TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
David N. Carmany, City Manager
FROM:
Mark Leyman, Director of Parks and Recreation
Eve R. Irvine, Chief of Police
Tim Hageman, Captain
Andrew Harrod, Police Lieutenant
SUBJECT:Title
Report on the 2013 International Surf Festival's Charlie Saikley Six-Man Beach Volleyball Tournament (Continued from September 17, 2013, City Council Meeting).
RECEIVE AND FILE
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive and file the status report for the 2013 International Surf Festival’s Charlie Saikley Six-Man Beach Volleyball Tournament.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The fiscal impact for the 2013 International Surf Festival’s (ISF) Charlie Saikley Six-Man event was a net loss of $50,238 for the City. The total operational costs were $91,288, and the total revenue for the event was $41,050 ($11,050 in team registrations and $30,000 from Beachsport).
BACKGROUND:
The 2013 ISF Charlie Saikley Six-Man Beach Volleyball Tournament was held on Wednesday, July 31 and Thursday, August 1. City Council approved changes to the event last year to address problems that occurred in previous years (large crowds, public intoxication, and destruction of private property). These changes included holding the tournament mid-week (Wednesday and Thursday) and enacting a Short-Term Vacation Rental Ordinance (No. 2160). The changes, coupled with strict enforcement of no alcohol at the beach and a ban on amplified sound permits, were successful in achieving a safe and orderly, community-oriented, and family-friendly 2013 event.
DISCUSSION:
The 2013 Six-Man Beach Volleyball Tournament was similar in size and scope to the 2012 event, with no large parties or drunken crowds. Attendance this year for both the spectators and number of players was similar to the previous year; the Police Department estimated the spectator crowd at 3,000-5,000 throughout the first day of competition (less than the beach crowd estimates on a typical summer weekend). There were no reports of property damage, trespassing, public intoxication, or public urination as in years past. Staff believes that the continued mid-week event dates, as well as the implementation of the short term rental ordinance were two of the reasons that the event was so successful in curtailing the problems.
There was a small decrease in team entries from 66 in 2012 to 50 teams in 2013. Staff had hoped to increase participation by reducing the registration fees from $1,000 to $650 for non-sponsored teams. In the end, players still struggled to take two days off of work and pay the $650 entry fee. There were also a number of teams that merged two teams into one, and many of the teams which had 20 players in the past, ended up with approximately 10-12 players per team.
Staff (Police Department, Contemporary Services Corporation private security, Fire Department, and Parks and Recreation) monitored the beach area and the downtown area throughout the event and into the evening. Police personnel were a visible presence in the downtown and beach areas, with several officers walking the downtown area and contacting the businesses, checking in, and addressing issues or problems.
The number of parties in the downtown and beach area were greatly reduced this year to a few small parties along the Strand. In years past, numerous homes were rented out, each with hundreds of people that gathered, overflowing on walkstreets and the Strand. Staff believes that the implementation of the short term rental ordinance last year helped stop the problematic house parties this year.
Police contacted individuals who were openly consuming alcohol away from licensed premises and took proactive police action. Arrests attributed to the Charlie Saikley Six-Man were down from 39 in 2011 and four (4) in 2012 to two in 2013 (both of which were related to public intoxication).
Event Financial Information
2013 Finances
Cost projections for the 2013 event were estimated at the same levels as the 2012 event, based upon similar resource needs from the 2012 event. Staffing costs were reduced through prudent management and early release of staff, as feasible, There was an increase to private security staffing because additional personnel were deployed to staff an additional safety exit for the event arena, per the Fire Marshall and as required by state law. Operational costs were fairly consistent with estimates. Team registrations and sponsorship were down from last year. Therefore, the event had a $50,238 net loss with $91,288 in expenditures and $41,050 in revenue. Final costs are detailed in Attachment 1.
Sponsorship of the 2013 event was provided by Beachsport, the International Surf Festival’s contract fundraising agency. As in previous years, Beachsport provided a $15,000 insurance policy ($2,000,000 in coverage) for the event which covers the City of Manhattan Beach, provided the sound system and set up for the event, and contributed a number of in-kind contributions (i.e. pallets of water, granola bars, etc.),. In addition to the above services, Beachsport provided a $30,000 contribution to ensure that the Tournament would not be canceled. The $30,000 contribution included sponsorship of fourteen teams.
Stakeholder Feedback
Staff gathered feedback from the Downtown Business Association, residents, and the volleyball community regarding the event.
Feedback from the Manhattan Beach downtown businesses was both positive and negative. The positive feedback included: no reported incidents, stores did not have to close down early, and the focus was on the volleyball event, not on a drunken party. The negative feedback included: disappointment from restaurants due to the decrease in sales from previous years when the event was held on the weekend.
Staff attended the Downtown Business Association monthly board meeting on August 8, 2013 to gather their input. The board strongly encourages a Thursday/Friday event, unless the Police and Fire Departments deems a safety issue, and would like the event to remain on those days long term to maintain consistence and balance. They commented that the closing of the upper and lower Pier parking lots resulted in minimal parking spaces for attendees of the event and downtown patrons, and were closed too long and underutilized after the event. They requested that the lots be opened as soon as possible after the event. They suggested the City provide a parking shuttle for $5 to shuttle players from Manhattan Beach Middle School to reduce Downtown parking impacts. The board also hoped to see more participation, and if needed, a further reduction in the price of team registrations to increase attendance.
Feedback from residents living in the Downtown area has been positive. One resident did express concern regarding the alcohol sponsorship signage on the Pier.
Staff also contacted local residents, and players in the volleyball community who participated on the 2012/2013 Six Man subcommittee. The residents in the downtown area had positive feedback, as the size of the crowds were greatly reduced, eliminating many of the issues from previous years. Players from the volleyball community also had positive feedback about the event which focused on volleyball. Although they enjoyed the event, the players had significant concerns over the weekday tournament dates and the ability to continue the event with enough teams/players. Most players preferred a Thursday/Friday event date, suggesting that this would increase the ability of more teams to play.
2014 Event Considerations
Continue the Wednesday/Thursday Mid-week Event Dates
This year’s event was again successful in eliminating the problems of past years and maintaining quality of life for residents. Staff recommends that the Wednesday/Thursday event dates continue.
Staff considered the Thursday/Friday proposal from the Downtown Business Association, as well as the volleyball players. Staff is concerned that the quality of life which has been achieved and maintained for the past two years for residents, especially in the Downtown area, would be jeopardized with the change in dates. Although it would likely achieve an increase in team participation, staff anticipates a dramatic increase in spectator attendance due to the near-weekend dates. Due to the anticipated large spectator crowds, these event dates will require an increase in both Police and Fire personnel throughout the event, and a substantial increase in evening deployment to ensure order and safety are maintained in the Downtown area. Staff estimates the additional Police and Fire costs for a Thursday/Friday event to be an additional $35,000, approaching 2011 staffing costs.
Downtown Parking Considerations
Maintaining the Wednesday/Thursday event will enhance staff’s ability to anticipate and plan the 2014 event and to make refinements to improve the event for stakeholders. As an example, the Downtown Business Association was concerned about availability of parking in the Downtown area. With knowledge of the Wednesday/Thursday event attendance, staff believes that the upper South Pier parking lot can be opened for public parking on Wednesday night, and restored for normal business parking immediately following Thursday festivities. Staff will make every effort to open up the remaining pier parking lots as soon as possible after the event. Staff considered a shuttle for players/participants to reduce Downtown parking impacts; however, past experience with shuttle parking for the Manhattan Beach Open Volleyball tournament indicates that these services are minimally used.
Finances & Sponsorship
Staff would like to achieve a net neutral cost for the 2014 event, while maintaining a safe and orderly event. This can be achieved through continued prudent management of staffing costs, an increase in the number of teams registering, and sponsorships to offset the cost of the event.
For the 2014 event, Beachsport would like to meet with the City Manager to negotiate an agreement to generate revenue to offset event costs. Beachsport provides the marketing services for the International Surf Festival and has contributed many event resources including $50,000 cash in 2012 and $30,000 in 2013 to the Charlie Saikley 6-Man Volleyball event.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive and file the status report.
Attachment:
1. Six Man 2013 Operational Costs & 2014 Estimated Cost