City Council
MEETING DATE: 11/12/2014
TITLE:
Title
Interfusion Music Summit 2014 Recap
End
FROM:
Chris Parman, Communications/Events Manager
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
This item is presented for Council discussion and direction to staff.
Body
BACKGROUND:
On October 10 - 12, 2014, PNN Media hosted its 4th Annual Interfusion Music Summit in City Hall and Town Square. The City of Cathedral City has a 5-year Right of First Refusal agreement for 5 total years, ending in 2015. The City’s sponsorship has been $20,000 per year. On November 13, 2013, Council approved advancing PNN Media $10,000 from the 2015 sponsorship to the 2014 sponsorship in an effort to boost attendance, realizing that PNN Media could get other sponsors to backfill the advance payment from the City in 2015. Therefore, PNN Media received $30,000 in cash sponsorship for 2014.
DISCUSSION:
Attendance for 2014 dipped below 2013’s attendance of 1081. The organizers estimate 900 attendees for 2014, but I attended the event on Friday and Sunday, and at different intervals on Saturday, and I would estimate the total attendance at 350. The Desert Sun reported Saturday afternoon’s attendance in the “dozens”. At no time, did I ever see a crowd larger than 100. Most daily attendees were the same people who were at the summit to perform.
This year’s music summit focused on Electronic Dance Music / DJ format. It is a popular format and extremely trendy with the late teen and 20s age groups. PNN Media maxed out the capacity for the summit attendees / performers. Each summit attendee / performer is allotted at least a 20-minute session to perform during the summit. The general public is invited at no cost to watch the performances in Town Square from 11 am to 9 pm.
The Positives:
1. PNN Media is very organized and ran the summit according to the plan.
2. Friday’s workshops were held in the Council Chambers for the first time which accommodated all the attendees and allowed people at home to watch the summit on Channel 17 and on KLPS.tv over the internet.
3. Friday’s VIP Party on the 3rd Floor was a perfect venue allowing additional performances and the ability to experience Cathedral City like no other. The summit attendees / performers and all others who attended had a great time. Several professional entertainers sang and DJ performances lent the evening with a party atmosphere to kick-off the weekend performances.
4. Cathedral City received advertising and marketing promotions in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and local media markets.
The Negatives:
1. Attendance was lower this year than the previous year.
2. The event cost the City $30,000 for a small crowd.
3. PNN Media lost money on the event. They estimate their expenditures at $31,185.
4. The type of event is not conducive to the event’s hours.
5. The venue (Town Square) is not conducive to changing the live performance to be well received by a mass audience.
Interfusion Music Summit has potential, but not in its current design. The audience for Electronic Dance Music wants a venue that permits music to be played between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am, allows alcohol sales, and offers enough room to actually dance under mega stage lights. Without these ingredients, the summit will fail to meet expectations.
PNN Media will be present to offer its vision for 2015.
FISCAL IMPACT:
$30,000 for 2014 has been spent. Council voted to allocate $10,000 for 2015 according to current agreements, but has the First Right of Refusal to continue or not.
ATTACHMENTS:
None