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City Council Minutes <br />July 5, 2022 <br />Page 6 <br />Mr. Portner stated at this time of year it is not unusual for expenditures to be more <br />than revenue until the fall hockey season begins. He stated there was a loss of <br />$252,000 in 2021. <br />Mr. Hunter stated the biggest challenge is exposure to the facility noting when there <br />are large events, people are surprised to see the other amenities available. He noted <br />the current work of the communications team toward creating marketing materials <br />that can be utilized. <br />Mayor Dietz asked if we are losing people due to rental pricing. <br />Mr. Hunter stated they are currently tracking this data. <br />Mayor Dietz stated his football hall of fame group can't afford the costs for the <br />caterer and room rental and questioned how our prices compared with similar <br />facilities. <br />Councilmember Wagner stated it's all about the person on the end of the phone <br />selling the features and benefits. She stated if you have a premier facility with premier <br />food and a premier location, then the facility will have a premier price. She stated <br />there is a way to work things to make sales happen and it takes a special person to <br />design, run, and coordinate events. She stated this is where her concern lies and <br />doesn't feel current staff has this experience. <br />Mayor Dietz expressed concern with continuing to lose money and being <br />accountable to the public. <br />Council discussed evaluating current staff positions. <br />Councilmember Beyer stated the VFW held a tournament at the facility and initially <br />had sticker shock but afterwards they loved it and felt it was worth every penny. <br />Councilmember Wagner asked why Marco Serrano is not being utilized as he knows <br />how to sell and close events. She suggested an event extravaganza to highlight our <br />amenities to groups such as event planners. She asked about large events and noted <br />we should be planning and setting dates for 2023 already. <br />Mr. Hunter stated four groups have approached them wanting to operate their own <br />craft shows and have dates selected for the next year. <br />Councilmember Wagner expressed concern for loss of control and our insurance <br />liability if someone else is running events and doing all the setup work. She stated <br />this is our premier facility and she would never give up control to others who have <br />no ownership in the place. She stated we should always oversee setup and expressed <br />concern with loss revenue with farming out these larger events. <br />O V E A E l 1 1 <br />NATURE <br />