOND THE ROOM WOULD MEET WOULD LINK BACK TO OUR MEETING PAGE. SO WE CAN KIND OF TARGET LIKE WHERE ON PEOPLE'S WEBSITES WE WANT IT TO GO IF WE KNOW THAT THEIR WEBSITE HAS, UM, MORE VISITORS FROM A SPECIFIC CATEGORY. AND THEN WEB LISTINGS ARE THE LAST EXAMPLE. I'LL SHOW THESE ARE JUST A GOOD, UM, TYPE OF ADVERTISEMENT BECAUSE IT HELPS WITH SEO. WE CAN LIST, UM, FULL DETAILS ABOUT VISIT MCKINNEY IN GENERAL ABOUT MCKINNEY, HOW FAR WE ARE FROM DALLAS, OUR CONTACT INFORMATION, OUR WEBSITE, OUR SOCIAL MEDIA. UM, SO THIS JUST HELPS WHEN PEOPLE ARE SEARCHING LIKE THINGS TO DO NEAR ME OR, UM, PLACES TO [01:00:01] TRAVEL. THIS WILL SHOW UP IN THEIR SEARCH HISTORY. AND THEN THESE ARE SOME OF THE PUBLICATIONS THAT WE ARE DOING THINGS WITH THIS YEAR. THIS ISN'T ALL OF THEM, BUT THESE ARE SOME OF THE BIG ONES. TEXAS MONTHLY, OF COURSE, WE'RE DOING, UM, A COOL POLY BAG WITH THIS YEAR. OUR VISITOR GUYS BEING PLACED WITH ONE OF THEIR MAGAZINES AND THAT'S BEING SHIPPED OUT TO A BUNCH OF PEOPLE. SPORTS DESTINATION MANAGEMENT IS ANOTHER ONE. WE'RE DOING SOME SPORTS ADVERTISING, SMALL MARKET MEETINGS FOR OUR MEETINGS. SO WE JUST ARE TRYING TO DIVERSIFY EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING THIS YEAR, DOING A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ADVERTISEMENTS, UH, TO REACH A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE. AND I'LL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS. YOU GUYS HAVE QUESTIONS? GOOD JOB. THAT WAS REALLY GOOD. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. NO QUESTIONS. BUT THAT IS, THAT WAS PHENOMENAL. THAT WAS REALLY GOOD. THAT WAS GREAT. UH, AND I'LL TELL YOU, UH, WHEN SARAH STARTED JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO, REALLY, UH, THE, THE FIRST THING SHE HAD TO DO WAS TAKE OUR BIG ADVERTISING BUDGET NUMBER AND PUT A PLAN TOGETHER WITH THAT. AND SO, UH, WE HAD THE, UH, PLEASURE OF, OF WORKING IN THE OFFICE WITH HER AND YOU WOULD HEAR HER ON THE PHONE ALL DAY EVERY DAY WITH EVERY ONE OF THESE VENDORS. UH, 'CAUSE WE HAD A LOT OF PROPOSALS AND THINGS THAT WE HAD DONE PREVIOUSLY. AND SHE ASKED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM QUESTIONS ABOUT EACH LINE ITEM AND WHAT WE WERE DOING AND, UH, TWEAKED AND, YOU KNOW, CHANGED THINGS IF WE WANTED TO TRY SOMETHING NEW. SO SHE PUT A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT AND, AND HARD QUESTIONS BACK TO, YOU KNOW, OUR ADVERTISING PARTNERS OF, UH, WHAT WE'RE GETTING OUT OF IT. AND SO I, EXCUSE ME, I THINK, UM, SHE, UH, DID A GREAT JOB JUST MAKING SURE WE'RE, UM, PUTTING SOMETHING REALLY, UH, UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT, UM, TOGETHER. AND SO KUDOS TO YOU AND EXCITED TO SEE HOW IT GOES. SARAH, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN ON THE TEAM? UH, THREE MONTHS. THERE. YOU'RE DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB. YEAH. YEAH. YOU'RE DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB, EMILY. IT'S ALL TWO. Y'ALL ARE GOOD DUO. YES. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. AT THIS TIME WE ALLOW FOR ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK ON MATTERS, NOT ON THE AGENDA. I SEE THERE ARE NONE. MOVING [BOARD AND DIRECTOR COMMENTS] ON TO BOARD AND DIRECTOR COMMENTS. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING THEY WOULD WISH TO ADD? I JUST WANNA SAY A COUPLE THINGS. ONE, UH, GREATNESSES IN THE AGENCY OF OTHERS, AARON, AND YOU HAVE CREATED AN AMAZING TEAM. SO GREAT JOB. AND THEN JUST HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYBODY. THIS IS, THIS IS AN AMAZING BOARD AND I LOVE ALL THE AWESOME. AW, IT'S REALLY NICE. THANKS. UM, I HAVE A COUPLE THINGS I WANNA SAY. UH, REMEMBER THE HOLIDAY PARTY? MM-HMM . UM, ALSO WE HAVE ANOTHER, UH, SO 10 BLOCK PARTY, UH, COMING UP. AND THAT'S ON THE 19TH. THERE WAS A LOT OF CLIPS FROM THAT YOU GUYS WERE AT, AT CHU CHABRA'S. MM-HMM . UM, SO THAT'S FROM FIVE TO NINE. SO MAKE SURE YOU BRING THE FAMILY OUT. IT'S FAMILY FRIENDLY, IT'S SUPER FUN. UM, IT'S A CITY EVENT, SO COME TO THAT AND THEN ALWAYS END WITH THANKING THE STAFF. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME. I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU DO. AND, UM, YEAH, EVERYBODY HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING THIS WEEK. AND WITH THAT, CAN I GET A MOTION TO ADJOURN? I'LL MAKE A MOTION. MOTION BY BRIAN. MAY I GET A SECOND? A SECOND. WHERE'D THAT COME FROM? ME? . OH, CAROL. SECOND BY CAROL. PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. MOTION IS PASSED. MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 9:05 AM THANK YOU. THANK YOU. * 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.