Minutes_Civic Center Advisory Commission 7 23 12Five Flags Commission Meeting Monday July 23, 2012
Present: Barb Kurt, Rod Bakke, Cindy Fuller, Bryce Parks, Joyce White, Don Howes, Ali Levasseur, and Marie
Ware
Absent: None
Commissioner Bakke called meeting to order.
Approval of Minutes: Commissioner Parks motions to approve minutes from March 5, 2012 meeting.
Commissioner Kurt seconded, all approved.
Old Business: No old business at this time.
New Business:
• Commissioner Bakke reinstated Commissioner Chair Bryce Parks. Joyce White witnessed the signature.
From this point, Commissioner Parks lead the meeting as Commission Chair.
• General Manager reminded Commission the City Council approved the request that Five Flags Center
Commission modify their meeting schedule from monthly to quarterly beginning in fiscal year 2013 and
will meet quarterly on the last Monday of the month; October 29, 2012, January 28, 2013, April 29, 2013
and July 29, 2013. Commissioner Kurt asked if we would need more than one hour for the meeting to
discuss all information. General Manager was open toto the Commission's recommendation.
Commissioner Bakke made a motion that the meeting time move from 4:00 PM to 3:30 PM.
Commissioner Parks seconded, all approved. General Manager will email other updates between
meetings for upcoming events and news.
General Manager, Joyce White, delivered the following reports:
Operations Department:
• General ongoing maintenance, repairs and custodial work are the daily focus of the Operations
Department.
• Chair platform has been refurbished which included realigning, straightening and painting chair bases,
shampooing chair seats, and scrubbing chair platform. A new motor was also purchased and installed.
• Lower promenade carpet has been shampooed in effort to minimize effect of permanent stains.
Management recommended replacing the carpet in the CIP for 2018.
• Lightedge, the City's Internet phone provider, has been scheduled for July 25 to improve responsiveness
of the Internet by providing additional bandwidth (from 1 MB to 5MB).
• Thursday July 19, Jackson TuckPointing was reinstalling the pole lights to front of Theater and discovered
the fascia of 2nd floor north window was unstable. Pole installation was stopped and city departments
were contacted. City Engineering worked with Jackson Tuck Pointing that day to secure the blocks.
Jackson committed to removing the panels, rebuilding the block, tuckpointing, and replacing the fascia.
• Staff discovered that the theater air conditioner condensation line pipe was plugged; plumber has been
called to investigate.
Marketing, Promotions, and Events Interests:
• Booked Don Tjernagel Comedy Monster, an adult comedy show, for the Bijou Room on October 13,
2012.
• University of Dubuque student organization (a user of the Bijou Room) has added a "step show" in the
theater in conjunction with their "social" schedule in the Bijou Room on September 8.
• Ron White didn't route his fall tour through Dubuque; management provided additional avails for spring,
2013.
• Researching an ACO "bean bag" tournament to replace the dart tournament for fall, 2012. Working with
Tyler Daugherty the new sports and events manager at Convention Visitor Bureau.
• Responded to calls regarding summer wrestling tournaments, pro wrestling, and rates for the theater for
the Barbershop singers.
• Provided avails for IBM regarding theater usage.
• Initial "brainstorming session" with Social Sense was held in July. Social Sense, a small marketing and
technology company in Dubuque, has been contracted to conduct an overall assessment of Five Flags
marketing plan with particular emphasis on social marketing.
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• Have submitted a bid for USA Roller Sport North Central Regional Tournament September 2012.
• Negotiated with promoter to bring national touring show, Menopause the Musical, a theater rental in April
2013.
• Have been contacted as a venue for the Teen Choice Awards touring show. Signed agreement of deal
points for February 21, 2013. Nominees of the award show go on tour, reaching demographic 12 - 18.
June Events
• Fly -By- Night performances — June 1, 2, 3 and 8, 9, 10
• Dubuque Downtown Business Meeting — Tuesday, June 5 (8AM Majestic)
• Night Storm Teen Dance — Friday, June 8
• Rumble by the River — move -in on Saturday, June 9, and event on Sunday, June 10
• Rising Star rehearsals — June 4 -8 in Majestic; June 11 -29 in Bijou
• Capri Style Show — Friday, June 15
• DMS "All That Jazz" "rain site" — Friday, June 15
• City Leadership Team — "rain site" Tuesday, June 19 in Majestic
• Rising Star "rain date" site for Frog & Toad — June 21, 22, 23 Bijou
July Events
• Rising Star "Hairspray" performances — June 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21
• All That Jazz "rain site" — July 20
August Events
• Civil Service Test — August 1 & 7
• Rising Star "Pinocchio" performances — August 10, 11, 12 (two shows on Saturday)
• Night Storm Teen Dance (hold) — August 13
• DMS "All That Jazz" rain site — August 17
F & B Department
• Department is cleaning, rearranging and preparing for City inspection.
• Summer revenue events have been limited to Rising Star's "Hairspray ".
• Plumbing upgrades to upper concessions stand for new ice machine.
Financial Manager, Don Howes, delivered the following reports:
Financial, Accounting Reports:
• Liquor license renewal process has been completed and new licensing permit received and posted.
• June Adjusted Gross Income is $3,438 greater than budgeted.
• June Net Loss is $24,839 greater than budgeted.
• Actual YTD income down $2,460 compared to YTD budgeted.
• Actual YTD expenses down $8,652 compared to YTD budgeted.
• Actual YTD net loss down $22,439 from budgeted loss (beat the benchmark by $22.4K).
• Management compiled a list of recommended purchases totaling approximately $30K. The purchases
were approved by Marie Ware, City of Dubuque, and Tom Lorenz, SMG.
• Commissioner Fuller found mistake on June 2012 Event Totals, Night Storm Teen Dance had tickets
sales listed, Don Howes will send out a new Event total with this corrected.
• Commissioner asked about Ticket Sales at America's River Festival, Don Howes explained the contract is
set up that Five Flags Center doesn't receive the full ticket income; we only receive the ticket rebates.
• Commissioner Bakke asked to confirm there would be no DSO Arena Pops concert. General manager
confirmed, the DSO Arena pops concert for 013 had been canceled. To offset the loss, Dubuque
Chamber Dancing with the Stars event is expected to move the Five Flags Theater.
• General Manager reviewed sheet of end of year purchases approved by Marie Ware and SMG
Corporate.
• Chair platform project as discussed in operations
• Bicycle rack barricade
• Tensarbarrier and new heads
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• Box Office speaker replacement
• Trash and Recycle receptacles promenades
• Upgrade promenade signage
• Outsource Social Media consultants Social Sense
• Commissioners asked for basis of Social Sense work for Five Flags Center. General Manager and
Ali Levasseur explained the social media channels that Social Sense will set up and maintain.
• Commissioner Fuller asked for references for Social Sense, General Manager will send out to all
commissioners
• Commissioner Bakke noted the amount of progress Ali Levasseur has made in Marketing for the
building, particularly involving social media marketing.
*Period 13 reporting by the City to be issued after August 1. About numbers could change slightly.
Staff Development
• Joyce White attended an SMG customized course entitled K'nekt III: Sales Accountability and Leadership
in Charleston, SC.
• Alyson Tasker and Bob Richardson attended an SMG Operations meeting in July. In conjunction with the
conference, they were able to attend the IAVM's trade show where they were exposed to the "newest and
best" equipment relative to venue management.
Adjournment of Monthly Commission Meeting: Commissioner Bakke motioned to adjourn the meeting.
Commissioner Kurt seconded, all approved.
Next meeting: in the General Manager's Office on Monday October 29, 2012 at 330PM. Five Flags staff
will place an email "Thursday before" to remind commissioners of the meeting.
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