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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes.WHLR.20231108.Regular1 Wheeler Advisory Board Meeting Minutes November 8, 2023, | 3:00 p.m. In Attendance: Wheeler Opera House Advisory Board Members: Chip Fuller, Chair; Amy Mountjoy*, Vice- Chair; Dr. Tom Kurt, Secretary, Nina Gabianelli*; Ziska Childs*; Richard Stettner, Lauren Forman* and Kate Northfield Lanich of Aspen Music Festival & School. Wheeler Opera House/City of Aspen Staff: Lisa Rigsby Peterson, Executive Director; Alixandra Feeley*, Business Manager; Karen McConnell, Administrative & Artistic Specialist; Michael Baca, Production Manager; Cody Kosinski, Master Electrician; Nicole Levesque, Marketing Director; Pete Hajdu, Building Maintenance Supervisor; Alex Glen, Front of House Supervisor; Risa Rushmore, Front of House Coordinator; and Malia Machado, Programs Administrator. Absent: Daniel Benavent. *Attended via Zoom Recorder: Karen McConnell Chair Chip Fuller called the meeting to order at 3:03 p.m. and observed presence of a quorum. Chair Fuller mentioned October revised minutes had been presented to the Board and there were no additional edits. Dr. Tom Kurt moved to approve minutes from the October 11, 2023 board meeting, Richard Stettner seconded, and Board members unanimously approved adoption of same. Public Comment: Chair Fuller requested public comment. None was offered. Wheeler Updates, Lisa Rigsby Peterson Ms. Rigsby Peterson announced Risa Rushmore, Front of House Coordinator, new to Wheeler staff as well as staff members in attendance listed above and shared the following updates with the board: 2 Ticket sales update was provided and included shows on sale for community partners at offsite locations, including Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and other independent producers such as Roaring Fork Sessions at Harris Concert Hall. Season Programming updates were provided. The coming Friday will mark the announcement of additional season shows, which will go on public sale November 14th. Further programming announcements for events during Christmas week will be made in late November. Ms. Rigsby Peterson also announced she’ll be attending the annual booking conference in New York mid- January as we prepare for the upcoming season. Ms. Rigsby Peterson asked if there were any questions about the financial reports. Ziska Childs had questions pertaining to the Arts and Culture Fund balance and whether it reflected both historical RETT collections as well as new RETT collections, and Ms. Rigsby Peterson confirmed it did. She also mentioned that the city’s finance director will attend a board meeting in the new year to provide more detail and context. End of year projections will be provided to the board at the December board meeting. Ms. Rigsby Peterson shared with the board that current gallery tenant Mia Valley has asked for a one-month lease extension, through April 30, 2024, to keep the gallery space active through the ski season and then allow a move-out period. Board members agreed that this was a reasonable request and indicated their support. The lease extension will be proposed to City Council at the November 28th Council meeting. Ms. Rigsby Peterson confirmed that the board would like an opportunity to meet proposed new gallery tenant DJ Watkins and discuss his vision for the space. A joint Council-Wheeler Advisory Board meeting will be held in early 2024 and potential dates of January 29, February 5, February 6 or February 20 were provided to board members. Ms. Rigsby Peterson is working to confirm the date based on Council availability. Michael Baca, Production Manager and Cody Kosinski, Lighting Engineer, gave a comprehensive overview of the rigging project to the board, including a proposed timeline which would begin the work in late August, 2024, immediately after the Music Festival moves out, and completing the new system installation by late November. Ms. Rigsby Peterson informed the board that the original project cost estimate of approximately $2.3 million was made with the knowledge that there would likely need to be demolition and structural reinforcement for the new system, with an estimated cost of between $500,000 – 1 million. After the full discovery and design phase, the city issued an RFP for that demolition and reinforcement work and will be presenting the contract with Aspen Constructors to Council. Demolition and reinforcement costs, inclusive of permitting and contingency, are estimated to be $767,000. At the direction of the city’s asset team, the Wheeler has increased the permitting and contingency allowance for the entire project, resulting in a full, final project cost estimate of $3.35 million. Highlights of the new rigging system include new locations for the motors controlling the system; a full grid across the stage; motorized control of side lighting positions; and increased efficiency and flexibility. Board members were invited to review the plans in more detail at the conclusion of the meeting. Nicole Levesque, Marketing Director, provided an update to the Board about the Wheeler’s current marketing strategy. She shared demographic information with the board demonstrating that emails and word-of-mouth are the most prevalent ways that people learn about shows at the Wheeler, and that 80% of our audience comes from Colorado, with 60 – 65% from Aspen and the valley. Ms. Levesque let the board know that while SoloShoe Communications is still providing great support of Wheeler efforts, our marketing decisions and strategy are now being 3 directed by her and the Wheeler team in-house, as we know our audience and marketing best. Ms. Levesque noted theatre going and ticket buying habits after the pandemic is going to take some time. She shared a variety of new marketing strategies, including increasing the Wheeler’s digital presence; including Spanish language media outlets in our advertising mix; piloting a partnership with Sirius XM to place geo-located advertising on streaming radio platforms; and partnerships with local organizations such as Aspen Public Radio. Ms. Levesque invited board members to visit the new Wheeler website to see how engaging it is. In response to a question about the Wheeler Wins program, Ms. Levesque shared that while the program resulted in very popular social gatherings, it was not especially effective as a ticket sales program, which was the intent. In order to create opportunities for local residents to take advantage of discounts at the Wheeler, we now announce many of our season shows in early fall and make a discount available through early November. We will be looking for future opportunities to gather local residents together in social settings, such as a season announcements. Chair Fuller asked if there were any other topics to be discussed by the Board. None was offered. Ziska Childs moved to adjourn the meeting, Dr. Tom Kurt seconded the motion and Board members unanimously approved. The meeting concluded at 4:53 p.m. Future Meetings Schedule December 13, 2023 3:00 p.m. January 10, 2024 3:00 p.m. February 14, 2024 3:00 p.m.