Travis County Commissioners Court
October 14, 2008
Item 3
>> number 3, consider and take appropriate action regarding changes to the exposition center rate schedule. There is another executive session item regarding the expo center and issues we have with the livestock association that we'll take up in executive session.
>> good morning, roger l. Khoury and michael norton, director of the expo center. Back in January 2007, we came to the court for a rate changes for the -- to the expo center rate schedule, and the court approved a lot of rate changes at that time. It's been now almost two years. But we're looking back, we're looking right now about only three items to change the rate. And one of them is the tables and the other is the chairs. And the sky line club rental. What we did, we did some reach reach -- research about the existing rate versus what happened -- what is happening around us and we have our current rate is below the market, and I'll let michael give you more briefing about that.
>> I think if you all have this schedule of rates, we called various different meeting rooms equivalent to the sky line club in terms of size, which is 300 people seated. And they range, as you see here, up to $2,000, $2,400 in some cases, depending upon what day of the week. Sky line club rents for $950 currently. And in its previous condition it was probably valued, you know, fairly, but now in its current condition with lots of improvements cosmetically, combined with the fact it comes with tables and chairs that are in there and that are also nicer than average tables and chairs, cushion chairs, fabric chairs, is in my view based on experience and research just under value and we're asking for a nominal increase in that rate. With the actual tables and chairs, which are not a factor in the sky line club unless there is additional need for catering and that's minor, the ones that we rent in the banquet hall and around the facility are, firstly, in need of upgrading and replacing and adding to our stock because they get moved around a lot not only on the property but to almost several other county facilities for loan so they get beat up a lot. But separately we find that bigger events are constantly renting outside tables and chairs through vendors paying considerably more than what we're renting ours for. So we're losing business because we don't have enough, we need to buy more, and we're also offering it as a fraction of the rate when you considers ours includes set up and break down. The market rate being around $7.25 without delivery and setup and ours is including therein, and chairs at $1.50. There's so many different types of chairs. 8-foot tables are 8-foot tables. You can go to an 80 cent folding chair to $6. Our chairs are somewhere in the middle in terms of fit and finish and we need to buy more chairs as well. And it might be in our interest to buy some of the cheaper chairs because right now we have plastic and chrome chairs. The cheaper chairs are the folding chairs, which is right now I'm just going based on the equipment we have and not buying any future equipment, the tables will be the tables, if it's $6, if it gets approved, they will be $6.
>> are you okay with these?
>> absolutely.
>> so on the skyline club, if we go to $1,200 for eight hours, what if a person or group needs it for, say, four hours? Is it half of 1200 or still 1200?
>> the rate was set, you know, up to -- it currently is $950 up to eight hours. So if they rented one hour or eight hours, they have to pay the 950. Also on the rate schedule it says additional hours beyond eight hours, they have to pay $100 per hour. That's what the rate --
>> to answer your question, it's $1,200. Currently 950 to use it one our or eight hours. Rarely do people use it for that amount of time because they are setting up for an hour or two minimum, just to come in and get whatever it is they are going to be putting on set up. More often than not I would say 90% of the time the issue is more time they are leaning on you for.
>> what kinds of events do we have at the skyline club?
>> predominantly it's rented for wedding parties, sweet 16s, in terms of rentals and rented frequently when someone rents the entire property and/or the arena for vip areas, for sponsor areas. It's an add on to the arena in many cases. For concerts they will use it for catering back stage, such areas as opposed to doing all that in the staging area.
>> questions? Comments?
>> judge, but as far as just written just the skyline club in itself without any other use at the expo center, as far as the person that's renting it, what has been the average time of that rental, if that's possible to give me an answer? In other words, just that particular area average.
>> generally at the maximum because they are going to utilize it for the full amount.
>> the full eight hours. There's nothing left in there.
>> oh, there's average, no, but there are certainly isolated cases where in the case of tri-athlon they have breakfast in there, probably in there four or five hours, very early and then they were gone. It was the perfect place.
>> they were very complimentary after they had it there.
>> well, I move approval of this particular item.
>> second.
>> any more discussion? All in favor? That passes by unanimous vote.
>> thank you.
>> thank you very much.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 1:38 PM