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City Council |
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Agenda Request |
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Agenda Of: |
03-02-10 |
Agenda Request No: |
vii-a |
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Initiated By: |
Regina Morales |
Responsible Department: |
Economic Development |
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Presented By: |
Regina Morales Economic Development Director |
Department Head: |
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Keri Schmidt |
Additional Department. Head (s): |
N/A |
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Subject / Proceeding: |
Consideration of and Action on the 2010 Program Budget for Tourism
Services per the Contract Between the City Of Sugar Land and Fort Bend
Convention and Visitors Services |
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Exhibits: |
FBCVS 2010 Tourism Program Budget |
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Clearances |
Approval |
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Legal: |
n/a |
Executive Director: |
N/A |
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Purchasing: |
Todd Reed Purchasing Manager |
Asst. City Manager: |
N/A |
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Budget: |
Jennifer Brown |
City Manager: |
Allen Bogard |
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Budget |
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Expenditure Required: $ |
110,000 |
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Current Budget:
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110,000 |
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Additional Funding:
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N/A |
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Recommended Action |
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Receive report on Grand Wine and Food Affair and approve FBCVS 2010 program budget. |
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Executive Summary |
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The City has an annual agreement with the Fort Bend Convention & Visitors Services (FBCVS) to undertake tourism activities on behalf of the City. The contract runs from January to December and it renews automatically unless the parties provide formal notification of termination. In 2009, this contract was amended to increase FBCVS annual funding to $110,000 up from the previous $100,000 to allow for expansion of the FBCVS statewide marketing for the Grand Wine and Food Affair with the addition of advertising in the Texas Highways and Austin American Statesman. In consideration of this increase the Chamber provided to the City at no charge the Chamber’s Chairman’s membership, a reserve table to each Chamber luncheon and the annual gala. The contract with the FBCVS requires Council’s approval of the annual budget each year prior to funds being expended. Attached for Council consideration is the proposed FBCVS 2010 Budget for the Grand Wine and Food Affair. It is the only initiative managed by FBCVS other than an annual grant for $12,000 from the County, which supports print ads. The total Grand Wine and Food Affair program expenses, including additional non-Sugar Land related expenses, is $425,537. Also attached is a report provided by the FBCVS which summarizes the impact of the 2009 Grand Wine and Food Affair event. An overview of this past year’s activities, impact of the Grand Wine and Food Affair, and the proposed 2010 budget will be presented to Council. |
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Exhibits |
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Fort Bend Convention & Visitors Services 2010 Budget
For City Consideration
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Expenses |
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Austin American Statesman |
$11,000 |
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My Table Magazine |
$3,500 |
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Official Guide to Houston |
$10,200 |
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Personnel |
$20,000 |
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Photography |
$2,000 |
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Printing (Brochures &
Mailing) |
$6,000 |
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Printing (Posters) |
$4,000 |
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Promotional Tiles |
$1,300 |
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Support Activity |
$10,000 |
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Texas Events Calendar |
$2,500 |
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Texas Highways |
$12,500 |
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Texas Journey |
$15,000 |
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Theme/Marketing Identity |
$4,000 |
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Website |
$8,000 |
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TOTAL |
$110,000 |
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Revenues |
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City of Sugar Land |
$110,000 |
The
Grand Wine & Food Affair 2010
Financial
Overview
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EXPENSES |
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Labor/Admin
Expenses |
$124,512.00 |
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Rentals (Tents,
tables, etc.) |
$78,886.00 |
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Advertising &
Marketing |
$57,000.00 |
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Food & Wine |
$26,208.00 |
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Marriott Expenses |
$23,572.00 |
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Website |
$22,000.00 |
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Wine glasses &
Butler trays |
$16,886.00 |
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Printing &
Mailing (Brochures, Posters, Signs, etc.) |
$15,294.00 |
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Trucks &
storage Units |
$10,206.00 |
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Travel |
$9,768.00 |
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Auction Donation |
$8,000.00 |
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Speaker Fees |
$5,300.00 |
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Music &
Entertainment |
$5,050.00 |
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Buses |
$5,040.00 |
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Paper goods
(plates, napkins, utensils etc.) |
$4,517.00 |
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Licenses (Health
& TABC) |
$3,271.00 |
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Misc Expenses (Ice,
Laundry, supplies) |
$3,145.00 |
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Photography |
$2,938.00 |
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AV & Lighting |
$2,000.00 |
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Décor (flags, etc.) |
$1,243.00 |
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Books |
$701.00 |
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TOTAL |
$425,537.00 |
A SOLID INVESTMENT
Mission
The Grand Wine & Food Affair
headquartered at the Marriott Sugar Land Town Square, is an initiative designed
by the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce to promote and increase the recognition
and visibility of Fort Bend County and its amenities by hosting a festival to
provide knowledge, enjoyment and exposure to fine wines and foods. This annual series of events highlights the
great chefs of the world and the culinary traditions that have been enhanced by
the rich ethnic diversity of our region.
"Flat Creek Estate has appreciated the experience
of participating in the Grand Wine & Food Affair during the past six
years of the festival. We have been impressed with the venues
that the festival planners have put together. It seems that they have
done their homework on other festivals and have come up quickly on the learning
curve. Our response in customer sales has been impressive as we have
introduced many new customers in the Fort Bend area to our products through
the festival venues." - Rick Naber, Owner
- Flat Creek Estate
2009 Audience
The Grand Wine
& Food Affair is a signature event that draws an upscale audience that mirrors
our community.
v A record 6,800 attendees! Guests came from all over the world from
Spain, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and coast to coast in the United
States.
v Female 52% - Male 48%
v Average age of the guests is 42 years of
age
v The household income exceeds $150,000
v This upscale audience dines out more than
seven times a month, enjoys wine with almost every meal, and travels for
pleasure over four times a year.
v They are more likely to try new wines,
restaurants, products and resorts as a result of their experiences at our
event.
v Over 70% of the ticket buyers for The
Grand Wine & Food Affair are from outside Fort Bend County. Over 95% of the participants including the
winery representatives, restaurants, chefs, and other vendors are traveling
from outside of Fort Bend County.
“In our first year we looked around at the one thousand
guests at The Grand Tasting and hardly recognized anyone. These were people who had never walked in
to the Sugar Land Marriott Hotel until that night.” - Louis Garvin, President, Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce
Community Economic Impact –
Everyone Benefits!
Over
70% of the ticket buyers for The Grand Wine & Food Affair are from outside
Fort Bend County. Over 95% of the
participants including the winery representatives, restaurants, chefs, and
other vendors are visiting from outside of Fort Bend County. These visitors filled the Sugar Land Marriott
Hotel and occupied other area hotels over the weekend, and spend money with the
restaurants, retail shopping, transportation expenses, night clubs and bars in
and around Sugar Land. This is new money
that is injected into our local economy by individuals whose sole purpose for
their visit is to attend the festival.
Additionally, these visitors go home with an impression of our community
that is positive and memorable. This is
evident in the return visits from the same guests that we have each year.
The ticket sales for 2009 were
approximately $300,000, all of which was invested in creating a quality
signature event for our community. The
festival spends dollars for rental of tents, tables, chairs, staging, signage,
travel, transportation, venue rental, print materials, ice, staging, bands,
labor, audio-visual, paper goods, website development, advertising and
marketing, and numerous other items necessary for the festival. A priority is given to direct these
expenditures to local businesses.
These are the positive economic benefits
and it is worth noting that there are no known negative impacts associated with
the event. Negative cost impacts include
such items as traffic congestion, police and fire protection, loss of access
and disruption of resident’s lifestyles.
These things occasionally accompany large community events but are not
found during The Grand Wine & Food Affair.
The Grand Wine & Food Affair has grown into a premier event that is
known across the state and nation and draws larger audiences every year.
How does the City of Sugar Land benefit…
$1.4 million of direct contributions to the area economy:
v Over $450,000 spent in hotels
v Over $112,000 on dining
v $300,000 in ticket sales
v Over $350,000 invested in event
preparations
v Businesses invested over $200,000 in the
festival
v Artists and gourmet food vendors received
over $17,500
The City of Sugar Land support of $110,000
brought a return on investment of nearly
$1.4 million direct impact to the local economy in 2009, a return of
over ten times the initial contribution.
“The economic impact
of this event is incredible. From
the first impressions of the vintners, restaurateurs, and wine enthusiasts
as they arrive in our city for The Grand Wine and Food Affair, to the use
of this event as a host location for site selectors and corporate prospects
makes it truly a remarkable economic driver.” -David G. Wallace, CEO, Wallace Bajjali Development Partners, Former Mayor of the City
of Sugar Land “As a Sugar Land based commercial real estate broker, part
of my job is to communicate to prospective clients who are considering
locating their businesses here, information on the numerous amenities that
make the city stand out over other alternatives. The Grand Food and Wine
Affair is certainly one of those. It has grown to become a world class
event. Not only has it put our community on the map in the regional and
national culinary community, but it has become a “don’t miss” event that
offers tremendous exposure to both the city and the event participants.” -Kolbe M. Curtice, CCIM, CLS, Curtice Commercial Realty
Putting sugar land on the map
The Grand Wine & Food Affair
is a positive force in raising the awareness of our community and has
contributed to the City’s quality of life.
This awareness ultimately will result in more home sales, more
businesses opening and more visitors.
v Over $750,000 in press coverage
is generated for The Grand Wine & Food Affair that highlights Sugar Land as
its host city.
v It is responsible for
reinforcing the unique, diverse and upscale image of the community.
v It has become a respected
leader among wine and food festivals across the nation.
“The only other festival in the United States that is ahead
of you is the 28 year old Wine and Food Classic in Aspen!” - Kevin Zraly, Windows on the World Wine School, New
York City “The Grand Wine and Food Affair is already one of the
Nation’s finest and friendliest wine event in America.” - Paul Bonarrigo, Winemaker and
Co-Owner of Messina Hof Winery and Resort “The Grand Wine and Food Affair has proven effective in
bringing new people into our community and resulted in more people moving
to Fort Bend County. As founding
sponsors we enjoy participating in the annual event that brings positive
exposure. It has become an annual event that all
Sienna residents embrace as their own. It has also
brought increased awareness to the community and the county, which in turn
results in more home sales, not only in Sienna, but all of Fort Bend.” -Susie Goff, Marketing Director Sienna Plantation