Tourism Commission Special Called Meeting of the Tourism Commission - July Meeting moved to Monday- July 15, 2024. This meeting will be a Hybrid meeting.
1. SPECIAL CALLED MEETING of the TOURISM COMMISSION BOARD July 15, 2024, at 2:30 pm City Hall Chambers Room 1001 301 W. Second St Austin, Texas 78701 Some members of the Tourism Commission Board may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Felicia Ojeda, 512.404.4022 or felicia.ojeda@austintexas.gov CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS/COMMISSIONERS: Daniel Ronan, Chair Aileen Bazan Mike Cannatti Stefani Mathis John Riedie Bishop Chappell Ed Bailey, Vice Chair Greg Chanon District 4 (vacant) Anna Panossian Christian Tschoepe AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approve the minutes of the Tourism Commission Board Regular Meeting on June 12, 2024. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. DISCUSSION ITEMS Staff briefing from Staff Liaison, Felicia Ojeda, regarding the vacancy on the board and upcoming schedule changes for upcoming meetings and deadlines. 3. 6. 7. 8. 9. Presentation by Ben Blocker, Director of Events with C3 Events, regarding special events in Austin and their economic impact on tourism. Discussion regarding the Tourism Commission Road Map on exclusive topics Discussion of the Annual Internal Review for the Tourism Commission Board. 4. 5. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS Discussion and possible action to approve the Annual Internal Review of the Tourism Commission board. Discussion and possible action to approve the Amendment to minutes relating to the Red River District Resolution passed in April 2024 Tourism Commission Meeting. WORKING GROUPS Update from the Short-Term Rental Working Group on any new reports regarding the STRs recommendation and efforts with city council. Update from the Parks and Environment Working Group regarding the recommendation on Parks funding to city council. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative …
WORKING DOCUMENT: Tourism Commission Road Map June 2024 – December 2024 Agenda Topics, Potential Speakers & Community Presenters Note: All meetings take place on Wednesdays from 2:30pm-4:30pm in City Council Chambers (unless modified by venue availability) August 14, 2024 – No Meeting September 11, 2024 – Funding Austin Tourism: City HOT Tax • Potential Speakers: City of Austin Chief Financial Officer & Economic Development Department • Potential Community Presenters: Doherty Arts Center October 9, 2024 – Across the Town: From Districts to Downtown • Potential Speakers: City of Austin Economist, Downtown Austin Alliance & • Potential Community Presenters: Palm District Cultural Organizations & Preservation Austin Local Tour Guides November 13, 2024 – PROPOSED TOPIC – Tourism & Wellness – Creating a Welcoming Tourism Environment • Potential Speakers: Night Club Venues, Security Teams, Public Health Advocates • Potential Community Presenters: TBA December 11, 2024 – Proposed: No Meeting 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
TOURISM COMMISSION BOARD RECOMMENDATION Recommendation Number: 20240410-007 These recommendations from the Tourism Commission identify improvements to the cultural arts funding programs that will support long-standing tourism destinations in Austin with histories of diversity, equity and inclusion. WHEREAS, City of Austin is recognized for its vibrant cultural arts scene and a diverse and creative community, with a decades-long history as the cultural and counter-cultural capital of Texas which enjoys the competing mantras of “'Keep Austin Weird” and the “Live Music Capital of the World”; and WHEREAS, on June 25, 2018, Austin City Council adopted ORDINANCE NO. 20180614-067, establishing the Tourism Commission “to provide expertise and recommendations to the city council concerning hotel occupancy tax revenue collected by the city and issues related to and that promote tourism” and to “advise the city council on … matters relating to the allocation, investment, and budgets for the hotel occupancy tax revenue”; and WHEREAS Texas Tax Code Chapter 351, Section 351.101 (a) states that “Revenue from the municipal hotel occupancy tax may be used only to promote tourism and the convention and hotel industry”; and WHEREAS, Austin’s tourism industry actively uses our cultural arts and live music events to promote tourism to Austin, as readily seen from Visit Austin’s website cultural events listings, including the Red River Cultural Arts District, the Zilker Hillside Theater Productions and other longstanding groups that support professional artistic jobs, generate tourism and serve audiences of both visitors and residents; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s cultural arts funding grant programs have made necessary changes in recent years to address historic inequities; and WHEREAS, these changes to cultural arts funding allocations do not fully account for a range of equitable considerations, such as the diversity of the audiences who enjoy the cultural arts programs or the artists who perform in the cultural arts programs, resulting in significant disruptions to long-standing cultural institutions in our community which have a demonstrated history of positive tourism impact, as well as diverse, inclusive and equitable curatorial, hiring and audience development practices; and WHEREAS, on February 15, 2024 City Council passed a resolution directing the City Manager to investigate ways to preserve accessible, inclusive, open‐to‐the‐public events and to identify opportunities for the City to support and promote community events which are completely free and open to the public, which would include events produced by Zilker Theater Productions, Austin Shakespeare and the Red River Cultural District, …
Annual Internal Review This report covers the time period of 7/1/2023 to 6/30/2024 Austin Tourism Commission The Austin Tourism Commission mission statement is: "to provide expertise and recommendations to the city council concerning hotel occupancy tax revenue collected by the city and issues related to and that promote tourism" In the past year, the Austin Tourism Commission, has sought to establish stability as a concerted voice for tourism in the city by inviting and elevating various speakers to provide insights into the interworkings of: a. HOT tax funding, including the City of Austin and the State of Texas; b. The Tourism Public Improvement District in addressing the needs of tourism and the unhoused in Austin, including a resolution to City Council recommending HOT tax dollars used via the general fund be used to fund downtown needs for the unhoused, improving the environment for tourism downtown; c. Arts and culture funds as allocated through HOT tax funding, and the efficacy of these funds for said programs, including a unanimous resolution to City Council to fully-fund the Red River Cultural Arts District; d. The efficiency and recommendations for improvement of short-term rental regulation in Austin to aid in increasing HOT tax revenue collection, including a resolution to City Council with a series of recommendations to improve existing enforcement of unregulated short- term rentals in Austin; and e. Strategies to increase funding for parks and open space in Austin, cherished destinations that serve as tourism-drivers. Pursuant to the above, the Austin Tourism Commission has followed the intent of Austin City Council by providing its expertise and recommendations in-line with its mandate concerning hotel occupancy tax revenue and issues related to and promoting tourism. The following are the Tourism Commission's goals and objectives for the new calendar year: a. Continue discussions that aid in increasing HOT tax revenue in the City of Austin for uses pertaining to tourism-related activities, including but not limited to: Economic Development Department Cultural Arts Grants, Heritage Preservation Grants, and parks and open space uses; b. Continue to host topical meetings to engage tourism commissioners, the public, City staff, and members of the City Council, in timely and relevant topics that pertain to the HOT tax and improving tourism outcomes in Austin; c. Continue to advocate for the most efficient and cost-effective spending of HOT tax dollars for tourism aims in Austin; and d. Serve as a sounding board and …
CMT AWARDS + BLOCK PARTY 2023 - AUSTIN, TX COCA-COLA SIPS & SOUNDS SUMMER FESTIVAL 2024 - AUSTIN, TX NFL DRAFT + FAN FESTIVAL 2024 - DETROIT, MI ● $213 Million in economic impact to Detroit and surrounding region. **Visit Detroit and Detroit Sports Commission ACL FESTIVAL 2023 - AUSTIN, TX ● ○ ○ $499 Million in economic impact to Austin Equivalent of 3,766 full time jobs Over the last 19 years, ACL Music Festival’s partnership with the Austin Parks Foundation has provided more than $63 million to Austin’s public park system. The 2023 ACL Music Festival alone generated $8.1 million toward park improvements across the city. This $8.1 million is in addition to City expenses, maintenance, and restoration of Zilker Park, which are also paid annually by ACL Music Festival. ○ Thanks.
