* 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 [CALL TO ORDER] MORNING. WELCOME TO THE VISIT MCKINNEY BOARD MEETING. MY NAME IS BRIAN MEDINA AND WE ARE MEETING IN CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBER, LOCATED AT 4 0 1 EAST VIRGINIA STREET, MCKINNEY, TEXAS. TODAY IS TUESDAY, AUGUST 25TH, 2026, AND THE TIME IS 8:00 AM THE FOLLOWING BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT. JILL BARNES, AMY PENA, CAROL SULLIVAN, AND MYSELF ABSENT. KATIE SCOTT, KEITH GALL, PATRICK MCGUIRE AND ALTERNATE TERYN BOLTON. CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT. PATRICK CLOUTIER, CITY STAFF AND BOARD LIAISONS PRESENT. PAUL GRIMES. UM, MIKE KOWSKI. M-E-D-M-E-D-C. UH, CULTURAL DISTRICT, MAIN STREET. SPECIAL EVENTS. ANDREW JONES. AND THERE WE GO. UH, VISIT MCKINNEY. STAFF PRESENT. AARON WARNER, ALICIA HOLMBERG, SARAH TING, EMILY MYRICK, TONY ADAMO AND PAULA MARTIN AT THIS TIME, WE'LL, WE ARE TAKING TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS POSTED ON AGENDA ITEMS AND THERE ARE NONE. WE WILL NOW VOTE ON [CONSENT ITEMS] THE FOLLOWING AGENDA. CONSENT ITEM 26 DASH 7 98 MINUTES OF THE VISIT MCKINNEY BOARD MEETING OF JUNE 30TH, 2026. MAY I GET A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? ALL MOTION. JILL BARNES. I'LL SECOND THAT. CAROL. THANK YOU. PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. MOTION APPROVED. WE'RE NOW GONNA MOVE TO REPORTS. MOVING [26-0799 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] TO THE BOARD AND LIAISON REPORTS. AGENDA ITEM 26 DASH 7 99. BOARD AND LIAISON REPORTS, CITY OF MCKINNEY. UM, PATRICK UDE, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SHARE? MORNING Y'ALL. UM, TWO THINGS FOR ME. NUMBER ONE IS THIS AFTERNOON AT THREE O'CLOCK, WE WILL BE MEETING TO DECIDE ON BOARD SOME COMMISSIONS FOR NEXT YEAR. UH, I SAY IT EVERY YEAR, BUT IT'S THE LEAST FAVORITE PART OF MY JOB. WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, SO MANY GREAT BRIGHT PEOPLE HERE IN MCKINNEY THAT COME AND APPLY AND WANNA SERVE OUR CITY. SO IT'S AN HONOR TO PICK 'EM, BUT MAN, IT'S, UH, GRAY HAIR INDUCING TIME. SO, UH, AND THEN COUPLED WITH THAT, WE HAVE OUR BUDGET, WHICH WE WILL BE, UH, ADDRESSING NEXT YEAR. UH, MY EXPECTATION IS WE WILL BE LOOKING AT MAINTAINING THE EXACT SAME TAX RATE, UH, WHICH WAS, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE THIS YEAR. UH, WHEN PROPERTY VALUES GO DOWN, WHEN APPRAISED VALUES GO DOWN, THAT PUTS AN UPWARD PRESSURE ON THE TAX RATE TO, UH, FUND THE CITY SERVICES THAT WE ENJOY. SO, UH, IT WAS A HEAVY LIFT, BUT WE'VE HAD GREAT ECONOMIC GROWTH HERE AND WE CONTINUE TO, AND I APPRECIATE THE STAFF THAT HAS WORKED WITH US ON THAT. SO THAT'S MY EXPECTATION. UM, LAST THING IS, IS THAT, UH, WE'LL BE SETTING SOME OTHER RATES TOO, AND WATER AND WASTEWATER ARE GOING UP. WE'VE, WE'VE SEEN THIS TRAJECTORY FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, BUT, UH, THE, THE COST OF PROVIDING WATER ARE INCREASING AND SO THOSE GET PASSED ALONG. UH, IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE. UH, THERE'S NOT MUCH WE CAN DO ABOUT IT. YOU GOTTA HAVE WATER. UM, THAT'S WHAT MY GRANDPA SAID. I LIKE IT. RIGHT. YEAH, THAT'S GOOD. SO ANYWAY, ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? ALRIGHT, APPRECIATE Y'ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CITY MANAGER PAUL GRIMES. THOSE WERE THE TWO BIG TOPICS THAT I WAS PLANNING TO HIT. CHAIRMAN, HE STOLE YOUR THUNDER. AND MR. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MEMBERS THE BOARD. GOOD MORNING. UH, YES, BUDGET, UH, TAX RATE 0.412. THAT IS OUR CURRENT RATE AND THAT WE ARE EXPECTING THE COUNCIL WILL RATIFY THAT RATE, UH, AT THE SEPTEMBER 1ST MEETING, UH, TO STAY AT 0.412 41.20 CENTS, UH, MORE PRECISELY. UH, ALSO, UM, UH, COUNCILMAN KLU TALKED ABOUT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. UM, I WILL ALSO SAY, UM, UM, IT'S BEEN A LITTLE BUSY AROUND HERE LATELY, IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED. BUT, UM, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH ALL THE BLOCKING AND TACKLING THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING AS STAFF. UH, WE'VE GOT, UH, A NUMBER OF THINGS COMING DOWN THE PIKE. IT'S GONNA BE A BUSY FALL, UH, BETWEEN, UH, OUR INTERNAL WORK, ANNUAL CONFERENCES AND A NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, UM, AS WE CONTINUE TO PLANT. THE OTHER BIG THING COMING UP, OF COURSE, BIG MILESTONE IS GONNA BE THE OPENING OF MCKINNEY NATIONAL AIRPORT. NOVEMBER 11TH IS THE SCHEDULED FIRST FLIGHT, UH, OUT OF MCKINNEY NATIONAL. UH, AND SO WE ARE WORKING FEVERISHLY, FEVERISHLY TO GET, UH, THAT TERMINAL FINISHED AND COMPLETED AND CERTIFIED, IF YOU WILL, CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY, ALL THOSE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO HAVE, UH, IN TIME FOR US TO LAUNCH THAT SERVICE. SO IT'LL BE A VERY BUSY FALL. I'LL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS. [00:05:01] ANY QUESTIONS? GREAT. OKAY. THANK YOU PAUL. THANK YOU. NEXT MEDC, MIKE KOWSKI. GOOD MORNING FOLKS. MIKE KOWSKI, PRESIDENT OF THE EDC. UH, A FEW HIGHLIGHTS HERE. UH, THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL HAS AWARDED US FOUR AWARDS. SO WE COMPETE AGAINST CITIES BETWEEN THE SIZE OF 200,000 AND 500,000. NOW, IN THAT, IN THAT SPACE, THE AWARDS INCLUDE A CROSS-BORDER PARTNERSHIP AWARD WITH THE CITY OF ALLEN. WE REBRANDED THE 1 21 CORRIDOR AS 1 21 NORTH, AND OUR THESIS IS WE WANT DEVELOPERS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY TO IDENTIFY THE CORRIDORS, A GOOD SPOT TO LAND, AND THEN ALLEN AND MCKINNEY CAN HELP 'EM FIND THE RIGHT SPOT ON THE SIDE OF THE STREET, WHICH MAKES THE MOST SENSE. SO WE GOT A SILVER AWARD FOR THAT. WE ALSO RECEIVED AN AWARD FOR A SPECIAL PURPOSE WEBSITE DURING THE BYRON NELSON. WE HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS COMING FROM OUT OUTTA STATE. SO OUR TEAM CREATED A BESPOKE WEBSITE CALLED MCKINNEY MENU, WHICH ALLOWED PEOPLE TO FIND SPOTS TO EAT AND DINE WHILE THEY'RE IN TOWN. UH, SO WE LAUNCHED THAT, THAT WAS ALSO A SILVER MEDAL AWARD WINNER. WE WON FOR OUR PRINT BROCHURES. AND THEN FINALLY FOR OUR MCKINNEY PODCAST AS WELL. SO FOUR AWARDS FOR THE CITY OF MCKINNEY EDC, WHICH OF COURSE HAPPENS BECAUSE OF ALL OF US HERE. UH, IF YOU'VE GONE PAST CANON BEACH ON 1 21, YOU MAY SAY WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE PROPERTY? A LOT'S GOING ON IN THE PROPERTY. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO SLOW DOWN NEXT TIME AND KIND OF TURN DOWN STACEY THERE. AND YOU'LL SEE THAT THEY'VE DUG OUT THE ENTIRE LAGOON AND NOW THEY'RE PUTTING ALL THE UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE IN. UH, SO I'VE HEARD A COUPLE NOTES THAT, UH, IT'S HARD TO KIND OF SEE THE ACTIVITY, BUT I ASSURE YOU WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT FROM A DRONE SHOT OR SIMILAR, UH, THEY'RE OUT THERE WORKING VERY, VERY HARD. SO THAT'S GONNA BE A BIG WIN FROM OUR VISIT MCKINNEY PERSPECTIVE AND PARTNERSHIPS. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, UH, THE NEWS IS OUT. UH, WE, UH, DID A NATIONAL SEARCH FOR SVP, UH, THAT RESULTED IN, UH, I THINK A GREAT HIRE. IT'S KIND OF BITTERSWEET FOR THIS BOARD, OF COURSE, BUT I'M HAPPY TO SAY IN THE FIRST TIME IN PUBLIC THAT WE WILL HAVE AARON WARNER JOINING US AS OUR NEXT SVP AT MEDC. CONGRATULATIONS. HIS, HIS TEAM IS STARING DAGGERS AT ME RIGHT NOW. , I'LL, I'LL, I'LL TAKE IT. THAT IS THE BOARD. THAT IS THE BOARD. HERE'S MY PERSPECTIVE ON IT, MY FRIENDS, UM, EVERYBODY HAS HAVE A CHANCE TO JUST DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN THEIR CAREER. RIGHT. AND I THINK WHAT AARON CONVEYED TO US IS THAT HE HAS AN UPSIDE THAT IS UNBELIEVABLE AND HAVING A DIFFERENT ROLE IN THE CITY, UH, JUST EXCITES HIM AS A PROFESSIONAL, AS A PERSON. AND WE DID A NATIONAL SEARCH, AS I SAID EARLIER, OVER 150 PEOPLE APPLIED AND DURING THE PROCESS, AARON CAME OUT AS THE UNANIMOUS DECISION FROM OUR RECRUITER TO THE PANELS TO OUR OUTSIDE COUNCIL AS WELL. UH, SO AARON, LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING YOU JOIN US. I REALIZE THIS MAY BE YOUR LAST MEETING YES. YEAH. UH, WITH THE BOARD. SO I KNOW YOU SAID YOU SAID A FEW WORDS AS WELL, UH, AT YOUR MOMENT. YEAH, I COULD. I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, YOU KNOW, IT'S GREAT WHEN YOU CAN FIND THE TALENT HERE IN MCKINNEY AND I KNOW YOU WENT THROUGH A LOT OF FOLKS, AND SO KUDOS TO BOTH AARON AND Y'ALL'S TEAM SEARCHING. GREAT. WE'LL DO A FORMAL PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT, OF COURSE, UH, IN THE COMING DAYS AND WEEKS WITH EVERYTHING ELSE. SO, UH, I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION. YEAH, PLEASE. I PROBABLY COULD ASK THIS TO PAUL OR PATRICK, BUT, SO WE'VE SEEN THE, UM, BUILDINGS COMING DOWN NEAR LOCAL YOKO AND WHATNOT. I MEAN, AREN'T YOU GUYS GONNA BE KIND OF INVOLVED TO HELPING TO FIND SOME THINGS COME TOWN? QUESTION. YEAH. THE FORMER CITY HALL AND THE FORMER DEVELOPMENT SERVICES CITY HALL HAS BEEN RAISED. AND THEN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES IS, THAT'S MY SAW. IT WAS COMING OUT QUICK. YEAH. UH, YET PRESENT CITY COUNCIL HAS ASKED MEDC TO ASSIST WITH FINDING A HOTEL AND IT A CLASS, A OFFICE, UH, USER FOR THOSE TWO SITES. THAT'S EXCITING TO, INCLUDES SOME PARKING. YEAH. SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT BEHIND THE SCENES AS WE DO. SOUNDS GOOD. THANKS MIKE. SURE THING. ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY, GREAT. ALRIGHT. UM, I SEE MS. DEBORAH BRADFORD HERE. MCDC, COME ON UP. GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AARON WARNER AND THE BOARD. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU. I KNOW THAT YOU WILL SHINE, YOU SHINE WHEREVER YOU ARE. SO VERY EXCITED FOR YOU. DEBORAH BRADFORD. CDC. THE CDC WEBSITE REDESIGN IS OFFICIALLY LIVE, UH, ONE STREAMLINED EXPERIENCE. GO AND CHECK US OUT. YOU'LL FIND, UM, EASY BROWSING, STREAMLINED NAVIGATION, IMPROVED ACCESS AND INTERACTIVE CALENDAR AND MODERN LAYOUTS WITH UPDATED TECHNOLOGY FOR MORE INTUITIVE BROWSING. SO WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE, GO OUT THERE AND CHECK US OUT. SO, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, UH, UPDATES THE PROMOTIONAL AND COMMUNITY EVENT GRANTS. THERE WERE 16 APPLICATIONS ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION, WHICH WERE VOTED ON ON THE JULY 23RD MEETING. [00:10:01] A SUMMARY OF THE AWARDS AS ATTACHED FOR BROAD, UH, PROJECT GRANTS FOR THE, UH, FINAL CYCLE OF FISCAL YEAR 26. PUBLIC HEARINGS WERE HELD ALSO AT THE JULY 23RD BOARD MEETING. AND THERE'S A SUMMARY FOR THAT AS WELL THAT'S ATTACHED. AND THE RETAIL DEVELOPMENT INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS, THE APPLICATIONS FOR THE FINAL CYCLE FOR THAT WAS ACCEPTED THROUGH JULY THE 31ST. AND WE HAVE A SUMMARY FOR THAT AS WELL. SO A SNEAK PEEK AT SOME OF THE EVENTS THAT WE SPONSOR THAT HOPEFULLY WILL GARNER AND GENERATE HOTEL VISITS. UH, AUGUST 29TH THROUGH THE 30TH, OF COURSE, IS OUR MILLHOUSE ART FEST. SEPTEMBER EVENTS INCLUDE THINGS AT MILLHOUSE WELLS SUCH AS MAKERS MARKET. UH, WE WANNA HIGHLIGHT OCTOBER FEST, WHICH IS ALWAYS A BIG WIN. THE ASIAN FOOD FESTIVAL, WHICH IS ALWAYS FA FABULOUS AND FANTASTIC. ADE LAS METOS, UH, MASTER GARDENERS, SPECTACULAR BRU AND BOOZE. THOSE ARE SOME OF OUR OCTOBER EVENTS. SO AGAIN, LOOKING FORWARD TO, HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET PEOPLE IN THE CITY HOTEL STAYS AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF. AND I STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS. ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, DEBORAH. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU. NEXT UP MCKINNEY MAIN STREET, ANDREW JONES. GOOD MORNING. UH, VISIT MCKINNEY, UH, DIRECTOR WARNER. CONGRATULATIONS. UM, WE'VE HAD A BUSY AUGUST IN DOWNTOWN WITH A BUNCH OF EVENTS. UH, WE HAD OUR CAR SHOW A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, UH, THIS PAST WEEKEND WE HAD THE SOIN, UH, BLOCK PARTY AND NIGHT MARKET. UH, WE CONTINUE WITH THIS WEEKEND WITH THE THIRD ANNUAL, UH, SCAVENGER HUNT IN DOWNTOWN. WE HAVE A GRAND PRIZE OF $2,500 FOR THE, UH, FIRST WINNER, AS WELL AS LOTS OF GREAT GOODIES AND, UH, PRIZES FOR KIDS WE WERE LAUNCHING THIS YEAR. UM, THE THEME FOR THIS YEAR IS ART AND PUBLIC ART IN DOWNTOWN, WHICH IS WE HAVE A LOT TO CHOOSE FROM, WHICH IS GREAT. AND, UH, WE'RE ALSO ADDING A GREAT KIDS COMPONENT SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE THEIR OWN KIND OF SCAVENGER HUNT OPTIONS AS WELL. UM, AS, UH, MIKE MENTIONED A DEMO OF CITY HALL IS, UH, PRETTY MUCH WRAPPING UP. AND THEN, UH, THEY'RE WELL UNDERWAY WITH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. UH, JUST SOME UPDATES ON THE IMPACT RENOVATION OR THE NEW COURTHOUSE THEATER. UH, IT'S MOVING RIGHT ALONG. UH, IT'S REALLY GREAT TO SEE, UH, THE, THE CEILING IN THE MAIN THEATER IS ALMOST NEARING COMPLETION. UH, THEY'RE PUTTING UP PAINT. IT'S ALL BEEN FULLY RESTORED. ALL, ALL THE WATER DAMAGE HAS BEEN REPAIRED, SO THAT'S PRETTY AWESOME. AND IT'S STARTING TO LOOK REALLY BEAUTIFUL IN THERE. MM-HMM . UH, WE DO HAVE A NEW, UH, DATE FOR THE SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION IS DECEMBER 15TH. SO WE GOT, UH, PUSHBACK A COUPLE OF WEEKS, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE DOING OUR BEST TO CATCH UP ON THAT TIMELINE. AND WITH THAT, I'LL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, ANDREW. APPRECIATE IT. NEXT UP VISIT MCKINNEY FINANCE REPORT. ALICIA HOLBERG. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. OKAY, WE'RE GONNA GO OVER TWO MONTHS SINCE WE DID NOT HAVE A MEETING, UM, LAST MONTH. SO IT'LL BE MAY AND JUNE. SO THERE'S KIND OF A LOT OF NUMBERS ON HERE. SO, UM, QUICKLY WE'LL JUST LOOK AT, AT BOTH HERE. YOU CAN SEE ON, UM, THE LEFT-HAND SIDE, UM, IS MAY, AND THEN JUNE. WE ARE, AS OF JUNE, ABOUT 75% THROUGH OUR FISCAL YEAR. UM, CONTINUING ON TRACK, YOU'LL SEE THE TOTAL REVENUES THERE, 75.4. UM, JUST A NOTE THERE ON THE STORE. REVENUES WE'RE, AGAIN, I THINK I'VE MENTIONED EVERY MONTH, DOING REALLY, REALLY WELL WITH OUR STORE. UM, SO WE'RE HAPPY WITH THAT. UH, JUST A NOTE, I THINK MOST OF YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA BE DOING SOME RENOVATIONS, UM, ON THE STORE. SO THERE WILL BE SOME CLOSURES IN THAT TIMEFRAME, UH, COMING UP HERE IN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS OR SO. UM, SO WE'RE KIND OF HAPPY THAT WE'RE ALREADY AHEAD, UH, SINCE THAT CLOSURE WILL AFFECT OUR NUMBERS FOR THE REMAINING, UM, PORTION OF THE YEAR. UM, TOTAL EXPENSES THERE, 66%. I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, YOU KNOW, TOWARDS THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, A LOT OF, UM, SPENDING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PAY OUR FINAL BILLS AND THINGS AND GET EVERYTHING ALL, ALL SQUARED AWAY FOR THE YEAR. SO WE ARE RIGHT ON TRACK WHERE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE. SO WE'RE, WE'RE ALL SET THERE. UM, HOTEL OCCUPANCY, TAX REVENUE, UH, YOU CAN SEE THE, UH, LAST TWO MONTHS THERE, MAY AND JUNE. UM, STRONG MONTHS, AGAIN, BOTH ABOVE 7.4%, UM, INCREASE, UH, FOR MAY AND JUNE 8.6. SO STRONG NUMBERS YOU CAN SEE ON THE GRAPH EVERY SINGLE MONTH. SO FAR, THIS FISCAL YEAR, WE HAVE BEEN, UH, THERE'S BEEN AN INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR. SO, AND LAST YEAR WAS KIND OF A BANNER YEAR FOR US. SO, UM, AGAIN, IT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE THAT AGAIN THIS YEAR. SO STRONG, STRONG NUMBERS, UM, WITH THE, UH, WITH THAT COLLECTION. UM, HERE IS THE, UM, UH, OC THE NUMBER OF PERFORMANCE [00:15:01] STR PERFORMANCE NUMBERS. UM, YOU CAN SEE FOR BOTH MONTHS THE OCCUPANCY WAS DOWN. SO WE'VE BEEN RATE DRIVEN FOR THESE PAST FEW MONTHS, WHICH IS, UH, A REALLY POSITIVE THING. SOMETIMES, OBVIOUSLY WHEN THAT GREAT RATE GOES UP, SOME OF THE, THE, YOU KNOW, THE BOOKINGS GO DOWN, BUT, UM, IT CAN BALANCE EACH OTHER OUT. BUT TO SEE THAT KIND OF INCREASE FOR THOSE, THE A DR, THE RATE, UM, 5.2 FOR MAY AND 6.9, THOSE ARE BIG NUMBERS FOR MCKINNEY. UM, YOU KNOW, TO HAVE THAT A DR AT ONE 15, THAT'S A, THAT'S A STRONG NUMBER FOR US. I KNOW OFTEN WE LOOK AT OUR AVERAGE AND IT'S CLOSER TO A HUNDRED. SO TO SEE THAT ONE 15, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY STRONG FOR MCKINNEY. UH, SOME OF THAT MAYBE JUNE COULD HAVE BEEN, UM, WORLD CUP NUMBERS. AGAIN, WE DON'T HAVE A, A REALLY BIG WAY TO, TO GAUGE THAT BECAUSE THERE WASN'T NECESSARILY BLOCKS AND THINGS. UM, BUT JUST LOOKING AT KIND OF THAT THE HISTORIC NUMBERS WE'RE THINKING MAYBE SOME OF IT WAS, BUT I THINK A LOT OF IT WAS JUST, JUST REGULAR BOOKINGS, UM, IN THERE. UM, SO HAPPY TO SEE THAT AGAIN, WERE ABOVE FOR THOSE TWO MONTHS, SO HOPEFULLY THAT WILL CONTINUE. UM, OH, WELL, JUST A NOTE THOUGH. 76.2% OCCUPANCY IS STILL INCREDIBLY STRONG. YOU'LL SEE WHEN WE GET TO OUR COMP SET. IT IS STILL A REALLY STRONG NUMBER, EVEN THOUGH IT IS SLIGHTLY DOWN FOR MCKINNEY. UM, HERE IS THE, OUR TOP, UM, UH, HOT COLLECTIONS ARE, UH, AS USUAL, AIRBNB IS OUR TOP THERE. YOU'LL SEE IN, UM, IN THE SECOND ONE ON YOUR RIGHT HAND SIDE, $56,000. UM, PLUS FOR THE COLLECTION. UM, AGAIN, AS IF WE'VE NOTED BEFORE, THEY DON'T PROVIDE US WITH ANY KIND OF LIST, WE JUST GET THAT TOTAL. UM, BUT YOU CAN SEE THE REST OF OUR HOTELS WERE STRONG, UM, OVER THESE TWO MONTHS. SO, UM, GOOD, GOOD INCREASE THERE. UM, GOOD TRACKING FOR EVERYONE. EVERYONE'S OCCUPANCY NUMBERS LOOK PRETTY STRONG AS WELL. UM, HERE'S THE COMPETITIVE SET THAT I MENTIONED. UM, AND YOU CAN SEE, UH, EVEN WITH THE, ESPECIALLY I THINK FOR BOTH, YES, FOR BOTH, EVEN THOUGH OUR OCCUPANCY WAS DOWN BOTH OF THOSE MONTHS, WE ARE ABOVE ALL OF OUR COMP SETS. SO STILL REALLY STRONG NUMBERS. UM, AND THEN TO SEE THAT ONE 15, UM, YOU KNOW, NOT TOO MUCH LESS THAN PLANO, WHICH TYPICALLY, AND THEY HAD AN 11% INCREASE. SO TO SEE THAT, UM, THAT NUMBER IS HOLDING STRONG FOR US IS WE'RE TRENDING IN A POSITIVE DIRECTION. I KNOW THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT, THAT A DR CONTINUE TO, TO CLIMB. UM, AND I THINK THAT'S ALL WE HAVE FOR YOU. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? NOPE, THAT LOOKS GOOD. THANK YOU. GREAT. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, NEXT UP WE HAVE OUR VISIT MCKINNEY MARKETING REPORT FROM SARAH NOLTON. AND EMILY MYRICK. GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT JUNE AND JULY FOR THE MARKETING REPORT. UM, FOR JUNE, WE STAYED PRETTY STEADY ON THE WEBSITE. WE HAD A SLIGHT DIP IN SOME OF OUR NUMBERS, BUT THEN JULY REALLY SOARED WITH THE AMERICA TWO 50 CAMPAIGN THAT WE DID. WE PROMOTED A LOT OF THE HISTORICAL SITES THAT PEOPLE COULD VISIT, AND WE DID A CHALLENGE ON OUR APP, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT IN A MINUTE. WE HAD A LOT OF NEW USERS ON OUR SITE AS WELL. AND THE RED, WHITE AND BOOM EVENT WAS REALLY POPULAR ON OUR WEBSITE. AND THEN FOR THE VISIT WIDGET, UH, JUNE ALSO STAYED VERY STEADY. IT WAS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME AS MAY. AND THEN IN JULY, WELL MID-JUNE, WE ADDED THE AMERICA TWO 50 SCAVENGER HUNT. IT STARTED ON JUNE 15TH AND ENDED ON JULY 20TH. AND WE HAD SIX LOCATIONS THAT PEOPLE COULD CHECK IN AT THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AND THEN ONCE THEY COMPLETED THAT CHALLENGE, THEY CAME TO THE VISITOR CENTER AND GOT THEIR CHALLENGE COIN. UM, AND ACROSS THAT CHALLENGE WE HAD 758 CHECK-INS ACROSS THE SIX LOCATIONS. AND THEN WE HAD 76 PEOPLE WHO COMPLETED THE CHALLENGE AND CAME TO THE VISITOR CENTER TO COLLECT THEIR COINS. SO IT WAS A REALLY EXCITING TIME FOR US TO SEE PEOPLE INTERACTING WITH THEIR COMMUNITY. EMILY DID A SURVEY, WHICH SHE MAY TOUCH ON IN A MINUTE, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO FILLED IT OUT SAID THEY WENT TO PLACES THEY'D NEVER BEEN BEFORE, OR THEY STAYED LONGER IN A PLACE THEY HADN'T BEEN. THEY WENT TO THE RESTAURANTS AND DIFFERENT THINGS AROUND THE CITY. SO THAT WAS REALLY EXCITING FOR US TO SEE. AND THEN ALSO ON THE APP, WE HAD OVER A THOUSAND NEW USERS AND OUR NUMBERS FOR THAT ARE USUALLY THREE TO 400 NEW USERS PER MONTH. SO THAT WAS ALSO VERY FUN FOR US TO SEE. AND THEN FOR EARNED MEDIA IN JUNE, WE PITCHED TWO STORIES AND WE EARNED THREE PLACEMENTS WITH THAT. AND THEN IN JULY WE PITCHED THREE STORIES AND EARNED SIX PLACEMENTS. LIKE SARAH SAID, IT WAS A VERY BUSY SUMMER FOR US. UH, JUNE WAS A LOT OF SUMMER OF SOCCER PREP. UM, OVERALL WE HAD JUST OVER HALF A MILLION SOCIAL IMPRESSIONS, WHICH CARRIED ON, UH, FURTHER INTO JULY. BUT IT WAS A VERY STRONG DESTINATION FOCUSED, UH, KIND OF CAMPAIGN, WHICH VERY EXCITING FOR US. EMAIL HELPED TO EXTEND THAT STORYTELLING FURTHER. WE HAD 15 CAMPAIGNS WITH, UH, 12,000 RECIPIENTS. AND THEN THE AVERAGE OPEN RATE WAS STRONG ABOUT 50%. JULY WAS RECORD BREAKING FOR US. UH, WE GENERATED [00:20:01] MORE THAN A MILLION IMPRESSIONS ACROSS ALL OF OUR PLATFORMS. UM, THE MAJOR DRIVER WAS THE AMERICA TWO 50 CHALLENGE WITH THE DAILY COIN DROPS THAT PEOPLE WENT ABSOLUTELY FERAL FOR. MM-HMM . WHO KNEW AARON DID. UM, THAT WAS VERY EXCITING FOR US. IT WENT THE WHOLE MONTH. AND UH, WHAT I FIND INTERESTING ABOUT THAT IS THAT THAT CAMPAIGN, JUST LIKE TAGGING THOSE EXACT POSTS, GOT US ABOUT 400,000 IMPRESSIONS, WHICH IS STRONG. BUT THEN THAT MEANS WE HAD MORE IMPRESSIONS ON OUR REGULAR SCHEDULED CONTENT. SO I FEEL LIKE IT WAS A GOOD WAY TO DRIVE PEOPLE TO THE ACCOUNT OVERALL, AND NOT JUST PEOPLE COMING FOR THE COINS, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING FOR ME. AND THAT'S A WIN. AND WITH THE, UH, SURVEY THAT I SENT OUT, PEOPLE DID SAY THAT THEY WENT TO PLACES THEY'D NEVER BEEN TO. THEY SPENT MONEY, THEY DINED, THEY SHOPPED, THEY DID ALL THE THINGS THAT AS A DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANIZATION, WE STRIVE FOR, WE HOPE FOR. AND NOW WE HAVE SMALL BUT CONCRETE DATA TO SAY, YES, WE DID IT. WE ACHIEVED OUR GOAL. SO VERY EXCITING. SO WHAT'S ON THE HORIZON? WHAT CAN WE GIVE US A SNEAK PEEK ON ANYTHING? TURKEYS EVERYTHING. YEAH, I MEAN TURKEYS, I THINK WE GET A LOT MORE TURKEY THINGS. YEAH, TURKEYS ARE ON THE RADAR. UH, IT'LL BE DIFFERENT THIS YEAR I'M SURE. UM, WHAT ELSE IS ON THE RADAR? JUST ALWAYS EVENTS. I FEEL LIKE WE DON'T HAVE A SLOW SEASON ANYMORE. VERY GOOD. Y'ALL DO A GREAT JOB, ED. THANK YOU. KEEP IT UP. THANKS. ALRIGHT, NEXT [26-0800 Executive Director’s Report] ON THE AGENDA ITEM IS, UH, TWO SIX DASH 0 8 0 0. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT. AARON WARNER. THANK YOU, MR. VICE CHAIR. UH, BEFORE I DIVE INTO A FEW PERSONAL, UH, COMMENTS, UM, I WILL LOOK AT OUR, UH, UH, THE REPORT THAT WAS ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA. UH, WE, WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO PULL IT UP RIGHT NOW, BUT, UM, IF, WHEN YOU HAVE TIME, ONE THING I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO DO IS TO, UH, LOOK AT, UH, OUR, UH, PRESENTATION THAT WAS PRESENTED BY LANDRY LONG, WHO WAS OUR SUMMER INTERN. UH, SARAH, UH, MANAGED HER DURING HER INTERNSHIP, AND, UH, SHE LEFT US WITH A REALLY NEAT, UH, PROJECT, UH, REPORT. AND SO, UH, SHE IS ALREADY BACK AT SCHOOL. I WISH SHE COULD BE HERE TODAY TO, TO SHOW YOU GUYS IN PERSON. UH, BUT WE WERE REALLY PROUD OF THE WORK SHE DID. AND SO I ATTACHED IT TO THIS AGENDA JUST SO THAT IT COULD GET A LITTLE MORE, UH, VIEWERSHIP. SO AT YOUR, IN YOUR FREE TIME, PLEASE CLICK ON THAT AND CHECK IT OUT. SHE WAS, UH, SHE WAS A GREAT, UH, INTERN. WE GOT TO SPEND A LITTLE TIME TOGETHER AS, UH, MOST OF OUR TEAM IN PORTLAND. UH, SINCE THE LAST MEETING, WE WENT TO DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONAL. UH, WE HAD A REALLY GOOD SHOWING OF MCKINNEY AT, ON THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL FOR, UM, TOURISM. UH, THERE WERE A LOT OF REALLY GOOD, UM, UH, SESSIONS. WE CAME BACK AND DID A DEBRIEF AFTER THAT ON, UH, CREATED A LIST OF, UH, PROBABLY UP UPWARDS OF AROUND 10 DIFFERENT ACTION ITEMS THAT OUR TEAM THOUGHT, UH, WERE, UH, THINGS WE LEARNED ABOUT OR CONVERSATIONS WE HAD AT THE EVENT THAT WE COULD IMPLEMENT AND THAT WOULD IMPACT MCKINNEY. AND SO I WAS REALLY PROUD OF OUR GROUP THERE. UH, ALICIA STARTED HER CDME, UH, PROGRAM OFFICIALLY, I GUESS, UH, OVER THE SUMMER. BUT, UM, THAT WAS HER FIRST ONE AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE TO, TO ATTEND. SO SHE ALMOST WAS A RESIDENT OF PORTLAND BY THE END OF IT. I THINK SHE WAS THERE FOR AROUND A WEEK, UH, OF TIME. AND SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF OUR TEAM MAKING THEIR SHOWING THERE. I'VE ALSO ADDED INCENTIVES TO THE, UH, DIRECTOR'S REPORT. UM, WE, WE WILL TALK ABOUT THIS AGAIN DURING MY GRANT PRESENTATION SHORTLY, BUT THAT WAS SOMETHING I PROMISED THE BOARD IS THAT I WOULD KEEP A RUNNING, UH, TOTAL OF, UH, THE TOURISM INCENTIVES THAT HAVE GONE OUT FROM, UH, OUR TEAM AND, AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. AND SO THAT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT WILL CONTINUE AS WE MOVE FORWARD. UM, AND THEN JUST SOME PERSONAL COMMENTS. UH, MIKE, THANK YOU FOR, UH, MAKING THE ANNOUNCEMENT, UH, DURING YOUR PRESENTATION. UH, I, I GOT TO TALK TO MY TEAM, UH, LAST WEEK AND, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S A TOUGH, UH, DECISION WHEN, UH, YOU GET A LITTLE EMOTIONAL WHEN YOU HAVE TO TELL A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE, UH, TAKING A STEP. AND, UH, I THINK, UM, TO THE TEAM, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY, UH, EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE DONE, THE, THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS, THE ACCOLADES, ALL OF THAT, THOSE ARE GREAT. THOSE ARE FUN. UM, BUT TRULY MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT, UH, BEING IN THIS ROLE WAS, UH, BEING CALLED INTO A DEPARTMENT THAT, UH, NEEDED A CULTURE CHANGE AND NEEDED A SHIFT. AND TO, TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO LEAD THAT AND TO SEE YOU GUYS ALL STEP UP AND, AND PLAY A ROLE IN THAT. WHAT I, THOSE THINGS DON'T, THOSE THINGS DON'T STOP WHEN A LEADER LEAVES. THOSE THINGS ARE THINGS THAT ARE PERMANENT AND THEY STAY. AND I'M SO PROUD OF THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DO, AND THAT I KNOW THAT THAT'S GONNA CONTINUE ON FAR BEYOND, UH, MY TENURE HERE AT VIS MCKINNEY. AND SO I'M, I, I DON'T WANT TO, THERE ARE NO PERSONAL ACCOLADES THAT, THAT MATTER TO ME AT THIS POINT. IT'S, IT'S WHAT YOU GUYS, UH, ACCOMPLISH BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT MAKES A GOOD LEADER SUCCESSFUL, IS A GOOD TEAM. AND SO, SO THANKFUL FOR YOU GUYS IN THAT. AND I'M GLAD THAT I'M NOT LEAVING. I GET TO, UH, CONTINUE SUPPORTING AND, UH, AND, AND LEADING THE CHARGE, UM, IN A DIFFERENT WAY FOR TOURISM, UH, IN, IN MY NEW SEAT. AND THAT'S GONNA BE EXCITING FOR ME AND TO THE BOARD. UH, I WISH WE HAD THE FULL BOARD HERE TODAY. UM, BUT IN 2022, UH, YOU, THE BOARD GAVE ME A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE. [00:25:01] UH, AT THE, AT THAT TIME WHEN I WAS HIRED, IT WAS, UH, ONLY BOARD MEMBERS IN THE ROOM. AND, UH, AND YOU GAVE ME A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE TO COME BACK TO MCKINNEY, WHICH WAS, IT WAS HONOR OF A LIFETIME TO, UH, TO GET TO COME BACK TO THE CITY THAT I LOVE SO MUCH AND, AND SERVE IN THIS ROLE. UH, KATIE SCOTT, I WISH SHE WAS HERE. UM, BUT SHE, SHE IS THE LAST BOARD MEMBER FROM MY HIRING, UH, PANEL, UM, LEFT ON OUR BOARD. AND SO, UM, I KNOW THAT SHE IS, UH, GOT A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME LEFT IN HER TERM, BUT IT'S NEAT TO SEE ALL THE CHANGES THAT HAVE HAPPENED. AND, UM, YOU'VE GIVEN US STRATEGIC DIRECTION AND HELPED US LEAD. AND IF YOU LOOK BACK OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, IT'S BEEN A CONSTANT CYCLE OF CHANGE. AND WE'VE THINK TURNED OVER ALMOST EVERY STONE YOU CAN IMAGINE IN TOURISM AND FIGURED OUT A NEW WAY TO DO IT, UH, FOR OUR TEAM. AND, UM, AND SO THAT'S KEPT US ON OUR TOES AND YOU GUYS HAVE HELPED US SO MUCH THROUGH THAT PROCESS. UM, AND SAME THING. YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M EXCITED 'CAUSE I'M NOT ANNOUNCING THAT I'M LEAVING MCKINNEY. I'M JUST, UH, TAKING A ANOTHER STEP IN A, IN A DIFFERENT ROLE THAT WILL, UH, STILL GREATLY IMPACT THE WORK OF TOURISM, UM, ESPECIALLY OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS WITH EVERYTHING HAPPENING. SO, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND, UH, I WILL NO LONGER BE SITTING IN, IN THIS SEAT, BUT WHO KNOWS, I MIGHT, UH, UH, UH, DO SOME, UM, BACKUP AND, AND COME PRESENT TO YOU GUYS AT A FUTURE MEETING ABOUT MEDC STUFF. SO, SOUNDS GOOD. UH, WE'LL SEE HOW IT GOES. WELL, AS A BOARD, UM, WE ARE DEFINITELY GONNA MISS YOU, AND WE THINK YOU'VE DONE SO MUCH FOR THIS TOWN AND WE'RE EXCITED FOR YOUR NEW OPPORTUNITY, SO THEY PICKED A GOOD ONE. SO WE'RE REAL PROUD OF YOU. THANKS. APPRECIATE IT. GREAT. WE'RE GONNA [26-0801 Presentation by Holiday Inn & Suites, McKinney on Hotel and Guest Services] CONTINUE REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS. UH, NEXT ON THE AGENDA, WE HAVE JEAN RABBIT, UH, DIRECTOR OF SALES FROM THE HOLIDAY INN MCKINNEY TO PRESENT ON REGULAR AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO SIX DASH 8 0 1. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. MORNING EVERYONE. MY NAME'S JEAN RABBIT, DIRECTOR OF SALES AT HOLIDAY INN SUITES. MAKE KENNY NORTH ALLEN LOCATED AT 32 20 CRAIG DRIVE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME THIS MORNING. THANK YOU TO TONY AND MILIA FOR INVITING ME AND GIVING US THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REPRESENT THE HOTEL HERE TODAY. I KNOW WE HAVE A WONDERFUL VIDEO FOR EVERYONE TO WATCH. SO AS YOU SEE HOLIDAY INN SUITES MCKINNEY NORTH ALLEN, WE'RE IN 99 ROOM HOTEL, OF WHICH 32 ROOMS ARE SUITES, GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO HANDLE BOTH SHORT TERM STAYS AND EXTENDED STAYS. WE HAVE WONDERFUL EVENT, SPACE, RESTAURANT AND BAR. WE ARE A FULL SERVICE HOTEL. OUR EVENT SPACE HAS JUST EXPLODED SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE. I STARTED MY CAREER HERE IN MCKINNEY AT HOLIDAY INN SUITES IN DECEMBER. AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT THE WHOLE FOOTPRINT OF NOT ONLY THE HOTEL, BUT THE COMMUNITY HAS CHANGED BECAUSE OF THE MASSIVE EXPANSIONS THAT ARE GOING ON. AND A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH VISIT MCKINNEY AND THE, UH, MEDC HERE MCKINNEY. AND WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR THAT. BUT OUTSIDE OF SEEING THIS VIDEO, THERE'S A PART OF THIS THAT SPEAKS TO ME EVERY DAY, AND THAT'S WHAT WE CALL THE HEART OF OUR HOTEL. AND THE HEART OF OUR HOTEL IS THE PEOPLE THAT WORK IN IT. THEY GENUINELY COME TO WORK EVERY DAY, EXCITED TO MEET ALL THE NEW PEOPLE, EXCITED TO SPEAK ABOUT THE HOTEL, GIVE OUR GUESTS A GREAT GUEST EXPERIENCE, BUT ALSO INTRODUCE THEM TO MCKINNEY. SO MANY TIMES WE ARE ASKED, WHERE ARE THE RESTAURANTS? WHERE ARE THE STORES? WHERE IS DOWNTOWN? HOW DO WE GET THERE? AND WE'RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE A SHUTTLE BUS. SO OFTENTIMES THE HEART OF OUR HOTEL, THE PERSON THAT I THINK REALLY IS THE HEART OF OUR HOTEL, IS OUR AG GM AND HIS NAME IS OSCAR RODRIGUEZ. AND HE WILL PILE EVERYONE INTO THAT SHUTTLE BUS. MM-HMM . AND DOWNTOWN MCKINNEY. THEY GO AND HE'LL DROP EVERYONE OFF AND EVERYONE COMES BACK WITH WONDERFUL STORIES. IT'S SO EXCITING TO BE A PART OF MCKINNEY IN THAT WAY, IN, IN HEARING THE STORIES AS THEY COME BACK AND TELLING US ALL OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS AND HOW THEY'RE EXCITED TO BE HERE. BECAUSE THE FOOTPRINT, AGAIN, OF MCKINNEY IS CHANGING SO DRASTICALLY AND SO QUICKLY. WE WENT FROM A HOTEL THAT WELCOMES IN CONSTRUCTION CREWS AND EVENTS AND SPORTING EVENTS AND WEDDINGS AND FUNCTIONS AND THINGS. AND DRASTICALLY, AND I WOULD EVEN SAY AS RECENTLY AS JUNE, EVERYTHING CHANGED. EVERYTHING CHANGED FOR THE HOTEL. AND MORE OFTEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN WE'RE NOW STARTING TO SEE CORPORATE TRAVELS, CORPORATE TRAVELERS, PROJECT TEAMS, FAMILIES, EXECUTIVES, GROUPS, PEOPLE REALLY PEOPLE RELOCATING INTO THE AREA. ANOTHER EXCITING PIECE, AND WHAT IS EXCITING FOR US IS THAT WE GET TO RECOGNIZE SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT FOR MOST OF THESE PEOPLE. THIS IS THEIR FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH MCKINNEY, RIGHT? SO THIS IS WHERE THEIR STORY BEGINS, AND WE ARE EXCITED TO BE A REPRESENT A REPRESENTATIVE OF THAT BECAUSE MY GROUP NOT ONLY GIVES A GOOD [00:30:01] COMFORTABLE BED AT NIGHT, HANDLES A GOOD MEAL AT THE RESTAURANT, BUT WE INTRODUCE EVERYONE TO THEIR ORIGINATING FIRST MCKINNEY STORY, RIGHT? SO THAT IS AN EXCITING PIECE FOR US. AND THEN ALSO TO BE A PART OF THE COMMUNITY. RECENTLY, UM, I HAD, I PUT OUT A SALES PITCH RIGHT TO DAVINA, THE MCKINNEY REPERTORY THEATER, AND WE INVITED HER DOWN, WANTED TO WALK HER AROUND THE HOTEL. I WANTED TO INTRODUCE MYSELF TO HER AND SHOW HER ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT THE HOTEL AND THE HOPES THAT DURING THEIR PRODUCTIONS, IF THEY HAD ANYONE THAT WANTED TO COME AND STAY, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY WOULD SELECT OUR HOTEL. AND I BRING HER UP TODAY BECAUSE SHE CHANGED MY WHOLE PERSPECTIVE IN SALES, AND SHE REMINDED ME THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING A PART OF A COMMUNITY. SO AS SHE CAME INTO THE HOTEL, I WALKED HER AROUND THE EVENT SPACE, THE MEETING ROOMS, THE RESTAURANT, ALL OF OUR WONDERFUL AREAS, AND WE EVENTUALLY SAT DOWN IN OUR BOARDROOM AND LAID IT ALL OUT FOR HER. AND SHE SAID, YOUR HOTEL IS LOVELY, AND WHAT A GREAT AREA. THIS IS GREAT. AND MAYBE EVENTUALLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER. AND I THOUGHT EVENTUALLY WASN'T USED TO THAT RESPONSE. SO SHE GOES ON TO TELL ME THAT CURRENTLY THE REPERTORY THEATER IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A VERY BIG YEAR FOR THEM BECAUSE THE BIG TRADITION FOR THEM IS A CHRISTMAS CAROL, RIGHT? AND THIS WOULD'VE BEEN THE 20TH YEAR FOR A CHRISTMAS CAROL. SO WE START GETTING A LITTLE BIT EMOTIONAL BECAUSE THEY'RE UNDER RENOVATION. AND SHE GOES ON TO TELL ME HOW SHE'S BEEN TO MULTIPLE PLACES AND MULTIPLE LOCATIONS AT THE THOUGHT OF, HOW ARE WE GOING TO HAVE THIS GREAT TRADITION CONTINUE FOR ITS 20TH YEAR? AND AS SHE'S TELLING ME THIS, MY MIND IS RACING. AND I'M LIKE, HOW DO WE NOT GET INVOLVED? HOW DO WE NOT GET INVOLVED FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO CONTINUE THIS TRADITION? SO I UNDERSTAND IT, GENERATIONS OF FAMILY COME BACK, PEOPLE COME INTO TOWN, PEOPLE COME FROM OKLAHOMA, PEOPLE COME FROM ALL OVER THE PLACE JUST TO COME BACK, TO HAVE THEIR KIDS BE A PART OF ONE OF THE WONDERFUL TRADITIONS THAT MAKE MCKINNEY SO SPECIAL. AND WITH ALL OF THE GROWTH AND WITH ALL OF THE GROWTH THAT WE'RE SEEING WITHIN ALL OF THE CORPORATIONS AND EXPANSIONS AND ALL OF THE GREAT CONVERSATIONS AND INTRODUCTIONS THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE WITH ALL OF THESE LARGE COMPANIES, I SAT THERE FOR A MOMENT AND I SAID, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS OUR COMMUNITY. SO AT THAT TIME, I SAID, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR PRODUCTION LOOK LIKE, WHAT, WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE, HOW MANY PEOPLE COME? I SAID, WE WANNA OFFER YOU THE ROCK MORTON BALLROOM. AND SO WE'RE STILL WORKING OUT THE DETAILS, BUT WE'RE EXCITED BECAUSE IT GETS US TO BE A PART OF THE COMMUNITY. 'CAUSE AT HOLIDAY INN IN SUITES, WE DON'T WANNA JUST BE A HOTEL THAT'S OPERATING IN MCKINNEY. WE WANNA PARTICIPATE IN MCKINNEY AND BE A PART OF THAT GROWTH AND BE A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY AND WELCOME GUESTS TO OUR HOTEL. SO WE'RE EXCITED. A LOT OF CHANGES. JUNE HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS MONTH. EVERYTHING STARTED TO CHANGE IN JUNE. JULY'S GONNA BE SPECTACULAR. AUGUST IS GONNA BE EVEN BETTER. I MEAN, IT'S JUST THE MONTH MOVING FORWARD. WE'RE VERY EXCITED FOR THE HOTEL INDUSTRY HERE AT MCKINNEY. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. WE APPRECIATE IT. GREAT. THANK YOU. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, JEAN, I JUST WANNA SAY FROM THE VISIT MCKINNEY STANDPOINT, THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING. YOU BROUGHT AN INCREDIBLE NEW VISION TO THE HOTEL, AND I THINK YOU'RE SEEING THAT PLAY OUT. UH, OUR, OUR VISION FOR, UH, VISIT MCKINNEY IS TO BE THE MOST WELCOMING GYM IN TEXAS. BUT EVERY TIME I SAY THAT, I SAY THAT THAT'S NOT JUST OUR TEAM. THE ONLY WAY WE CAN DO THAT IS IF OUR HO HOSPITALITY PARTNERS AGREE AND MAKE THAT HAPPEN. AND AND TRULY IT'S THE, IT'S THAT FIRST FRONT DESK EXPERIENCE. IT'S THE, UH, THE CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE HAD AT THE HOTEL. IT'S, IT'S WHAT YOU PROVIDE THAT MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE ON, ON US BEING ABLE TO BE A WELCOMING GYM. AND SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING. WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE HOTEL AND YOU KNOW, OUR TEAM IS IN FULL SUPPORT OF WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO, TO ASSIST OVER THERE. AND ABSOLUTELY, AND I APPRECIATE, I APPRECIATE TONY AND ALICIA SO MUCH AND ALL THE TIME THAT THEY SPEND WITH ME AND THEM, TONS AND TONS OF QUESTIONS THAT THEY ANSWER FOR ME AND THE INTRODUCTIONS THAT THEY MAKE FOR US. WE'RE EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THE COMMUNITY. WE'RE EXCITED TO WORK WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. SO AGAIN, IF YOU EVER NEED ANYTHING, GIVE US A CALL ON MY BUSINESS CARD IS MY CELL PHONE. I ALWAYS SAY, YOU CAN CALL ME DURING BUSINESS HOURS OR AFTER BUSINESS HOURS IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION. WE'RE ALWAYS HERE. OUR DOORS ARE ALWAYS OPEN. SO HAVE A GREAT TIME. I CAN ATTEST TO THAT BECAUSE I REACHED OUT TO JEAN ABOUT SOMETHING. THERE'S A LOT OF COMPANIES COMING INTO TOWN AND THEY HAVE SOME GREAT MEETING SPACE TO DO INTERVIEWS AND SHE ACCOMMODATED, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME INFORMATION THAT WE NEEDED AND SHE WAS JUST RIGHT THERE, JOHNNY, ON THE SPOT. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK IN YOUR TOWN. GOOD JOB. THANK YOU. HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE. THANK YOU. YOU TOO. OKAY, NEXT PAGE. ALRIGHT, [26-0802 Consider/Discuss/Act on the Grant Committee's Recommendations to Transition the Tourism Grant Program to a Tourism Incentive Program] WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON [00:35:01] TO THE NEXT ITEM TWO SIX DASH 0 8 0 2. UH, THIS WILL BE THE DISCUSSION ON THE GRANT COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION FOR TRANSITION THE TOURISM GRANT PROGRAM TO A TOURISM INCENTIVE PROGRAM. AND AARON WILL PRESENT. THANK YOU MR. VICE CHAIR AGAIN, AARON WARNER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT VISIT MCKINNEY. UH, TODAY I'M PRESENTING, UH, OUR GRANT COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW WE MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR, UH, VISIT MCKINNEY, UH, GRANT INCENTIVE DOLLARS THAT WE'VE HAD IN OUR BUDGET FOR QUITE SOME TIME. UH, THIS IS THE SECOND TIME WE'VE PULLED A GRANT COMMITTEE TOGETHER OVER THE PAST, UH, FOUR YEARS AS WE JUST LOOK AT HOW THE COMMUNITY'S CHANGING, HOW THE COMMUNITY NEEDS ARE CHANGING, UM, AND THE BEST WAY THAT WE CAN STEP IN, UH, ON THE TOURISM SIDE TO, UH, FULFILL A MISSION THERE. UH, SO FIRST, UH, THE, THE PROJECT-BASED GRANT COMMITTEE WAS, UH, MS. CAROL SULLIVAN, KATIE SCOTT, BRIAN MEDINA, AND OF COURSE OUR STAFF. UM, WE WERE CHARGED WITH LOOKING AT THE STATE REQUIREMENTS OF HOT TAX USAGE AND MAKING SURE THAT OUR GRANT, UH, OR OUR INCENTIVE, UM, MEETS THOSE GUIDELINES. AND OF COURSE, UM, YOU ALWAYS REMEMBER THE TEXAS TWO STEP THAT EVERYTHING HAS TO DIRECTLY ENHANCE AND PROMOTE TOURISM AND THE CONVENTION AND HOTEL INDUSTRY. AND TWO, EVERY EXPENDITURE OF HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX MUST CLEARLY FIT INTO ONE OF THE NINE STATUTORY AND PROVIDED CATEGORIES. AND I'M NOT GONNA GO OVER THOSE CATEGORIES TODAY. UM, Y'ALL ARE PRETTY FAMILIAR WITH THEM FROM OUR, UH, PRESENTATION FROM SCOTT JOLY, BUT WE HAVE TO BE REALLY CAREFUL WITH HOW WE SPEND THESE DOLLARS. UM, ACCORDING TO STATE LAW, WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE GRANT PROGRAM, AGAIN, UM, THIS IS KIND OF THE DATA THAT, UH, WE HAD. THE GRANT PROGRAM WAS STARTED IN 2021. UH, OVER THE TIME, UH, FROM 2021 TILL, UM, 2026, IT HAD, UH, A LITTLE OR ALMOST $82,000 DISTRIBUTED FROM, UH, THIS, UH, BOARD AND STAFF. UH, AND THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 72 ROOM NIGHTS GENERATED FROM THAT, WHICH IS A HOT TAX, WHICH, UH, ROI OF $571, THAT'S A 7% HOT TAX THAT COMES BACK TO THE CITY. UH, SO THE NUMBERS, AND, AND I DO HAVE TO SAY THAT, UH, 65 OF THOSE ROOMS WERE GENERATED FROM ONE EVENT, UM, THAT WERE, THAT CAME TO US TWICE. AND SO, UH, THE, THE MAJORITY OF THE GROUPS THAT WE, UH, GAVE, UH, TOURISM DOLLARS TO DID NOT REPORT HOTEL PICKUP, UH, FROM THIS PROGRAM. AGAIN, UH, IT'S NOT, NOT TO SAY THAT THERE WAS EVER ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. I JUST THINK THAT WHEN YOU HAVE DATA, UH, UH, THIS MUCH DATA TO, TO LOOK AT, AND YOU CAN LOOK AT THE TEXAS TWO STEP AND YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE, UH, THAT WHAT WE'RE FUNDING IS NOT NECESSARILY BRINGING, UH, HOT TAX DOLLARS BACK INTO THE COFFER AND, UM, NOT SUPPORTING OUR HOTELS IN THE WAY THAT WE MIGHT HAVE IN, UH, INITIALLY INTENDED. THERE'S ANOTHER POOL OF MONEY THAT VISIT MCKINNEY HAS, UM, THAT STARTED, UH, JUST THE LA IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, UH, WHERE THAT'S JUST, UH, AN INCENTIVE POOL. UH, THIS BECAME NECESSARY WHEN WE, UH, STARTED DIVING IN MORE ON OUR SALES EFFORTS. AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORING CITIES HAVE, UH, UH, AN ALLOCATION OF MONEY THAT THEY USE FOR INCENTIVES WHEN THEY'RE RECRUITING BUSINESS TO THEIR CITIES. UH, THAT COULD BE YOUTH SPORTS, IT COULD BE CORPORATE EVENTS, CONFERENCES. UM, EVERYBODY WAS COMING TO US AND ASKING ABOUT, HEY, CAN YOU DO THE INCENTIVE THAT PLANO WAS DOING? OR CAN YOU DO THE INCENTIVE THAT FRISCO'S DOING? SO IN OUR RESEARCH, WE FOUND OUT THAT THOSE LOOK VERY SIMILAR IN MOST COMMUNITIES. THERE'S SOME, SOME LEVERS WE CAN PULL. UH, YOU CAN DO, UH, ROOM NIGHT REBATES, UH, LIKE $5 PER ROOM NIGHT GENERATED. THERE. THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE CAN INCENTIVIZE THESE GROUPS TO COME, UH, TO MCKINNEY. AND IT MAY NOT BE HUGE DOLLAR AMOUNTS, BUT WE, EVERY TIME WE'VE EVER GIVEN ONE OF THESE INCENTIVES, UH, THEY'VE BEEN VERY APPRECIATIVE AND, AND EVEN MENTIONED THAT THAT WAS WHAT CLOSED THE DEAL AT TIMES. AND SO, UM, SINCE WE STARTED THIS PROGRAM, WE'VE GENERATED, UH, OVER 2000 ROOM NIGHTS FROM THE INCENTIVE DOLLARS. UH, WE'VE INVESTED 17,855 AND WITH THE HOT TAX RETURN, UH, OF 16,317, SO, UH, NOT QUITE A ONE-TO-ONE, BUT VERY CLOSE TO A ONE-TO-ONE, EVERY DOLLAR COMING OUT, UH, GOING OUT HAS ALMOST GENERATED THAT MUCH COMING BACK IN, IN HOT TAX. UH, AND SO IT WAS REALLY OBVIOUS, AGAIN, LOOKING AT DATA, UH, THAT THIS PROGRAM IS WORKING AND IT IS FULFILLING THE TEXAS TWO STEP AND IT'S MEETING OUR NEEDS. UM, BUT WE'RE ALSO, UH, UM, FOR THIS YEAR WE'VE ALLOCATED MOST OF OUR FUND THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE. UM, AND SO LOOKING AT THE FUTURE, UH, AND TALKING WITH OUR BOARD GRANT COM, UH, WITH OUR, UH, PROJECT BASED GRANT COMMITTEE, UH, WE PROPOSE THAT WE MOVE OUR $30,000 THAT WAS USED FOR GRANTS IN PREVIOUS YEARS, UM, INTO OUR $50,000 INCENTIVE POOL, UM, THAT WE CURRENTLY OPERATE WITH, WHICH WOULD GIVE US $80,000 IN A CONSOLIDATED FUND, UM, THAT WOULD BE USED FOR, UM, GOING AFTER GROUP BUSINESS, MORE SPORTS, UH, INCENTIVIZING, UH, UH, GROUPS OR [00:40:01] ANY, ANY CORPORATE NEEDS, THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT ARE COMING INTO OUR HOTEL. THIS BOARD, UH, NOT LONG AGO WENT INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS, UH, AN INCENTIVE FOR, UH, CORPORATE, UM, UH, CORPORATE ROOM NIGHTS, UH, FOR LOCAL HEADQUARTERS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EDC. AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE ANTICIPATE, UH, HAPPENING MORE OFTEN IN THE FUTURE. AND SO, UM, HAVING THESE FUNDS THERE WE FEEL, UH, IS, UH, THE BEST USE OF, UH, THE DOLLARS AND ALSO MEETS THE STATE, UH, STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS. AND SO THAT IS OUR RECOMMENDATION. THIS IS AN ACTION ITEM. AND SO WE DO NEED TO VOTE ON THIS. IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE BOARD WOULD LIKE TO ACCEPT, THE, UH, THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION, WE'LL APPROVE THAT TODAY AND STARTING IN FY 27, SO OCTOBER ONE, UM, THOSE FUNDS WOULD BE ROLLED INTO THE INCENTIVE POOL. GREAT. I'LL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS IF THERE ARE ANY. I HAVE A COUPLE. OKAY. SO, UM, WHAT'S THE WAYS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE CONTINUING TO PROMOTE THE INCENTIVE PROGRAMS THAT ON THE WEBSITE? DOES TONY DO A GOOD JOB WITH THIS? HOW DOES THAT KIND OF GET THE WORD OUT? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. WE'RE ALREADY USING IT, SO, YEAH. UM, SO LIKE I SAID, UH, WE WERE HAVING GROUPS COME TO US AND ASKING ABOUT WHAT INCENTIVES WE HAVE TO OFFER OR IF WE CAN MATCH NEIGHBORING CITIES' INCENTIVES. UH, SO WHAT WE'VE LEARNED IS THAT THIS IS A KNOWN, JUST A KNOWN COMMODITY IN THE SALES WORLD THAT, UH, CITIES ARE OFFERING, UH, INCENTIVE BASED STRUCTURES FOR RECRUITING, YOU KNOW, LARGE GROUPS TO THEIR CITY. UM, AGAIN, ALL OF OUR, OUR NEIGHBORING CITIES ARE DOING IT. AND SO WE ACTUALLY HAVEN'T POSTED ABOUT THIS. WE'VE NEVER SAID ANYTHING PUBLICLY OUTSIDE. IT'S ON OUR WEBSITE THAT YOU, THERE IS AN INCENTIVE PAGE, BUT WE'VE NEVER GONE OUT AND DONE LIKE A CAMPAIGN AROUND THE FACT THAT WE HAVE THEM. UM, BUT WE DO HAVE THEM, UH, AVAILABLE IF, UH, IT, YOU KNOW, WE, WHAT BASICALLY WHAT WE TELL THE SHERATON IS GO, GO TRY TO SELL OR, OR ANY OF OUR NEIGHBORING HOTELS, I'M GONNA USE THE SHERATON AS EXAMPLE. GO TRY TO SELL. IF YOU'RE TRYING TO CLOSE BUSINESS AND YOU GET DOWN TO WHERE YOU'RE A FINALIST FOR PIECE OF GROUP BUSINESS, BUT YOU CAN'T CLOSE THE DEAL BECAUSE OF SOME NEED, MAYBE IT'S TRANSPORTATION TO DOWNTOWN FOR AN OPENING RECEPTION AND TRANSPORTATION'S EXPENSIVE, THAT MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE VISIT MCKINNEY CAN STEP IN, OFFER AN INCENTIVE BASED ON HOW MANY ROOM NIGHTS THAT GROUP WILL GENERATE AND WE CAN HELP, UH, PROVIDE THE FUNDS TO GET THAT BUS DOWNTOWN. AND AGAIN, THAT SUPPORTS THE WHOLE ECONOMY TOO. IT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT THEN YOU KEEP THAT ECONOMIC IMPACT HERE AND SO THERE'S MORE BENEFITS THERE. UM, SO ALL THAT TO SAY, UH, PROBABLY NOT A PUBLIC CAMPAIGN, UH, BECAUSE, UH, OUR, OUR 50,000 IS ALMOST AT ALLOCATION FOR THIS YEAR. AND, UH, WE ANTICIPATE, YOU KNOW, THINGS GROWING WITH THE CORPORATE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE IN THE FUTURE. SOUNDS GOOD. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? YEAH. GOOD. ALRIGHT. UH, IF THERE'S NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, UH, MAY I GET A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE BUDGET AS SUBMITTED TO THE CITY MANAGER? I MOVE JANIE. THANK YOU. CAN WE GET A SECOND? I'LL, I'LL SECOND. OKAY, THANKS JILL, PLEASE VOTE THE MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. RIGHT NOW IT'S, UH, PUBLIC COMMENTS REGARDING MATTERS NOT ON THE AGENDA. AT THIS TIME, WE ALLOW FOR ANYONE FROM THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK ON MATTERS, NOT ON THE AGENDA. I SEE THAT THERE ARE NONE. WE WILL CONTINUE. UH, WE'RE GONNA CLOSE HERE. BOARD OF DIRECTOR COMMENTS. ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS? ANYBODY? GREAT. OKAY, WE WILL MOVE ON, UH, AT THIS MO TIME. I WILL, MAY I GET A MOTION TO SECOND AND TO ADJOURN THE MEETING MOTION. THANK YOU, CAROL. SECOND JANIE, THANK YOU. PLEASE VOTE. GREAT RECORD TIME. 44 MINUTES. IT IS 8 44. THANK YOU EVERYONE, AND THANKS AGAIN. THANK YOU AARON. WE LOVE EVERYBODY. * 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.