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Okay, roll call.

Staff.

Committee member Andra.

Member Vice Chair Carol Donahue.

Here.

Chair David Garcia.

Present.

And committee member Valerie Ferwick is absent.

Excellent.

Okay, on to item three, minute approval.

Thanks.

And if it's just for the right feet.

I'm moved to closely fast.

That's what the next step is.

Yes.

Do we have a second?

I second.

All in favor.

Okay.

Um do we have any item four, any oral communication from the public?

Yes.

Oh, what?

And it's for this portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the committee on any matter not on the agenda.

Speakers are limited to three minutes.

State law prohibits the committee from acting on any non-agenda items.

Should I move or you can do it?

Or do you anywhere you want to go?

Yeah.

Sorry.

My name is Connor Day, managing director of CLU Theater, one of the resident companies at MPCPA.

On Friday, August 15th, we received a letter from center staff with updates on operating procedures for city-owned equipment use at the center.

This most recent update clarified the existing policy by mandating that all main stage productions shall be supported by a minimum of three MVCPA state cans and loading to load out and two for second stage.

As a nonprofit committed to keeping our operation costs low to ensure our programs are accessible.

Update is a major financial hit.

For PYT, it equates to a 35 to 40% year year cost increase for our main stage use and a 25 to 30% increase for second stage.

We also know that there are more potential fee increases on the way upwards of 55% over the next three years from the sprint citywide fee study.

Originally, the new procedures that went into effect on June 1st simply stated that clients must hire city state chance to operate any necessary city equipment.

Since those updates went into effect, our creative staff have put us in a significant amount of time to design our phone musical to avoid use of the main curtain and ringing system, as well as to acquire our own soundboard.

This newest update seems now to render this class saving methods irrelevant.

When we asked in our staff this week about for specific information about what these require stage would be doing, we were told their roles would be determined at production planning meetings with MPCPA, which we will schedule as soon as possible.

This summer we used MPCPA stage hands as required for lights and sound, funded by the city as it was not in our contract signed a year prior to the productions.

However, we observed that several of these new hires lacked basic training on the equipment and required real-time training from our staff and volunteers.

Additionally, we often pay for staff who are not readily available when needed, spending in time and under other parts of the building.

Thus, we did not find that their presence made operations safer more efficient.

I share more detailed feedback with center staff about our summer experience very soon.

We understand that operation costs are rising across the board.

But as supporters of the arts, you know that the sector has continued to struggle to keep up, and arts companies continue to close at an alarming rate.

With all this in mind, my point tonight is that your nonprofit partner of 30 years is struggling to continue to afford using this spending.

We have already increased our tuition rates upwards of 15% this year and cannot realistically generate much more revenue in such a short period of time.

If these requirements remain in place, our time at MPCPA is likely to come to an end very soon.

Do we have anyone via Zoom at the time at the moment?

Not at this moment.

Thank you.

Okay.

So then we are on to um item five, unfinished business.

None.

Correct.

Yes.

Great.

Okay, six new business six point one.

Um review the work plan essentially.

So this will be behind the minutes, right?

Yes.

Next slide.

Based on our discussion from our previous meeting, it should be all in there looking at seed food and whatnot.

Staff, do you want to give any notes on this right now?

Sure.

I think um what for clarification, I would just um like the annual resident compete, annual resident company presentations.

That's kind of a standing item on our work plan and resident companies up stage theater work, Silicon Valley and Peninsula you'd be able to give um their presentations on an annual basis.

Um, the MVCPA client UCs, patron attendance, quarterly reports, those are standing items.

Um, and then obviously A is uh uh a new item um working with the other committees that we've been working on actually for a couple years then, but we're we're we're getting fruition to that.

So we're excited about that.

And then uh on page two, obviously a review of second stage reduced fee programming to encourage additional usage.

That's a new one.

We're working with ad hoc committee, pretty close to being finished on that.

Um, and then a review of the Art and Wine Festival in September and increasing community connections, those are both new items for the subcontinue.

But how can we have ABC and then one, two, three?

I think the ongoing work items are ABC and then the new for fiscal year is one, two, three.

Oh it's a template.

Okay, got it.

I'm just wondering.

Not a big deal.

I don't really have like a true like I know.

Yeah, small as you it's a template that we did set.

So I'm just assuming that's okay.

They are slightly different.

You know, I think that I don't know if closely county paste to these work plans, but under B resident company presentation and questions from PAC.

Oh, I know they got it.

You know, I was just thinking we're reviewing the questions we're going to ask.

Uh, but this says that PAC is going to question them.

Is that what it means?

No, that's I mean, that's what will happen.

We're reviewing the questions tonight, but when we give them the questions, they will come and do their presentation and answer the questions we've provided them.

Right.

So is there any other way we could phrase this?

Make that clearer.

So presentation and answer questions from back.

Yeah.

Okay.

Is that what we're looking for?

It's clearer.

It is clear.

I mean, I know what's going to happen, but any future applicants looking it up online.

Like I agree.

I agree.

Priority is good.

Do we have um small detectives?

Do we want to bump change to bring attention if anyone does look at it?

Livability, quality of life, tell the ongoing, uh, put that first and then put discuss options, just small things that people see as a part of the council priorities plan.

This is item A.

Do you want um in support of first of council priorities of livability quality and a life and then discuss options?

Or I would say that's fine.

Okay, either way, I was just seeing I am kind of filled in the idea that we are part of the livability and quality of life at a glance.

Okay, I liked it.

Yeah, okay.

I take it back, but I say okay, yeah.

So then we just start about livability, so that I mean it'll be the first thing that they'll see on the you know, continuing to build that softly into everyone's mind.

So we want to in support of council, it'll start there.

Priorities of livability and quality of life and economic benefit discussed discuss options to deserve diversify and increase.

Right, that's fine, yeah.

I just want to make sure because I gotta turn this in to that so um otherwise, I really do think that everything is on here that we've been discussing for the past couple years.

I don't know.

I'm trying to still catch in, still kind of just speed, but that's okay.

Um I feel like we've got a good okay.

Let me I'm looking at this uh upper right box visual arts downtown.

These committees respectively formed an ad hoc committee to collaborate.

We don't need discussion in there.

Oh, to collaborate or to discuss future collaborations, something to discuss uh future further collaboration.

Okay, brain's net.

Um it's a Friday, Carol.

It's not it's not a Wednesday.

We're at the end of our I'd like to collaborate.

I think that's just collaborate, yeah.

Okay, right.

Like we we've got what our what your guys' is, you know, diversify and increase the use of mountain view center for the performing art.

Well, besides that, if it's a committee, there will be discussion, yes, exactly.

Okay, so okay, and then below that first ad hoc committee meeting scheduled or well.

I mean, it already happened, so did it happen.

Uh this ad hoc committee did already meet yeah earlier in the year.

So we met the current status is that met July 2025.

Or an hoc committee first met in July.

And then just have a continued and and plans future meetings or something.

I don't know.

Well, I think that's in on the milestone that's kind of implied.

Okay, the July 25th to February 26th.

Okay, oh yeah, right.

Yeah, we'll keep we'll keep meeting.

No, yeah, current status resident companies the annual presentation.

Okay, why do I have this note?

It's just fine the way it is.

Okay, um and then um for MVPCA client usage, patron attendance, and resulting ancillary spending in mountain you thought that's just an explanation.

I mean, it's not an impact report, but oh, you mean to title it?

It'd be interesting to just be clear for people to give it a yeah, a certain we could add I like where you're headed with that.

So yes, we could say um provide impact report and then move all this MVC, you know, that over to milestones, okay, client usage, patron attendance resulting in the option.

Okay, is impact report the correct title for you?

Yeah, I'm just talking internally.

I don't know.

No, no, no, no.

I mean, you're fine.

Do quarterly impact report.

Oh, that's good.

Yeah, wait, no one's confused us the annual or the whole yeah.

So anyway, may I go back to the um ongoing work items for the host seasonal gallery receptions with visual artists?

Yes.

Um, what's the current status and notes on that?

On what the ad hoc committee oh that's that's part of the ad hoc committee.

Or oh, this is all within the yes, the okay, yeah.

So there yeah, it's uh all under that.

I see.

Okay, so then there's no current status there because it has met and may have talked about the hosting.

Well, we do have status, but I'll do that under separate board.

And then it's not, we haven't there's no current status on it because that hasn't happened.

It hasn't happened yet.

The hosting the gallery reception hasn't occurred yet.

So there's there's no notes or current status.

Anything else?

Yes.

And then we're just calling it a quarterly impact report.

We've titled it now.

Right.

Which is good because it's a standing, you know, like the annual resident company presentations is a standing item.

Um where are we at with the art and wine situation?

Oh, I just no, I'm just looking at it on the the that should be under two committee and stuff.

Oh, and announcements.

Oh no, no, I just meant for uh because I was just thinking about because it's for 2025, and so we may want to just switch two and three is my only thought because I see more community in order of importance for repassing it to put increased community connections above it, but it's up to however.

Oh, I see that's all do you guys want to switch two and three?

Any thoughts?

Well, I probably because the anniversary celebration planning data is probably a bigger deal than where close how close are we to done on the second stage reduced fee as well.

Well, it's got to go to legal for yeah, okay, still okay.

You guys need to meet and tell me what we want to do.

Okay, let's keep that one.

And then I I'm up I'm in favor of switching three two and three is all okay, but if the that's it, and then otherwise I think I feel shape more will come over time.

Any other thoughts?

We have to we have a motion, right?

Oh yeah, I moved that we accept the work plan with the uh adjustments change edits, whatever that we discussed.

Excellent.

And to let um the center's managers submit it to without further excellent all in favor, passes unanimously.

Excellent, great.

Okay, great.

Um 6.2 review and approval of resident company presentation questions maybe an attachment.

Yeah, so these are the annual questions that we had which we gave to our um resident companies last year.

Um we had we asked asked them to in their presentation answer these five questions.

So we can basically change the questions, revise the questions, whatever you guys would like to do.

But one was what type of marketing and community collaboration does your company conduct, and what do you think was successful?

Keep in mind these are for just the previous season for that, and then number two, what education program or programs have you delivered and where and how did you evaluate their effectiveness?

Number three, what is the breakdown of your audience demographics and how has that changed in the last five years?

Number four, what social media platforms do you employ and how would you rank them in order of usefulness in creating awareness, decreasing audience engagement and ticket sales?

And number five, how did diversity inform the programming choices for the previous and upcoming season?

And what did you learn?

This year I'm kind of interested.

So also changed from home company to resident company right there at the top.

And I am curious with the state of the arts and with and with whatnot and going on with our resident companies and looking to see how we can structurally be better partners with the resident companies, which I feel like we've always had the intention to, but don't quite have the data to do that or haven't had the dialogue directly with our resident companies.

So my thought is asking some structural questions initially, too, is where I was wondering, you know, specifically about not necessarily to and to interrogate their organizations, but for us to glean knowledge from them in order to be more informed committee members and truly be partners in that.

Um, because we've long wanted to support them, whether that's social media or different ways, but without maybe certain um again, really looking into the organizations and where their struggles or where they are doing well and excelling in, I feel like we don't actually have the data that we've been wanting.

So this is an initial thought and kind of changing the direction or type of questions that we are asking, but that's just what I wanted to say real quick.

I have some other thoughts, but also want to hear what people have to say.

Well, I think I'm in agreement with that, and I had several ideas for this and maybe coming up with different categories for the questions.

My question to you, Teresa, uh, are they required to submit the 990 form?

Um we don't I haven't asked them to do that because that's public record.

You can forget it.

Right.

No, but I mean for their report if they had that for members.

So you guys won't you guys want to see that?

So what we happened in the past, so I'll be frank.

What happened in the past is they would submit it to staff, and then we never brought it to the meeting because then it becomes really a matter of public record in us when it's already a matter of public record as far as being.

Okay.

As a as a final one secret.

Right.

I mean, we can always look, I mean, we can we instead of because the 990 will give us direct budget insight and whatnot into the health of their org, but we can also look at it and in the we can ask them for a narrative as well for us for them to give some budget or some sort of narrative in our in our questions that we ask them.

So to not negate the intention of receiving the 990, I think is a good idea.

So continuing with some again looking at health through the through figures essentially, but ask it in a narrative way.

Now, when you're asking for a narrative, are we like asking these orgs like how do I phrase this?

Like how much of their um business or revenue is coming from the performing side of it versus other stuff?

Like, is that the breakdown?

We're trying to understand.

That so potentially that could be a question that we ask.

One of the things that a question that I have is the break-even point.

You know, um, what is your break-even point and how um is your how do your spending decisions align with realistic revenue projections?

That's one instance to I think break-even is actually a great way for us to see um the health of the org as well and see what information they gave back to us.

Of course, it's always potential that I mean, we can always have follow-up questions if for some reason.

But yeah, so things like that.

Could you repeat the thing you said after the break-even point?

You said about how that and how your spending decisions align with um realistic revenue projections.

Okay.

Which again, you know, in multiple ways provides the city and the public with information about how we can support them in that regard.

I mean, and it's always worth noting, right?

The resident companies have a privileged position in that overhead is reduced to some degree.

Um, and so I mean, that's also a potential question is you know, based on overhead savings by being a resident company.

Uh, how does that saving impact their capacity?

Or does it impact the capacity, or are they still filling gaps with that overhead reduction?

Because we are a rental facility, so that question begins to orient more towards that as well.

Well, you know, under the category of organ is the organization itself.

So to have them discuss any changes in leadership or staffing, how do these impact organizational effectiveness?

And I like to go back to the board.

How many people serve on your board?

What is the names of any mountain view board members?

Do you want names or do you want like the percentage of your board that's not what I mean?

I'm open to suggestions.

You know, I mean the people in it's one.

Just how many, how many?

That's probably better.

Do we have any interest in asking um or sorry, I don't want to get okay, um, about where structurally they may be overspending, or in that regard where we where we say where there might be, yes, where there might be overspending in on the organizations.

I can imagine necessarily, but it's worth possibly looking at it and the plan to address any overspending as well.

How would we do that?

I mean, we would ask the question and see what the answer is.

In the overall org or within the presentation aspect.

That's always a tricky aspect.

Um that is a uh because we want to I I so I'm I'm gonna ask a question because I'm thinking maybe where you're headed is like what goes through my head is think like not overspending, but what unanticipated expenses did you have?

Expenses, I think a better way of encapsulating that especially the unanticipated, like because that happens to organizations.

It's like, you know, it happens to all of us in life.

It's like my car broke down, great.

Now I gotta fix it.

You know, like what what happened to the organization that was unanticipated that caused that potentially could have caused an overspending?

Sure, yeah.

I do like that wording.

Um just something to encapsulate the again expenses, and just for us to get a picture of again expenses as time goes on.

And do we ask them like um a strategic plan for the following year?

A specific a specific strategic plan, like uh not for the whole organization, or like a theory of impact or something of the sort.

I guess I'm just trying to ask, like, what's their plan for the next year's?

What are they thinking?

Programming wise, programming-wise is what I'm thinking.

Okay, one of the so there's a couple also on top of that too, because programming wise and um the question I had was what are you doing structurally to evolve your programming and audience development?

And is that does that encapsulate some of the ideas that you're thinking about, or do you would you like a more specific aspect to that?

You asked about the structure of the program.

Yeah, so what are you doing structurally to evolve your programming and audience development?

Right.

I guess.

Or is there something more tangible that you're wanting to ask as well?

I think I'm I'm trying to look at is like the growth strategic plan.

Like you know, like where are you going in the next five years, you know, and kind of getting that sense so we can also plan to align with where they're going.

Yeah, it's an interesting, it raises interesting questions, I think already with um with some of our resident companies as well.

We're gonna get vastly updating the car in front of the horse here, but we'll get vastly different answers from um QIT right now, but then also uh theaterworks and then upstage.

So we can't do we feel like the next five years is the right time frame for that?

Five years for what it has been happening with some of our resident companies, I feel like is a long it maybe three years, I haven't we are but we're already looking at some to speak structurally and openly.

Um we're already you know, looking with we already put so many changes on on some of our resident companies within their contracts that um I do feel like the timeline might be a little bit broad with some of the resident company changes.

But that's true.

So they're still adjusting and still adjusting five years out.

And then maybe I mean maybe they are so you feel it's too soon to ask that question because of all the changes that are but the spirit of it, I do feel should be asked.

Um maybe we ask it in such a way of um what in what in your strategic plan would you like to share with the committee in the general group, you know, potentially this like some some might have a five year strategic plan, some might have a three year summer you know, like upstage is gonna be probably not that far out, right?

Um you know, but what is it about their strategic plan that they think that you guys need to know?

Okay, yeah, that's relevant.

I think that's good because the strategic plan itself is takes a lot of explanation.

Yeah, but that's like a weekend itself.

So I don't know if this is related, but discuss any current or upcoming changes in artistic direction.

Is that about in line with strategic stuff or what yeah?

Again, the evolving programming and audience development is kind of what I was specifically asked.

Because it moved it away, yeah.

Well, because I was trying to move it away from the artistic aspect to see.

I I mean, I you know, we all have our opinions, and at the same time, yes, I'm not sure.

No finally thought we could just ask them about their program development specifically instead of their artistic directions.

What do you think about it?

That's fine.

Okay, I just wrote down some random thoughts.

So I know I because again, I I'm trying to figure out a way for us to steward kind of again this relationship that we have with them that has at times been difficult to feel like we are getting the information that we're looking for, and then the artistic aspect again just kind of um I feel like has led us down to come back to for some reason.

Well, as far as program goes, I mean, I have my favorite little phrase here.

What were program advances and setbacks?

Do you want to keep it just programs or do you want to talk whole organization wise?

I think we can ask that question in every category.

If we say just tell us about your advances and setbacks, yeah, they might not talk about program.

Okay, they might talk about fundraising or something.

So related to the program is outreach, and I love my verbs.

I was thinking list what education programs were delivered when and where how many were delivered in mountain view?

What criterion did you use to evaluate their effectiveness?

I um I have a thought on this as well.

I guess I put some thought into this this time is my apologies here.

Um, because one of the things too that I'm curious in is in what um to ask them more broadly, have them self-identifying what communities they believe they are serving, and how do they know if that is actually happening?

How do they um because then we'll get in return exactly where their org is picturing themselves?

So what communities do you believe you are serving and how do you know it's happened?

Determine its effectiveness, it's impact, and how are you measuring their impact?

Yeah, it's helpful.

Well, so again, the community aspect, I think I I to me it's one we want to make double check that that the service is happening, that they are serving their community before we dive into impact.

We might want to to divide impact and service.

Well, when I said list, you know, where and when and all of that, I was thinking about how much advanced stuff is happening in public view or nearby.

So I think both is valuable.

I mean, I like your, I mean, it's friendlier to ask a question, but you know how they see themselves, and it's educational for us to you know, learn how we can support them better in that.

And um, but I mean, you know, we started this process last year with you know what's actually happening in Mountain View.

So that's and I yeah, because the thing too is we have acknowledged that there is within certain resident companies that there is a lack of of um service to directly to Mountain View, and so you know, we we know that to be true, and so we can ask the question again.

I um we continue to ask it just to be this how are you serving Mountain View community, but um, and if they're not is also my my question, which is if we know they are not what do we how do we want to address that in our questioning or in our thoughts?

Well, at the time, I suppose encourage them to do more mountain view.

I mean it's their company, all right.

I mean it's but I mean then the I'll maintain that it's it's the city's resident companies, so that relationship, right?

So well, I think we keep the conversation going that it's important to us that something happened in Mountain View, and we just didn't say that last year.

We're gonna say this every year moving forward, right?

It will um have an impact.

Yep.

Oh, was there another question there?

That's a discussion in our mic, okay.

But so let me say that general question how do you see yourself and then uh service to Mountain V.

How many programs were developed delivered in Mountain View?

What is your service to that's delivered?

Maybe this is impact now.

Pardon me impact, or what is your impact?

I noticed I noted down list the education programs you have delivered when and where um how anywhere in Mountain Beam, and how do you determine the impact of this outreach programs?

If we specifically say outreach programs though, education programs.

Or yeah, that's my no, no, the only thing is that if we specifically say education programs, um it it might be that we will also not get information about their performances, though.

Okay, um, is the only thing that I wanted to note there.

We have to be specific in our wording.

Okay, so another thing to consider.

I have my little categories here, and I was thinking collaboration is another category that I had, and then on to marketing and finance, which I think we covered, but so outreach and collaboration could be community engagement.

Did you get so are we going because I want to I want to not move on from are we going with what Antara said?

I feel like we're kind of I think what you said is kind of a combination.

Okay, if you could say that again, that would be great.

I just this is what I noted from what I heard list the education programs you have delivered when and where, how many were in Mountain View, and how do you determine the their impact on community?

Because you said you wanted to see how the organization that's that's all fine.

My only thing is do we want to just say it for education programs?

That was all I was trying to say.

Right.

Oh, just say programs.

That's what I was wondering.

Yeah, because that includes other outreach stuff, like when they perform in festivals and all that other stuff.

Well, so we could say uh education outreach or community collaboration, yeah.

We could say uh list your outreach and then put in parentheses PC education I think if you just say programs and programs up to them to well, I or you want it more specific.

You know, I'm just afraid if we say education, then we're only gonna get education.

No, and I no education, but in parentheses, you know, or other uh after those other two or three things because I'm once again remembering different rounds of going back and asking for more information, yeah, yes, and so asking for a lot of really specific information up front will cut down, and you know, I mean we might decide this doesn't work and not do it again, you know, just rewrite it.

But I am air, you know, overcompensating probably.

Um, so we want to say list the programs and then in parentheses put examples of like education, outreach education, performance.

Community collaborating, yeah, community individuals.

Okay.

Again to Jess P.

I my my thought goes to again.

So, you know, upstage is a resident company that is specifically pulling high school students to they are not doing, they have their their fundraiser then their cabaret, um, but they are not heavy on the collaboration um or doing collaborative work.

It's not because they don't, you know, that's no judgment on the org, it's just not what their org is necessarily set up to do.

Um, you know, PYT is an educational theater, their theater programs.

Um, and theater, I don't think theaterworks is named today.

Theater works is specifically doing they have outreach programs in certain places, not specifically in Mountain View, and they are specifically putting on performances and so you know, just giving an overview there of of yes, I mean just generally asking programs, but just being clear that that's the scope already.

I want us to be intentional that we are not asking them for things that they cannot, all of our resident companies have come to us with different constraints right now with the world of theater.

So I don't want us asking a question that is not proportional to the environment or climate that theater is in if their org is not situated to it.

Um, because I feel like we have had some superfluous conversations with them where it's like, okay, clearly that's not where their priority is right now based on the conversations we've had.

So then that's just one thing I want us to to note is all um as we continue shaping these questions.

Because again, they I mean yeah, that's good, and that's probably good background for you.

Have you ever gone to upstage or um yeah?

I've been to a PYT show, but in um I'll tell okay, yeah.

Well so but whatever questions we come up with, it's basically one size fits all.

Right.

So um if it doesn't apply to upstage, then just you know I mean that's fine.

And then I mean upstage knows as well.

You know, yeah.

Yeah, I mean, I don't think the intention is to try to force them to fit within this model, right?

It's no, my concern is that we're not being responsive as a committee to the climate of theater, a little bit of the climate of the struggle that is happening um is specifically, and so I, you know, we're not we're not there necessarily, but I'm just saying to be intentional about honing our questions into a direction that is responsive to what we already know is happening with with our orgs and I in just that's why I was just naming that aspect.

I don't think we're forcing any of our resident companies into anything.

I mean, for me as someone who runs like an arts org myself, you know, listing the programs is kind of the easy part.

I think the hard part is how do you determine your impact on the community?

Like that's a challenging question.

Well, so not just impact though, but our challenge with some of our resident companies has also been directly with do we want to know information that they are serving the broader Bay Area or specifically Mountain View has been some of our questions as well, because it's it's lovely to hear how um you know, one word may be serving a greater wider community, um, but then the relevance for the committee, right?

Because we maintain as a liaison to directly to council from as a public facing body as well.

We are like the extension of the community that informs council in between staff and council, right?

Um so that that's kind of the thing that I was kind of wanting to hone in on is that do we ask questions broadly or or when we're talking about impact, how to tie it to Mountain View, or if not too, but that's something that we were talking right now when we're talking about Mountain View is um again how to specifically look at the Mountain View Impact, but we can always ask for the general information.

Yeah, it's a matter of as a committee, you know, and individually if we feel like that is important to ask about overall impact as well.

So that's kind of the thought too.

So there's impact in general and impact for Mountain View, which can lead again, you know, to a discrepancy in our question asking.

But um well, so you know, so what is the impact overall and in and impact in mountain view?

So like a two-stage thing.

Yeah, so personally my preference is to not, I mean, we to I would rather focus on the mountain view aspect than the overall aspect is also what I think I'm trying to say here, is because we they can list a long list of programs that are beneficial broadly, but for the purposes of the center, did we need to mention them, but is that our priority is my question.

Is it relevant to this committee?

Yeah, I'm not really following their resident company.

I feel like the question should be specifically too.

Maybe they can tell us how many programs and tell us how much you have.

I mean, and it continue, and I mean the thought there too is that it continues to define also the relationship of what it does mean to be a resident company for the center, is the other thought through the committee as well.

So well, so I do have a couple of questions about collaboration that are specific.

List any formal relationships you may have with Mountain View businesses, or any community collaborations or engagements in Mountain View.

So I mean, so these are my talking points for the past year and a half.

What's who's on your board?

We know who are you doing business with in Mountain View?

I mean, I don't know what other outside of performing uh questions we can ask that are specific to Mountain View uh benefits.

Or we could add a question, open-ended question.

List any additional um benefits you bring to the Mountain View community.

You know, we didn't think to ask the question, they think what they're doing.

You don't maybe what other are there any other relationships you have within the other benefits?

I guess I'm kind of thinking like a grantmaker.

Think about benefits and beneficiaries, you know, of stuff.

And so maybe that's the wrong word here.

It kind of seems like we're trying to we're circling the how, how are you XYRZ is kind of because we we now have as as a community have historical knowledge as to what we have a bit more of the what picture?

Um we have a bit of the who's who and what kind of this case go together.

Um, but the question is how are you doing this work?

I think specifically, because we know that there are some partnerships, you know, the impact, right?

How are you how are you executing it?

How are you implementing this partnership?

I think is kind of but this is again starting just a starting thought there on this question.

How are you collaborating, right?

Well, if they're not though, but I mean, if they're not, they're not, it's just for us to know then.

Like maybe you guys already know this information on brand new for me.

So um I think it's good to put it out there because it might so it might just be like a reminder that okay, this is something that's important to us.

Um could be like a you know uh planting is see our future collaborations.

Um and the intention for us to ask for collaborations is to again look at the impact for the Mountain View community.

Okay, yeah, we don't need to know who they're collaborating.

Yeah, right.

The only thing again was uh truth be told, if I'm thinking about this in in a relationship, if we're in a relationship with our resident companies, again, just making sure that we're because our intention is not to say, do you have any partnerships and like why don't you and who are you serving?

It would be it it more so is going back to again the service to the community, right?

Because if if their org is not making partners partnership, like again, going back to being realistic about what their orgs are doing, because we do have that knowledge.

So um, you know, because we could ask a question if they are in uh I'm trying, I want us to go a little deeper.

I think is the thing, you know, are they interested in making those partnerships if they don't have partnerships, but again, not putting extra burden when we know that there is transition that is happening in this coming year?

I don't want to just you know prevent us from asking this question, but do you feel like the asking of the question is really pleasure?

No, but again, I want to make sure that we're we are seeing to ourselves being realistic in in what we are what we're dialoguing with them.

Yeah, that's my thought here.

Well, I mean I think my intention again is just to reinforce the idea that this is important to the committee and to the city of Mountain View, and to say, you know, this is an issue that we're interested in.

I don't have any expectation that they that anybody has a business partnership that they didn't last year.

Maybe they need to hear it a second time.

Maybe it's not possible.

Maybe it doesn't make sense for them.

Um, is stewards of you know the center, whatever.

Um, the thing though, I also don't want to discount is because I also do see this as a part of what we are doing with Vitality for downtown, right?

So this question is paramount for for the greater sense of the city as well, which brings and so there's relevance to it, but is the relevance on the resident companies or on us as a center?

Well, I think by encouraging these things and saying that it's an issue that community of Mountain View is interested in and just making it part of our thought process.

Yeah, uh it's gather information gathering at this point.

Okay, and you know, as we get more information and we think about this more ourselves, we may be able to help in some of those finding business partners.

So I mean, my question was list any formal relationships you may have with Mountain View businesses.

It doesn't sound like an expectation.

No, no, no.

I know I mean I don't I'm just more so again for us to be very specific, uh kind of almost for our committee to be specific in our question asking.

And then I don't know, Teresa, I don't know if we would agree on this, but any list any community collaborations or engagements in Mountain View.

Does that kind of already fit in that previous question?

Um recent list programs you went.

Uh oh, yeah, probably.

I'm looking at my stuff.

Do you want to review of the questions that we've um kind of been listing out here a little bit?

Well, as I know what this is gonna look like before it goes to upstate.

We're not gonna have a meeting before their presentation, right?

Well, what's going through my head right now, honestly, is like we need to like draft these up, and then I'm trying to figure out in my head that we have like another, like I don't know if we can have a special online meeting, or I could I I I send them to you guys individually and you send some thoughts back and we finalize this because it's like there's a lot here, and I think you've taken a lot of notes, and this is gonna take us a minute to like put these together in a nice and just so everybody knows.

I put this on the schedule to happen in May of next year, so that we're not in this presentation.

Excellent.

Okay, got it.

I was like, oh, we should have done this, we should finalize these.

We had to have this conversation in May and finalized them in June, because we don't have a meeting in July, and these need to be read.

We're all women learn this.

That would be really helpful for us.

And then you then you can get them and we can ask them.

So I am so it's one of those like, oh gosh, you know, yeah, like you know, no to self next year.

Um but you know, these questions, this is also a new thing.

Like we didn't used to ask these questions, and I think it's a good healthy thing to do, but we just need to be we need to find out as a committee.

The committee needs to get that's our job to get you in front of it.

Can you remind me when these presentations happen?

September, October, November.

And we don't meet in December.

Yeah, right.

So we're still next.

Well, there's I do think I'm sorry to interrupt.

Oh, go ahead.

I do think it would be nice for staff, especially to just go over maybe the major categories.

Yes.

So we have a guide to forming questions.

Uh huh.

So it's because we it sounds like we had about like five categories, right?

The financial uh what let's can we let's do a review right now of what we have gone over so far.

I think if staff has notes, I think that would be great to kind of just and then I am gonna throw it out.

We did double stack PYT and upstage last year on when we have to do that, like afford them more.

Um, so what we're in the fence of Connor who's sitting here in the room going, oh my gosh, listen to all these questions.

So we do have the financial category.

Something about growth projection.

I'm not sure if there's a better word for that.

Strategic plan was it?

Yes.

In what?

Uh the category, the the category is planning.

Or strategic planning.

Oh, strategic planning.

But like it's good.

So we have budget finance, so we we're calling that financial, financial programming.

Programming.

And then I have one that I don't have a category for.

And then we have collaborations.

But then the other ones like well, we threw all those out.

Those are I have more marketing questions.

We have any catch.

But look, we had like advanced advances and setbacks in every category.

List what education programs were, what communities do you believe you are serving, and who do you determine?

I'm not sure where that one falls.

Which one was that?

What communities do you believe you are serving and how do you determine its impact?

Um, how do you see yourself?

How many programs were delivered in Mountain View?

I'm not sure that if that's just under programming.

I think that's all programming.

Okay.

So programming and collaborations kind of one category.

No, I have them as two.

I have programming collaborations and then financial budget narrative.

Um, you know, under that category.

Okay, you know, what what and unanticipated expenses um may have caused overspending.

And the strategic plan fits in there too.

Yeah.

I mean, marketing, because we ask about social media.

We haven't even talked about that.

So I thought that based on one of the presentations last year uh for marketing list breakdown of audience demographics show categories and percentages.

I I I agree.

Sorry, Carol.

Sorry, I agree.

I mean, not I'm sorry.

Um I didn't mean to fill you up with that.

Do you have other thoughts on that?

About this, okay.

That related to that question, how has this changed in the last five years or some other number of years?

Uh what segment would you like to grow and how?

Well, I don't know, these could be better worded.

Um what strategies do you use to grow a more diverse or younger audience?

Uh and I have list marketing collaborations, which that go under collaboration, I suppose.

It could go under, I mean, it kind of belongs under marketing, but yeah, right.

I mean they are ways of doing marketing collaborations, you know.

Okay, let's see.

List addresses of social media platforms you use.

I mean, I'd like to be able to just go look it up in advance and and check them out and not guess what their Instagram thing is.

Uh, how would you rank order them for usefulness in creating awareness or doing some other thing?

And increasing audience engagement in ticket sales, give examples.

Uh I don't know about this question, but I thought of it.

Provide overview of positive and negative audience survey results.

Overview.

We don't want to see a whole survey.

Like, what are you hearing from your audience when you survey them?

And the whole thing, you know, maybe one pro on one con or something, or a trend.

Uh uh, that's almost something provide.

Well, the word trend could go in there somewhere, but doesn't have to provide a reading.

And you know, Teresa, I can view you with this when I've done a reading, I just um those are my thoughts.

Are we curious specifically?

So, of course, in the past we've we've asked about demographic for specific in general for specificity, and I'm wondering if we're more and we know you know, we know some of the the demographic breakdown of our resident companies already.

Um, I mean, it's good we can it is curious to me what we want to continue to just blanket ask every year to just get that information every year for continuity sake of the committee.

Um, but the my question again is I think we want to continue to emphasize not the basic give me the first impression, give me the impression of how is your audience developed?

Like again, I think audience development is more so what I'm are we could we know I yeah, so uh yeah.

So the language of audience development is more so where I'd rather go and then specifically asking for specific metrics, like how are you developing your audience towards what are you developing your audience?

Are you developing your audience?

Um, I think I had just one question about um getting more diverse again for audiences.

Uh well, we know that's a struggle, is my thought.

It is a struggle.

Um we also know, and I mean financially with some of the things going on financially, we know that there is we you know the the the balance between the safety of audience and and um members not memberships, but uh ticket holders subscribers, yeah.

Um, we know that this is a difficult aspect as well.

I also feel like the answer to this question though is gonna lie so much in their community partnerships and all those other outreach isn't all actually audience development shape or form it is, but possibly they're doing something we don't have thought about to ask, I guess is so something open-ended.

I don't know.

Um I don't know how important it is to go into audience development.

I mean, I always skip that, but it's a foundation of marketing to me.

It goes to, you know, how they're preparing for the future.

And it's hard to develop an audience, it's hard to get young people in.

I mean, yeah, I mean it it is a like you said, at the heart of marketing, because you know, maybe their whole plan is to like make their insta blow up and they have no idea that they have this older plan going on.

No, so maybe an like you said, an open-ended question.

Is there anything else that you're doing in your audience department share with us?

Um, it goes in the marketing section.

Wow, okay.

I just thought of a friendly reason to say this up to positive and negative.

Tell us what your audience is telling you.

Provide us overview of you know, uh audience survey results or something like that.

I think my concern with some of this, you know, survey results and audience survey and that kind of stuff is what's going through my head right now, is we have to remember them again.

Our resident companies right.

We have a regional company, we have a show youth-based, and then we have a team base that is really just I mean, their insta might be blowing up because that's just kind of that demographic, but as far as like doing an audience survey and that kind of thing, they're they're just not that sophisticated of an organization.

Okay, so that's where I'm a little like some of these questions are they apply to one, but they don't apply to the other.

And and that's where I I'm feeling a little like in defense of them that like I don't want to ask, I don't want these questions to come across as pressure.

I think we kind of said of like we just need like maybe there's just um some wording in here that it when we put these questions together, if these if it applies, so to speak, in each category, you know, like answer each answer each question as it applies to your organization, sort of thing.

Because some of these things, you know, if we're gonna do surveys, that's just not gonna apply to all of them.

And then we've asked them.

I mean, then they're what I don't want them.

I don't want any of the resident companies to feel like they need to come and answer that question and try and come up with something that then what'll happen is they give information and you're like, well, that's not what we asked.

Right.

You know what I mean?

Yeah, they're just trying to provide an answer.

Okay, and it may not, you know, they're trying to take the square peg and put it into a round bowl.

And it's that's not we don't want them to do that.

If you're not doing it, you're not doing it.

If your inst is blowing up, tell us about that.

That's great.

If it's something, you know, like if you're doing programming in Mountain View, we want to know about so that's that's my only concern.

Okay.

Is it that's a great suggestion?

Probably when we look at this laundry list.

Wait a minute.

You know, because I think I think in the spirit of the committee, the committee is trying to get information to understand where the resident companies are at and kind of figure out how this works with the city of Mountain View and how this represents the committee and all of that.

But we're not trying to pressure cook.

No, you know the resident companies.

And so I just think in this somewhere at the top, it's like we need to we have to say, please answer these as they apply to your orchestra.

And if it is broken up in categories, just repeat that with every category.

Yeah.

Please answer this as it applies to you.

Yeah.

And then you'll get the information from each organization that you're looking for.

And then obviously some of them it'll be like, yeah, we don't do that.

We don't do audience surveys, but we do blow up our insight.

I'm just using that as consent.

So we have four categories.

You know, TikTok.

I mean, some of these, I mean, what I'm gonna say is some of these are sophisticated questions, which is not bad, but that doesn't necessarily apply across the board for all three organizations.

And you know, and then and then some of our and then the resident companies have done well at knowing like this does not apply to me too.

So I think you know, for instance upstage knows knows the landscape.

So yeah.

So are we sticking with these four categories?

Financial slash budget slash strategic is one programming, second, third collaborations, fourth marketing.

Yes.

Say that one more time.

Financial slash budget slash strategic as one um programming, collaborations, marketing.

I I took strategic planning and moved it out of out of one, yeah.

Okay, all right.

Five.

I think that does make do we want to ask about changes in leadership?

Does that fit under time?

I think that fits under strategic.

Yeah, I think that could be the last question.

That's kind of like the third or the last category.

Right.

Are we inter we're specifically interested in in turnover?

Or are we interested in how decisions are happening?

Just tell us about changes.

Those changes, okay.

Uh it's gonna mean different things in different organizations, depending on who I have had experience with organizations that lost each person and I don't think that's gonna happen here.

No, um, but um I think it's good to know like the climate of the board exactly okay with that scene.

Um, so we're set to our action for this is to what's the question because I think we're not ready to approve the questions at this moment, yeah.

So we need a different motion at this time, right?

Do we need to make we need to make a motion, right?

Or do we we're no action taken?

Well they're scheduled to come in September.

We can't give them these questions.

These questions somehow have to be approved right by you guys.

So it's either we figure out a way to make that happen that works within the parameters of the committee, or we also you know the lightly ask BYZ if they double stack with upstage in November is there they're they're usually short and sweet.

Um that works.

I'm kind of looking at her because she's here.

Um I can't answer, and then yeah, I mean, I think I would say I think if they are more on the open-ended side and less on the like we need to find this data side, we can do it in September.

If you need data and like specifics and that type of thing, it's gonna be harder to do it in so where I'm going with that is like potentially this could come back and say, you know, we can revise these and they come back in September, or I'm trying to like figure out with Brown Act like how we how we get these to you guys.

I can't send them to you as a group.

No, so you know, how would we how would we revise these, get a draft, and get them to somebody to look at and then say, okay, we're good.

So that they're ready before this time.

Staff cannot um I with the recommendation I'd make on the fly, and I'm not, and I may be a little bit out of school here.

What I would say is the committee could say that staff will draft these questions, and then you give the committee member review and approval or commit the chairperson review.

Um kind of ahead of time.

It would have to be like I mean, I can send it to each one of you, and I can send it to you, you give me feedback, I can send it to you, you give me feedback, but then I gotta send it.

Somebody has to have approval authority, and I can't send it to all three of you at the same time.

Right.

I I can staff can take individual notes from the different committee members.

All right, if we have to that, what we're also fine moving to October if that's best.

Yeah, if we agree to that, okay.

Yeah, okay.

And then, but there has to be someone basically that has final approval.

Right of all of this, and then I just can't send them to all of you at the three at the same time, and then we all have this little discussion about it.

That's nor can we discuss it.

Yeah, that's a big bad note.

Kind of an end.

So is that a motion?

I'm not even sure if I'm technically am I out of bounds on that one?

Technically, for this for item two for this motion, you could technically uh say no and then direct staff to draft the questions.

Technically, the motion can based on this wording.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You're declining what's up, what we have on the agenda.

So, but you would say, you know, it's just so we so you can direct staff to actually draft questions.

One second.

So we can just on base.

This is all a technicality because of how the motion is already in.

Right.

Yeah.

Do you want to do that?

Well, that's up to it's up to you.

Yeah, just yeah.

Yeah.

And then and then can't, but then I guess my question, because I think I'm a little out of bounds on this is if if I if they make a motion that one one committee member can review staff's questions, then you're acting independently from the group.

You can't well the other that I was gonna say, we could the I'm out of bounds.

I already answered my own question.

Okay, I I think sorry, go ahead.

Can we do that Zoom thing you were saying when we have an emergency zoom meeting?

I think it would have to be like a special meeting.

So we so it would have to still be open to the public.

Yes, yeah, and after she's already put them all together, staff has created a new proposal.

Well, the advantage of that is if we did it, if we did it that way, we can put them all together, yeah, and then we can say we're having a special meeting.

When you get that agenda, yeah, then you need to review those and like you know, here's my changes, and then we have a quick meeting, and it's like here's you know, like everybody has to come prepared because we're not gonna have a big discussion over it because we're gonna need to get these out.

So the steps are for so first of all, we make a motion to not approve the questions as they stand, and then we would direct staff to review the the questions, send to the committee as a recommendation, provide recommendation, and then we're also staff to direct staff to create a special meeting.

That way it's all every step is transparent to the public.

Okay, the recommendation send the recommendation.

And um does this plan still include you emailing us ahead of time?

The yes, but it would come in an agenda.

It would be one agenda item and the attachment of the questions.

And I wouldn't email you back my comments, I would just bring them to the meeting.

You could you could email you could actually email them back, yeah.

Okay, the fly, yeah, and then uh yeah.

Okay, actually, if that happened, then the revisions could be made and at the meeting, they could be yes, shared on the screen.

Yeah, so everybody, yeah, yeah.

That would be the fastest meeting.

That would be so it still have staff and then review staff reviews and consolidates sends a recommendation.

No, it's not sending directly, we're doing a special meeting.

Well, we oh we can when we send you the meeting with the agenda, then the minutes that mean the questions are in the I'm just trying to look for the verbiage for the motion.

Oh so deny this recommendation, yeah.

No to that recommend that staff provide um schedule a special meeting and provide a final draft of questions for review and approval.

Yeah.

Can I make that motion?

Yeah, go ahead.

Make the motion to decline these questions.

And for committee to arrange a special meeting questions.

Yeah.

We we don't put the actual three minutes.

It's just an overall.

Is there a second?

Or discussion?

Discussion.

Yeah, right.

I'll just ask for discussion.

Discussion.

Any discussion?

Yep.

Can you bring it back to me one more time though, Andra?

Sorry.

No, no, you're good.

Um committee member Andra uh made a motion to decline.

Um the current made a motion to decline item 6.2 and it recommends to staff to schedule a special meeting.

And bring it to the special meeting and we drop it.

Any other discussion?

I think I have a second.

And uh we don't have it, we haven't seconded it yet.

Um you guys say something right now.

Is there a second?

All in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

True, you know, yeah.

Well, every we learn something every time, and so it's helpful.

And so next year, maybe yes.

Um, and then you know, the things that make sense.

Lovely.

Okay, we are on to 6.3 overview of the process of renting the MBCPA.

So can we go to our website?

So I'm just gonna walk you guys through, like if you were regular person that wanted to rent the facility.

Um we have our guidelines here.

We have our rental guidelines, we have frequently asked questions, um, and a rent request for rental form.

So the guidelines, you know, guidelines are just you know, like kind of how we operate, and that's you know, what's going on with the facility.

Um, you know, we have some obviously some definitions, events, licensee, non-performance period, dark days, that sort of thing, and then categories.

Obviously, we have resident company, nonprofit, and commercial, um, and then rental procedures.

So basically, um, I think most of you know we have what we call a primary booking season, and that um all the applicants um that want to rent the facility, they have a deadline.

I think this year it's gonna be December 2nd.

Um, we have everything ready, you know, everything goes up for folks to um put in their applications typically in October, but we have a deadline, and then all of the applicants need to get their items in and their request for dates by that date.

Um, that's our primary.

Anyone that comes in after that date is considered secondary.

So we pencil and puzzle all the primary requests first, and those are in order of resident company firsts.

Resident companies always get first choice of dates.

Um, and then our our other clients are in order of tenure.

So obviously, like SMU, for example, it's been released for 20 years.

So um, and then that's why it's also really hard for new folks to get in because we have long standing companies.

And so if you're the new kid on the block, so to speak, and you ask for a date, it's like you have all these folks in front of you.

Um, so it's a little tough for them to get in.

Um, because the especially on the I didn't let me clarify, that's on the main stage.

The second stage is not as utilized or hence why we're putting together the second stage um vitality program, but the main stage is highly highly.

Um and then the other clarification I want to make is in it's very typical of a typical uh the usage, the high usage is very typical of a presenting season in the sense that it's September to usually June, and then July and August.

Not that some of the shows don't um fall into July, theater works went into July this year, August were light, um, which is a blessing because then we need to we just freshly painted the stage and you know we try and we lock off maintenance time and actually try and get in there and make it look nice again so that when we kick off the season in September, it looks like a you know, we're taking care of it.

Um, but basically, this is uh uh application.

So like who's the primary contact, a title, address, all the normal stuff of you know, email, all that sort of things that we want.

Um, what's your event title?

How many adults back stage, description of the event, um, and then what what is it that you're requesting?

Are you requesting the main stage?

You want the main stage with the rehearsal studio, second stage, park stage, just the rehearsal studio, depending on what you're doing.

Um, and then your first choice, second choice, um, and then kind of a run of things, your your next um, you know, first choice, second choice dates, and then third choice date.

Um, and then one of the things you'll notice this is new, go back down there.

Third choice dates should be in a different calendar month from the first and second choice states.

So when I first got here, what folks would do is I want the first weekend of February, the second weekend February, or the third weekend of February.

Well, I have theater work sitting in February.

They're already scheduled in February.

I'm just using this as an example.

So I need you to tell me whether you went January, give me a hint because you're not gonna get February.

February's already booked.

Um, so is January better for you, or if you're a recital company and you have students, you know, and they need to practice a little bit more.

Maybe the first week in a March might be give me, you know, let me give me a hint of which direction to go so that I'm not having to go back and forth with you, you know, because then it's kind of a waste of everybody's time when it's like, you know, I can't give you February.

Well, that's the only time I can do this.

Well, sorry.

So that's why we we kind of that's a big that's a change that we did um in the last years, a couple of years, because it was just like, okay, this is not helpful.

Um general public, publicize your event, or any priest to post performance activities.

Like, are you having a reception after your performance?

Are you gonna have a pre-show talk?

You know, that kind of stuff.

Um, do you plan to sell merchandise on site?

And what's your technical needs?

Um, and then you know, are you bringing center scenery, that kind of stuff, and then you submit your form?

Pretty straightforward, but it's all online now.

Oh, excellent.

It used to be used to be paper.

Yeah.

The quarter of the 21st century.

Yeah.

Um central.

And then obviously we talked about secondary, secondary renting.

Anybody that comes after that deadline, you're in the secondary category.

So once left.

Yeah.

So what's you know, we we puzzle everybody else.

And um, and then the other thing, what I'll say, like this year, when we were done puzzling, I think we had 10 organizations that we had to say no to.

Um, because we just up for secondary.

No, 10 from primary.

Oh.

So then what happens is like anybody that's coming in secondary, like you're behind those 10 people that asked in primary.

So if I have a cancellation, I'm gonna go to the primary folks and go, hey, this date, the March date for these people that ask for February isn't gonna work, but you asked for a date in March.

Is this date going to work for you?

And then so you got 10 people in front of you.

Like if you're not in primary, you're pretty much like um for main stage.

So just a quick question.

When you're saying the December second deadline, that's booking for 20s.

Following the following um September.

Following October to September.

So this year in 25, it will be for October of 26 to September of 27th.

So we're 18 months.

Yeah, okay.

Which is typical.

Yeah, that's very typical.

Yeah.

Um once we're done with all the puzzling and the calendars and squeezing as many humans as possible as we can into our facility during that time.

Then we go into a licensee agreement.

So every production and um has to sign a licensee agreement.

So that's a whole separate agreement, essentially.

Um, just for clarification, we call it a licensing agreement.

It's we we kind of use the word rental, but rental is legally not the terminology.

You're licensing hours and time in the building because you're not renting.

My only rental tenant is the beans.

So it's kind of a legal ease kind of thing.

Um, so we try to be very clear in in our documents of it's a licensing agreement and and not a rental agreement.

But we do kind of use rental occasionally, but we try not to.

For lay people, that it just makes more sense to them.

Renting the building.

Yeah, but not really legally, you're not.

You're licensing the time.

And then we have a ticketing and services marketing worksheet.

Um we want your information, you know, so that we can like put it up on our website and get your tickets ready.

Um, so things like that, you know, who's our ticketing person, who's our marketing person, we need your collateral.

Um, we do a calendar of events that we mail out to uh a little over 20,000 folks, and then we have it in the lobby.

So we we want all that information um ahead of time as much as possible.

So this does this stay in this format, or does it get dumped into some database for you?

This this yeah, when they fill it out, what happens to it?

It well, it goes in, it's how do I say it's not a it's not a database, it stays kind of in a version of this, yeah.

And then all of that information as far as ticket sales and all that goes into showware, which is our ticketing software.

So Sean puts all that into show where um and then you know, weekly sales reports and those kind of things in Showware are fairly automatic.

Like we set that up, you know, eight weeks before your event, we we set it up so that you get um ticketing, you you get your sales status.

Okay, you can see where your show's at.

Like, do I need to do I need to do more on my Instagram?

Do I need to do more stuff?

Right.

Where's my where's my audience going?

And then reception booking request.

Um, and then if you're gonna have alcohol, obviously we turn you over to um beans scene because they have the alcohol license.

So if you're gonna have wine or beer, then you have to go through them because they have the license for the building.

Um, and then city insurance forms, the exciting stuff.

Um, you have to have your insurance and have all your ducks in a row there.

Um, we do offer as a city if you don't have insurance, like if you're a private individual that's trying to do something, we have insurance that you can purchase things so that you're covered.

Um yeah, and then technical information.

That is not a form.

Um, we ask a lot of those questions ahead of time, but that is really uh a production um conversation that we have at least eight weeks prior to your load in to make sure that um we've got our ducks in a row and that we're providing you what you need when you get there.

Um and then licensee forms guidelines, um, ticketing guidelines, and then advertising and promotions.

Like I said, we do uh calendar of events for folks.

Um it's on the website, it's also in our um uh is it called City Hall Connect.

There's a newsletter that goes out with the city.

Um deeds.

Yeah, that's our calendar of events.

Oh yeah.

Um you can go to the city's website and sign up for updates in different categories.

And so like there's a general newsletter that they send out what's going on everywhere, sort of yeah.

Um, and then just procedures, staffing, um merchandise.

We don't have a lot of people here that sell merchandise, which is a little surprising to me.

Um, I'm used to more of the clients having merchandise that they would sell on the lobby.

Um, some of our dance, some of our more commercial dance um troops do, but they're it's the only ones that do it.

Internet access, reception support spaces, um rehearsal studio capacity of everything.

Um and then the fee structure, of course, is um enacted by city council.

We also um have a separate form that we provide for folks on our website only because um if you go to the city schedule, it's public works and you know, everybody's fee schedule on there.

Right.

So we separate ours out and put it in a nice little fee schedule that is a little easier to read for folks, and then you'll notice we have nonprofit and commercial.

We do not advertise our resident company rights, those are just for them.

Sure.

So we don't advertise those to the general public.

Um they have a separate sheet.

So this fit fees study.

Is that reflected in this no?

Um I don't think that's our new.

We're working on the new one right now.

Um it's not really reflected there.

Um not yet.

Most of that doesn't change that much.

Um I they think the biggest bigger difference is a little bit of the percentage of gross.

I actually listed out in the new one.

Um and then uh what else?

It's like non-ticketed event that every everything just went up a little bit.

And in and um what I'll say is our fees haven't changed for 20, 15 years.

Oh wow.

So the hard hard part, what I will say in in defense of some of the troops.

Um it's it's not a huge jump, but it's enough of a jump that it bites.

And and what I'm recommending to the city is really that we should be increasing our fees on a semi-regular basis so that we don't have to increase them so much.

That's always the problem.

It's like you know, we went from 50 cents to three dollars instead of 50 cents to 75 to a dollar, you know.

I'm just using that as an example.

But if you just do a little bit at a time, that'd be like one growth model can match that.

Yeah, does the city have to do a citywide technically um study in order for the center to change fees?

No, but we were part of the we were we we will continue to to adjust our fees.

Okay, but what I'm saying, the citywide fee schedule, I think is was done because we're probably not the only ones that had nothing that happened.

Okay, okay.

So we were trying to adjust, it's just a little rough because you adjust all at once.

Yeah, that's a little rough for folks.

Um top number is the cost.

Oh, sorry, I'm gonna go.

Oh, go ahead.

That's that's the cost and dollar rate.

That's saying 50 for second stage or whatnot.

Yes.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So that's a non-ticketed event.

And then any ticketed event um is typically a percentage of gross.

Um, or like so if you so basically what I'll say is you sell well, then you give us a percentage of gross, you get money, we get money, we're all happy.

Um, if you don't, then you end up paying a flat fee, which is okay too.

Another moment.

Oh, yeah, it used to be 375.

Yeah.

So, you know.

Um then patron fees, those are things like the convenience fees.

There's things that um patrons pay.

So, and that's important for the client to know.

So, you know, there's a convenience fee on the tickets.

So when you advertise your ticket sales, you're not advertising them at 25 when we have a five dollar convenience fee.

They need to be advertised at $30.

Otherwise, we all get in trouble.

Patrons don't like that, and it's also like there's a bid.

Is it cheaper to buy it at the ticket booth?

No.

We need to change that anymore.

This year, um the ticketing fee is it a percentage or is it a flat fee?

It's well, it's moving to a flat fee, but it's right now it's a like depending on your the price of the ticket.

Okay.

Average is from three up to $7.50.

So if you're a high ticket, it's $750.

But um, yeah, that's one of the things that I changed this year because my argument has always been we don't charge you to come to box office and yet you can go online.

Like it like oh, yeah, it costs more money to buy it at the box office for you, right?

Yeah.

So it's like we we didn't charge anybody to come to box office, but we charge you to go online.

And it's like it's actually more money for me to have a human.

Yeah, giving you customer service.

So I just it's we just made it so nice.

We just made it even across the across the board.

We just don't have any variation.

Whether you call in, whether you you know drop by or you go online, we have a fee.

Um ticket master work.

I have a question about the 10% complimentary um tickets.

Is that like a standard practice that you only get 10% comps?

Like I don't get to choose how many comps I want if I'm presenting.

No, it's not standard practice.

Okay, it's one of those um it's a lot.

10% of 600.

That's only six.

That's only six.

I don't think yeah, no, okay.

It's one of the things that that we do here, and that probably it's it's not something I addressed this year because it didn't have anything to do with fees, but there'll be more changes.

Okay.

Because in my opinion, it's your house.

When you rent when you rent the facility, it's your house.

If you want to give away a hundred tickets, that's not my yeah.

This is one of the things like that I remember when I rented from here, it was problematic for me because I had so many cops I needed to give.

And at some point I was like, I'd have to buy my own tickets, which just felt kind of insane.

So I can't remember what I finally did.

There was and we've got so the first rule that had to go away is we used to have a rule that um no ticket basically was allowed out of the building without payment.

That was that's that was our hard and fast rule.

That's yeah, and so then this will be another one because it's you're renting the facility.

The only the only struggle that I have, to be honest, is like sometimes folks will take consignment tickets, and and then they don't get rid of all of those, and then you have like a hundred seats in row, you know, prime seats, row C and D, and they get rid of 50 of them, and we have a big hole of 50 seats because we don't we don't take those back.

And there's no way for you to take that back, like if I decide two weeks before we we we gotta get better software, and then we can see the software that we have right now, like doesn't it's not conducive to that.

Once I give them to you, yeah, like bringing them back in is like so it's a project.

So would it make them back into circulation?

So would it make more sense for somebody to take 50 and then ask you for another 25 later?

Yeah, I see which is kind of what we encourage, yeah.

Um, but yeah, so it's some of it is again our ticketing software is going on 15 years.

Oh so it's like it does what it's supposed to do, but we got one hand time behind our back because there's so that's that's actually part of my my goal this next year is we're actually going out for RFP for so then some of these things will get solved okay in in that happening.

Yeah, oh thank you.

Yeah, because yeah, some of these things.

So it's like why do we do it that way?

No.

Um holiday fees, billing increments, payment fees.

Um, I'm happy to say that like most of the time, I will say 95% of the time our clients do not owe us money in essence because we sell your tickets and they do well, and we take a percentage and then we cut them a check and they get the rest of their revenue back.

Very seldom is there an organization that doesn't quite sell the amount of tickets that puts them into a percentage.

But I have to I have to say, um that's that's one of the really good things about this venue is that 95% of that's like that's not the case.

Thank you very much.

What is the percentage and VCP takes?

It depends on um, it's kind of a sliding sky scale at this point, depending on um the price of your ticket.

And that's one of my other ones I get new software and now I have new venue management software.

One of my goals is to get us get everybody to the same percentage and then have a maximum amount of take.

Because um the percentage thing is fine, it's just that obviously if somebody does really well, then we might be potentially taking more than we really should be.

Um, but that also means like over the next year, I gotta figure out like what what does it cost?

You're in here for eight hours and you got three crew, and you know, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

What does that cost?

And then how much more can I charge for that?

Because also as a city entity, we're only allowed to charge so much more than reality.

Okay.

Um, but that's a um that's a project, which I'd hoped was gonna be done in the fee so you have to leave that out of the minutes alone.

We don't have anybody listening, right?

Um yeah, it's like that.

Well, I guess letting people uh take a windfall if they earned it as a way of keeping them.

Well, it's also uh to be really frank, you have certain organizations subsidizing other organizations because oh right, we're taking more than we really should be, and then somebody else is not bringing in that much revenue, and we just we take a percentage of what they do make, which is fine, but you know, it's you know, if you look at the Leisher Center, they take a 23% of every client, end of conversation, so it's up to them to price it so that you make what you need to make, and then it's up to a certain amount.

So if you're if you sit there for a week and you're not rehearsal, and then you have you know four or five performances or whatever it is that you have, and then you make more than you know, the 23%, you know, then it's up to and well, the 23% comes out, but then it's up to a maximum amount.

So for each performance, it they only take up to a maximum amount, and then that's it, and then the rest of the money is yours, it's a little healthier cancellation policy.

Um, of course, you know, that's based on you know, kind of a sliding scale.

Obviously, if you cancel you know so many days prior to the event, you know, we'll give you your money back, but if you're within you know 30 days, you're not getting any of it back.

Now we can't now we're past the point of being able to re-rent the space.

That's the argument behind that.

So if you cancel, you know, 60 days out, we could call one of our other clients potentially and say we've got it open.

June.

Um that's it.

There it is.

Um, and then the licensing agreement, all that kind of stuff, but it's all on the website.

You can go take a look.

Um production guidelines, production checklist.

You try and provide as much of it as possible online so that you know we send people to the website, you know, and then you can basically the the biggest thing is you know, the request for renting form and getting that in on time.

Questions?

So, how are you making it known to people that they could go online and not call you when they call you?

Oh, um, I mean, that's that's Jordan, and honestly, at this point, um we've been online for over a year that we were online last year too.

Really?

So yeah, yeah.

Oh well.

Um, yeah, Jordan's been with us for a little over a year now.

So um, yeah, so you know, we kind of moved right away on that, and then we just basically you know send you an email and with all the links and go here, and here's your deadline, and everybody jumped on board.

Well, um, we have I'm probably waiting for it.

Yeah, I would say we have one or two folks that um still like to come in and you know the bell curve, you know, and they and they and they print it out and bring it in and want to have a conversation and you know, and that's okay.

I mean, it's you know, it's like it's not every person anymore, you know.

There's a few folks that that's just their comfort level, and and we're okay with that.

Excellent.

Yeah, yeah.

And then we also um well, I think the biggest other big change is um letting people know that we actually have an office with a drop box.

So if you need to drop off your check, you know, like you don't have to call us, you don't have to come visit us, you can just come and put it in the slot and we'll get it the next day.

And do they have trouble finding the office slot?

Actually, no, I we've we've done pretty well with that, actually.

I think I think this biggest thing is that my surprise is that there was so many people that had no idea that we had offices that we were even in the facility that our offices weren't somewhere else.

Um, and that where did those stairs go?

Once you tell them like this two houses.

What do you tell people?

Like we our stairs to our office, you know, the driveway into the garage to the left, those stairs, those come directly after our office.

Maybe they felt that way the first time I heard about it.

That's like I always wondered what was there.

Even other staff people say, like, oh my gosh, how do we do that?

These led to it's the best kept secret.

I think there were a lot of people that didn't realize that we were even.

I mean, you have no reason if you're not because we're so backstage, our offices are uh backstage.

So that's a lot of people there that on day of are not gonna be the cat.

Yeah.

Well, you don't put the administrative offices next to the lobby, and yeah, you know, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah, they're nowhere near the lunch.

Exactly.

Wonderful.

Any other questions for 6.3?

No.

And we're on item seven.

That announcement that they request.

Me reports.

Um so good news on the um joint committee with the downtown and we actually um uh met a staff and kind of decided, like, okay, what artists could we possibly use in Kirsten reached out to what's his name?

Oh no.

I'm oh no, okay, we'll send it up.

I can't remember his name.

It just went out of my head.

I had it and then it just went out of my head and I should have wrote it down in my minutes.

Um, anyways, he's available in February of 26.

And he one of my requests was that I really wanted us to pick an artist that is used to speak in front of Phone.

And he actually that weekend was speaking in San Francisco at a gallery, and so I tried it on over there.

Oh, yeah.

So Donald Hirschman, sorry, yes.

So um, so he's gonna he's willing and able, and um, so we're gonna meet with the ad hoc committee now and kind of get into the details of reception and all of that.

But the biggest thing was to be able to find an artist that was willing and able and um spoke publicly before and a date.

Yes, yeah.

Do we have a timeline for when the meeting is gonna be?

Um, likely in September, because one of the staff is out office right now.

Okay.

So the goal is in September.

I think you spell the artist's last name.

Um, it is Hirschman R H E R S H M A N.

Oh, that's pretty straightforward.

Yeah, I wasn't hearing C naturally.

Yeah, he does have a website if you're ever interested.

Oh, Don.

There he is.

Wow, Don.

Ronald, sorry.

Don Hirschman.

That is good news.

So September is gonna be hashing out what the event looks like.

Awesome.

Budget and yeah.

Yeah.

Exactly.

Exciting set.

And then I did want to let you guys know.

Um I talked to Peter um regarding uh with Chambered Art and Wine Festival about having a booth.

It's like $1,800 to have a booth.

Oh his comment was I don't know why you guys would have a booth until you have the building right here.

Um my concern, and I did talk to staff that have been here previously, is having the building open, we just really just become a big giant restaurant.

Because it's art and wine festivals and stuff.

Um, so we just become we just get pounded, and it's also not guaranteed like this year we don't have a client um in the building 25, but next year we'll have SMU.

And so we really can't beat open Code because we just will get pounded and then they have they have performances.

Um they're also one of the only clients that can sit on the date of Art and Wine Festival.

I always advise, you know, like we only have a few clients that can come in and compete with 30,000 people in the town.

Um and they like a September date.

So that works, but I'm also kind of like, you know, I'm open to suggestions and like, you know, would we do something on the park stage?

Or I I don't know, but I'm also kind of just thinking, you know.

I don't think the art and wine, I think what I'm hoping is that this committee can kind of like come down for the art and wine festival and just kind of walk through and like where would we fit?

What would we do?

Would we put up a booth?

And then would we hand out you know, in calendar events, would we get you know, would we talk about us?

Would we do a puppet show?

I mean, I'm open to anything, you know, but it's like I don't feel like what I'll also say is that the the concerts that they have for art and wine because they have music are on the stage in the plaza, so that's also it's kind of like tonight.

Yeah, there's people just there, and so then if we're open, that's what I mean by just get pounded.

Um, and what would we do inside the building?

That makes sense.

I think it's also a little bit of like letting these folks know that it's come down here that maybe it's come from out of the area that we are the building behind the little concert on the plaza that we are that building in with the claw.

Um just not sure what that would look like.

We can always hold a round table with public or something of the sort.

Yeah.

I mean, if we're not, I mean, this is a year away.

Yeah.

So it does, I mean, I'll come see it.

Does the art and wine festival have a number of performance space like on the other end of Castro, like the actual street itself, any small stage secondary stage?

They have a free speech area.

Yeah, but people don't really visit that much.

You know, I sat there for a couple of hours last uh last year.

Um because I was supporting a helpful run, right?

And it was kind of a lonely I was on the ad hoc committee for this thing for this um art and wine festival, and I did not make it very far.

I actually never connected with my partner.

Um, but yeah, I looked up the free speech thing.

It's way out there, it's like not even in the hub of everything that's going on, and the like timing was pretty stringent.

Like you had to get there at 8 a.m.

and had to be there all day to 5 p.m.

and you're kidding.

Yeah, because you're renting the space of the booth.

Yeah, and I was like, well, that's a huge commitment.

And we're not even the hub of it, like so.

People do want my so my father's a former CEO of the Mount View Chamber of Commerce.

Um, and so people do will the free speech area does get traction.

And I think you know, for the the people who are interested in the center, um, I I do I I would not discount the free speech area still, but um because kind of the place where set it up.

Uh I always could, but no.

But so I do think, yeah.

So there's still options uh available, but I mean it depends on what I'll tell say in my Gen Z language what vibe we want um for next year.

Well, I mean, right now we should just as individuals be thinking about recruiting someone to fill Yao Yao's seat because it's hard to get a quorum sometimes if there are only four members.

Was she a committee member or was she higher around?

She's she was a committee member, but she they moved out of Mountain View.

So where did they move?

I don't know, she didn't tell me.

Remember, there was that lady who called in like two months ago.

She was all excited about that's Valerie.

No, there was another one, yeah.

It was another lady.

There's another lady who called in in the first meeting I came to.

Yeah.

She had said, like, oh, I just found out about this, I'll submit an application.

I know you are don't have space right now.

So I don't know.

I'm sure it's in your mind.

So I mean if she submitted then Wanda, the city clerk has that.

Okay.

Um, but yeah, we have just sent in her resignation.

So I'm sure you did post already at City Hall.

I already saw the vacancy post.

Oh, nice.

Okay, city hall, like in that little box they have full the agendas.

We'll have to put it up on the cleaning.

Yeah, yeah.

That's a good idea.

Um, yeah.

So, you know, yeah, we need to replace that person.

But you know, if we can I mean replace, yeah.

And then if we can just kind of go to the art and wine festival, just with the lens of like where might we fit in and what that might look like, and and would it even be as simple as like you know, just having a booth and handing out you know, calendars events and then people know like right there, you know, spill trail, so to speak, or if that's I'm not sure that it's we're gonna know until we try like what it's worth it or wait.

So if we were to even just set up our own little table in front of our NBA CPA, we'd still have to pay for a book.

No, I don't think we know we could do something at you know at the venue.

Yeah, it's just it's just my my my cons my only concern is like trying to do something in the lobby.

No, that I understand.

But we could also like I don't know.

I mean well, no what I'm gonna say right off the bat is like I was thinking like you know, we have that kiosk and we can do like have the rotundo doors you know you could come in and we could have an information booth like right there, but I know what would happen it happened tonight.

Oh yeah, you know, yeah I'm with the band, can I use the restroom?

You know, so I mean you just you you just be policing people, right?

Keep them out.

So but that doesn't mean that we couldn't pull something out and front on our front porch, so speak.

Yeah.

I was thinking like you know we have that kiosk and we can do like have the rotundo doors you know you could come in and we could have an information booth like right there but I know what would happen it happened tonight oh yeah you know yeah I'm with the band can I use the restroom so I mean you just you you just be policing people right keep them out so but that doesn't mean that we couldn't pull something out in front on our front porch so speak yeah yeah maybe this time when we go there we just see a little bit what the programming is like and see if there's any gaps and spaces programming to see if we can do something small maybe from front yeah well I'm on the uh Mountain View Historical Association board and the chamber gave us a pre-booth uh two years and in one of them we had posters about inventors of Mountain View and one was um somebody invented a deep diving suit that looks like a character this way it's about a hundred years ago didn't have the face cut out it's about four feet high so kids just stand in front of it you know yeah so people were taking pictures of that we didn't even bother to man it just wanted a history booth right and uh so I guess my point is something eye catching like that in order to get people to stop uh I saw the lamp lighters thing recently and they did HMS pinafore which Queen Victoria was regent at the time and so they had a picture of her with the face cut out well I deleted all of my still look like a cravy old she was I mean it was the lighting was wrong and all that stuff but I mean people will do those things uh and I don't know how you want to grow your email list but I mean could have uh an iPad and have people signing up for email updates from the center yeah and that would be something that they could you know plug in and um anything interactive yeah that would be useful for you if it is yeah we did cutouts in front of you we could have like dancers or something or cutouts of a musician well borrow from one of the companies yeah I mean one of my things that I thought about too was like um an instrument petting zoo but there's not but it's an art and wine festival so there's not gonna be a lot of kids also yeah wrong wrong thing through the well but see what the demographic is this year but there are kids a bouncy house or something in front of the chamber so back in the day right the kid zone was in in what used to be a wells far goes right in front of the chamber and so the corridor that corridor this is it is so and then it goes into free speech after that so this corridor is a certain community public type of with the library right there too you it's it's the right it would be the right space for it yeah with the stage being there cool that's another type thing is there a booth an alcohol booth super close to the civic center in the entrances who's just saying that's another aspect of usually there's one right there was thinking but if it's it's literally right at the like the the stage and then you in between the board or Mercy and Castro there's there's a big one right there right on the street.

Yeah that's what I was thinking yeah I was wondering if there was one closer but no it just is on the street right yeah the California or no no sorry yeah yeah yeah so yeah who's to say we also know an ice cream for next year wonderful we have so much time any other announcements or updates uh lovely so um our next performance committee meeting will be held on Wednesday september 17th uh uh 2025 at 16 6 15 p.m in the HM conference room and we are also expecting a special meeting yes yes meeting is adjourned thank you 14