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>> ALL RIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE CANNOT BE LATE TODAY BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A ROYALTY IN THE ROOM, AND SHE DOESN'T PUT UP WITH NO JIBBER JABBER, SO WE'LL TAKE THE ROLL.
>> PELAEZ: THANK YOU. IT WON'T COME AS ANY SURPRISE THAT OUR MINUTES FROM OUR MAY 28 MEETING HAVE BEEN READ, REREAD, AND READ AGAIN BY COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA. ANY THOUGHTS.
>> ROCHA GARCIA: I'M IN APP APPROVAL. >> PELAEZ: THAT WAS UNANIMOUS.
TERRY WAS THE SECOND, AND IT WAS UNANIMOUS. SO WE'LL GO THROUGH OUR VERY FIRST ITEM, WHICH IS OUR VISIT SAN ANTONIO ITEM, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO BE PRESENTED BY OUR CEO OF VISIT SAN ANTONIO BECAUSE OF FAMILY ISSUES HE HAD TO TAKE CARE OF. WE WANT TO WISH HIM WELL, IN CASE HE WATCHES THIS VIDEO AGAIN, ALL OF COUNCIL WISHES HIM WELL.
HOPE WILL TAKE IT. THANK YOU. MADAM SECRETARY, COME ON
UP. >> THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. CHAIRMAN, ESTEEMED COUNCILMEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF THE ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. MY NAME IS HOPE ANDREA AND I SERVE AS THE BOARD OF VISIT SAN ANTONIO BOARD.
MARC ANDERSON WISHES HE COULD BE HERE, BUT HE HAD A DEATH IN THE FAMILY, AND HE SENDS HIS WARMEST REGARDS AND APOLOGIES.
TODAY WE'LL BE PROVIDING A MID YEAR BRIEFING ON VSA LOCAL TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY. JOINING ME IS OUR CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER AND JUSTIN, WHO IS THE CHIEF OF STAFF AND HEAD OF DI AND MANY AMAZING STAFF HAVE ALSO JOINED US. VISIT SAN ANTONIO IS A PRIVATE, PUBLIC, 501C6 ORGANIZATION. OUR MISSION IS TO MARKET AND SELL SAN ANTONIO AS A PREMIER LEISURE AND MEETINGS DESTINATION. WE FOCUS ON A FULL TIME BASIS ATTRACTING TRAVELERS, MEETING PLANNERS, AND LARGE SCALE SPORTING EVENTS TO OUR BELOVED CITY. OUR WORK ENSURES THAT SAN ANTONIO REMAINS A VIBRANT ATTRACTIVE COMMUNITY BY DRAWING VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. THE TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY IS AN ABSOLUTE CORNERSTONE OF OUR LOCAL ECONOMY.
IT CONTRIBUTES $261.5 MILLION IN TAXES AND OTHER REVENUES ANNUALLY TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. AWHICH REPRESENTS A 5 TO 1 RETURN ON INVESTMENTS FOR VSA ACTIVITIES. WE WELCOME VISITORS CONTRIBUTING $19 BILLION TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY AND EMPLOYING OVER 140,000 RESIDENTS. TOURISM WORKS FOR SAN ANTONIO, AND IT IS THE GROWTH ENGINE OF OUR ECONOMY. JUST THIS WEEK, WE PROUDLY WELCOME STEVEN KIN NICK 2024 TO OUR CITY.
IT LEADS INDUSTRY LEADING MEETINGS, EVENT, AND HOSPITAL TECHNOLOGY PROVIDER. C VENT IS A VITAL PART FOR US, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 15 YEARS, C VENT CONNECT WAS HOSTED OUTSIDE OF LOSS VEGAS RIGHT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. WE WERE SO PROUD TO HAVE THEM. IT WAS AN EXCITING WEEK. WE HAD 40,000 ATTENDEES INCLUDING HIGH LEVEL CORPORATE AND MARKETERS, HOSPITALITY PROFESSIONALS. ALSO 6,000 VIRTUAL REGISTRANTS MAKING IT THE LARGEST HYBRID C VENT CONNECT IN HISTORY. THE EVENT'S ECONOMIC IMPACT ON OUR CITY IS ESTIMATED AT $7.6 MILLION, AND LET ME TELL YOU THAT THE REV REVIEWS HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE, AND IT MAKES US SO PROUD WHEN WE HAVE SO MANY VISITORS THAT COME AND SEND US SUCH POSITIVE FEEDBACK. VISIT SAN ANTONIO'S BUDGET IS PRIMARILY FUNDED BY HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX AND
[00:05:03]
SUPPLEMENTED FROM MEMBERSHIP BY OVER 600 LOCAL BUSINESSES.VSA HOT BUDGET OF 29.9 MILLION IS ALLOCATED FOR MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, TOURISM, SALES, PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS, AND RIVERWALK PROGRAMMING. ADDITIONALLY, VSA MAN MANAGES TOURIST DISTRICT FEES WHICH FOCUS TO SUPPLEMENT VSA SALES IN MARKETING, AND TO ENSURE THAT THE VIBRANCY AND GROWTH THAT THE EMPLOYEES CONTINUES, VISIT SAN ANTONIO HAS FUNDED SCHOLARSHIPS AT UTSA THROUGH FUNDRAISING BY THE VISIT SAN ANTONIO HOSPITALITY FOUNDATION. IMPRESSIVELY, EFFORTS YIELD A $5 RETURN TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO FOR EVERY DOLLAR INVESTED.
OUR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS HAVE BEEN PIVOTAL IN DRIVING TOURISM AND SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES THROUGH THE PANDEMIC. IT'S DONE IN CONSULTATION WITH ITS MEMBERS AND OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND WE WANT TO PERSONALLY THANK COUNCILWOMAN VIAGRAN AND ROCHA GARCIA FOR BEING ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE VSA BOARD. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOU DO FOR US.
IN FACT, 25% OF THE BOARD IS COMPRISED OF CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF, LEADING TO CLOSE COORDINATION WITH THE CITY PRIORITIES.
VSA GROUPS, THESE NITERRIVES UNDER FIVE CATEGORIES WHICH THE VSA STAFF WILL PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. AT THIS TIME, I'LL HAND IT OVER TO ANDREAS TO DELVE INTO STRATEGIC PLANS AND ACHIEVEMENTS.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. >> PELAEZ: THANK YOU, HOPE. >> ALL RIGHT.
I JUST LEARNED SOMETHING NEW HERE. THERE YOU GO.
CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? PERFECT. WELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, AND I WILL BE WALKING YOU THROUGH A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAILS ABOUT EACH ONE OF THE DEPARTMENTS AND WHERE WE STAND AS OF TODAY WITHIN FISCAL YEAR '24. IN TERMS OF THE FIRST TWO GOALS I WANTED TO SHARE ARE SALES GOALS, ONE IS FOR BOOKING AND LEADS GENERATED.
THE GOAL IS TO GET TO BOOKINGS, WE'RE AT 503 FISCAL YEAR, YEAR TO DATE AS OF MAY, AND THAT IS 74% OF THE ENTIRE GOAL.
WE ARE, I BELIEVE ON PACE TO REACHING THAT GOAL, AND THE SAME THING APPLIES FOR OUR LEADS GENERATED, AT 74%. IN TERMS OF MARKETING, WE'RE ACTUALLY -- THE GOAL IS THE HIGHEST THAT WE HAVE EVER HAD, WHICH IS 119 MILLION ONLINE ENGAGEMENTS, AND THAT INCLUDES EVERY TIME WE HAVE AN ENGAGEMENT WITH A CONSUMER, WE'RE ACTUALLY COUNTING IT DOWN, AND WE HAVE TO DO THAT 120 MILLION TIMES. WE'RE AT 54%, BUT THAT IS ON PACE TO REACHING BY THE END OF THE FISCAL OUR GOAL AND THAT IS BECAUSE DURING THE SUMMERTIME PERIOD, IT IS A PROJECTED HIGHER MONTHS OF ENGAGEMENT WITH CONSUMERS. IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATIONS, WE'RE CLOSER TO THE GOAL. WE'RE AT 57%.
IN TERMS OF PLACEMENT AND EARNED MEDIA VALUE AT 77%, AND MEMBERSHIP, PROUDLY WE CAN SAY THAT WE'VE REACHED OUR GOAL, SO WE'VE SURPASSED OUR MEMBERSHIP, AND THAT IS AN IMPORTANT SIGHT OF OUR BUSINESS BECAUSE OUTREACH WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES ENGAGING WITH US AND BEING ABLE TO BE POSITIVELY AFFECTED BY OUR EFFORTS. THIS TIME OF THE YEAR, WE FOCUS ON TWO MAIN AUDIENCES IN PAID MARKETING, AND THAT IS FAMILIES AS WELL AS ADULTS, AND THAT IS BASICALLY BECAUSE WE'RE DURING THE SPRING THYME AND SUMMERTIME, WHICH IS CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF THE YEAR WE WILL FOCUS, USUALLY, ON THOSE FAMILY AND ADULT AUDIENCES.
THE REST OF THE YEAR, WE HAVE DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS OF PERSONAS AND AUDIENCES THAT ARE WHO WE ARE TALKING TO AT THAT TIME.
I WANT TO BRI BRING A COUPLE OF THINGS TO YOUR ATTENTION AS PART OF THE EFFORTS OF THE FIRST PART OF THE YEAR. YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD US TALKING ABOUT SAN ANTONIO BEING THE CULINARY CAPITAL OF TEXAS. FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THAT, AND THAT WAS ACTUALLY COINED BY A WRITER AND A FAMOUS CHEF WHO ACTUALLY CAME TO TOWN, PROVED THAT WHO WE WERE IN TERMS OF CULINARY, STARTED CULLING US THE CULINARY CAPITAL OF TEXAS, SO WE'RE IN THE PROGRESS OF TRADEMARKING THE CULINARY CAPITAL OF TEXAS, AND AS OF LATELY, WE PARTNERED WITH SEA WORLD AND SIX FLAGS AS WELL AS MORGAN'S WONDERLAND AND DEVELOPED A CO-OP THAT HIT THE AIRWAYS TALKING ABOUT THE THEME PARK CAPITAL OF TEXAS, AND THAT WAS ALSO BY BRINGING A BRING INFLUENCER THAT HAS OVER 1 MILLION FOLLOWERS
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SPECIALIZED ON PARKS, AND HE WAS THE ONE THAT ACTUALLY COINED THIS IS THE THEME PARK CAPITAL OF TEXAS. SO MORE TO BE SAID, WE'RE WORKING ON CULTURE CAPITAL OF TEXAS, AND THAT IS BECAUSE CULTURE IS SUCH A STRONG DIFFERENT YAY TOR FOR SAN ANTONIO VERSUS COMPETITION. ALSO, DURING SPRING, WE LAUNCHED WHAT WAS A CRITICAL CAMPAIGN FOR YEAR '24. AS YOU ALL KNOW, LAST YEAR DURING THE SUMMERTIME, WE HAD EXTENSIVE HEAT, AND IT WAS -- IT BECAME TO THE POINT THAT IT AFFECTED NEGATIVELY BUSINESSES ACROSS OUR INDUSTRY. SO WHAT WE DID WAS ACTUALLY WE GOT TOGETHER WITH THOSE BUSINESSES AND STARTED WORKING VERY EARLY ON WITH THE PROCESS, SO WE STARTED WORKING ON HOW DO WE TWEAK A REAL AND TRUE CAMPAIGN INTO MAKING IT A POSSIBILITY TO DO EVERYTHING YOU HAVE TO DO IN SAN ANTONIO, AND THAT'S WHEN WE INTRODUCED THE MANY -- WE INVITED PEOPLE TO DIVE INTO THE WILD ADVENTURES OR THE MANY -- WHAT WE'RE CALLING THE MANY COOLS OF SAN ANTONIO, AND IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE A GREAT, COOL, AND REFRESHING EXPERIENCE IN SAN ANTONIO. WE OUTREACHED OUR MEMBERSHIP AND BUSINESSES ACROSS THE INDUSTRY, AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE ON THE WEBSITE OVER 50 OFFERS OF WAYS YOU CAN STAY COOL IN SAN ANTONIO, SO THAT CAMPAIGN IS ALREADY LAUNCHED WITH SOME GOOD SUCCESS AT THE BEGINNING. WE'RE GAUGING IT EVERY DAY, AND HOPEFULLY IT'LL COUNTERACT A LITTLE BIT OF THE EFFECT OR THE NEGATIVE EFFECT THAT EXTENSIVE HEAT CAN HAVE. AND PART OF THAT CAMPAIGN LAUNCH, WE ACTUALLY STARTED THE OVERALL BRANDING CAMPAIGN THAT IS NOW CALLED THE MANY OF, AND WHEN I SAY MANY OF, THERE'S MANY SEQUENCES IN SAN ANTONIO, MANY EXPERIENCES IN SAN ANTONIO THAT CAN BE TOLD, SO WE CHOOSE A COMMERCIAL TO COME AND SHARE WITH YOU OR A VIDEO THAT WILL SHARE WITH YOU, THIS IS ONE OF MANY SAMPLES, A VIDEO CALLED THEMANY SECRETS OF SAN ANTONIO. LET ME PLAY IT. >> IS SAN ANTONIO IS GOOD
DESTINATION FOR A BACHELORETTE PARTY? >> ABSOLUTELY.
YOU CAN ALL STAY AT HOTEL EMMA, THE NUMBER 1 HOE TEMPERATURE IN THE U.S.
ACCORDING TO TRIP ADVISER. >> ARE THERE ANY INTERESTING ACTIVITY IN SAN ANTONIO FOR
US? >> DEFINITELY. THE ALAMO, BESIDES BEING A HISTORICAL LANDMARK WAS RECOGNIZED AS THE BEST FREE ATTRACTION IN THE U.S. BY
USA TODAY. >> ANY WILD ADVENTURES. >> OF COURSE, THE SAN ANTONIO ZOO IS THE BEST ZOO IN TEXAS, ACCORDING TO TEXAS TRAVEL AWARDS.
>> WHAT ABOUT THE FOOD SEEN IN SAN ANTONIO? >> YOU WON'T REGRET IT.
SAN ANTONIO IS THE CULINARY CAPITAL OF TEXAS AND THE CITY OF GASTRONOMY, DO YOU
WANT ME TO MAKE RESERVATIONS? >> TELL ME THAT SAN ANTONIO
IS A WALKABLE CITY. >> IT SURE IS. THE SAN ANTONIO RIVERWALK AND URBAN OWE WAY SIS WITH 15 MILES AFTER EXPLORING ALSO RANKED AS ONE OF THE TOP 20 MOST BEAUTIFUL SITES IN THE WORLD BASED ON TRIP ADVISER REVIEWS.
>> IS THERE A GAME NEXT WEEK IN SAN ANTONIO. >> YES, THEY ARE HOSTING A GAME THAT WEEK, BUT HURRY, TICKETS ARE POPULAR, THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS ARE FIVE TIME
NBA CHAMPIONS. >> IS THERE ANYTHING FUN FOR OUR FAMILY TO DO.
>> PLENTY, MORGAN'S WONDERLAND IS THE ONLY ACCESSIBLE PARK IN THE WORLD
FOR PEOPLE OF ALL ABILITIES. >> SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. HMM.
>> SAN ANTONIO HOSTS THE LARGEST DAY OF THE DEAD CELEBRATIONS IN THE UNITED
STATES. >> I WANT SOMETHING FUN, BUT ALSO A BIT OF CULTURE.
IS SAN ANTONIO A GOOD OPTION FOR ME. >> IT'S PERFECT FOR YOU.
THE SAN ANTONIO MISSIONS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARTS IS THE ONLY HERITAGE SITE IN
TEXAS. >> MORE THAN YOU EXPECTED, REAL TRUE, SAN ANTONIO,
DISCOVER THE MANY SECRETS OF SAN ANTONIO. >> AWESOME. SO FOLLOWING ALL OF THESE STORIES, WE DON'T FOCUS ON PAID ADVERTISING, BUT HAVE A JOB TO DO ON THE PR SIDE IN GETTING STORIES TO COTO LIFE IN GETTING MEDIA TO WRITE ABOUT SAN ANTONIO, THAT IS THE 28,000 MEDIA GOAL I MENTIONED EARLIER, AND WE'RE WELL UNDERWAY IN TERMS OF REACHING IT. IN TERMS OF OTHER EVENT THAT HAPPENED IN THE CALENDAR YEAR, I WANT TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO A COUPLE OF
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THEM, THE FIRST IS A FOOD FESTIVAL THAT HAPPENS IN MEXICO THAT HAPPENS IN MARCH, IT IS THE LARGEST FOOD FESTIVALS IN MEXICO AND ONE OF THE TOP IN THE WORLD, WE WERE ACTUALLY ABLE TO BE PRESENT THIS YEAR, AND LIKELY WE'LL CONTINUE TO BE PRESENT. WE ACTUALLY TOOK FOUR CHEFS WITH US, AND THEY ACTUALLY PRESENTED A PHENOMENAL EXPERIENCE THAT CONTINUES TO BUILD ON BECOMING THAT CULINARY CAPITAL OF TEXAS. ALSO, IN THE MONTH OF MARCH, WE HAD A BUSY MARCH, WE HAD OUR GERMANY SALES AND MEDIA MISSION, AND THAT IS CRITICAL IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING A NEW FLIGHT COMING IN FROM EUROPE OR FROM FRANK FURTHER BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT THAT AT LEAST A MONTH BEFORE, YOU'RE ABLE TO TALK TO THE TRAVEL TRADE, TALK TO THE ONLINE TRAVEL AGENCIES, TALK TO WHOLESALERS OF TRAVEL, THE PEOPLE THAT PUT THE PACKAGES TOGETHER TO BE ABLE TO SET UP OVER SO THEY CAN SELL THE DESTINATION WELL IN GERMANY. SO WE DID THAT DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH, AND AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE RECENTLY RECEIVED THE FIRST FLIGHT FROM CONDOR FROM FRANKFURT AND THE VISIBILITY OF THE DESTINATION IS INCREASING SIGNIFICANTLY THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER IN GERMANY AS WELL AS IN THE UK.ALSO, WE HAD A UK SALES MEDIA MISSION RIGHT AFTER THAT MISSION IN GERMANY, AND THE BIGGEST FEEDER FOR THAT FLIGHT WOULD BE THE UK SO WE VISITED THE TRAVEL TRADE IN UK, WHICH WAS -- IT'S GARNERING ITS PRODUCTIVITY THESE DAYS.
IN TERMS OF SALES, WE'VE ALSO HAD A VERY BUSY YEAR, OUR TOTAL ROOM NIGHTS THAT WE HAVE GENERATED SO FAR ARE TOTALING 673,000 ROOM NIGHTS OF WHICH 438, ALMOST 500,000 ARE ACTUALLY ACTIVATED AT THE CONVENTION CENTER, REST ACTIVATED IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY. TOTAL BOOKED EVENTS, 503, AND OF THOSE EVENTS, 908 ARE RECENT HIGH WHICH ARE ACTIVATED TOTAL EAVES IN THE CONVENTION CENTER.
COMING OUT OF COVID, WE ACTUALLY HAD TO RETHINK OUR STRATEGY FROM THE SALES STANDPOINT, AND TWO OF THE MAIN SIDES OF THAT THINKING OF STRATEGY IS INCREASE OUR CORPORATE GROUPS BEING WE'RE NOT AS STRONG IN CORPORATE AND WE KNOW CORPORATE TRAVEL WAS GOING TO SOMEWHAT NEED A LITTLE BIT SPURT TO COME BACK FROM THE GROUP SITE AS WELL AS INCREASE OUR ASSOCIATION GROUPS. WE HAVE REACHED SOME OF THAT, AND I'LL TALK SHORTLY ABOUT SOME OF THOSE EXAMPLES, BUT IN CORPORATE GROUPS, WE HAVE GROWN 25% VERSUS BEFORE COVID, AS WELL AS ASSOCIATION, WE HAVE GROAN OVER 40%. THAT IS GREAT NEWS, AND PART OF THE STRATEGY IS ACTUALLY BRING LARGER SCALED EVENTS, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE EXPANSION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER BACK IN 2015 AND ONLY FOR 2025 WE'VE ACTUALLY GOTTEN FOUR NEW CORPORATE GROUPS COMING IN AS WELL AS SIX NEW TRADE SHOWS, ONE OF THEM BEING CVENT THAT WAS MENTIONED JUST NOW A COUPLE OF ADDITIONAL WINS WE'VE HAD FROM THE CORPORATE SIDE. KELLER WILLIAMS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE, THEY'VE SIGNED FOR US FROM '25 TO '28, SO 25, 26, 27, AND 28, AND THAT IS 10,000 VISITORS A YEAR WITH AN ECONOMIC IMPACT OF $8.2 MILLION. NATIONWIDE MARKETING GROUP IS A GROUP OF MEDIA SELLERS THAT ACTUALLY TARGET BUSINESSES THAT DON'T HAVE AN AD AGENCY FOR EXAMPLE OR NOT BIG BUDGETS BUT NEED AN ARM, SO IT IS NATIONWIDE AND SIGNIFICANCE, 2500 ATTENDEES. OUR GOOD ON WHATABURGER HAS A MEETING, AND IT'S COMING TO SAN ANTONIO, GREAT, YES, TO HAVE THEM MEET IN SAN ANTONIO IN 2025. INCYBER IS A SIGNIFICANT WIN.
THE REASON WE BRING IT IN, IT WAS SECURED IN FRANCE LAST MONTH, AND THE REASON, THAT VISIBILITY FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL FOR CONVENTION IS CRITICAL TO CONTINUE TO GROW AND SPUR MORE TRAVEL AND HOPEFULLY MORE FLIGHTS INTO SAN ANTONIO. EMERSON IS A TECHNOLOGY COMPANY -- SORRY, IT'S A SCIENCE COMPANY AND GENERAC IS A POWER COMPANY. SO ALL OF THOSE ARE CORPORATIONS COMING IN IN TERMS OF TRADE SHOWS WE HAVE SOME SIGNIFICANT WINS.
PREMIER SAN ANTONIO HAS ALSO SECURED A MEETING IN SAN ANTONIO, AND PREMIER SAN ANTONIO -- PREMIER IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE LARGEST BEAUTY SHOWS IN THE WORLD
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THAT ACTUALLY MEETS IN ORLANDO, SO THEY'RE DEVELOPING A SIDE MEETING FROM THEIR ORLANDO SHOW IN THE SOUTH TEXAS, AND HOPEFULLY THEY CONTINUE TO COME TO SAN ANTONIO, SO IT'S A BIG WIN FOR US. INTERNATIONAL ROOFING EXPERT IS SIGNIFICANCE. POWER GEN, IT'S GREAT. AS WELL AS PITTCON IS ALSO A SCIENCE TRADE SHOW THAT WILL HAPPEN IN SAN ANTONIO. OUR SALES TEAM HAS EMBARKED ALSO THIS YEAR IN SOMETHING IT HAS NEVER DONE BEFORE WHICH IS -- I THINK IT WAS 15 DAYS WE ACTUALLY VISITED TEN DIFFERENT CITIES VISITING WITH HUNDREDS OF POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS AND PUTTING SAN ANTONIO UP IN THEIR RADAR TO BOOK THEIR TRAVEL SOON INTO SAN ANTONIO. THESE ARE SOME GOOD PICTURES AND SOME EXAMPLES OF THAT SHOW, HOPEFULLY GARNERING A POSITIVE RESULT IN BOOKING MORE EVENTS INTO SAN ANTONIO. WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO PASS IT TO JUSTIN, AND JUSTIN, MY COUSIN JUSTIN MOON OWES -- WE'RE NOT COUSINS, BUT WE PLAY THAT ROLE WITH THE M, ENOS, IS GOING TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH HIS ROLE AS HEAD OF DEI AND SHARE SOME ADDITIONAL NEWS FROM OTHERDEPARTMENTS. >> AWESOME. THANK YOU PRIMO.
ESTEEMED COUNCILMEMBERS THANK YOU FOR MEETING WITH US.
AT CHIEF OF STAFF AND HEAD OF DEI I WAS HIRED ON TO CARRY ON THE ROLE OF ADVOCACY FOR VISIT SAN ANTONIO AND CARRY ON THE WORD, NOT ONLY LOCALLY AND INTERNALLY BUT STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL. I'M HERE TO SUPPORT THE THRIVING SAN ANTONIO INDUSTRY AND PROTECT AGAINST EXPANDED USE OF HOTEL TAX BETWEEN THE LEGISLATURE SESSION THAT WAS BEFORE ME AND WORK WITH MANY LEGISLATURES. AS PART OF OUR DIVERSITY ACTION PLAN, OUR GOAL IS TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS LISTED AS MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES AND HIGHLIGHT SAN ANTONIO AS A LEADER IN DEI. AS MENTIONED IN MEMBERSHIP, OUR DUTY IS TO GROW OUR MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM, BEING THAT WE JUST CAME ON A COUPLE YEARS AGO, RELAUNCHED THE PROGRAM, WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO GROW AND EMPHASIZE AN INCREASED DIVERSITY IN OUR MEMBERSHIP, LOOKING FOR THOSE SMALL, LOCALLY OWNED MEMBERS. WE'RE ALSO FOCUSING ON FUNDRAISING EFFORTS TO SUPPORT LOCAL EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS RIGHT NOW PARTNERSHIPS WITH ST. PHILLIPS AND UTSA AND INCREASE PROGRAMMING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, PARTNERING WITH EDD TO OFFER COMPLEMENT TRI SILVER LEVEL MEMBERSHIPS TO VISIT SAN ANTONIO FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND CONSTRUCTION ZONES, THIS MEMBERSHIP INCLUDES MARKETING RESOURCES AND SPECIAL BENEFITS LIKE DATA REPORTS AND VIRTUAL TOUR FOOTAGE, AND THERE'S A QUOTE RIGHT THERE FROM JENN BECKMAN OWNER OF REROOTED RIGHT DOWN HERE IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA GOING ON TO RIVER WALK, WE'RE ELEVATING EXISTING ANNUAL EVENTS AND REALLY GROWING THAT. ONE NEW EVENT WE STARTED LAST MONTH WAS RIVER WALK LIVE WHICH LAUNCHED JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, AND WE HAVE OUR NEXT IN THE SERIES NEXT WEEK, AND THIS IS OUR EVER-GROWING EVENTS THAT WE'RE BRINGING TO THE RIVER WALK AND EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF PROGRAMMING TO BE MULTI-DAY FOR ECONOMIC IMPACT TO PARTNERS. AND HAVE YOU CAN SEE THERE, WE HAVE OUR RIVER WALK ROYALTY, RIVER WALK LIVE, WHICH LAST MONTH WE HIGHLIGHTED AND FEA FEATURED JACK INGRAM, A TEXAS COUNTRY ARTIST. HERE, YOU'LL SEE SOME OF OUR PROGRAMMING FOR MULTI-DAY EVENT, HOLIDAYS ON HOUSTON THAT WE DEBUTED LAST YEAR IN COLLABORATION WITH SINTHRO AND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. TODAY WE'RE SO EXCITED TO BRING STARS AND STRIPES ON HOUSTON STREET WHICH WE HAD A PRESS CONFERENCE ON A FEW DAYS AGO, SO COMING UP IN A FEW WEEKS. I KNOW PEOPLE ARE STILL TALKING ABOUT IPW2023. WE HAD SO MANY GREAT HIGHLIGHTS WHICH OPENED THE DOOR FOR US TO HAVE CVENT THIS YEAR. IPW AS MANY OF YOU KNOW IS THE COUNTRY'S LARGEST TRAVEL TRADE DRIVING INTERNATIONAL TOURISM TO THE U.S. AND HELD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SAN ANTONIO LAST YEAR AND MANY OF YOU PARTICIPANTED AND WERE THERE THROUGHOUT THE CELEBRATION AND THROUGHOUT THE CONFERENCE.
WE HAD 470 APPOINTMENTS WITH BUYERS AND MEDIA AND SO MUCH MORE AND OPENED THE DOOR FOR US TO HAVE C VENT CONNECT. THE EVENT GENERATED $13.56 MILLION IN ECONOMIC IMPACT, AND WE ANTICIPATE LONG TERM BENEFITS FROM INCREASED VISITATION AND IT
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INDICATES SUBSTANTIAL FUTURE CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR ECONOMY FROM THIS INITIATIVE.AND AS OUR CHAIRWOMAN HOPE MENTIONED WE CAME OFF OF C VENT CONNECT AND THAT WAS A HUGE IMPACT, ALMOST 4,000 IN PERSON ATTENDEES AND 6,000 VIRTUAL, TOGETHER ALMOST COMBINED NUMBER OF 10,000 HYBRID INDIVIDUALS JOINING US.
AND WITH THAT, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. >> PELAEZ: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK IS -- MAKES THIS COMMITTEE FORTUNATE WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT VSA IS THE FACT THAT WE HAVE COUNCILWOMAN VSA WHO HAS AN INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT WHAT YOU DO. HOW YOU DO IT.
SO I'LL OPEN IT UP TO HER TO MAKE COMMENTS. >> VIAGRAN: THANK YOU.
I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, AND IF MARC WATCHES THIS, EXCELLENT JOB AT CVENT. WHEN HE CAME IN, HE GOT APPOINTED TO VISIT SAN ANTONIO THE SAME YEAR -- THE FIRST YEAR I GOT ELECTED, AND I THINK THE CHARGE WAS FILL THE CONVENTION CENTER, AND I'VE BEEN THERE TWICE, AND C VENT -- WELL, MORE BECAUSE I WAS AT SISTER CITIES WITH YOU GUYS, AND I WAS JUST SO IMPRESSED THAT THE TEAM IS FILLING THAT CONVENTION CENTER, AND NOW OF COURSE I'M LIKE, OKAY, NOW MAKE THEM STAY LONGER. SO -- EXTEND THAT TRIP OR HAVE THEM COME BACK.
SO I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT WE SEE. I THINK IF WE'RE GOING TO GET TO NEXT LEVEL, WE NEED TO LOOK AT CUTTING EDGE IN TERMS OF HOW WE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THIS HYBRID, SO I GUESS MY QUESTIONS ARE, ARE WE PLANNING FOR THESE HYBRID CONVENTIONS THAT ARE GOING ON, AND HOW ARE WE PLANNING TO CONTINUE TO -- BECAUSE I THINK ABOUT -- WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT FREE THINGS TO DO OTHER THAN THE MISSIONS, WE HAVE CON INFLUENCE PARK, WE COULD DO A TOUR OF THE MURALS OF THE WEST SIDE, SO ARE THERE PLANS TO INTEGRATE THAT AFFORDABLE PORTION TO THE WEBSITE AND THE
MARKETING. >> YES, AND YES. THERE ARE PLANS OF CONTINUING, ACTUALLY -- WE HAVE A WHOLE WEBSITE THAT IS DEDICATED TO TRADE AND TO SALES BEYOND THAT LEE SURE CUSTOMER, AND WE OFFER IT AS A MICROCYTE TO EACH ONE OF THE MEETINGS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE WEBSITE, AND SOME OF THEM TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT, SOME OF THEM DON'T NEED IT, IT DEPENDS ON THE NATURE OF THE BUSINESS, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THE TOOL IS FOR THEM TO USE, AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO GROW THAT, BUT IT'S AN EXCELLENT POINT AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO GROW
THAT ON THE WEBSITE. >> VIAGRAN: AND THE OTHER THING IS AS WE MOVE TOWARDS THAT AFFORDABILITY FACTOR, WE START WITH THE STORY TELLING, AND I THINK WHAT -- I THINK A CHARGE A FEW YEARS AGO BY THE PREVIOUS COUNCILWOMAN AND OTHERS WAS TO REALLY TELL THE STORIES THAT ARE IMPACTFUL TO SAN ANTONIO WITH OUR ARTISTS, WITH OUR MUSICIANS, WITH THE FAMILIES AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT DISTRICT 3, I THINK ABOUT THE FAMILIES THAT LIVE SHADOW OF THE MISSIONS, SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT STORY TELLING EFFORT. SO I GUESS MY NEXT QUESTION IS FOR YOU, JUSTIN, AND THE DIVERSITY EQUITY INCLUSION, DO WE HAVE -- AND I KNOW I'M THE CHAIR OF THAT COMMITTEE ON VISIT SAN ANTONIO, BUT AS WE MOVE TOWARDS, DO WE HAVE THE MEMBERS THAT KIND OF UNDERSTAND THIS IS A PRIORITY FOR OUR CITY, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TELL EVERYBODY'S STORY AND NOT JUST THE ONE OF 1836, WHICH I LOVE THAT STORY TOO OF HOPE IS STILL HERE, A GREAT STORY ALSO, BUT
WE'RE TELLING THE OTHER STORIES. >> ABSOLUTELY.
OUR GOAL IS TO HIGHLIGHT MANY OF OUR MEMBERS AND ALL OF OUR MEMBERS THAT COME ON TO VISIT SAN ANTONIO, AND I KNOW MICHELLE MOON BEHIND ME WHO IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF EVERYTHING, WHICH MEMBERSHIP FALLS YUNDER HER PER VIEW, OUR GOAL IS TO HIGHLIGHT EVERYBODY AND PUT THEM AT THE FOREFRONT. I KNOW MANY OF OUR PARTNERS ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN MANY OF THE VIDEOS YOU SEE AS WELL. SO I GUESS OUR GOAL IS
DEFINITELY THAT. >> VIAGRAN: YEAH. THAT'S JUST WHAT I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE CONTINUING IN, AND KNOW THERE'S ALWAYS TALK ABOUT TAKING MONEY FROM THE HOT TAX TO PAY FOR PARKS AND OTHER THINGS, AND THAT'S NORMALLY SMALLER TOWNS BECAUSE I REALLY THINK THE STATE NEEDS TO INVEST IN THE PARKS FROM A STATE LEVEL, SO I HOPE WHEN WE GO UP NEXT YEAR FOR THE NEXT CYCLE THAT WE STRESS THAT THE STATE NEEDS TO DIVERSIFY IN TERMS OF -- INSTEAD OF LEAVING THE CITIES TO
[00:30:01]
SPEND IT WITH THEIR HOT TAXES, THEY REALLY NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THE PARKS LOCALLY, AND THAT'S WHAT I FELT REGRET FOR, FOR SOME OF THE SMALLER CITIES THAT ARE LIKE LET'S TAKE FROM OUR HOT TAX, AND I WAS LIKE NO MAKE THEM GIVE YOU MORE MONEY FOR PARKS ALSO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IF YOU HAVE A STATE PARK YOU NEED TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR TOO, SO I WANT TO SEE THOSE EFFORTS CONTINUE, AND I JUST THINK WE HAVE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. I GOT A LITTLE TEARY-EYED BECAUSE WHEN I CAME ON BOARD WITH VISIT SAN ANTONIO RIGHT BEFORE THEY SEPARATED FROM THE CITY, ALL OF THIS WAS JUST PLANS AND HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS, AND WE GOT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, AND WE GOT HIT BY A PANDEMIC, AND I JUST WASN'T SURE HOW WE WOULD BOUNCE BACK FROM THAT, BUT WE HAVE.YOU GUYS HAVE, AND IT HAS MEANT SO MUCH TO OUR COMMUNITY, AND I THINK THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO ELEVATE AND GET TO THE NEXT LEVEL ON ALL THE FRONTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO OUR MAKING SURE -- AND THAT'S ANOTHER -- A CONVERSATION FOR ANOTHER COMMITTEE, THAT OUR HOSPITALITY WORKERS DOWNTOWN HAVE THE PLACES TO LIVE AND WORK AND PLAY IN THIS AREA SO THAT THEY'RE NOT MAKING THOSE CROSS THE TOWN COMMUTES. SO I'LL BE WORKING WITH VISIT SAN ANTONIO TO
HELP WITH THAT TOO. >> PELAEZ: THANK YOU. >> ROCHA GARCIA: THANK YOU, CHAIR, AND THANK YOU TO JUSTIN AND ANDREAS AND HOPE FOR THE PRESENTATION AND EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE. I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK. I'LL START OFF -- AND I DO WANT TO GIVE A SHOUTOUT TO CONVENTION AND VISITORS -- CONVENTION AND SPORTS FACILITIES, SORRY, BECAUSE THEY DO A GREAT JOB AS WELL AS HELPING WITH BOOKING AND BEING THERE FOR THE FOLKS THAT COME IN. SO THANK YOU FOR THEM. I KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH TRANSFORMATION. I APPRECIATE THAT YOU ALL SHOWCASED THIS TO US. I'D LOVE TO MAYBE PLAN AND ASSESS WHERE THE OUTCOMES ARE BEING REALIZED OR WHERE THERE'S SHORTCOMINGS, I KNOW WE HAVE A BOARD MEETING THAT'S COMING UP, AND SO I JUST WANTED TO PLUG THAT IN RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I FEEL THAT WITH THE 2024 GOALS, THEY SEEM TO BE A LITTLE BIT LOWER THAN I EXPECTED IT -- THAN EXPECTED, AND SO I'M HOPING THAT WE -- OR I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED THEM ALREADY TO BE ACHIEVED, OR AT LEAST BY SEPTEMBER, SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT OFFLINE, BUT I DO APPRECIATE THE SUMMARY, THE VSA BUDGET IN ROI, I LIKE THERE'S A DETAILED EXPLANATION ON THERE AND ALSO THE ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT ROCBOARD ANALYTICS DID WITH THE $13.6 MILLION I THINK THAT WAS WITH IPW. WE ALSO HAVE 614 MILLION NEW DOLLARS IN NATIONAL SPENDING OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW THAT COMPARES WITH WHAT OTHER CITIES HAVE DONE WITH IPW BECAUSE I WANT TO SAY THAT IT'S MORE; RIGHT? BUT WE WILL SEE. SO I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THAT AS WE COME UP, AND, I MEAN, I KNOW THAT THIS IS OUR GUIDING PLAN, I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU ALL HAVE WORKED SO HARD TO WORK PAST THE PANDEMIC AND TRY TO GET BACK UP TO THOSE LEVELS. I DO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TOTAL EMPLOYMENT AND PAYROLL.
I WANT TO SEE THE AVERAGE STARTING WAGE LISTED AND THE COMPARISON WITH THE MEDIAN INCOME OF A HOSPITALITY OR TOURISM MARKER IN SAN ANTONIO, A LOT OF THE RESIDENTS I REPRESENT WORK IN THIS INDUSTRY, AND SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THERE'S PATHWAYS TO LIVING WAGES, ESPECIALLY AS WE BOUNCE BACK, AND THEN AS WE TALK ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY OF JOBS IN THE LABOR MARKET, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE HOW THE EMPLOYEE, EMPLOYER RELATIONS HAVE SHIFTED, SO JUST SOMETHING TO CONSIDER, AND I HOPE THAT WHAT WE SHARE IS THAT SAN ANTONIO IS NO LONGER JUST PAYING LIVING WAGES AND THAT WE REALLY ARE TRYING TO GET TO THAT FAMILY SUSTAINING WAGE AND BREAKING THOSE CYCLES OF GENERATIONAL POVERTY. AND AGAIN I KNOW WE HAVE THE BOARD MEETING COMING UP VERY SOON, SO YOU ALL KNOW AT THAT MEETING I EXPECT TO ALSO SEE OUR OWN VISIT SAN ANTONIO TURNOVER RATES AND EMPLOYMENT RATES, LIKE, I WANT TO SEE HOW LONG ARE OUR EMPLOYEES STAYING, HOW MANY ARE LEAVING, I WANT TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY RED FLAGS, DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH COMPENSATION, IS IT QUALITY OF LIFE, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
SO I'LL EXPECT TO SEE THAT AT THE BOARD MEETING IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, AND SO I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT WE'RE WORKING ON THE GERMANY, THAT WE'RE WORKING ON UK, I WANT TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE, STILL OF LATIN AMERICA AND CONTINUED FOCUS ON THAT BECAUSE OF OUR COLONIAL HISTORY, I THINK WE COULD REALLY BE THAT GATEWAY AND THEN
[00:35:03]
BEING THE ONLY UNESCO SITE IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT IN TEXAS THAT WE CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF. AND THEN I'D LOVE TO SEE THIS -- I'M SURE YOU'LL BRING FORWARD THE COMMUNICATIONS TO THE FULL COUNCIL, SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT, AND THEN WITH THAT SAID, HOW HAS THE NEW -- OR HOW HAS -- HAVE WE SEEN ANY EFFECT ON THE COOKIES -- SO WE CAN NO LONGER NECESSARILY TR TRACK, AND SO -- OR HOW ARE WE USING MAYBE LOCATION INTELLIGENCE TOOLS THAT -- BY THE WAY, IF YA'LL STAY BY THE NEXT PRESENTATION, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT FROM THE CITY PERSPECTIVE, BUT I'M WONDERING HOW IT'SAFFECTING VSA ALREADY. >> WELL, WE LEARNED ABOUT THE COOKIE DEPP MY INDICATION STRATEGY FROM GOOGLE PROBABLY FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AGO SO WE STARTED ADDRESSING IT AT THAT TIME, AND WHAT WE DID IS -- WHAT THAT MEANS IS COOKIES ARE THIRD PARTY DATA, AND EVERY MARKETER IN THE WORLD PRETTY MUCH RELIED ON THAT THIRD PARTY DATA TO REACH OUT AND TO BE SMARTER AS A MARKETER. WHAT HAPPENS, IF THEY DEPP RI INDICATE THOSE COOKS, YOU WOULD BE WITHOUT A WAY TO TRACK. SO WHAT WE'VE DONE OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS ACTUALLY IS COLLECT DATA ON OUR OWN TO BECOME FIRST PARTY DATA THAT WE OWN OF THE VISITORS THAT COME AND PEOPLE NOT NECESSARILY VISITORS BUT GO TO OUR WEBSITE, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, AND AT THIS POINT WE HAVE ABOUT 12 MILLION POINTS OF DATA THAT MAKES US SMARTER, AND IT'S DATA THAT WE OWN THAT IS PROPRIETARY TO US.
WITH THAT SAID, THE WAY THAT WE BIND THE MEDIA HAS ALSO CHANGED SO THAT WE CAN PUT CODES ON OUR DIGITAL ADS THAT CAN HELP US UNDERSTAND WHO OPENED OUR ADS OUTSIDE OF SAN ANTONIO, AND ONCE THEY COME INTO SAN ANTONIO, IF THEY HAVEN'T COME TO SAN ANTONIO, WE ALSO KNOW WHICH OF THOSE DEVICES HAVE TRULY SHOWED UP, AND THAT BECOMES OUR FIRST PARTY DATA, SO WE'RE COLLECTING A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF DATA THAT MAKES US A SMART MARKETER THAT DOESN'T DEPEND ON GOOGLE SO MUCH BECAUSE OF THE THIRD PARTY -- OR THE THIRD PARTY DEPP MY INDICATION
OF COOKIES. I HOPE THAT HELPS. >> ROCHA GARCIA: SO WE HAVE A
SUSTAINABLE STRATEGY. >> ABSOLUTELY. AND IT KEEPS ON MAKING US SMARTER SO WE HAVE THE DOLLARS TO BUY MORE MEDIA AND LEARN MORE AND
ACQUIRE MORE DATA, SO IT'S IN THE PROCESS. >> ROCHA GARCIA: GOT IT.
I DON'T KNOW IF HOPE WANTED TO ADD SOMETHING. >> I WANTED TO ACCESSORY KNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT CERTAINLY YOUR REQUESTS HAVE BEEN NOTED FOR THE
BOARD MEETING AND WE'LL PROVIDE YOU INFORMATION. >> ROCHA GARCIA: THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. AND THEN MY FINAL COMMENT IS ON -- SO WE HOSTED A PRIDE RIVER PARADE, BUT A LOT OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT I HAPPEN TO BE IN CONVERSATION WITH OR GENERAL PEOPLE, THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT, AND I WAS WONDERING IF THAT'S BECAUSE THE STRATEGY IS MORE FOCUSED ON THE TOURISTS AND HOW WE'RE DRAWING, LIKE, MAYBE FROM PEOPLE -- FROM PEOPLE AROUND TEXAS, IF SO FROM AUSTIN, THE DRIVE MARKET, BUT EVEN LOCAL STUDENTS DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT THAT I KNOW WOULD HAVE GONE. BUT ONE OF MY RESIDENTS, I ASSUMED HE WOULD BE HERE BECAUSE HE PARTICIPANTS IN EVERY PARADE, HE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT, AND SO I WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT HE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT. SO TELL ME WHAT THE STRATEGY IS FOR THAT.
>> WHAT WE'VE DONE IS TO ALL OF THE EVENTS THAT WE HAVE PROGRESSIVELY ASSUMED THE ORGANIZATION OF, WE'VE ACTUALLY DEDICATED A PART OF OUR MARKETING DOLLARS THAT ARE TRADITIONALLY SPENT OUTSIDE TO SPEND LOCALLY TO PUSH THOSE EVENTS. WELL, WE ALSO ACQUIRED ALSO A TOOL CALLED PLACER THAT CAN HELP US GEO TARGET THE EVENT, PER SE, AND HELP US UNDERSTAND THE ATTENDANCE AND IMPACT. SO WE'RE BECOMING SMARTER BUT LEAVING BUDGET TO MARKET EACH ONE OF THOSE PARADES AND EACH ONE OF THOSE EVENTS SO THAT WE BECOME LOUDER ON THE LOCAL MARKET.
SO STARS AND STRIPES, YOU CAN SEE BILLBOARDS ON 281, YOU CAN SEE DIGITAL ADS FLOWING THROUGHOUT THE CITY, THE SAME THING HAPPENED WITH RIVER WALK -- OR WITH PRIDE PARADE, HOWEVER, WE CAN'T REACH OBVIOUSLY EVERYBODY IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF TIMES, BUT WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO GROW
THOSE. >> ROCHA GARCIA: OKAY. WONDERFUL.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> PELAEZ: AND YOU TALKED
ABOUT -- YOU REFERENCED THE MANY COOLS. >> YES.
>> PELAEZ: ONE OF THE MANY COOLS IS COUNCILWOMAN TERRY CASTILLO. DO YOU HAVE ANY
COMMENTS. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, CHAIR, AND HOPE, ANDREAS, AND JUSTIN
[00:40:03]
FOR THE PRESENTATIONS. A COUPLE OF THINGS -- I LOVE THAT YA'LL'S WEBSITE IS ACCESSIBLE AND I THINK YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB MARKETING, THE VIDEO YA'LL JUST ROLLED OUT WAS JUST VERY IMPRESSIVE, AND WHILE I CAN'T AFFORD TO STAY IN HOTEL ALMA, I KNOW THE PEOPLE THAT CAN WILL TIP WELL. SO A COUPLE OF THINGS LOOKING AT THE SAN ANTONIO NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE, ONE RECOMMENDATION -- AND I KNOW THIS COULD BE AN EMAIL, IT HAYSEEDS DISTRICT, AND A PHOTO, BUT A LOT OF ACTIVITIES ARE ON THE NORTH WEST SIDE, THE DISTRICT 7 PIECE, SO I WOULD RECOMMEND A HISTORIC WEST SIDE, AND THINGS IN IT, LIKE THE SOUTH TOWN BECAUSE SOME OF THOSE AREAS ARE SPREAD OUT AND FAR, SO MAKING SURE IF TOURISTS FOLLOW THE GUIDE, THEY'RE NOT UNDER THE ASSUMPTION IT'S WALKABLE, YOU WOULD HAVE TO COMMUTE NORTH TO GET TO SOME OF THE PIECES WITHIN THE WEST SIDE DECK CO GUIDE. I DID HAVE A QUESTION REGARDING THE SCHOLARSHIPS, I THINK IT'S AWESOME THAT YOU OFFER OPPORTUNITIES TO THOSE FOLKS.CAN YOU SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHO'S APPLYING FOR THESE SCHOLARSHIPS.
>> HI, GOOD AFTERNOON, MICHELLE MOON. I OVERSEE THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. SO WE COORDINATED WITH ST. PHILLIPS AND UTSA AND LET THE UNIVERSITIES SELECT THE STUDENTS WHO NEEDED A NEED, SO DO THE VETTING PROCESS OF GRADE POINT AVERAGE, STATUS, NEED, AND ALL WERE MINORITY AND LOCAL NATIVE SAN ANTONIOIANS, BUT THE UNIVERSITIES DID SELECT THE STUDENTS, WE ANNUAL MEETING AND CONTINUE TO REACH OUT TO THEM TO MAINTAIN THAT CONNECTIVITY AND THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM.
>> CASTILLO: GREAT. THANK YOU. THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL.
I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITY TO POTENTIALLY PARTNER WITH SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF VISIT SA TO HAVE WORK WITH MEMBERS WHO MIGHT BE STUDENTS. I ALWAYS SHARE I WORKED IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY DOWNTOWN FOR EIGHT YEARS, HIGH SCHOOL THROUGHOUT COLLEGE, AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR MY EMPLOYER, THE CORTEZ FAMILY, AMAZING FOLKS AND FAMILY TO WORK FOR, BUT PROVIDING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS WHO ARE MEMBERS TO SHARE WITH WORKERS TO PROVIDE THAT ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY AND RESOURCES AS THEY GO THROUGH SCHOOL I BELIEVE COULD BE VERY POWERFUL, SIMILAR TO THE COMMENTS AND THE REQUESTS FOR DATA ON THE EMPLOYMENT PAYROLL AND THE WEIGHT -- THE MEDIAN WAGE, THAT'S SOMETHING I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SEE, RIGHT, BECAUSE THESE NUMBERS ARE VERY IMPRESSIVE WHEN WE LOOK AT 4.1 MILLION ANNUAL PAYROLL AND THEN THE SLIDE THAT HAS THE AMOUNT OF OCCUPIED HOTEL ROOMS, REALLY IMPRESSIVE, AND I THINK ABOUT THE FOLKS THAT FIX THE BEDS, CLEAN THE ROOMS, AND HOW ARE WE SUPPORTING THEM WITH LIVABLE WAGE. IN REGARDS TO THE CONFERENCES YOU ARE ALL BRINGING IN, I BELIEVE IT'S VERY IMPRESSIVE, THERE'S ONE CONFERENCE I PARTICIPANT IN EVERY YEAR, WITH LOCAL PROGRESS, AND THEY ENSURE WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS A HOTEL THAT'S UNIONIZED AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE CI CITY'S LIVABLE INTEREST WAGE; RIGHT? SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, WE DO HAVE, RIGHT, THE GRANT HYATT THAT'S UNIONIZED BUT THE WAGE ISN'T IN ALIGN WITH THE CITY'S WAGE SO WE WOULD LOSE OUT ON THAT CONFERENCE, I'M CURIOUS IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THE GRAND HYATT TO GET THAT WAGE IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE CITY SO IT OPENS UP THE OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS WHO WANT TO HOST THE CONFERENCE HERE. THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS.
THANK YOU. >> WHYTE: YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. JUST A FEW QUESTIONS. THE -- WHAT SPECIFIC OUTCOMES ARE WE LOOKING TO ACHIEVE FROM OUR -- YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED GERMANY AND THE UK AND THE THINGS WE'RE GOING TO DO OVER THERE.
WHY THERE? I MEAN, ARE THOSE, WE THINK, FERTILE GROUND FOR -- I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE GOT THE FLIGHT INTO -- BACK AND FORTH FROM FRANKFURT BUT WHAT ARE WE LOOKING TO ACHIEVE NEAR TERM.
>> WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE FACT THAT THE FLIGHT CONNECTS DIRECTLY WITH
GERMANY, SO THAT IN ITSELF BECOMES A MARKET. >> WHYTE: YEP.
>> BUT WHAT WE DID WAS ACTUALLY WORK WITH CONDOR TO IDENTIFY, WHAT WAS THEIR NUMBER 1 MOST STRONGEST SOURCE MARKET OF FLIGHTS OUT OF CONNECTIVITY FROM EUROPE, AND THAT SECOND MARKET WAS THE UK, THEREFORE, IT ACTUALLY SUPPORTED THE DATA THAT WE WERE SEEING OF MORE ATTENTION FROM EUROPE ACCOMPANIES, WE STARTED WITH THOSE TWO, AND THE REASON WHY WE WENT AND DID ALL OF THAT IS THE FACT THAT IN TOURISM, BEFORE YOU GO OUT WITH YOUR OUTREACH TO THE PUBLIC, YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'VE TALKED TO THE TRADE BEFORE, TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND,
[00:45:09]
OFFER THE PRODUCT, AND SELL IT IN THEIR CHANNELS, SO THAT WAS PART OF THE OUTCOME THAT WAS EXPECTED WAS BECAUSE THE TIME IT BECOMES MAY, THE TIME IT WOULD START, THE SELLING PIPELINE WAS ALREADY FILLED ANDOPERATING NORMALLY. >> WHYTE: DO WE HAVE A BALLPARK ON PROJECTIONS OF WHAT WE THINK
MAY. >> I DON'T WANT TO ADVENTURE TO GIVE YOU A NUMBER JUST YET BECAUSE WE'RE ONLY AT THE FIRST MONTH OF SERVICE, BUT
MORE TO COME VERY SHORTLY. >> WHYTE: OKAY.
IPW, OBVIOUSLY, WAS A REALLY BIG BOOM FOR THE CITY. I SAW -- YOU SAID CVENT, THAT OPENED THE DOOR THERE. WHAT ELSE ARE WE DOING
TO BUILD ON THE SUCCESS FROM IPW? >> WELL, FROM IPW BUT TALKED TO OXFORD ECONOMICS AND THEY'RE DEVELOPING THE STUDY TO UNDERSTAND THE ECONOMIC IMPACT INTO THE CITY, HOWEVER, THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN ON YEAR 1 OR YEAR 2, THEY CALCULATE IT AND THEY TOLD US WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL YEAR 3 TO YOU SAID WHAT THE REAL IMPACT WAS.& SO THE GOALS ARE ALREADY SET, BUT WE'RE WAITING FOR IT TO HAPPEN, AND THEY'RE ACTIVELY WORKING, STUDYING THE RESULT OF IPW.
THAT SAID, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENS THROUGH IPW WAS THE VISIBILITY OF SAN ANTONIO IN THE WORLD AS A DESTINATION AND AS A POSSIBLE DESTINATION FOR THE TRADE TO SELL IS WHAT HAPPENS OUT OF IPW.
CONDOR, ACTUALLY, THEY SAW IPW, THEY WERE HERE WITH IPW, AND IT BECOMES PART OF WHAT IPW GENERATED FOR US. CVENT IS ALSO A RESULT OF HAVING BEEN ABLE TO HOST IPW OPENED THE DOOR FOR CVENT TO DISCUSS, AND AS THEY WERE LOOKING TO EITHER MOVE OR STAY IN LAS VEGAS, IT'LL HELP THE ARGUMENT FOR THEM TO BE A TIPPING POINT FOR THE DECISION TO COME INTO SAN ANTONIO. SO ALL OF THESE LITTLE THINGS BECOME A RESULT OF THE EXPANSION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER AND IPW GIVING SUCH STRONG
OFF MIC ] >> WHYTE: OKAY. AND THOSE FIRST TWO QUESTIONS SORT OF LEAVE ME INTO THE THIRD, AND JUSTIN, IT WAS SOMETHING I MENTIONED TO YOU WHEN WE TALKED THE OTHER DAY. PERCENTAGE OF OUR VISITORS THAT ARE DRIVING HERE VERSUS FLYING HERE.
DO WE HAVE THAT BREAKDOWN? >> YES, I DO HAVE THAT BREAKDOWN, UP TO 2022, WHICH IS WE DEVELOPED TRAVELER -- A LEISURE TRAVELER REPORT EVERY YEAR. THE LATEST IS 2022, 2023 IS COMING RIGHT NOW. 78% IN 2022 WAS THE PERCENTAGE OF TRAVELERS THAT DROVE INTO SAN ANTONIO. AND 9% WAS -- IS THE PERCENTAGE OF FLYING INTO SAN ANTONIO. SO 78 AND 9.
IF I LOOK OVER TIME WHAT THE TREND, THE 78% WAS SHRINKING, AND THE 9% OF AIR IS ACTUALLY EXPANDING, SO WE'RE WAITING TO GET THE REPORT. ONCE WE GET IT, IT'LL TELL US WHAT HAPPENED IN 2023. BUT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO EXPANDING THE AIR SITE OF THE DESTINATION BECAUSE IT'S A CONSUMER WHO WILL USUALLY CONSUME MORE, WILL SPEND MORE, AND A CONSUMER THAT WILL STAY LONGER IN SAN ANTONIO, AND THOSE ARE CRITICAL FACTORS FOR OUR INDU
INDUSTRY. >> WHYTE: AND THE DRIVING -- MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE -- DO WE HAVE THE BREAKDOWN, FROM OTHER CITIES IN TEXAS OR FROM OUT OF STATE?
>> THEY ARE MOSTLY IN TEXAS, AND NEIGHBORING STATES.
>> WHYTE: OKAY. LAST QUESTION, I SUPPOSE, IS ON THE DIFFERENT MARKETING STRATEGIES, THE DIFFERENT MARKETING PLATFORMS. WHAT'S BEEN MOST SUCCESSFUL THUS FAR?
>> I THINK OVERALL THE BIGGEST SUCCESS THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE LAST TEN YEARS WAS THE EVOLUTION OF MEDIA AND THE DIGITAL SIDE OF THE MEDIA. REASON BEING, COUNCILWOMAN WAS ASKING EARLIER PRECISELY ABOUT COOKIES, AND THAT'S A CRITICAL FACTOR TO BE ABLE TO TRACK WHAT THE EFFECTIVENESS IS OF YOUR MEDIA.
SO WE'RE BUYING LESS CABLE TV, JUST TO PUT IT IN EXAMPLE, WE'RE BUYING MORE HULU VIDEO CONSUMPTION BECAUSE IT'S WHERE THE TREND IS TRENDING TO VISIT US MORE AND GETTING MORE INFORMATION AS THE MEDIA LANDSCAPES HAS CHANGED. I THINK THAT IS THE BIGGEST DRIVER.
[00:50:01]
THAT HAS HELPED OUR ONLINE ENGAGEMENT GO FROM YEARS WHEN WE WERE DOING 25 MILLION ONLINE ENGAGEMENTS IN THE YEAR, AS YOU SAW IN THE NUMBERS, WE'RE DOING OVER 125 MILLION ONLINE ENGAGEMENTS WITH POTENTIAL TRAVELERS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, ALL OVER THE WORLDLOOK, I -- I LIKE WHERE I THINK WE'RE HEADED. AGAIN, I TOLD JUSTIN DURING OUR BRIEFING THE OTHER DAY, I WAS JUST AT A DINNER ABOUT SIX WEEKS AGO WITH TEN OR TWELVE PEOPLE, AND THREE OR FOUR OF THEM SAID TO ME THAT THEIR BIGGEST COMPLAINT WAS THAT THEY DON'T BELIEVE WE SELL OURSELVES WELL ENOUGH HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. AND I DO BELIEVE THERE IS -- THERE'S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE HERE; RIGHT? YOU'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, WINE COUNTRY UP THE ROAD, YOU'VE GOT THEME PARKS AND YOU'VE GOT CULTURE AND FOOD, AND THERE REALLY IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY HERE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU OPEN THE PRESENTATION -- WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE STORYTELLING, AND I THINK THAT IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT, AND WE NEED TO -- I'M GLAD WE'RE DOING THINGS INTERNATIONALLY, BUT I HOPE WE'RE ALSO REACHING OUT TO ALL FOUR CORNERS OF THE COUNTRY TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THIS SHOULD BE A PLACE THAT ALL AGES WANT TO COME AND EXPERIENCE.
SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE PROGRESS IN THE YEARS TO COME.
>> I THINK ONE THING THAT I JUST SAID, IT IMPLIES HOW CORRECT THE CAMPAIGN ACTUALLY IS BECAUSE IT TALKS ABOUT THE MANY OF SAN ANTONIO, THE MANY SIDES OF SAN ANTONIO, THE MANY COOLS OF SAN ANTONIO, THE MANY EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE, THE MANY SECRETS, THE MANY STORIES WE HAVE TO SHARE, SO THAT IS PART OF WHAT THE STRATEGY OF THE COMMUNICATION IS
INTENDING TO DO. >> WHYTE: THANK YOU. AND HOPEFULLY THEY WON'T
STAY SECRETS MUCH LONGER. >> PRECISELY.
THEY ARE NOT SECRETS BECAUSE IF YOU LOOKED AT THE VIDEO I SHOWED, THEY ARE ALL ACCOLADES GIVEN TO US BY TRAVEL AND LEISURE, BY GOOGLE, BY HUGE PLATFORMS OF COMMUNICATION THAT HAVE SHARED THAT WE HAVE THE NUMBER 1, THE NUMBER 2, OR THE HIGHLIGHTS THAT WERE SHOWED IN THE
VIDEO. >> WHYTE: YEAH. ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU. >> PELAEZ: SO A COUPLE OF THINGS.
ONE WAY MY FAMILY AND I -- WE LOVE IT -- ON THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR, THEY LOOK AT ME AND SAY MORGANS, AND WE GO TO MORGANS, AND THEY LET YOU SET UP THE LAWN CHAIRS UNDERNEATH THE CASCADING WATER THINGS, SO MORGANS WONDERLAND IS A DESTINATION FOR BEATING THE HEAT, SOMETHING TO CONSIDER. THE OTHER THING THAT IS -- WE REALLY ARE A DESTINATION FOR MUSIC, AND AUSTIN DOESN'T -- ISN'T THE ONLY ONE THAT OWNS THIS. LATINO MUSIC IN GENERAL, AND I THINK THAT WE OWE IT TO THAT COMMUNITY TO SING THEIR PRAISES, RIGHT, FORGIVE THE PUN, BUT TO REALLY BRAG ABOUT THEM AND MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IF WANT THEY WANT TO ENJOY IS LATINO MUSIC, WE ARE THE TEXAS CAPITAL OF LATINO MUSIC; RIGHT? AND MY CHALLENGE TO YOU IS TO -- TO FIND WAYS TO FEATURE THAT IN OUR CAMPAIGNS. YOU AND I TALKED ABOUT THIS EARLIER, IF YOU LOOK AT DEVALLEY, DEVALLEY ATTRACTS 40,000 PEOPLE A YEAR; RIGHT? AND THAT EVENT GETS VERY LITTLE HELP FROM ANY OF US, THEY JUST DO THAT ORGANICALLY ON THEIR OWN, WE THROW A LITTLE MONEY AT THEM AS SPONSORS, BUT ON THEIR OWN, THEY'VE CREATED SAN ANTONIO AS A DESTINATION FOR INDIAN FAMILIES DURING THAT TIME.
I'LL TELL YOU, A FEW YEARS AGO WE WERE AT BIG BEND WITH MY FAMILY, AND IT'S, LIKE, ALL OF INDIA HAD INVADED BIG BEND, AND THEY WERE ALL THERE, BUMPING INTO PEOPLE FROM SAN ANTONIO, ALL OVER THE WORLD, GOING TO BIG BEND. AND I SAID HOW ARE THEY HEAR.
AND THEY SAID SOMEBODY WENT TO BIG BEND AND TOLD US WE HAD TO GO.
AND FOR THEM, THAT COMMUNITY IS ALL ABOUT WORD OF MOUTH AND TRUSTING OPINION LEADERS. WE HAVE AN ENORMOUS OPPORTUNITY, RIGHT, TO FEATURE, YOU KNOW, THE INDIANS WHO ARE HERE, WHO ARE OFFERING, YOU KNOW, THEIR OPINION ABOUT HOW SPECIAL A PLACE THIS IS, AND I THINK I'M RIGHT, I THINK THIS IS THE LARGEST MEW MIS MRI SPONSORED DEWALL-E FESTIVAL IN THE COUNTRY, AND THAT'S MY
[00:55:04]
OTHER CHALLENGE, THERE'S SOMETHING THERE TO CELEBRATE.WE COULD SAY WE'RE THE TEXAS CAPITAL OF DEWALI, AND THE OTHER THING TOO IS LET'S NOT FORGET, DISTRICT 4 BOASTS A VERY IMPORTANT E-SPORTS ASPECT, AND I DIDN'T SEE E-SPORTS IN YOUR CAMPAIGN, BUT IS THAT
SOMETHING YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT? >> YES, WE ARE, IT ACTUALLY IS NOT NECESSARILY A PART OF THAT VIDEO SPECIFICALLY, BUT IT IS TALKED ABOUT ON OUR WEBSITE. IN FACT, SOMETHING THAT IS INNOVATIVE, APART FROM THE -- FROM SIX FLAGS IS THAT THEY ALSO ENGAGE INTO E-SPORTS BEING PART OF THE PARK, AND IT IS BEING TALKED ABOUT, SO WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT DULY NOTED ON YOUR COMMENTS.
SO COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA, SIX FLAGS HAS AN E-SPORTS GARSPS FACILITY THAT WILL RIVAL THE -- YOURS IS ON THE SOUTH SIDE; RIGHT. YEAH. THE OTHER THING IS THAT WHEN WE WERE AT THE SISTER CITY CONFERENCE, I JUST ASKED, BECAUSE I WAS WONDERING, HOW MANY OF YOU ARE STAYING THE REST OF THE WEEKEND AFTER THE CONFERENCE CLOSES, AND ALMOST EVERYBODY RAISED THEIR HAND, AND SO I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY THERE, MAYBE A STAY LONGER OPPORTUNITY, RIGHT, TO REMIND FOLKS, RIGHT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO HOME ON FRIDAY AFTER THE CONVENTION IS DONE, STAY LONGER.
IS THAT SOMETHING YOU GUYS DO? >> WE DO, ACTUALLY, WE DO TALK TO THE CONVENTION. PART OF THE SALE TO THE CONVENTION YEAR WHEN THEY CHOOSE A DESTINATION IS WHAT THE ATTENDEES ARE GOING TO HAVE AVAILABLE TO DO.
SO WE PROVIDE OUR SALES FOLKS, WE PROVIDE THE MEETING PLANNER, ONCE THE MEETING IS SECURED, WE ACTUALLY PROVIDE VIDEO CONTENT AND ALL SORTS OF CONTENT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT ATTENDEE CAN DO WHEN THEY VISIT SAN ANTONIO, WHEN THEY COME HERE, AND THE INTENTION IS PRECISELY THAT, EITHER THEY STAY LONGER, OR THEY GO BACK WITH THE IDEA THAT THEY NEED TO COME BACK WITH THEIR FAMILY, SO BOTH OF THOSE ARE ACTUALLY PART OF THE STRATEGY OF SECURING THE MEETING, THEREFORE WE
ARE ABLE TO EXPAND THEM INTO A LEISURE TRAVELER AS WELL. >> ALL RIGHT.
SO, YOU KNOW, ALL OF US ARE GETTING OLDER, EXCEPT COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO, SHE NEVER AGES. NO. WE'RE ALL -- WE'RE ALL GOING TO BE GRAND PARENTS ONE DAY; RIGHT? AND WE HAVE -- I THINK SAN ANTONIO, WHEN I LOOK AROUND, AND TO YOUR POINT, COUNCILMAN WHYTE, THERE ARE SO MANY GRANDPARENTS WITH GRAND KIDS RUNNING AROUND HERE, VISITING US, RIGHT, AND I KNOW THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THIS, BUT I DO THINK THERE'S SOME GOLD TO BE MINED THERE BY REMINDING PEOPLE THAT WE'RE THE TEXAS CAPITAL FOR GRANDPARENTS AND GRANDKIDS TRIPS BECAUSE IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, WE'RE FLAT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO CLIMB UP MOUNTAINS, IT'S NOT A BUSY CITY, YOUR GRANDKIDS WON'T GET RUN OVER AND LOTS OF HISTORICAL STUFF AND AIR-CONDITIONED FEATURES. DO WE MARKET TO THAT CROWD
IN THOSE WAYS. >> NOT NECESSARILY. WE MARKET TO THE FAMILIES WITH YOUNGER KIDS. SO WE HAVE TO PICK AND CHOOSE OUT OF ALL OF OUR AUDIENCE AND WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE MARKET LANDS, THEREFORE, AS OF THE LAST FEW YEARS, WE HAVE GROWN MORE ON THE YOUNGER GENERATION BECAUSE THAT IS THE TRAVELER OF THE FUTURE, HENCE, FOR EXAMPLE, A GREAT TACTIC IS THE METAVERSE EXPERIENCE THAT IS ALREADY VISIBLE AND ALREADY WORKING AS PART OF VISITSAN ANTONIO.COM, SO YOU CAN GO IN, CHOOSE YOUR AVATAR, GO IN AND MAKE SOMETHING THAT RESEMBLES -- YOU'RE ABLE TO WATCH A MOVIE THERE, A LOT OF VERY GOOD CONTENT ABOUT HOW TO EXPERIENCE SAN ANTONIO AS A YOUNG CROWD. THE NUMBERS ARE COMING IN POSITIVE IN TERMS OF USAGE. BUT THAT'S A DIFFERENT AUDIENCE.
TO GRAND PARENTS, WE HAVEN'T TALKED YET TO THE GRANDPARENTS, BUT WE'RE TALKING TO THE YOUNGER PARENT THAT HAS SMALL KIDS, WHICH IS PART OF THE FAMILY AUDIENCE THAT IS HEAVILY MARKETED TO DURING THE SUMMERTIME.
>> PELAEZ: OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. UNLESS ANYONE ELSE HAS FURTHER COMMENTS, WE'LL LET ANDREAS AND HIS GRANDSON GET ON WITH HIS DAYS.
THANK YOU, GUYS. >> I JUST WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT.
COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO AND ROCHA GARCIA, WE'LL GET YOU THAT
INFORMATION. >> AND I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT WE HAD FOLKS FROM THE CONVENTION SPORTS FACILITY HERE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO MEET THEM -- I'M SORRY IF YOU MISPRONOUNCE YOUR NAME -- HE'S ONE OF YOUR ASSISTANT DIRECTORS AT THE CONVENTION SPORTS FACILITY, HE HAS DIRECT OVERSIGHT OF THE
[01:00:01]
CONVENTION CENTER AND IS A DIRECT LIAISON WITH VISIT SAN ANTONIO AS WELL. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.>> PELAEZ: THANK YOU SO MUCH. I APPRECIATE IT. BY THE WAY, I WAS SPEAKING TO HENRY B GONZALEZ'S GRANDSON, HENRY III, AND HE WANTED TO LET ME KNOW THAT HIS GRANDFATHER NEVER SP SPELLED GONZALEZ OVER THE A AND THEY WOULD LIKE IT TO BE REMOVED SO I SAID THEY COULD BUY THE ACCENT AND I'LL DELIVER IT TO THEIR HOUSE BECAUSE IT'S HUGE.
WE HAVE THE DATA ANALYTICS, DON'T WE? >> WE DO, AND I BELIEVE
CRAIG WILL KICKOFF THE PRESENTATION FOR >> GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. YOU READY TO DO SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT? ALL RIGHT. SO FIRST OF ALL, CRAIG HOPKINS, CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, I WANT TO ALSO POINT OUT EMILY AND LAUREN AND TERREN, OVER HERE ON THE LEFT, THEY'RE OUR PROUD EMERGING TECHNOLOGY TEAM, WHICH IS A COMBINATION OF THE SMART CITIES TEAMS WE WORKED WITH BEFORE AND COMBINED THEM WITH IT TEAMS IN ORDER TO DO MORE DETAILED E MEMORYING TECHNOLOGY PRO PROTO TYPES.
SO WE USE THIS TO DO A DEEP DIVE INTO EMERGING TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH TO HELP ANSWER THIS QUESTION. SO THE QUESTION WE WERE GIVEN WAS -- WE TURNED INTO A HYPOTHESIS. CAN WE USE LOCATION INTELLIGENCE DATA TO ACTUALLY MAKE BUSINESS DECISIONS ABOUT THINGS IN THE CITY AND IN OUR PLANNING, AND WE BROKE THAT DOWN INTO THIS HYPOTHESIS, AND I WANT TO BE REALLY CLEAR ABOUT THE HYPOTHESIS SO WE'RE NOT ALL OVER THE PLACE. THIS IS NOT AI. THIS IS NOT ANY TECHNOLOGY, THIS IS ABOUT THE ABILITY TO BUY COMMODITY OFF THE SHELF DATA THAT EXISTS IN THE INDUSTRY TO DO TWO DIFFERENT THFFINGS.
ONE, CAN WE ACCURATELY COUNT VISITORS OR PEOPLE AT A SPECIFIC TIME OR A SPECIFIC LOCATION? THINK OF IT AS FOOT TRAFFIC HEAD COUNT ATTENDANCE, IF YOU WANT TO DO THAT. AND THE SECOND, CAN WE ALSO USE AGGREGATED DATE TO GIVE INSIGHTS OF WHERE PEOPLE COME FROM AND GO TO AS WE GO FORWARD, SWARM DATA. THINK OF THAT AS A GROUP OF BEES, A SWARM OF BEES MOVING AROUND, WHERE DO THEY GO.
SO WE DON'T WANT TO NECESSARILY KNOW IN EITHER OF THOSE CASES, IS IT CRAIG HOPKINS. I WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT PERSONAL DATA, BUT WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IS IF YOU GO TANAISTE, HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE AT THE EVENT, AND BASED ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE, ANOMIES, TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT THEM, THAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE GEOSPATIAL DATA WE DO, SO A COMBINATION OF DEMOGRAPHICS, INFORMATION ABOUT THE PEOPLE, BUT GEOSPATIAL, WHERE ARE THEY ON THE EARTH AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME? SO WE TOOK THESE TWO USE CASES IN THIS HYPOTHESIS, AND WE WENT OUT AND GATHERED UP INFORMATION FROM ORGANIZATIONS, AND HERE IS THREE -- THERE'S MANY MORE BUT HERE ARE THREE WE USED AS SPECIFIC CASES. THE WORLD HERITAGE OFFICER HAS A REQUIREMENT, A NEED TO COUNT HEADS AT PEOPLE THAT ATTEND EVENTS.
NOW, THEY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WALK DOWN THE TRAIL, HOW MANY PEOPLE GO TO THE MISSIONS, BUT THEY ALSO WANT TO KNOW, HOW MANY PEOPLE ENTER THE DOOR, LIKE GO THROUGH TO A SPECIFIC EVENT TO USE IT AS HEAD COUNT. IN OLD DAYS WE WOULD STAND AT THE DOOR WITH A CLICKER AND CLICK PEOPLE AS THEY CAME IN, BUT IS THAT DATA AVAILABLE FOR US TO GET THAT OFF THE SHELF FROM SOMEPLACE? THE SECOND ONE IS COMPREHENSIVE PEDESTRIAN DATA FOR PARKS. HOW MANY PEOPLE WENT TO PARK X OR Y, WHERE DID THEY GO IN THE PARK. AGAIN WE DON'T NEED TO KNOW IT WAS CRAIG, BUT WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THAT 1,000 PEOPLE WENT TO THE PARK TODAY AND 100 PEOPLE WENT TOMORROW, WHY THE DIFFERENCE, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. AND THE THIRD ONE IS VERY MUCH IN LINE WITH THE PRESENTATION YOU JUST HEARD EARLIER, RIGHT, WHICH IS MORE GENERALIZED, LESS ABOUT ACCURACY, BUT MORE OF WHERE DO PEOPLE COME FROM AND WHERE DO THEY GO TO FROM SPECIFIC EVENTS OR LOCATIONS, AND THEN WE WANT TO KNOW INFORMATION ABOUT THEM THAT'S MORE GRANULAR, AND I THINK I HEARD COUNCILMAN WHYTE, DID THEY COME FROM GERMANY, DRIVE, FLY, THAT INFORMATION IS LESS ABOUT GIVE ME AN EXACT NUMBER BUT GIVE ME GENERAL DETAILS AS WE GO FORWARD. SO I WILL TELL YOU, BEFORE THE TEAM WENT OUT AND DID THIS, I HAD MY OWN BIAS IN THIS HYPOTHESIS, RIGHT, BECAUSE WE ALL WENT THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, AND WE WERE ALL ASKED TO -- I W- MANY TIMES TO COUNT PEOPLE MOVING AROUND THE CITY IN LOCKDOWN, AND I HAD THE ABILITY TO BUY THAT DATA BECAUSE EVERY ONE OF OUR CELL PHONES
[01:05:04]
TOLD US WHERE WE WERE, WHETHER YOU LIKED IT OR NOT.I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS YOU, BUT I KNEW THERE WAS A CELL PHONE MOVING AROUND AT A CERTAIN PLACE, AND I COULD COLLECT THAT DATA, AND I COULD TALK ABOUT SWARMS OF PEOPLE AND WHERE THEY WENT.
THAT DATA IS VERY -- IS NO LONGER READILY AVAILABLE.
MY OWN HYPOTHESIS OF WE COULD SOLVE THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE OF THAT HAS CHANGED POST COVID, AND IT'S CHANGED FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.
ONE -- ONE -- YOU TALKED ABOUT COOKIES. ONE IN FIVE PEOPLE TODAY SAYS NO TO COOKIES. THEY'VE GONE COOKIELESS. ACTUALLY.
I'LL TELL YOU IT'S PROBABLY MORE LIKE TWO IN FIVE AND GROWING RAPIDLY, AND 40% RECENTLY SAID THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT PRIVACY.
THAT NUMBER WAS 15% POST COVID AND NOW IT'S 40%. SO AS MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE WORRIED ABOUT PRIVACY, THEY'RE NOT ALLOWING YOU TO PICK UP THEIR PHONE. THE OTHER THING IS NOW PHONES DON'T GIVE YOU AN OPTION TO DO IT, IT'S ENCRYPTED, YOU HAVE TO ON THE IN TO ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN, BEFORE YOU HAD TO ON THE OUT. SO THAT BIAS I HAD ON THIS HYPOTHESIS, WE COULD BUY THIS DATA ANYWHERE, IT'S NO LONGER VALID. I WANTED PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT BEFORE WE GET STARTED. BUT THE TEAM WENT OUT AND DID THEIR DILIGENCE.
THE LEADERS IN THIS AREA, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF FOUR OF THEM THAT THEY TALKED TO, AND THEY TOOK THOSE THREE USE CASES, WHO, PARKS AND DOWNTOWN AND RAN IT AGAINST WHAT THE PROVIDERS GAVE.
SO THE PARKS AND WORLD HERITAGE ARE FOOT TRAFFIC ATTENDANCE SCENARIOS, AND YOU CAN SEE UNDER THE X THEY HAVE THERE, MOBILE DEVICES IS ONLY A SUBSET OF THE DATA THEY COLLECT, THEY HAVE TO USE OTHER THINGS LIKE CREDIT CARDS, SO YOU MAY NOT REALIZE THIS, BUT IF YOU GO TO AN EVENT AND USE YOUR CARD AND THEY CAN TRACK YOU, THAT'S CONSIDERED ATTENDANCE, SO THEY'LL USE CREDIT CARD SALES, AGAIN, NOT YOUR PERSONAL INVESTIGATION, BUT COLLECT THAT WITH MOBILE DATA, VEHICLE DATA, HOW MANY VEHICLES PARKED THERE AT THE SITE AS WELL. SO IT'S A COMBINATION OF DATA YOU HAVE TO DO THAT, AND YOU'LL SEE AT THE BOTTOM, THE ONE VENDOR USES BOX SENSORS AND POST SENSORS, SO STILL A LOT OF SENSOR TECHNOLOGY THAT SAYS IF YOU WALK BY A SENSOR, IT'S THE MANUAL CLICKING BUT AUTOMATED, IT CAN CLICK PEOPLE UP. WE COULD GET INTO OTHER TOOLS LIKE FACIAL RECOGNITION, OTHER VISUAL TOOLS, AGAIN, THEY'RE OUT THERE, VISUAL THINGS, BUT MOBILE DATA ALONE DOESN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM. AND ON THE DOWNTOWN EXAMPLE THAT WE USE, THERE ARE MULTIPLE VENDORS THAT DO THIS AS WELL.
IT'S NOT ACCURATE COUNTING DATA, BUT IT DOES GIVE YOU DIRECTIONAL SWARM DATA. PLACER AI IS ONE OF THOSE VENDORS, AND WE HAPPEN TO KNOW THAT VISIT SA USES THAT AS AN EXAMPLE WHERE THEY CAN SEE THAT THAT YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT THAT COMES DIRECTLY FROM THE VENDOR. IF YOU SAID HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE DOWNTOWN LAST WEEKEND, WE'D BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU A COUNT, BUT WE'D BE ABLE TO SHOW YOU PEOPLE LAST WEEKEND WERE IN THIS GENERAL AREA, AND THIS IS WHERE THEY MOVED TO, THINGS LIKE THAT. ALL RIGHT.
SO BASICALLY, THESE ARE OUR KEY FINDINGS THAT WE FOUND, AND WE DO HAVE A PLAN FORWARD TO HELP OUT HERE, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE CLEAR. THERE'S MULTIPLE USE CASES OUT THERE, NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL FOR ALL OF THE CITY USE CASES. WE HAVE TO LOOK AT EACH ONE OF THEM, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO TRACK, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO COUNT, WHAT TYPE OF DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ARE YOU TRYING TO PULL WITH THAT, AND IT BECOMES MULTIPLE SCENARIOS THAT WE HAVE TO PUT TOGETHER, BUT THE DATA DOES EXIST, IT'S FINDING THE RIGHT DATA TO PUT TOGETHER FOR THE USE CASE. I TALKED ABOUT MOBILE LOCATION DATA, NOT ONLY SKEWED, MEANING WE'RE NOT GETTING ACCURATE COUNTS, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY APPLE AND ANDROID HAVE DISRUPTED THE MARKET NOW AND WE HAVE TECHNOLOGY CHANGES AND PRIVACY CHANGES THERE.
IT'S NO LONGER RELIABLE. BECAUSE NOW A BUNCH OF VENDORS WHO ARE SHOWING UP SAYING I CAN SOLVE THIS PROBLEM, BUT THEY'RE STILL WORKING WITHIN THE SAME AREA, AND IT MAKES THE DATA QUALITY VERY CHALLENGING AS WE GO FORWARD. MOST OF THIS IS IN THE CLOUD, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, SO WE'RE NOT -- AS YOU HEARD FROM YOUR -- THE VISIT SA FOLKS, THEY OWN THEIR OWN DATA, PROPRIETARY, OVER AND OVER, THEY BUY IT, BRING IT IN, HOLD IT. IN THESE CASES WE'RE GOING OUT, USING THIRD PARTY TO FIND THAT DATA AND THEY HAVE TO COMPLY WITH SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE AS WELL AS WE BRING THAT TOGETHER.
AND I TALKED ABOUT PRIVACY COMPLIANCE, WE FOUND ONE VENDOR WHO SAID THEY COULD PINPOINT YOUR LOCATION WITHIN A RADIUS, THAT'S MILITARY SATELLITE STUFF, WE'RE NOT LOOKING FOR THAT, BUT THE ANSWER, IF YOU CAN DO THAT, I'M NERVOUS OF HOW YO DO THAT AND HOW YOU HANDLE PERSONAL INFORMATION, SO THAT'S GOING ON AS WELL. ALL RIGHT.
SO NEXT STEPS FOR US, I BROKEN THIS DOWN FROM THE TEAM'S RESEARCH INTO
[01:10:03]
THESE TWO BUCKETS. WE THOUGHT WE COULD HELP PARKS WORLD HEALTH -- THE MISSIONS, THOSE FOLKS, WITH DATA THEY COULD JUST BUY TO HELP THEM SOLVE FOR THEIR ATTENDANCE EACH CASE, THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. WE NEED TO SIT WITH THEM AND TALK ABOUT SPECIFIC TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS TO HELP THEM, WHETHER SENSORS, CARS, VEHICLE TRACKS, SPECIFIC THINGS FOR AN EVENT, WE HAVE A TECHNOLOGY PROJECT IN FY25 LINE WHO TO DO THAT IN PLACES TO TRY TECHNOLOGY TO TRY THAT TO SOLVE THAT PROBLEM. HOWEVER THE SWARM DATA WE TALKED ABOUT ARE GENERALLY AVAILABLE, AND WE HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE MODELS.WE KNOW WHERE WE CAN GET THEM. PLACER AI IS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT. AND FOR GENERAL PLANNING, I THINK THEY DO PRETTY WELL, AND WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS WORK WITH THE INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS WHO HAVE SPECIFIC NEEDS AS FAR AS PLANNING AND WE CAN GO OUT AND TALK TO THOSE VENDORS AND SEE WHAT'S AVAILABLE FOR THEM.
SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY JUST FOR US TO PRESENT OUR RESEARCH TO YOU, GIVE YOU THIS INFORMATION AS YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU PROVIDE IT TO DIFFERENT BUSINESS AND WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU WITH THAT.
>> PELAEZ: COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA. >> ROCHA GARCIA: THANK YOU.
AND THANK YOU CRAIG AND THE TEAM. AND EMILY, I WAS AT A CONFERENCE THIS WEEK AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT AI, AND I LOOKED UP THE SAN JOSE -- THE GOVERNMENT AI COALITION, AND YOUR REFERENCE DOES ONE OF THE POLICY LEADS THERE, SO I APPRECIATE THE WORK ON THAT, AND I WAS WONDERING IF WE HAVE A POLICY IN PLACE ALREADY FOR SAN ANTONIO.
>> SO IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AI -- >> ROCHA GARCIA: YEAH.
IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT. I KNOW IT RELATES ESPECIALLY TO PLACER AND
ALL OF THAT. .>> THIS IS NOT -- FIRST OF ALL, I CAN ANSWER YOUR QUESTION SEPARATELY, BUT AI IS NOT INVOLVED IN THIS.
NOW, AI WILL BE INVOLVED. BUT TODAY THIS IS A BUY OF DATA. BUT, YES, SEVERAL AI STANDARDS AND POLICIES
HERE IN PLACE IN THE CITY. >> ROCHA GARCIA: OKAY.
GOOD. I DON'T -- I DON'T REMEMBER SEEING IT SPECIFICALLY, LIKE, THE LAST TIME WE DID OUR ADS, SO DO YOU
REMEMBER WHAT YEAR WE PUT THOSE IN PLACE? >> LET'S TALK ABOUT.
>> ROCHA GARCIA: OKAY. LOVE IT. I WAS HAPPY TO SEE THAT YOU ALL HAVE STAFF PARTICIPATION. WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO PREVENT THE DUPLICATIONS OF EFFORTS BASICALLY AND HELP GAIN COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS, I APPRECIATE THAT, SO I SEE HOW THIS COULD BE HELPFUL IN THAT REGARD, SO I'M LOVING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON THAT.
I UNDERSTAND IT'S NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL. I WAS ALSO WONDERING HOW THE COMPLICATION -- AND YOU REFERENCED IT, WHICH IS WHY I ASKED VISIT SAN ANTONIO EARLIER ABOUT THE COOKIES, BUT THE EU HAS A MORE ROBUST DATA PROTECTION LAW, AND SO THEY HAVE THE GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION, AND SO I'M WONDERING IF THAT -- WHAT TYPE OF TECHN TECHNOLOGIES ARE STILL USED IN THE EU THAT STILL HELP ACHIEVE SOME OF THEIR GOALS THAT THE CITIES ARE ABLE TO USE, DO YOU KNOW?
ARE YOU FAMILIAR? >> I'M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THAT OFFHAND, BUT I WILL TELL YOU, WE HAVE WORKED WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. BECAUSE OF EU RULES OF THEIR RESIDENTS ENTERING THROUGH SAN ANTONIO, WE'VE HAD THOSE CONVERSATIONS OF WHAT THOSE RULES ARE AND HOW WE PROTECT OURSELF IN THAT CONVERSATION.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE THE TOOLS, NECESSARILY IN THE EU AT THAT POINT.
>> ROCHA GARCIA: GOT IT. AND THAT'S WHY I WAS ASKING BECAUSE OF THE RELATIONSHIPS WE CONTINUE TO BUILD, AND I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU WERE HERE FOR THE VISIT SAN ANTONIO PRESENTATION AND AS WE'RE TARGETING MORE INTERNATIONAL MARKETS, WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE, FOR INSTANCE, THEY COME FOR INTERNATIONAL, THEY STAY LONGER, AND SO I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WORKS. IT'S A WEB TO FIGURE OUT.
>> YEAH. I THINK THE SIMPLEST WAY TO PUT IT, THE MORE STRINGENT EU RULES WE MUST ABIDE BY FOR THEIR RESIDENTS WHILE THEY'RE HERE IN OUR CITY, SO THAT'S AN UNDERSTANDING PRIMARILY WHILE THEY'RE AT THE CONVENTION CENTER OR AIRPORT, ARE WE ABIDING BY THE RULES AND
THE FIRST BLUSH A YEAR AGO WAS WE ARE. >> ROCHA GARCIA: OKAY.
THANK YOU. AND THEN I'M WONDERING -- I FEEL THAT THERE'S A LOT MORE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE CAN USE TO SEE, LIKE, FOR INSTANCE, HOW SIGNIFICANT ACCESS TO PARKS IS AND EVENTUALLY IN HEALTH; RIGHT? SO TALKING ABOUT THE SWARM DATA MODELS, ET CETERA, I FEEL LIKE THAT'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE OUR BEST ALTERNATIVE TO BE PREDICTING, RIGHT, OF THE TRENDS AND HEALTH TRENDS AND HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS. I WOULD ALSO LOVE TO SEE HOW IT RELATES TO THE
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SERVICES PROVIDED BY FIRE, BY A FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A HOSPITAL THAT RECENTLY CLOSED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF TOWN, AND SO HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY NOW GOING TO THE HOSPITALS, RIGHT, AND TRAVELS A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, AND I'M JUST WONDERING IF WE'RE ABLE TO START CONSIDERING SOME OF THOSE THINGS ALREADY OR IF YOU THINKTHAT IT'S TOO SOON. >> NO. I THINK IF WE CAN OUTLINE THAT USE CASE WE'RE TALKING TO, WE CAN SEE WHAT THE VENDORS HAVE IN THAT. AGAIN, NOT GIVING YOU ACCURATE HEAD COUNTS, BUT IF PEOPLE GO TO THIS HOSPITAL, WHERE DO THEY COME FROM, YOU COULD GET
THAT INFORMATION. >> ROCHA GARCIA: YEAH. AND THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR, HOW IT HELPS WITH THE HEALTHCARE ACCESS OR THE LACK OF ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE REALLY ON THE SOUTH SIDE OR EVEN ON THE EAST SIDE AS WELL; RIGHT? AND SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.
I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS. I THINK THAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MAYBE A CHART TO SEE MAYBE WHERE THIS LIVES OR WHO'S GOING TO BE THE ONE THAT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR, LIKE, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ANY FUTURE, FOR INSTANCE, EVEN VENDOR POLICIES AND HOW VENDORS ARE USING POLICIES, ET
CETERA. >> TO ANSWER THAT, I AM, CIO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL TECHNOLOGY PRACTICES BUT WHAT I'LL NEED IS THE DEPARTMENTS TO OWN THE USE CASES AND THE USE OF THAT SENSE; RIGHT.
>> ROCHA GARCIA: PERFECT. THANK YOU, CRAIG, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> VIAGRAN: THANK YOU, CRAIG, FOR THE PRESENTATION. I'M GLAD TO SEE THE NEXT STEPS. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BROOKES ON THE SOUTH SIDE IF YOU WANT TO PILOT ANYTHING. I'M ALREADY -- I'M READY TO PILOT, LIKE, CCBT AT BROOKES, SO WHENEVER YOU WANT TO DO THAT AND SEE WHAT DATA WE CAN COLLECT OR IF YOU WANT TO TRY ANY OF THE PARKS TECHNOLOGY OUT THERE, I'M OFFERING BROOKES FOR -- I'MG BROOKES FOR THAT BECAUSE THEY HAVE EVENTS, THEY HAVE EVERYTHING THAT WE WOULD SEE BEFORE WE TAKE THIS CITYWIDE TO SEE WHAT TECHNOLOGY WORKS BEST FOR THAT.
>> YEP. >> VIAGRAN: SO, NO -- I MEAN, THE DATA IS OUT THERE AND WE CAN GET IT, WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GET IT IN A MANNER THAT DOESN'T VIOLATE RIGHTS OR LOOKS
A LITTLE. >> I FEEL COMFORTABLE WE'LL BE ABLE TO COMPLY WITH ALL OF THAT, WHAT I WANT TO DO IS MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT GETTING DATA FOR DATA'S SAKE BUT SOLVING FOR A SPECIFIC PROBLEM WE'RE TRYING TO
SOLVE FOR. >> VIAGRAN: AND THE TECHNOLOGY IS OUT THERE WHERE WE CAN GET THAT, AND THE OTHER THING I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS WHERE WE TALK ABOUT EVENTS, AND WORLD HERITAGE IS A GREAT PLACE TO START, BUT AS WE BRING IN DOME PARKING LIKE THE FINAL FOUR, THAT THE TECHNOLOGY IS OUT THERE, BUT WHENEVER WE NEED TO -- YOU KNOW, I'M TRUSTING ON YOU TO SAY, YEAH, WE'VE GOT THE DATA, BUT WE STILL NEED SOMEONE LOGISTICALLY TO COME GET THIS
DONE. >> YEAH AND SOMEONE WHO OWNS THE RESULT OF IT IN THAT SENSE, SO DOWNTOWN VEHICLE TRAFFIC, WE COULD COUNT VEHICLE CARS ALL DAY LONG, WE COULD GET THAT, THE QUESTION IS WHAT DO YOU WANT TO
DO WITH IT ONCE YOU GET THAT. >> VIAGRAN: YEAH.
EXACTLY. AND I'M COUNTING ON YOU TO SAY WE HAVE THIS DATA BUT NOW IT'S TIME FOR SOMEONE TO COME IN AND TAKE THIS OUT.
BUT I'M OFFERING BROOKES AS A PILOT AREA. >> PELAEZ: THAT'S A REALLY GOOD IDEA. I REMEMBER YOU HELPED ME CREATE THE INNOVATION ZONES RIGHT, AND BROOKES IS THE FIRST ONE FOL FOLLOWED BY DOWNTOWN MEDICAL CENTER, AND THE POINT WAS TO HAVE PROVING GROUNDS SO WE COULD TEST OUT NEW TECHNOLOGIES, SO THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN.
COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, CRAIG, FOR THE PRESENTATION.
THE MARKET ANALYSIS DOCUMENT IS VERY HELPFUL, AND FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE CITY OF ASHEVILLE, I KNOW IT HAS A PRIMARY FOCUS TOWARDS AIRPORTS AND VISIT NORTH CAROLINA AS WELL.
IN YA'LL'S SEARCH, DID YA'LL FIND THAT VISIT NORTH CAROLINA WAS SHARING THAT INFORMATION WITH THE CITY OF ASHEVILLE, WHAT WAS THAT
RELATIONSHIP ON ASHEVILLE? >> YES.
SO, NO, WE DID NOT FIND THAT DATA SHARING WAS OCCURRING, THAT WAS PRIMARILY FOR THE CITY OF ASHEVILLE, THEY CONTRACTED DIRECTLY WITH THAT VENDOR TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE BUT NOT SHARING EXTERNALLY.
>> CASTILLO: THAT'S HELPFUL. AND WITH THE VENDORS, CRAIG, YOU GAVE AN EXAMPLE THERE WAS ONE THAT'S MILITARY GRADE LOCATION FINDING, WHAT'S IMPORTANT FOR ME AND MANY CONSTITUENTS IS TO ENSURE WE'RE PROTECTING AND ADDRESSING ANY PRIVACY CONCERNS THAT FOLKS MAY HAVE, RIGHT, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, ARE THERE ANY OF THESE VENDORS THAT ARE COLLECTING ANY IDENTIFYING INFORMATION, WHETHER IT'S AN IP OR
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ANY ACCOUNT INFORMATION? ARE EACH OF THESE VENDORS COLLECTING THAT? IS THERE ONE THAT DOESN'T TOUCH ANY INFORMATION.>> YEAH. SO AT THIS LEVEL OF RESEARCH, WE WOULDN'T HAVE GONE THAT DEEP, WE WOULD HAVE DONE A GENERAL SENSE, BUT AS WE GO AND DECIDE TO CONTRACT OR TO SEE IF WE WANT TO CONTRACT, WE HAVE A PROCESS WE FOLLOW TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS AND DEVELOP THAT BEFORE
WE CONTACT THE HAVE BEEN DOOR. >> CASTILLO: AND THEN I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND AS WELL, RIGHT, HOW DO WE PROTECT THE PRIVACY AND IDENTITY OF INDIVIDUALS THAT MAY BE TRACKED WHETHER -- HOWEVER THE VENDOR -- HOWEVER THEY GO ABOUT IT, PROTECTING THEM IN THAT -- HOW WILL THAT INFORMATION BE SHARED WITH THE POLICE IF NECESSARY.
HOW WOULD THEY GET THAT INFORMATION. >> SO THIS IS NOT DATA WE WOULD OWN, THIS IS DATA WE COULD BUY, SO WE COULD PICK THE FIELDS WE PULL DOWN AND USE, SO WE WOULD NOT TAKE DOWN ANY FIELDS IF THEY HAVE THEM
THAT WOULD PUT US IN JEOPARDY IF NEEDED. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU.
THOSE ARE HELPFUL POINTS BECAUSE FOR CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD WITH CONSTITUENTS, THERE'S COMMENTS ABOUT SURVEILLANCE, TRACKING,
AND OVERALL PRIVACY. >> SO IN THE CASES WITH OUR OWN DATA, ABSOLUTELY AGREE, BUT THIS IS A CASE WHERE WE ONLY BUY WHAT WE NEED BASICALLY.
>> CASTILLO: OKAY. UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU, CRAIG, THANK
YOU, CHAIR. >> WHYTE: THANK YOU AT THE PRESENTATION, AT THE OUTSET I'LL SAY -- AND THIS IS NOT TO POUR COLD WATER ON ANY OF THIS, BUT I ECHO THE COUNCILWOMAN'S CONCERNS. I MEAN, PRIVACY HAS GOT TO BE NUMBER 1. I DO NOT WANT TO SURVEIL OUR CITIZENS OR HAVE IT APPEAR LIKE WE'RE DOING
SO. >> CORRECT. >> WHYTE: THAT'S JUST AN ABSOLUTE NONSTARTER FOR ME, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR EXPLANATION THAT THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE AND WE'RE NOT GATHERING PERSONAL INFORMATION, AND I THINK THAT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT JUST BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT, NUMBER 1, AND NUMBER 2, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THAT WE ARE NOT DOING THAT AS WELL. WITH THAT SAID, JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. HOW -- ITSD AND WORLD HERITAGE OFFICE, HOW DO THEY APPROACH THE TESTING AND EXPLORATION OF SOME OF THE NEW TECHNOLOGY OPTIONS, I GUESS, TO IMPROVE TRACKING ATTENDANCE AT
EVENTS. >> SO I'M JUMPING TO A CONCLUSION HERE, WE NEED TO WALK THROUGH THIS, BUT THEY'LL NEED A SENSOR TECHNOLOGY TO SOLVE A PROBLEM, SO GO CONTRACT WITH A COUPLE OF VENDORS IN A PROTO TYPE PHASE, TRY A COUPLE OF SENSORS OUT, RUN IT FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS, SEE WHAT DATA WE GET, RUN IT FORWARD, AND THEN FOLLOWING PROCUREMENT, WE NEED TO GO OUT AND CONTRACT WITH A VENDOR TO DO THIS TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY AND LET PEOPLE BID AND SEE WHO COULD BRING THAT
TECHNOLOGY TO US. >> WHYTE: OKAY. MAKES SENSE.
BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF USING THIS OFF-THE-SHELF DATA, CAN
YOU ELABORATE ON THOSE. >> DRAWBACKS ARE ALWAYS IT'S -- IT'S ONLY AS GOOD AS WHAT THEY HAVE, AND YOU DON'T ALWAYS KNOW WHERE THEY GOT IT FROM, RIGHT. THAT'S CRAIG'S PERSONAL OPINION, AND SO IT BECOMES VERY GENERAL IN THAT SENSE, WHICH IS GOOD, AND THE BENEFITS BECAUSE NOW WE'RE NOT PULLING DOWN SPECIFICS AND PERSONAL DATA LIKE YOU TALKED ABOUT. READY AREADILY AVAILABLE, MEANING YOU CAN CONTRACT A SUP SCRIPTION, PULL IT DOWN, VERSUS YOUR DATA AND YOU CAN MANIPULATE IT THE WAY YOU WANT TO. SO I THINK OF IT LIKE -- I ALWAYS GO BACK TO A MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION; RIGHT? YOU COULD JUST SAY I WANT THIS ONE THIS MONTH, THIS ONE THIS MONTH, YOU COULD PULL IT DOWN FOR SPECIFIC CASES, BUT IT'S ONLY GOOD FOR THAT MOMENT WHEN YOU DO IT. IF YOU WANT TO CONSTANTLY UPDATE THEIR DATA, YOU'VE GOT TO PAY FOR THAT OVER TIME AND THEN YOU GET INTO A BIG DATA MODEL AS YOU GO FURTHER. BUT FOR A USE CASE, I HAVE A USE CASE, PULL IT DOWN, SOLVE A PROBLEM, AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT
ONE. >> WHYTE: RIGHT. YOU KNOW, WHAT'S INTERESTING IS -- AND COUNCILMAN PELAEZ AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COULD BE DONE HERE IS START TO Y UNDERSTAND USING THIS TECHNOLOGY -- START TO UNDERSTAND VISITOR -- LIKE, WHEN THEY COME TO OUR CITY, IF THEY GO SEE A SHOW AT THE MAJESTIC, WHERE IS IT THEY GO AFTER THAT OR WHERE DO THEY GO MAYBE BEFORE THEN, RIGHT.
AND SO IT COULD HELP THEORETICALLY FROM AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
[01:25:04]
STANDPOINT; RIGHT. >> RIGHT. AND SO THE INTERNATIONAL PART, I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT, WE'D HAVE TO FIGURE THAT OUT, BUT WHERE DO THEY COME FROM IN SAN ANTONIO, WE COULD ACTUALLY RUN THOSE
SCENARIOS. >> WHYTE: RIGHT. AND I COULD SEE HOW IT COULD BENEFIT IN A NUMBER OF WAYS, JUST AS LONG AS WE'RE KEEPING PRIVACY CONSIDERATIONS AT THE FOREFRONT. THANKS.
>> PELAEZ: SO WE GET 40 MILLION VISITORS A YEAR HERE. THEY'RE NOT DRIVING IN FROM FRANKFURT SO I'M NOT CONCERNED ABOUT VIOLATING THEIR EU
RIGHTS. >> RIGHT. >> PELAEZ: I WANT TO KNOW HOW THEY GOT INTO TOWN, RIGHT. FROM WHICH DIRECTION, I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF THEY'RE FROM WIZLY CO, MECHANICALLEN, OR KYLE BECAUSE I THINK THAT'LL HELP INFORM VISIT SAN ANTONIO WHERE THEY ADVERTISE; RIGHT? NUMBER 2, I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW LONG DOWNTOWN THEY LINGER, HOW LONG IS THE RIVER INTERESTING UNTIL THEY COME UP TO THE SERVICE AND WHERE THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO VISIT, AND THEN THE -- ONCE WE KNOW THESE THINGS AND THE MOVEMENTS OF THE SWARM, I THINK THEY'RE ABLE TO BETTER RESOLVE EMERGENCY SITUATIONS OR CROWD MANAGEMENT DURING FIESTA OR SHUTTLING PEOPLE BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN LARGE COMPETING EVENTS, AND NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF CREATING MAJOR ENTERTAINMENT, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT WE GET AHEAD OF THESE QUESTIONS AS OPPOSED TO HAVING TO REACT LATER TO -- WHY DO WE HAVE A TRAFFIC PROBLEM AND HOW DO WE MANAGE PEDESTRIANS, AND SO I THINK THIS IS ALSO REALLY GOOD AT TEACHING US HOW TO DO NEW THINGS; RIGHT? THE -- PRY MEDICAL RECORDLY IMPORTANT IS THAT WE PROTECT PEOPLE'S DATA ESPECIALLY IN CYBER USA, SO I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THAT'S A PRIORITY FOR YOU AS WELL, AND I DON'T NEED TO KNOW THAT IT WAS MRS. MARTINEZ AND I DON'T NEED TO KNOW HER ADDRESS AND DON'T NEED TO KNOW WHAT PICTURES SHE CLICKED LIKE ON, ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER; RIGHT? BUT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO KNOW THAT AN UNANIMOUS GROUP OF PEOPLE ARE MORE LIKELY TO COME FROM, YOU KNOW, THE I-10 HIGHWAY 90 AREA VERSUS HIGHWAY
95 410 AREA. THAT INFORMS DECISIONS. >> SO EVEN THOSE TWO DECISIONS -- ONE IS A VEHICLE-BASED SCENARIO, NOW TALKING ABOUT DIFFERENT KIND OF DATA, AND SO WHERE DO YOU GET WHERE VEHICLES -- TRACKING VEHICLES AND WHERE THEY CAME FROM, THAT'S A CLEAR THING TO THINK ABOUT. THE OTHER ONE FROM THE RIVERWALK UP TO THE STREET IS A PERSONAL DATA, PERSON, FOOT TRAFFIC, BACK TO THESE SCENARIOS, SO PUT UP SENSOR TECHNOLOGY TO TRACK PEOPLE -- NOT PEOPLE THEMSELVES, SEEING MOVEMENT IN A CERTAIN AREA, THAT WOULD
BE A WAY TO DO THAT AS WELL. >> PELAEZ: YEAH.
I WOULD ARGUE -- WE HAD HOPE IN HERE. IF I REMEMBER THE NUMBER IS 5 MILLION, THAT'S HOW MANY PEOPLE RIDE THE BARGES, SO WHAT HAPPENS AFTER 5 MILLION PEOPLE LEAVE THE BARGE, THEY'RE MORE INCLINED -- THEY'RE DONE WITH THE RIVER AND THEY GO UP TO THE SURFACE, AND IF SO, DO THEY TAKE A RIGHT OR LEFT AFTER THEY DISEMBARK THE BARGE BECAUSE IF THEY TAKE A RIGHT BUT ALL SIGNAGE IS ON THE LEFT, WELL WE HAVE DECISIONS TO MAKE REGARDING SIGNAGE PLACEMENT; RIGHT? SO I 100% AGREE WITH YOU, AND I'M JUST EXCITED THAT WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT WHICH -- WHAT PROBLEMS WE WANT TO SOLVE SO, YEAH, GO SOLVE PROBLEMS. SO WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS. SO HERE IT IS, WORK WITH PARKS AND THE OTHER IS PURCHASE, WHEN WILL WE SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> MY OPTION HERE IS I USE THE DEPARTMENTS DIRECTORS AS MY TERM OF CON DUE WIT, SO WHO IS A DIRECTOR THAT NEEDS ME TO SOLVE A PROBLEM TO LINE UP THE DATA. SO WHATEVER THE USE CASES SCENARIOS ARE WE WANT TO PUT TOGETHER, WE'LL DO THAT THROUGH DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS.
>> PELAEZ: SO ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO GO OUT AND TELL THEM, HEY WE'RE LOOKING TO SOLVE PROBLEMS
HOW COULD WE HELP YOU OR WAITIN. >> SO I WAS ANTICIPATING -- AND SORRY, CRAIG, I HADN'T SHARED THIS WITH YOU, BUT MAKING DIRECTOR DEPARTMENTS AWARE, SO ERIC CALLS US IN ONCE A MONTH FOR A DIRECTORS MEETING, AND WE'VE HAD SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT DATA, MOST OF THEM HAVE BEEN ABOUT HOW WE MANAGE AND WHAT WE DO, HOW WE MAKE DECISIONS ON THE DATA WE HAVE, I
[01:30:03]
THINK THIS IS AN EXTENSION OF THAT, TO MAKE SURE DIRECTORS AND DEPARTMENTS ARE AWARE OF WHAT DATA IS AVAILABLE TO HELP FURTHER INFORM THEIR DECISIONS. AND I THINK IT'S A CONSTANT CONVERSATION WITH EXPERTS THAT COULD HELP US NAVIGATE THAT, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S THE DIRECTORS THAT ARE SAYING -- THE SPECIFIC EXAMPLE I COULD THINK OF WAS WHEN CONVENTION SPORTS FACILITIES IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE DO WE PUT FOR PARKING RIDES BASED ON CON CERTS COMING IN, WHERE ARE PEOPLE DRIVING IN FROM SO WE KNOW, DO WE PUT IT HERE, PUT IT THERE, AND WE WERE ACTUALLY ABLE TO GET TICKETMASTER DATA THAT TOLD US WHERE PEOPLE WERE BUYING TICKETS FROM SO WE KNEW WHERE THEY WERE DRIVING IN FROM. SO IT'S A CONVERSATION WE NEED TO KEEP HAVING, BUT THEN KNOW THAT WE'VE GOT EXPERTS WE CAN CALL ON TO DO THAT SO WE DON'T FEEL LIKE WE'RE THE ONES THAT GO NAVIGATE AND DO THE MARKET ANALYSIS THEY'VE DONE, SO THAT'S THE NEXT STEP. I THINK THE EXAMPLE WITH WORLD HERITAGE, THOUGH, I KIND OF FEEL LIKE THAT'S A REALLY GOOD PILOT FOR SOMETHING -- PERHAPS MORE SIGNIFICANT DOWNTOWN OR PARKS IN GENERAL, WHEN YOU THINK OF HOW MANY PEOPLE COME INTO PARKS THROUGH DIFFERENT AVENUES, NOT LIKE WE DO THE COUNTER, I THINK WORLD HERITAGE KIND OF GIVES US A SMALLER SPACE TO PILOT SOMETHING THAT WE COULD USE MORE EXTENSIVELY ANDFIND THE RIGHT WAY TO DO IT. >> PELAEZ: THERE'S ONE LAST THING, AND I THINK WE'LL ADJOURN, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF PARKS, A LOT OF BEAUTIFUL PARKS, AND I HAVE A FEELING THERE ARE SO MANY OF THEM THAT AREN'T UTILIZED THE WAY WE WANT THEM TO AND WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER PEOPLE ARE VISITING THEM, AND I WAS IN A PARK THIS PAST WEEK CALLED DOUBLE-DOUBLE OVER ON THUNDER ROAD, THAT'S A GREAT -- AND SEE, LIKE YOU, I WAS LIKE I NEVER KNEW THIS THING WAS HERE, AND I WAS THERE AND THERE WAS NOBODY IN THE PARK, AND IT MAKES ME WONDER, ARE WE INVESTING A LOT OF MONEY IN ASSETS AND PEOPLE AREN'T THERE, AND IF THEY'RE NOT THERE, HOW DO WE SEND THEM THERE SO THAT WE CAN -- SO THAT THAT INVESTMENT IS WORTH THE DOLLARS WE'RE PUTTING INTO IT. SO ANYWAYS, GREAT CONVERSATION, AND I'M GEEKING OUT ALL OVER THIS. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE, CRAIG, UNLESS ANYBODY HAS FURTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS, I THINK THAT COMPLETES OUR MEETING FOR TODAY. YOU ALL HAVE A TERRIFIC WEEKEND. WE'LL SEE YOU IN
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.