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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008 Hemmens Advisory eft. �.4 OF F E,,,,, c,` y' THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD 11111t) THE HEMMENS' NORTH LOBBY =� �►a January 10, 2008 8:00 A.M. Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from December, 2007 HAB Meeting III. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Season Update b. Project Update elk F IV. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback V. Review of Gift Requests: VI. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: February 14, 2008 VII. Adjournment Attachments: December, 2007 Meeting Minutes Gift Requests r F ' The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board Meeting Minutes January 10, 2008 Advisory Board Members Present: Kathleen Weber, Pete Garlock, Jeff Grosser, Rich Jacobs, Cathy Maim, Kevin Patterson, Board Members Absent: Mike Powers Chairperson: Kathleen Weber Staff Present: Butch Wilhelmi, Bill Folk, Sally Ryan The regularly scheduled January 10, 2008 meeting was called to order at 8:00 am. Minutes from the December 13, 2007 meeting were approved. Items of Discussion from Hemmens' Staff, Bill gave an update on the season. The Turtles have rescheduled for January 26. We've made our numbers on that show and should go into profit soon. Radio ads start next week on Nine FM, 94.7, The Drive, WBIG, WRMN, Y103 and Star 105. He is working on upcoming shows. Gaelic Storm is doing well but Davey Jones could use a little help. Chris Korblein had great shows, but sales weren't that good. A lot of comps were given. Feedback from attendees was great. Butch was hoping by now to have gotten feedback from City Hall regarding what capital projects have been approved. Budget cutbacks that were rumored did not happen. Kay saw a blurb in the paper that our City Council said the Hemmens should be more financially successful. She asked if we would be building a new building or adding on to the existing building. Butch said there is supposed to be a meeting with a project management company out of Chicago to get a picture of what would be involved either way. Nothing is solid yet. It's a matter of what the actual cost would be to doing the improvements vs. building a new facility. Kay said there is a lot of talk about a depression and reduced riverboat funds and questioned how that would impact the decision making. Butch responded that it is a completely different thing between general funds and riverboat funds and the City could consider doing a bond issue for the funds. Looking at the long run, a seat count of 2,000 to 2,500 (or whatever the final seat count ended up being) would give us a better potential to lessen the City subsidy. We could draw more people to downtown for the same type of subsidy that they are putting in to the existing building. Part of what they are looking at is if it would be better to do $40 million of renovations to a 37 year old building as opposed to bulding a brand new building for$80 million. With a brand new building we wouldn't have the HVAC problems, the roof problems, or the lobby problems. We wouldn't have to worry about having 37 year old plumbing and things like that. There are a lot of arguments either way. The analysis is something we want to have completed before the budget process starts. By the time we start the budget process in August or September we want them to be able to say "these are your choices. It will cost this much money to fix the Hemmens and it will cost this much money to build a new building, where do you want the money to go?" Then we can get into the budget process. Gift Requests Votes: Nature Ridge Elementary School Online Auction— Unanimous Approval Illinois Assn of Snowmobile Clubs, Marseilles— Unanimous Opposed Light Opera Works gala— Unanimous Approval Muscular Dystrophy Assn. Auction —5 Approved, 1 Opposed RML Specialty Hospital Benefit—4 Approved, 2 Opposed Rotary Club of Aurora Auction — Unanimous Approval Thompson Middle School St. Charles Fund-Raiser— Unanimous Approval Next scheduled meeting is February 14, 2008 at 8:00am. Meeting adjourned at 8:35 am. Respectfully submitted, kb 141 2-003 Sally Ryan Date Submitted Recording Secretary 2 OF E1 6v :�‘ I, THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD THE HEMMENS' NORTH LOBBY .'4� = February 14, 2008• ��Y„ ” 8:00 A.M. (44t4° ' i E4 1' Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from January, 2008 HAB Meeting III. Introduction of new Board Member, Kevin Patterson IV. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Season Update V. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback VI. Review of Gift Requests: VII. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: March 13 ,2008 VIII. Adjournment Attachments: January, 2008 Meeting Minutes Gift Requests 2008 Gift Table elk • The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board Meeting Minutes February 14, 2008 Advisory Board Members Present: Kathleen Weber, Jeff Grosser, Cathy Maim, Kevin Patterson, Board Members Absent: Pete Garlock, Rich Jacobs, Mike Powers Chairperson: Kathleen Weber Staff Present: Butch Wilhelmi, Bill Folk, Sally Ryan The regularly scheduled February 14, 2008 meeting was called to order at 8:00 am. Minutes from the January 10, 2007 meeting were approved. Items of Discussion from Hemmens' Staff Bill gave an update on the season. Gaelic Storm tomorrow is over 3/4 sold and there are still a lot of walk ups left to go. We expect to do quite well. For Saturday night with Davy Jones, ticket sales are a shade under half. Hopefully a lot of 50-something men are going to realize it's Valentine's Day and need a quick fix, so there should be additional sales. rStaff is trying something new with mall advertising on video panels in Spring Hill Mall and Fox Valley Mall for Brigid's Cross and Beth Patterson, Sarah Vowell and Jerry Stiller. There will be second spots with about 35,000 plays. This will be done in 1 week increments to see if it works and to see if it might be a good replacement or a supplement to other types of advertising. These should start running next week. The panels are located near Barnes and Noble at Spring Hill. This is a specialty type of marketing targeting shoppers who have spending money on their minds. It could be particularly effective for author Sarah Vowell with the placement of the panel right outside Barnes and Noble. For Brigid's Cross the panel is right across from St Catherine's where Brigid's Cross plays every year. Tickets cannot be purchased right there, but for Brigid's Cross we're offering a discount so customers can text from their cell phones and get a discount on their ticket order right then. That way we can trace where the order comes from. Historically, speakers have done well. David Sedaris sold out. Garrison Keillor sold out too. P.J. O'Rourke did not do as well. Sarah Vowell is on This American Life on NPR, which is where she and David Sedaris and Ira Glass broadcast on Saturday afternoons. Gift Requests Votes: The Wolf Pack Boosters Banquet– Unanimous Approval Algonquin Longhouse —2 Approved, 2 Opposed Bethlehem Lutheran School-1 Approved, 3 Opposed Boy Scouts of America Silent Auction—Unanimous Approval Bloomingdale Women's Club Fashion Show—Unanimous Approval Cary Education Foundation Dinner Dance—Unanimous Approval SD U46 Coleman Elementary School Fun Fair—Unanimous Approval Dundee Crown HS Scholarship Fundraiser—Unanimous Approval Fox Valley Special Recreation Assn Annual Dinner Raffle-3 Approved, 1 Opposed SD U46 Hilltop School Valentines Dance Raffle—Unanimous Approval Oak Park River Forest Children's Chorus Auction-1 Approved, 3 Opposed Pioneer Center for Human Services Silent Auction—Unanimous Approval SD U46 Prairie View Elementary School Fun Fair—Unanimous Approval St. Edward Catholic HS Auction/Dinner Dance—Unanimous Approval Kay advised that Kevin Patterson's letter of appointment to the Board had been received. There are still two vacancies, so Kay asked if anybody knows of someone who is interested to please try to get them on board. She would like to have a full complement of Board Members. Plus The Hemmens is always looking for advertisers so if Board Members know anyone in business that would like to advertise in the programs please have them call Bill Folk. Kay asked Bill when he starts looking at new acts for the next season. Bill responded that that is pretty much done at this point. There are a variety of shows coming up. Kay asked if Board r Members could compile a wish list. Butch said that's what he wants; he wants Board Members to bring back suggestions from their circle of friends. Bill will be working on the 2009/2010 season in June. Kay will bring this up again when everyone is at a meeting. Butch said Blues Traveler will be a headliner for Fox Fire Fest on Saturday, August 2. Kay asked about shadowing Hemmens staff to see how they go about performing their tasks for shows. Butch said that hadn't been done for quite awhile but if anybody wanted to shadow one of the positions during Hemmens events, arrangements could be made for that to happen. Kay brought up published reports on the 23% loss of revenue from the riverboat, and suggested that Board members might be able to volunteer their services to The Hemmens wherever appropriate to help reduce costs and help out in any way. Jeff suggested that the decline in revenues might be in response to the ban on smoking and a reduction in those demographics. Butch advised that the casinos in Indiana are being affected by the non-smoking rules, but doesn't feel that will that big a factor here. He suggested attendance might start building here because of those no smoking rules. Also he pointed out that January and February are traditionally slow months in that industry, and that in times when the economy is bad business at casinos actually goes up. r 2 Butch suggested that it would be great if people have time to distribute posters, fliers and brochures to businesses downtown, along Randall or even in neighborhoods. Jeff questioned prior discussions of having banners at Fox Fire Fest which didn't happen last year, but which would be a really good thing to have this year. He will bring it up at the next meeting when Randy is here. Jeff advised that greeters are still needed for upcoming performances. Next scheduled meeting is March 13, 2008 at 8:00am. Meeting adjourned at 8:25 am. Respectfully submitted, Sally Ryan March 13, 2008 Recording Secretary r 3 The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board DISCUSSION Notes NO QUORUM PRESENT March 13, 2008 Advisory Board Members Present: Jeff Grosser, Rich Jacobs, Cathy Maim Board Members Absent: Pete Garlock, Kevin Patterson, Mike Powers, Kathleen Weber Staff Present: Bill Folk, Patrick Raddatz, Sally Ryan As there was no quorum, the discussion was called to order at 8:15 am. Items of Discussion: Bill reviewed the remainder of this season. Discussion ensued regarding the proposed ordinance changes to the Hemmens Advisory Board's gift request guidelines. Bill raised the question of meeting times. Preferences expressed were to continue at the current time of 8:00 am or hold the meetings in the evening. Gift requests were deferred to the April meeting. In response to questions, Bill advised that: • Fox Fire Fest plans are in the works; • He has not been party to discussions regarding moving the Memorial Day events to Festival Park; and • We have reserved the Exhibition Hall for the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast. Jeff recapped upcoming greeter assignments and requested that a part of each Board Member's responsibility be to serve as a greeter at least once a season. Next meeting will be April 10, 2008 in the South lobby. Discussion ended at 8:45 am. Respectfully submitted, 5 aQ atd-^ April 10, 2008 Sally Ryan Date submitted Recording Secretary 1. THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD t The Hemmens' 0SOUTH 2008 Lobby / e; ` ��� April 1 , 8:00 A.M. 44N° Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from February 14, 2008 HAB Meeting III. Review of Gift Requests: IV. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Season Update b. Project Update V. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback b. HAB Meeting times and Schedule c. HAB Ordinance d. Gift Request Procedures e. Entertainment Survey f. Job Shadowing VI. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: May 8, 2008 VII. Adjournment Attachments: February 2008 Meeting Minutes March 2008 Discussion Notes Gift Requests Proposed HAB Ordinance Proposed Gift Request Procedures The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board Meeting Minutes April 10, 2008 Advisory Board Members Present: Kathleen Weber, Pete Garlock, Jeff Grosser, Cathy Maim Board Members Absent: Rich Jacobs, Mike Powers, Kevin Patterson Chairperson: Kathleen Weber Staff Present: Butch Wilhelmi, Bill Folk, Patrick Raddatz, Sally Ryan, Randy Reopelle The regularly scheduled April 10, 2008 meeting was called to order at 8:10 am. Minutes from the February 14, 2008 meeting were approved. Items of Discussion from Hemmens' Staff Bill gave an update on the season. Jerry Stiller is about '/ sold. Ads will run this week on the Drive, and on other stations in the coming weeks. TV spots are scheduled to run on Comcast first week of May in local viewing areas. Butch gave a progress report on overhead light replacements along the curved wall in the lobby. Last night the City Council approved the purchase of a large movie projector so movies and presentations can be done at the Hemmens. The equipment is expensive, but to rent it would probably cost $5,000 per week. It is planned to charge users about $100 per day for it. Kay asked about putting together a wish list for next season (2009-2010). Bill advised that Staff will be starting work on that season in June. He welcomes suggestions. Kay asked that each of the Board Members survey their friends, neighbors and others for suggestions. Kay raised the issue of our meeting times being a deterrent to adding new Board Members. Randy stated that the City has no other commissions that meet in the morning. He agreed that the time of the board meeting is the biggest challenge to adding members. All other commissions meet at 6:00 or 7:00 pm. Morning meetings always struggle for attendance. Butch suggested a vote today on changing our meeting time to evenings, then having one more morning meeting in May when the actual meeting time would be decided. Board vote was unanimous to approve. Kay invited members to advise her in advance of items they would like to have included in meeting agendas. Kay announced that her term as Chairman expires in May and that she would be happy to remain on as chair if no one else chooses to seek the office. 4 Butch presented proposed HAB ordinance changes for discussion. There were two significant changes. • One main change is the eliminating the part about recommending the Council's waiving the building rental. It's never requested. City Management would prefer that it not be handled through the Advisory Board. The 2008 fee ordinance gives the staff more flexibility to adjust rates if deemed to be in the best interest of the City so it's really not a necessary feature anymore. The Board would be invited to recommend rental waivers or reductions to staff. • Another change is to allow up to two Board members to be from outside the City of Elgin if the City Council deemed that it would be in the best interest of the City to have members on the Board with business ties or community ties to Elgin even if they don't live in Elgin. Randy offered that other commissions in the City have members who are not residents of Elgin. That offers opportunity for people with local business ties to bring new Another possible change would be meeting schedules. The Board can decide times of meetings as that is not part of the ordinance. However, frequency of meetings is mandated by ordinance. The item for discussion is whether the Board feels it needs to meet every month or every other month on a regular schedule, adding meetings if necessary. After discussion, it was determined that the Advisory Board would maintain the current monthly meeting schedule, with the understanding that meetings could be cancelled if that were deemed appropriate. Randy stated that is how Centre Advisory Board sets their schedule. They cancel meetings for December due to the holidays, and July because of vacations. At other times if there are only staff reports to give, Randy contacts the chair and asks if the meeting should be cancelled. Butch offered that our board's only issue might be gift requests. In the future, if we have few gift requests or don't have much to report we could cancel a meeting. Butch called for a vote on whether to meet monthly or every other month. Board vote was unanimous to continue meeting monthly. Butch called for vote on changes to ordinance as presented. Board vote was unanimous to approve ordinance changes as presented. Fox Fire Fest Entertainment schedule: Friday, August 1 ESO Saturday, August 2 Starship starring Mickey Thomas followed by Blues Traveler Sunday, August 3 Sister Hazel Gift Requests Votes: Thresholds Golf& Tennis Benefit— Unanimously Approved / Passed 2 Adult & Child Rehab Center, McHenry County— Unanimously Approved / Passed College of DuPage Foundation-3 Approved, 1 Opposed / Declined Des Plaines Fire Assn.—Unanimous Approval / Passed Hope for Vision Golf and Fishing Outings— Unanimously Approved / Passed St. Alphonsus Liguori Parish Fund Raiser-2 Approved, 2 Opposed / Declined Batavia Main Street Spring Gala-2 Approved, 2 Opposed / Declined SD 54 MacArthur PTA Ice Cream Social Fundraiser--2 Approved, 2 Opposed / Declined St. Charles North— Unanimously Approved / Passed NARI—Unanimously Opposed / Declined Next scheduled meeting is May 8, 2008 at 8:00am in The Hemmens SOUTH Lobby. Meeting adjourned at 9:15 am. Respectfully submitted, Sally Rsan May 8, 2008 Recording Secretary r r 3 0 F ( THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD The Hemmens' SOUTH Lobby 64N May 8, 2008 8:00 A.M. ?411 )d Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA L Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from April 10, 2008 HAB Meeting III. Election of HAB Chairperson IV. Review of Gift Requests: V. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Season Update i. Jerry Stiller cancellation ii. Ira Glass iii. Elgin Summer Theatre -HAIR VI. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. HAB meeting time: 6:00pm or 7:00pm b. Community Feedback VII. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: June 12, 2008 VIII. Adjournment Attachments: April 10, 2008 Meeting Minutes Gift Requests (-> . •'2 THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD The Hemmens' SOUTH Lobby May 8, 2008 f4 ) 8:00 A.M. Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from April 10, 2008 HAB Meeting III. Election of HAB Chairperson IV. Review of Gift Requests: V. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Season Update i. Jerry Stiller cancellation ii. Ira Glass iii. Elgin Summer Theatre -HAIR VI. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. HAB meeting time: 6:00pm or 7:00pm b. Community Feedback VII. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: June 12,2008 VIII. Adjournment Attachments: April 10, 2008 Meeting Minutes Gift Requests The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board Meeting Minutes May 8, 2008 Advisory Board Members Present: Kathleen Weber, Pete Garlock, Jeff Grosser, Rich Jacobs, Cathy Maim and Kevin Patterson Board Members Absent: Mike Powers Chairperson: Kathleen Weber Staff Present: Butch Wilhelmi, Bill Folk, Sally Ryan The regularly scheduled May 8, 2008 meeting was called to order at 8:10 am. Pete moved to approve the minutes from the April 10, 2008 meeting. Motion seconded by Cathy. Minutes were unanimously approved. Items of Discussion from Hemmens' Staff Kay reminded the Board that her term as Chairman is up this month. She would stay on as Chairman if no one else is interested in the position. Jeff Grosser presented himself as a candidate and stated his desire to engage himself more in the process of creating a vision for rthe Board and working more with Butch and Bill on that vision. Kay offered her record and that she still is interested in leading the group. Butch recommended we entertain a motion to retain Kay as chairman; and then if that did not pass, we could do a vote considering Jeff as the Chairman. Group decided to do a secret ballot, simply indicating a voter's choice of candidate for Chairman. Vote was 4 to 2 for Jeff Grosser to serve as Chairman of the Hemmens Advisory Board for a term of 1 year. Gift Requests Nicholas' Gift of Hope Foundation, Lincolnshire – Unanimously Opposed/Declined Association for Individual Development—Unanimously Approved/Passed Bill gave an update on the season. Jerry Stiller cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control. That brought the season to an early close. The 2007 - 2008 Season was not as good as desired, but it is not looking as bad as anticipated. It is an industry wide problem due the economy. Next season is finalized. Tickets go on sale July 8. Brochures are scheduled to go out June 16, and press releases will go out on June 23. Copies of the new brochures will be distributed at the next meeting. Butch pointed out that these will be completely different from r. anything done in the past, and they will be fantastic. They will be in a calendar format that will show the brochure pages at the top, with the events highlighted below in the calendar spaces. Also, there will be advertising opportunities in those brochures. Members are invited to contact local businesses to see if they would be interested in buying ad space. • A special limited one-day ticket pre-sale was offered for the Ira Glass October 11, 2008 appearance as a tie in with a theatre remote announcing his next season on This American Life. Tickets will not be sold again until July 8 with the regular season ticket sales. Butch announced plans for the Elgin Summer Theatre production of Hair the last 2 weekends of this July, the first summer theater production since 1995. Auditions are scheduled for May 13 and 14. Jeff revisited the issue of changing our Advisory Board meeting times. At the last meeting of the Board it was decided to change the time of the meeting to the evening. Decision on the whether it would be at 6:00 pm or 7:00 pm was deferred to this month's meeting. Jeff moved we schedule Hemmens Advisory Board Meetings for 6:00 pm on the second Thursday of each month. Motion was seconded by Cathy, and unanimously approved. Next scheduled meeting is June 12, 2008 at 6:00pm in The Hemmens South Lobby. Meeting adjourned at 9:05 am. Respectfully submitted, r -..44a(L" Sae+ Rgo June 10, 2008 Recording Secretary 2 <4, OF F1 C al6' 0,111''1111 ' THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD f The Hemmens' SOUTH Lobby ►�* June 12, 2008 , <<; 6:00 P.M. Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from May 14, 2008 HAB Meeting III. Review of Gift Requests: IV. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Season Update b. Project Updates elk i. Capital Purchases ii. HAIR iii. ERA Study V. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback b. Other items VI. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: July 10, 2008 VII. Adjournment Attachments: May 14, 2008 Meeting Minutes Gift Requests elimk ` . The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board Meeting Minutes June 12, 2008 Advisory Board Members Present: Pete Garlock, Jeff Grosser, Rich Jacobs, Kevin Patterson and Mike Powers Board Members Absent: Cathy Maim, Kathleen Weber Chairperson: Jeff Grosser Staff Present: Butch Wilhelmi, Patrick Raddatz, Sally Ryan, Randy Reopelle The regularly scheduled June 12, 2008 meeting was called to order at 6:02 pm. Rich moved to approve the minutes from the May 8, 2008 meeting. Motion seconded by Pete. Minutes were unanimously approved. Gift Requests Somos Colombia, Elgin — Unanimously Approved/Passed Michaela Thomas Fundraiser, Waukegan — Unanimously Opposed/Declined NAMI, Elk Grove/Schaumburg — Unanimously Approved/Passed Pay-it-Forward House, Sycamore — Unanimously Approved/Passed Soaring Eagle Academy, Riverside — Unanimously Opposed/Declined Items of Discussion from Hemmens' Staff Butch gave an update on the season. He presented the new brochures and pointed out the new format which includes a monthly calendar with reminders of upcoming events. Bill Folk did an outstanding job of creating and producing these. Butch invited board members to take a supply and distribute to friends and colleagues. The general mailing will go out on Monday, June 16. Tickets will go on sale July 8. A great season is planned with interesting and exciting theatrical offerings in addition to the concerts and Performing Arts for Young People shows. In July Elgin Summer Theatre returns presenting HAIR for two weekends beginning July 18. Status on three major projects. Hemmens purchased a 12,000 lumen super bright video projector. Even in the brightest of daylight conditions, quality of images is excellent. It will be used extensively as part of sets and for productions. City Council has just approved purchase of aluminum truss rigging equipment with chain motors. This equipment can be used in a tower configuration with 2 uprights and a 50 foot stand across which will work well on our stage. It will also give us something to provide 411)dramatic start and finish lines at Fox Trot. It will be used at Fox Fire Fest as a dramatic entrance to the artists' area on Grove Avenue. Economic Research Associates, who did the preliminary study on whether a new facility was feasible and preferable to remodeling the Hemmens, is now doing a more extensive study on the subject. They will be looking intensively at the structure of this building, from digging down to the pylons to looking at the HVAC system to see if the structure of the building could support the type of improvements that were suggested in the 1999 master plan. The study will address the following: if it can be done, what would be the real cost vs. the cost of a new building be, would we spend $40 to $50 million on this and in 10 years need to do something more; why do that when the money could be put into a new building now? Mike Powers expanded on the subject. This study will do the hard work of taking a serious look at this building to determine what needs to be done to drop in 2,000 — 2,200 seats. A 1,200 seat hall is not economically viable. The feasibility determination involves not only the actual cost of either plan, but also the financial ramifications, payback, and net present value analysis. This study will cost $290,000. There is not a time frame for the recommendations, but it is hoped it will be done by time the City is finalizing the budget. Discussion ensued regarding the types of entertainment that should be part of the plan. Mike suggested that the Board set aside outside influences and design an optimum calendar with a mix of national and local acts, orchestral and pop music, theatrical productions, dance groups, Al and so on for a 2,000 to 2,200 seat house. The reason the city has commissions such as the Hemmens Advisory Board is to get good thinking from smart people who are interested in the quality of life for the community. A new performing arts center would have a substantial community component, but it must do things that will be money-makers to finance things good for the community. Butch discussed the financial considerations of various types of productions. There are many more performance venues than when The Hemmens was established in 1969, thus there aren't as many theatre groups using our space as in the past. Part of the dialogue on the new building will include the possibility of a 2nd performance space, a black box space, for such events. Also, consideration should be given to "B Tours" of Broadway shows, i.e., The Producers which are presented at venues like ECC. Such productions are expensive to put on and must run for a slightly longer period to earn that money back. However, they bring prestige to the theatre as well as drawing a new audience. Randy pointed out that dance recitals are very profitable and they consistently bring new people to the facility. This must be another criterion in our decision making...what would bring people out on a regular basis so they can see what is happening in Elgin? Questions were raised regarding exhibit space. Proper acoustic separation between theatre and exhibit space would allow it to be utilized much more than it is. We would like to have Alik exhibit space similar to the Mega Center at Pheasant Run that would be set up with a stage at one end to be used for banquets, conferences, and dance competitions. Mike commented that the City is very serious about building a full service hotel, sooner rather than later. It is 2 I possible there would be some exhibit space as part of that project to bring in regional trade show business. Board members will continue to consult with members of the community regarding needs and wants for the facility. The next scheduled meeting is July 10, 2008 at 6:00 pm in The Hemmens South Lobby. Pete moved to adjourn the meeting. Kevin seconded. Meeting adjourned at 7:20 pm. Respectfully submitted, Ya4ig Agaf July 10, 2008 Recording Secretary r r 3 ,r.► The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board DISCUSSION Notes NO QUORUM PRESENT July 9, 2008 Advisory Board Members Present: Pete Garlock, Jeff Grosser, Cathy Maim, and City Council Member John Steffen Board Members Absent: Kevin Patterson, Joseph Vasallo, and Kathleen Weber Chairperson: Jeff Grosser Staff Present: Butch Wilhelmi, Patrick Raddatz, and Sally Ryan As there was no quorum, discussion only commenced at 6:20 pm. Items of Discussion Butch discussed 2009-2010 season ticket sales to date, which are better than last year at this time. Butch distributed pricing sheets for advertising in Hemmen's programs. rHe presented and discussed the table toppers developed with Marketing, and asked members to consider restaurants that might be persuaded to display them. Butch confirmed that everyone received a pdf copy of the Economics Research Associates report. Brief discussion of Elgin Short Film Festival. The next scheduled meeting is August 9, 2009 at 6:00 pm in The Hemmens North Lobby. Discussion ended at 6:45 pm. Respectfully submitted, Outer Sa4 Atfaif July 10, 2008 Recording Secretary 'C,� O F Ft 0 , \' THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD r. r Y The Hemmens' North Lobby ea4 ° =� ', 00' _ July 10, 2008 6:00 P.M. Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from June 12, 2008 HAB Meeting III. Review of Gift Requests: IV. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Season Update b. Year-end Budget Numbers r V. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback VI. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: August 14,2008 VII. Adjournment Attachments: June 12, 2008 Meeting Minutes Gift Requests �.4 O F „ ., C`. \.1” THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD pitil The Hemmens' North Lobby ` lic' August 14, 2008 e44N° J '., 6:00 P.M. � 1 'vv Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from June 12, 2008 HAB Meeting III. Review of Gift Requests: IV. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Season Update b. Fox Fire Fest c. P & L's eilk V. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback VI. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: September 11, 2008 VII. Adjournment Attachments: June 12, 2008 Meeting Minutes Gift Requests r 3 The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board Meeting Minutes August 14, 2008 Advisory Board Members Present: Pete Garlock, Jeff Grosser, Cathy Maim, Kevin Patterson and Kathleen Weber Board Members Absent: Rich Jacobs Chairperson: Jeff Grosser Staff Present: Butch Wilhelmi, Bill Folk, Sally Ryan The regularly scheduled August 14, 2008 meeting was called to order at 6:05 pm. Kay moved to approve the minutes from the June 12, 2008 meeting. Motion seconded by Kevin. Minutes were unanimously approved. Gift Requests • Society of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Catherine of Siena Parish Conference, West Dundee — unanimously approved/ passed • Gerber/Hart Library, Chicago— unanimously opposed /declined • Elgin Mental Health Center, Elgin — unanimously approved / passed r • Catholic Daughters of America, West Chicago— unanimously approved /passed • Meadows Association, Rolling Meadows — unanimously approved / passed • Broader Urban Involvement and Leadership Development, Chicago — 2 Approved, 3 opposed / declined • Edward Foundation, Naperville— unanimously approved/passed • Anderson Shelter, South Elgin —unanimously approved /passed • Fox Valley Beaux Arts Women's Club, Elgin— unanimously approved/passed • Einstein Academy, Elgin—unanimously approved/passed Items of Discussion from Hemmens' Staff Bill outlined the advertising program for the coming season. It includes newspaper, radio and cable television spots. He reported that to date, the ticket sales leaders are Capitol Steps, The Lettermen Christmas Show, Ira Glass and Rik Emmett. Cheap Trick tickets go on sale September 16, with an online pre-sale on September 15. Butch reported on the summer theatre performance of Hair. 1117 people attended 6 performances, with 300 walkups due to word of mouth information. The highest response to "how did you hear about the show"was friends and family at 569. Staff plans to do summer theatre again next year. Fox Fire Fest brought out 22,000 visitors. There were 10,000 Saturday night alone for Blues Traveler. It was a very successful festival. There were a lot of responses to the questionnaires regarding The Hemmens, with some good notes about what can be done in the future. There was a question about what the City Of Elgin got from the festival. Butch stated that it was not intended to make money as there was no admission charge and only small concession revenue. In 4 essence, it was a $300,000 gift from the City to the people. Hemmens got its name out there with the tent, the banners and the brochures and giveaways. Weather was fantastic during the shows, despite being horrible during set up and take down. Crowd control was excellent. There were no problems with traffic, despite the streets under construction. The shuttles to and from the remote parking were used by a lot of people. Butch presented the profit and loss statement from last season which showed a loss of about$26,000. Tickets sold for our Performing Arts for Young People shows which were cancelled due to snow would have been another $20,000 revenue. Had the Jerry Stiller show not been cancelled the season may have broken even. Bill said he is going to a booking conference in September. There he will be working on the 2009-2010 season bookings. Any information the Board members can provide regarding "wants" is extremely helpful, keeping in mind the realities of what can be done. Butch will send information on drawing winners over to Sue Olafson for a press release. Jeff asked for volunteers to review the questionnaires and compile data. Butch asked for breakout between resident and non-resident respondents as decisions that will be made could affect their taxes. Bill will develop a template for data compilation and analysis and email to Board Members. Kay remarked on the season brochure being the best ever, and wants more to distribute. Board Members concurred. The calendar is an outstanding feature. Butch mentioned that there were rquestions from people why ESO wasn't in brochure. They were invited to participate but declined. Butch regularly drops off large supplies of the brochures at restaurants and other locales, and encourages others to seek permission to do so at places they regularly visit. Question was raised regarding the next step to change the week of our meeting due to Randy Reopelle's scheduling conflict with the second Thursday of the month. The Advisory Board simply needs to make and approve a motion to change the date. That will be addressed at the next meeting. Next scheduled meeting is September 11, 2008 at 6:00 pm in the Hemmens North Lobby. Cathy moved to adjourn. Motion seconded by Kevin. Meeting adjourned at 7:10 pm. Respectfully submitted, sa4 ,av August 14, 2008 Recording Secretary 2 .{ O F E 1°a� �'\ THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD (elk r The Hemmens' North Lobby 7,- September 11, 2008 6:00 P.M. �'' i rlooSS Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from August, 2008 HAB Meeting III. Review of Gift Requests: IV. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Season Update V. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback t VI. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: October 9, 2008 VII. Adjournment Attachments: August, 2008 Meeting Minutes Gift Requests The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board Meeting Minutes September 11, 2008 Advisory Board Members Present: Pete Garlock, Jeff Grosser, Rich Jacobs, Cathy Maim, Kevin Patterson and City Council Member John Steffen. Board Members Absent: Kathleen Weber Chairperson: Jeff Grosser Staff Present: Butch Wilhelmi, Bill Folk, Patrick Raddatz and Sally Ryan The regularly scheduled September 11, 2008 meeting was called to order at 6:04 pm. Rich moved to approve the minutes from the August 14, 2008 meeting. Motion seconded by Kevin. Minutes were unanimously approved. Gift Requests Calvary Episcopal Church, Batavia — Unanimously Opposed/Declined Chicago Area Peace Corps Assn. — Unanimously Approved/Passed Homes for Endangered and Lost Pets, St. Charles — Unanimously Approved/Passed Kane County Farm Bureau Foundation, St. Charles-- Unanimously Approved/Passed Jeff welcomed City Council Member John Steffen to the Board. Items of Discussion from Hemmens' Staff Bill gave an update on the season. Ticket sales are very soft. He is hearing the same from a lot of other area venues as well. Cirque Mechanics Birdhouse Factory sales are not particularly good; however, Capitol Steps is doing quite well. Bill has a lot of ads running right now both in print and electronically. Hemmens ads are running on several Comcast stations as well as several radio stations. He has ads in the Herald pretty regularly, but plans on cutting back on the print ads as they are not cost effective. He will maintain a small presence there. Rich suggested dinner theatre packages with local restaurants might help increase ticket sales. Restaurants are struggling in these economic times too. Bill said it is a good idea but Hemmens does not have the staffing to mange that sort of project, nor does he have the time. John Steffen advised that Tonya Hudson, Executive Director of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, started a restaurant sub-committee and would be a good point person for such an endeavor. Bill will contact Tonya to explore the possibilities. irk Bill explained the "frequent buyer" plan he devised for customers. At specific spending levels, customers were given one, two or three pair of tickets for any show of their choosing. Board members were unanimous in praising the concept. Bill pointed out that the box office staff is trained and good at up-selling, and that we offer discounts on multiple show purchases as well. Both efforts result in increased sales. An extra show was added to Birdhouse Factory for Thursday, September 25 with prices reduced from the Friday night performance. Ads that will run on Comcast will help explain what this show is, so that should increase interest. Bill also is trying to get more live media exposure. Butch was hoping to have something to report regarding the ongoing Economic Research Associates study on whether a new facility is feasible and preferable to remodeling the Hemmens, but they are still trying to acquire some of the numbers for the utilities expenses. Jeff mentioned the Fox Fire Fest survey responses. Compilation is two thirds complete and so far it looks like newspapers and signs are the primary places people say they have seen advertising for Hemmens shows. Shows people would like to see by far seem to be rock and pop, and musicals. He also discussed the importance of addressing the needs of the Hispanic population. Jeff circulated the sign-up sheet for greeters for the first half of the season. Rich suggested we consider offering "rush tickets", i.e., at a specific time prior to each performance available seats would be sold at a substantial discount. This is similar to the Hot Tix model. To avoid having people holding back on purchases, anticipating discounted tickets, we could offer these to specific groups only, such as seniors and students. Butch pointed out this should be done as a cash only business so it doesn't increase box office lines. Rich suggested a separate table and line for these tickets where staff would have the tickets in hand to exchange for cash. That would move quite well. Bill will be attending a booking conference later this month. He asked that members email him in the next day or two if they come up with ideas for bookings that he could research while there. The next scheduled meeting is October 9, 2008 at 6:00 pm in The Hemmens North Lobby. Kevin moved to adjourn the meeting. Rich seconded. Meeting adjourned at 6:45 pm. Respectfully submitted, Sail, ie a'' September 11, 2008 Recording Secretary 2 OF L C c� ,,, THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD ' The Hemmens' North Lobby i' November 13, 2008 40° 6:00 P.M. Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from September 11, 2008 HAB Meeting III. Review of Gift Requests: IV. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Staffing Change b. Season Update c. Project Update d. Other V. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback b. Other VI. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: December 11, 2008 VII. Adjournment Attachments: September 2008 Meeting Minutes Gift Requests f The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board Notice of Cancellation of Meeting The regularly scheduled meeting of the Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board scheduled for December 11, 2008 has been cancelled. The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on January 8, 2009. Dated: December 4, 2008 Sally S. Ryan Recording Secretary Hemmens Advisory Board City of Elgin