Houston First Corporation Operations Committee met Sept. 14

Houston First Corporation Operations Committee met Sept. 14.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

The following Committee Members participated in the meeting: Desrye Morgan (Chair), Reginald Martin (Vice-Chair), Dean Gladden, Steven Mitzner, and Council Member Robert Gallegos.

1. The Committee Chair called the meeting to order at 1:04 p.m., and a quorum was established.

2. Public Comments. None.

3. Review and approval of minutes from prior meetings. Following a motion duly seconded, the minutes of April 19, 2022, and June 21, 2022, were approved as presented.

4. Presentations, Reports, and Updates

A. Programming and Event Update

John Gonzalez, Senior Vice President & General Manager, reported 100 events at the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB) to date, with attendance in the third quarter at 237,279 and year-to-date total attendance at 1,150, 108.

Mr. Gonzalez provided a status report on Hall A3 and B3. He reported that the columns between A3 and B3 were removed entirely. New airwalls will arrive at the GRB in December, and the work should be completed by mid-January. The hall is now 224,000 square feet of continuous space. Luther Villagomez, Chief Operating Officer, explained that a partition would replace the temporary fence removed to make room for flexibility for trade shows.

Mr. Gonzalez provided an overview of upcoming events, including the Turbomachinery & Pump Symposium the week before September 12th. The American Dental Society's (ADA's) SmileCon would be held at the GRB from Oct 13-16, and it was ADA's first- ever event in Houston. He also mentioned other events in October and November and said that 2022 would close out with John Deere, another major corporate event, in mid-December.

Todd Holloman, Vice-President, Venues and Live Events, recounted a hectic summer of programming with events that included Lutheran Church Missouri Synod youth gathering, which brought in 22,000 thousand youths over a five to six-day period, Comicpalooza, Anime Matsuri, Roseaux, and Blues and More. These events included activations of the Avenida.

Mr. Holloman highlighted a list of upcoming programming, including a party celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month. He urged Committee Members to attend the event at the Party on the Plaza. Committee Members were also invited to view an art installation featuring work by Guadalupe Hernandez titled "Recuerdos de Juventud."

Some of the remaining events include partnerships with Discovery Green and Alley Theatre. Upcoming events include Scream on the Green, Dia de los Muertos, Frostival, and City Lights.

Mr. Holloman communicated that Lynn Wyatt Square would encompass 230 days of programming per year and feature performances by local and national performers, community events, concert series, cultural and Heritage Day celebrations, and programming in association with the local Arts community.

Mr. Gonzalez recapped events in the theaters noting first-time events such as Viva Mexico, Davenport/Sullivan wedding, and Black Lights Shining in the Darkness. The fourth quarter would include events such as the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and Gospel Experience III, which is a new booking. Theater attendance is on track and attendance for conventions is running at 80 percent.

Reginald Martin requested that future quarterly reports include information on the tracking of attendance and how Houston compares to other markets. Michael Heckman, President and CEO, noted that the information that Mr. Martin requested would be included at the next HFC Board meeting. Desrye Morgan also agreed that the information should be included in future reports, which should include comparative information to post-Harvey, pre-COVID, and post-COVID for Theater. Mr. Villagomez stated he would create such a report.

5. Executive Session:

Executive (closed) session pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.071 for purposes of consultation with an attorney.

Executive session began at 1:25 p.m. and ended at 1:57 p.m. No action was taken during Executive session.

6. Committee Business

A. Consideration and possible recommendation of an increased funding limit for the Construction Services Agreement with Manhattan Construction Company for the redevelopment of Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts.

Following a motion duly seconded, the recommendation of an increased funding limit. for the Construction Services Agreement with Manhattan Construction Company for the redevelopment of Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts was approved unanimously.

B. Consideration and possible approval of adjusting the requirement for a quorum

from a simple majority of the total Committee membership to three members.

Reggie asked which other committees had adopted this change. Lisa Hargrove, General Counsel stated that the Benefits, Compensation, and Finance Committee had already approved this change. Mr. Heckman added that this change would be across all committees.

Following a motion duly seconded, adjusting the requirement for a quorum from a simple majority of the total Committee membership to three members was approved unanimously.

7. Adjourn

The meeting was adjourned at 2:01 p.m.

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