Try as I might, I can't get them out of my mind 90% of the time.

Hornbeck said:

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Now y'all know why they can't afford a new lift station. Just saying…

Prior councils also bought a shopping center along University that they sold for a considerable loss. Can we have some of that money back as well? I sure could use a break on my house taxes.

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this will leave a mark

Quote:

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It's a logistically complex issue, but one that has not stopped all but a handful of SEC cities from establishing their own facility. Given our size, we largely stand alone without one.

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I think most residents are ok without a city owned convention center. If there is a demand, a private company will build it and run it much more efficiently than COCS.

Concerts are an integral part of newer, more flexible Convention Center design. The idea behind it is the facility provides for large scale entertainment options for citizens local and outlying. Survey data indicates local residents overwhelmingly support a convention center they themselves get to utilize for entertainment rather than just business trade shows attracting out of town visitors. Also the more uses the facility is designed for, the greater it's odds for financial success. Additionally, entertainment options tend to be their own draw. In other words you don't need a beach, an amusement park or a casino next door for it to be very successful because citizens will travel for the event itself.

Respectfully…

That's a fair opinion and if proven true, it wouldn't proceed. A majority of citizens would have to be in support and if they're not, I as one member of council would not support it.

Respectfully

Respectfully, I was responding to AggiePhil's post about conferences vs concerts, and why concerts were mentioned.

Bob Yancy said:

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That's a fair opinion and if proven true, it wouldn't proceed. A majority of citizens would have to be in support and if they're not, I as one member of council would not support it.

Respectfully

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By extension, does this mean that if you were presented an opportunity to scrap phase 1 of the independence ballpark and save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, you would be in favor of that since we voted down phase 2 of that project?

Crawdaddy said:

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Captn_Ag05 said:

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I REALLY hope that when Houston gets their NHL team in the next couple of years that College Station can get an affiliate team, and hopefully the highest level one at that (like the Texas Stars are to Dallas).

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That would be AWESOME. Would love to see a solid minor league team of any sort come to this town. I think the fandom would be immediate and passionate.

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Agreed. I am hoping that city leadership and business leaders are working behind the scenes to put together a plan to attract an affiliate once Houston gets their NHL team.

SO in with this, what does the Board think the team colors should be? We need to be locked in and ready to move on this, before cities like Killeen and Tyler beat us to the punch.

AHL affiliate is out of the question without building a barn for it. ECHL may be the best we can hope for and even that would need a larger facility than the current ice rink. The one possibility would be either a Dallas Stars Center, or similarly affiliated rink with a new Houston based franchise.

Yessir.

OceanStateAg said:

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AHL affiliate is out of the question without building a barn for it. ECHL may be the best we can hope for and even that would need a larger facility than the current ice rink. The one possibility would be either a Dallas Stars Center, or similarly affiliated rink with a new Houston based franchise.

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Getting way off topic here, but out of curiosity, can Reed Arena be adapted to accommodate an ice rink?

Bob Yancy said:

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Concerts are an integral part of newer, more flexible Convention Center design. The idea behind it is the facility provides for large scale entertainment options for citizens local and outlying. Survey data indicates local residents overwhelmingly support a convention center they themselves get to utilize for entertainment rather than just business trade shows attracting out of town visitors. Also the more uses the facility is designed for, the greater it's odds for financial success. Additionally, entertainment options tend to be their own draw. In other words you don't need a beach, an amusement park or a casino next door for it to be very successful because citizens will travel for the event itself.

Respectfully…

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Man I miss G. Rollie and the concerts they used to have. You just don't get those college tours anymore unless they have an enormous venue....and then the tickets cost so much no one can afford to go.

AggiePhil said:

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OceanStateAg said:

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AHL affiliate is out of the question without building a barn for it. ECHL may be the best we can hope for and even that would need a larger facility than the current ice rink. The one possibility would be either a Dallas Stars Center, or similarly affiliated rink with a new Houston based franchise.

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Getting way off topic here, but out of curiosity, can Reed Arena be adapted to accommodate an ice rink?

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Many years ago, I remember taking my daughter to see High School Musical On Ice at Reed Arena.

OceanStateAg said:

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AHL affiliate is out of the question without building a barn for it. ECHL may be the best we can hope for and even that would need a larger facility than the current ice rink. The one possibility would be either a Dallas Stars Center, or similarly affiliated rink with a new Houston based franchise.

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A new arena would definitely be needed, which is why I am hoping business leaders are having discussions now. Buc-ee's Arena and name the hockey team the Beavers...

But, Cedar Park made a home for their hockey team. I don't think Waco, Killeen, Temple, etc. have a place either. A new facility would need to be built wherever the teams likely go, but have to land the team first.

Not a bad idea, but naming rights are never permanent, so best to avoid those ties unless you want to rebrand the franchise every few years.

Captn_Ag05 said:

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OceanStateAg said:

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AHL affiliate is out of the question without building a barn for it. ECHL may be the best we can hope for and even that would need a larger facility than the current ice rink. The one possibility would be either a Dallas Stars Center, or similarly affiliated rink with a new Houston based franchise.

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A new arena would definitely be needed, which is why I am hoping business leaders are having discussions now. Buc-ee's Arena and name the hockey team the Beavers...

But, Cedar Park made a home for their hockey team. I don't think Waco, Killeen, Temple, etc. have a place either. A new facility would need to be built wherever the teams likely go, but have to land the team first.

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Now we're cooking with gas! Let's get colors down and a name.

How about College Station Catfish.

I have a long-time friend who is a concert promoter in Austin, he has been since the early 90's. We had a long discussion about why CS can't get concerts. He explained to me that it all has to do with something called a "proximity clause" in the contracts artists must sign with the venue. It all boils down to: Artist/Band A is on tour. Their management's goal is to sell tickets. To do that, the band is going to sign the largest venue they think they can fill or sell out. Venues in Austin, Dallas and Houston are all larger (more seats=more tickets to sell) than Reed Arena. Smaller venues in those cities (Woodlands Pav., Sugarland Arena) can be booked for multiple nights/shows if demand is there and still sell out or get close.

The proximity clause states that "the band can't book any other venues within X miles" of the one they are signing to play. (Usually 150-200 miles) . The simple geography is any band that books an Austin, Houston, Woodlands, or Sugarland venue will most likely be *prohibited* from booking anything as close as Bryan or College Station, *no matter how nice, new or spacious the facility is.* The economics is that the promoter and manager KNOW they are going to sell more tickets there as well, which is why bigger artists have always booked Houston or Dallas over Austin or Waco when given a choice. The Rolling Stones are only going to play Dallas and/or Houston because those cities can sell 80,000 tickets at $250 each.

Our location in the middle of the "Texas Triangle" dooms us with artists, promoters and the "proximity clause". Of course there are outliers (the circus, Ice-capades, etc) but Taylor Swift and George Strait ain't having it......

That's my story from the guy who actually tried to book ZZTop for a First Yell event at Reed or Kyle Field about 10-15 years ago. True Story.

I like "Ice-Farmers" for hockey.

We can call them the Fancy Yancys if our resident council member can get a team here.

It's possible the name will be connected/tied to with whatever the team in Houston ends up being named.

Sinuso said:

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Our location in the middle of the "Texas Triangle" dooms us with artists, promoters and the "proximity clause". Of course there are outliers (the circus, Ice-capades, etc) but Taylor Swift and George Strait ain't having it....

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Yes. We get to enjoy amazing concerts in three nearby major cities at fantastic arenas funded by their taxpayers.

Fascinating fascinating fascinating. Thank you. Research list just expanded. The only thing that confuses me about that is why would Jerry Seinfeld, for real world example, hold a show in Athens, GA and exclude all of metro Atlanta, which is only 1.5 hours away? Will look into. Thanks again.

They need to turn the Post Oak Mall into the convention center. Bulldoze and construct it. Perfect location!

That's a good point. When I was young in Waco, there were plenty of concerts. Now, the only bigger act is Wade Bowen, but he's from Waco. I think the Expo Center in Temple/Belton used to get more concerts as well, but the numbers there are down as well.

phillytex24 said:

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They need to turn the Post Oak Mall into the convention center. Bulldoze and construct it. Perfect location!

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Use the mall for truck parking, no capital improvements needed and at $10-15 per truck per night, that place will make some money!

Does the City collect HOT tax for sleeper cabs?

Bob Yancy said:

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Fascinating fascinating fascinating. Thank you. Research list just expanded. The only thing that confuses me about that is why would Jerry Seinfeld, for real world example, hold a show in Athens, GA and exclude all of metro Atlanta, which is only 1.5 hours away? Will look into. Thanks again.

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Comedian shows are not big arena/stadiums usually.

MeKnowNot said:

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phillytex24 said:

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They need to turn the Post Oak Mall into the convention center. Bulldoze and construct it. Perfect location!

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Use the mall for truck parking, no capital improvements needed and at $10-15 per truck per night, that place will make some money!

Does the City collect HOT tax for sleeper cabs?

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This. We are way missing out on money with these dudes parking their rigs on the side of federally funded highways.

<insert Mr. Crab's "money, money, money, money" meme>

Captn_Ag05 said:

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Crawdaddy said:

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Captn_Ag05 said:

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I REALLY hope that when Houston gets their NHL team in the next couple of years that College Station can get an affiliate team, and hopefully the highest level one at that (like the Texas Stars are to Dallas).

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That would be AWESOME. Would love to see a solid minor league team of any sort come to this town. I think the fandom would be immediate and passionate.

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Agreed. I am hoping that city leadership and business leaders are working behind the scenes to put together a plan to attract an affiliate once Houston gets their NHL team.

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If we got an actual minor league hockey team I'd buy season tickets the moment they went on sale.

Bunk Moreland said:

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Captn_Ag05 said:

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Crawdaddy said:

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Captn_Ag05 said:

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I REALLY hope that when Houston gets their NHL team in the next couple of years that College Station can get an affiliate team, and hopefully the highest level one at that (like the Texas Stars are to Dallas).

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That would be AWESOME. Would love to see a solid minor league team of any sort come to this town. I think the fandom would be immediate and passionate.

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Agreed. I am hoping that city leadership and business leaders are working behind the scenes to put together a plan to attract an affiliate once Houston gets their NHL team.

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If we got an actual minor league hockey team I'd buy season tickets the moment they went on sale.

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Same even if not an NHL affiliate probably

Sinuso said:

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I like "Ice-Farmers" for hockey.

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The Trains.
The Boxcars.
The Trackers.

Yeah that makes sense. And this is also something that's a factor when you hear people complain about why Lubbock and Austin have these nice arenas and we have Reed. Lubbock and Austin are positioned in markets that attract more concerts and events to justify the cost of a nice arena that can be used outside of just university-affiliated events. It's been said for years that the university would claim concert sales at the Erwin Center as revenue, when they have nothing to do with the university. B/CS is too close to Houston to consistently get major concerts and events.

Bob Yancy said:

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Concerts are an integral part of newer, more flexible Convention Center design. The idea behind it is the facility provides for large scale entertainment options for citizens local and outlying. Survey data indicates local residents overwhelmingly support a convention center they themselves get to utilize for entertainment rather than just business trade shows attracting out of town visitors. Also the more uses the facility is designed for, the greater it's odds for financial success. Additionally, entertainment options tend to be their own draw. In other words you don't need a beach, an amusement park or a casino next door for it to be very successful because citizens will travel for the event itself.

Respectfully…

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First off it looks like the Classic center in Georgia is a non-profit that is run by volunteers. Totally different dynamics than a city looking to build a building that does conferences and now concerts.

Classic Center
This facility has many parts - convention center, theatre, ice rink etc.

Looks like summertime is a bust for most things in this center and especially for concerts since it is a college town - rest of year kinda looks wide open as well.

Concert list or performances at the theatre in Classic Center, Athens Georgia. Judge for yourself the concerts and talent coming in.
Aug 25th KC and sunshine band
Sept 14th - We'll Meet Again - A New American Musical
October 8th - Nick Carter - Who I Am 2023 Tour
October 12th - The Rocky Horror Picture Show
October 13th - Newsboys - Let The Music Speak Tour
October 20th - Johnny Cash - The Official Concert Experienc
October 22nd - Sal Vulcano
November 19th - Pretty Woman - The Musical
December 14th - Mean Girls
December 19th - Christmas with John Berry
February 19th - MANIA - The ABBA Tribut
February 28th - Come From Away
April 1st - On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan
May 11th - Bonnie Raitt - Just Like That...Tour 2024

The center also draws people for the UGA ice dawgs but I really wouldn't count this as part of attendance as it is a university team. However the public can go ice skating on it throughout the year. Houston ice rinks do not really get that crowded so I doubt college station would be a barn burner. There is also a roller derby team with 4 dates
In their schedule.

Events Is probably their bright spot as they hold events that Texas A&M probably wouldn't hold is the Athens beer fest weekend and the Athens wine fest weekend. Probably draws a bunch of people. The ice rink does bring in about 15k people that just skate so on a generous 6 month schedule (it is not open now in summer) that would be 83 people per day.

This place is pretty big and hard to tell what all goes on there but it is a non-profit always looking for sponsorships and hopefully no money from govt coffers.
https://classiccenter.com/DocumentCenter/View/4324/The-Classic-Center-Facility-Map

Oh it also sells parking spaces for UGA football and basketball games as well. Looks like it mostly feeds from the university except a couple of events.

Overall in my opinion it really doesn't look like a winning combination for tax dollars (maybe as a charity 501c3).

I just ask again what is the city going to do with funds from taxpayers that Texas A&M can't do with their facilities already? They host concerts or did, they have convention space etc. I would say work with them and reap the reward of the hotel taxes and improve the lives of residents through fixing stuff faster or cutting taxes. Quit trying to compete with private business and enable private business and the returnees will be greater.

Texas A&M does have a hockey team and they are pretty good.

https://www.tamuicehockey.com/

Very few (if any) of the upcoming acts on the GA list would have proximity clauses. Those acts book bars, clubs and any venues where they think they can sell tickets. A lot of those would be prime MSC-OPAS acts...