GOVERNMENT
The Wild West Music Festival drew a decent crowd on its second night of operation. The attendance slumped the next day, which means the festival may just run two days this year.
Revenues included a $370,000 investment from the city, which was the festival’s largest con- tribution by far. Next was $230,253 in ticket sales. A month after the event, a city official estimated the attendance to have been as high as 20,000. SLE gave its official attendance figure as 15,000 to 17,000 as part of its final reports in mid-February. In the world of live sports, officials can offer an accurate attendance figure, to the number, in a matter of hours for events that draw upwards of 100,000 people. Why we don’t have a clear figure months after the event is puzzling. Regardless of whether turnout was lower than expected, an actual attendance figure would have instilled more confidence in the accuracy of the numbers that came back from the event and its producers. Going by the “official” numbers we have, the average ticket sold for between $13 and $15. Ticket prices for the first two days, which dominated attendance, ranged from $30 to $300. If you take the high end of the official attendance range, 17,000, and assume attendees all purchased the least expensive ticket price for the first two days, ticket revenue would have been $510,000 and that would have pushed the event into profitability and the city would have gotten $15,000 back, after the 50-50 split of course. Clear as mud SLE provided nothing more to the city than a broad financial statement that, in many cases, combined expenses that had little to do with one another. Staging, audio and visual costs shared a line item with booze at the bar. SLE did not give city leaders legitimate accounting of just what went on last year — and the city took no issue with that. The Wild West Music Fest earned $102,750 in sponsorships. The bar brought in $76,793, vendor fees accounted for another $28,375 and parking revenues were $18,134. The biggest expense was $482,981 for midway rides and talent, two more largely unrelated costs lumped together in the accounting. The next biggest expense was $271,007 for the stage, audio-visual effects and the bar. An online search reveals the stage used for the festival, a Stage line SL320, could be rented for $10,000 a day.
SLE’s personnel costs for the festival were reported at $202,752, which could pay a staff of 126 people to work 80 hours each at an average rate of $20 per hour. Or the yearly salary and benefits of two city employees. The last two expenses, marketing and charity, demonstrate the stark lack of connection between promoters, the city and its citizens. The marketing fees were $34,883. Although navigating State Route 347 is a hazard few from the Valley want to undertake, efforts to market to the 75,000 people who live in Maricopa were all but abandoned as 93% of the marketing funds went to attract Valley residents. Despite the festival ending in a sizable deficit, promoters still found money to donate $17,083 to Magical Builders, a national charity that “manages the construction, renovation and improvement of charitable facilities and other initiatives.” The charity hasn’t announced any projects in or near Maricopa. Its efforts in Arizona focus on Phoenix and Scottsdale, a city more than 25% richer than Maricopa on average. Monetizing vendors At the outset of last year’s Wild West Music Fest, there was an outcry from prospective local vendors. A $500 deposit, $50 registration fee and $50 terminal fee, along with a 20% take of their final receipts left some feeling the terms were too harsh. The vendors were also required to go cashless to ensure they coughed up 20% of their profits. Many of the vendors who set up shop at the event didn’t want to talk on the record with
A NEW WAY FORWARD
Rick Horst, Maricopa’s chief operations officer, succinctly summed up the city’s new approach to the event. “The party’s over,” Horst said of the festival, which celebrated the city’s 20th anniversary. Horst explained from the way the city helps fund the festival to tweaks in the event’s operation, the Wild West Music Fest is going to look different this time around. “This is about business,” Horst said. “This event is now an economic engine opportunity, not a birthday party for the city.” This year, under a new plan, Horst said the funding will change both in the amount and the source of those funds. Assuming passage by council members, the city’s funding commitment for the 2024 Wild West Music Fest will top out at $290,000. The money for the festival will come from three sources:
At Sun Life Health our Ob/Gyn providers and staff are dedicated to supporting expecting moms through each phase of their pregnancy with comprehensive medical care. WITH YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY
Schedule your appointment today! Call (520) 788-6100 or schedule online at www.sunlifehealth.org
$242,000 BED TAX REVENUE
$25,000 CITY-SOLICITED SPONSORSHIPS
$23,000 GENERAL FUND
44765 W. Hathaway Ave., Maricopa, AZ 85138 We deliver at Banner Casa Grande & Banner Ocotillo Chandler
InMaricopa.com | April 2024
22
Powered by FlippingBook