City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council consider an additional amount of in-kind financial
assistance for IndieCade: The International Festival of Independent Games
(IndieCade Festival) based on economic benefits information requested by City
Council.
BACKGROUND/ DISCUSSION:
At the August 25, 2014 City Council meeting, the City Council considered a request
from the producers of the IndieCade Festival for additional support from the City.
Such request included the value of additional room rentals at the Veterans Memorial
Building to support the growth of IndieXchange, the educational portion of the
IndieCade Festival. The producers requested the City Council waive such costs in
the amount of $4,528. A breakdown of these costs is included in an attachment.
At the City Council meeting of August 25, 2014 and prior to making a decision on the
subject, the City Council requested the following additional information from the
producers and staff, with the item to return this evening to the City Council:
? Staff to provide information on room usage at the Veterans Memorial Building
during the 2013 IndieXchange event, including if any requests were made for
use of the Auditorium for 2014.
Meeting Date: 09/08/2014 Item Number: A-2
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM: Consideration of an Additional Amount of In-
Kind Assistance for IndieCade: International Festival of Independent Games.
Contact Person/Dept.:
Jeremy Green/ City Clerk’s Office
Phone Number:
(310) 253-5859
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [ ] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [ ] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date: ________________
Public Notification: Meetings and Agendas – City Council (09/03/14); Culver City
Chamber of Commerce (09/03/14).
Department Approval:
Martin R. Cole (09/03/14)
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (by H. Baker) (09/03/14)
Chief Financial Officer Approval:
Jeff Muir (by M. Noller) (09/03/14)
City Manager Approval:
John M. Nachbar (09/03/14) City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
? Staff to attempt to secure occupancy percentages or other information relative
to the IndieCade Festival’s economic impact on the Four Points by Sheraton,
DoubleTree by Hilton, Courtyard by Marriott and the Culver Hotel.
? Producers to provide financial information from the 2013 event (budgets,
profits and losses, sponsorships).
? Producers to provide any quantifiable data reflecting the IndieCade Festival’s
economic impact on the City.
? Seth Horowitz of the Culver Hotel to ask restaurants and hotels through the
Downtown Business Association (DBA) to provide actual or anecdotal
examples of positive economic impact during the time of the IndieCade
Festivals over the last few years.
Veterans Memorial Building Room Usage
The Auditorium, Iksan, Lobby, Room A and Room B rooms were available when
IndieCade requested the additional rooms at a meeting with staff on July 10, 2014.
Calendar year to date, there hadn’t been any requests received from other potential
renters to use the Auditorium on October 9. Further, staff has not received any
inquiries requesting use of the Auditorium on October 9 to date. Staff cannot predict
with certainty whether or not there will be any additional requests between now and
October 9 for use of rooms by another patron (such as a PRCS program, TV shoot,
memorial service, or group whose event has been displaced from another location).
PRCS staff checked the calendar from 2013. Veterans Memorial Building
accommodated seven (mostly regular) renters on October 6, the same day
IndieXchange was held. A small amount of revenue was lost when one regular
renter was moved to a smaller room at a lesser rate for a 2.5 hour time period.
IndieCade Impact on Hotels
Staff contacted the Four Points by Sheraton, the DoubleTree by Hilton, the
Courtyard by Marriott, and the Culver Hotel to inquire about any economic impact
from the Festival. Asking about the occupancy percentages, the Culver Hotel’s
General Manager Seth Horowitz indicated that on all the weekends of the event over
the last 3 years that he has worked at the hotel “we turned away a bunch of room
nights because we were fully booked, mostly with wedding parties on the weekend”
and that “we were full (to a certain degree), prior and post the event, for all 3 years.”
The other hotels responded their occupancy rates were pretty much the same each
year. They were not able to attribute impacts specifically to the IndieCade Festival.
City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
The Culver Hotel has had a reserved block of rooms for IndieCade Festival
attendees each year and has accommodated other attendees of IndieCade outside
of the block. Mr. Horowitz indicated that the willingness of IndieCade Festival
attendees to pay the room rates improved each year, and that there has been a
consistent increase in revenue in food & beverage of over 25% each year over the
weekends of the IndieCade Festival. Mr. Horowitz also reports the following:
Rooms Revenue over a period of about 4-5 days of the conference.
? 2010 – 69 room nights for Average Daily Revenue (ADR) of $165
? 2011 – 49 room nights ADR $197 – I estimate an additional 12 rooms were
booked outside the block.
? 2012 – 44 room nights ADR $209 – I estimate an additional 20 rooms were
booked outside the block.
? 2013 – *75 room nights ADR $240 – *most of the bookings this last year were
outside of our actual room block setup for the group, as the larger sponsors
needed rooms closer to the date.
The other three hotels indicated they do not have a specific room block for the
IndieCade Festival, but one hotel specifically mentioned that they would be
interested in meeting with the producers to discuss working together for future
events.
IndieCade Financial Information
The IndieCade Festival Producer, Stephanie Barish, contacted staff the day after the
City Council meeting and indicated that they would not be able to afford to rent the
space at a cost of $4,500 because the IndieXchange is not a money-generating
event. IndieXchange is run at an expense to the overall IndieCade Festival to
support the independent development community, providing support to a community
that otherwise could not afford to attend such an event.
Further, Ms. Barish indicated that she would prefer that the City waive the rental fee
for the Auditorium and Meeting Rooms A & B, but if that was not forthcoming, they
would request Meeting Rooms A & B and let the community know that capacity has
been reached.
Ms. Barish supplied the information below for the IndieXchange portion of the event
(with an expectation of 400 attendees including IndieCade staff):
IndieXchange Expenses:
$380 rentals (additional tables, bar supplies, linens, etc.)
$550 equipment (AV, projection, laptops, cabling) City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
$200 production/office supplies
$500 all-day coffee services
$650 IndieXchange reception costs (snacks, drinks, wine, decor)
$370 Culver City (staffing of Vets Memorial)
$250 IndieXchange coordinator
$150 IndieXchange production assistant
$3,050 total
IndieXchange Revenue:
$0 IndieXchange Pre-Summit purchase to date at $225 rate (0 tickets)
$0 IndieXchange Pre-Summit purchase to date at $0 rate (306 tickets as of 8/30/14)
Pursuant to the City Council’s direction, staff requested Ms. Barish provide (1)
financial information from the 2013 event (budgets, profits and losses, sponsorships)
and (2) any quantifiable data reflecting IndieCade’s positive economic impact on the
City. Staff requested such data be provided no later than noon on September 2,
2014. As of the writing of this report, such information has not been received.
Should Ms. Barish provide such information prior to the City Council meeting, staff
will forward any such information to the City Council upon receipt.
DBA Information
Mr. Horowitz confirmed that he had contacted the President and Executive Director
of the DBA to enquire if they can provide some feedback. However, he has not
received a response from the DBA as of the preparation of this report.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
Approved Fee Waiver for Veterans Memorial Building Rooms: $ 4,553.00
Additional Room Rental Fees: $ 4,528.00
Total Veterans Memorial Building Fee Waiver Request: $ 9,081.00
TOTAL Fee Waiver request for IndieCade 2014: $18,128.00
(Original request of $13,600.00 + Add’l request of $4,528.00)
ATTACHMENTS:
Veterans Memorial Building Hourly Room Rates Sheet and IndieCade 2014
Additional Costs for Rooms at Veterans Memorial Building.
City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
MOTION:
That the City Council:
Consider the request from the producers of the 2014 IndieCade Festival,
including the additional information provided in response to the City Council’s
requests, and direct staff as deemed appropriate.
MEETING DATE: September 8, 2014
AGENDA ITEM: Consideration of an Additional Amount of In-Kind
Assistance for IndieCade: International Festival of
Independent Games.
ATTACHMENTS
Pages
1. Veterans Memorial Building Hourly Room Rates Sheet 1-2
and IndieCade 2014 Additional Costs for Rooms at
Veterans Memorial Building.
Veterans Memorial Complex
Hourly Room Rates
July 15, 2013-June 30, 2014
Veterans Memorial Building
Room
Category
B
Category
C
Category
D
Category
E
Category
F
Category
G
Damage
Deposit
Food
Fee
Auditorium $165.00 $229.00 $236.00 $263.00 $296.00 $329.00 $500.00 $100.00
Room “A” $8.00 $12.00 $13.00 $14.00 $19.00 $22.00 $50.00 $10.00
Room “B” $8.00 $12.00 $13.00 $14.00 $19.00 $22.00 $50.00 $10.00
Room “C” $8.00 $12.00 $13.00 $14.00 $19.00 $22.00 $50.00 $10.00
Rotunda $33.00 $48.00 $76.00 $84.00 $109.00 $122.00 $300.00 $25.00
Garden $23.00 $33.00 $62.00 $68.00 $96.00 $107.00 $300.00 $25.00
Kaizuka $10.00 $15.00 $30.00 $33.00 $45.00 $50.00 $100.00 $15.00
Uruapan $10.00 $15.00 $30.00 $33.00 $45.00 $50.00 $100.00 $15.00
Yanji $9.00 $13.00 $16.00 $19.00 $22.00 $24.00 $50.00 $15.00
Iksan $11.00 $16.00 $23.00 $26.00 $30.00 $33.00 $50.00 $15.00
Multipurpose $25.00 $35.00 $52.00 $58.00 $65.00 $72.00 $300.00 $25.00
Classroom 2 $9.00 $13.00 $16.00 $19.00 $22.00 $24.00 $50.00 $15.00
Classroom 3 $11.00 $16.00 $23.00 $26.00 $30.00 $33.00 $50.00 $15.00
Culver City Teen Center
Room
Category
B
Category
C
Category
D
Category
E
Category
F
Category
G
Damage
Deposit
Food
Fee
Teen
Center
$54.00 $77.00 $93.00 $103.00 $116.00 $129.00 $400.00 $100.00
Classroom
1
$10.00 $14.00 $23.00 $25.00 $39.00 $43.00 $50.00 $15.00
Culver City Senior Center
Room
Category
B
Category
C
Category
D
Category
E
Category
F
Category
G
Damage
Deposit
Food
Fee
Dining
Room
$78.00 $86.00 $109.00 $121.00 $129.00 $143.00 $100.00 $25.00
B45 $62.00 $68.00 $82.00 $91.00 $103.00 $114.00 $100.00 $15.00
B47 $62.00 $68.00 $82.00 $91.00 $103.00 $114.00 $100.00 $15.00
C71 $16.00 $17.00 $21.00 $23.00 $26.00 $29.00 $50.00 $15.00
C73 $17.00 $22.00 $28.00 $31.00 $55.00 $61.00 $50.00 $15.00
C75 $17.00 $22.00 $28.00 $31.00 $55.00 $61.00 $50.00 $15.00
C77 $16.00 $17.00 $21.00 $23.00 $26.00 $29.00 $50.00 $15.00
Conference $8.00 $12.00 $13.00 $14.00 $19.00 $22.00 $50.00 $15.00
Crafts $10.00 $14.00 $23.00 $25.00 $39.00 $43.00 $50.00 $15.00
Additional Equipment
Tables and chairs are included in your rental. Additional equipment
including podiums, risers, pianos, and audio visual equipment are also
available for rent. Please visit culvercity.org or contact the VMC Rental
Office for more information at vmc.booking@culvercity.org.
Veterans Memorial Complex
Rental Category Descriptions
Category B: “Non Profit, R esi de nt, ” shall mean any 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization that is
headquartered in the City of Culver City. Culver City 501(c)(3) Non-Profit
Organization, annually, shall submit a copy of its most current IRS Form 990
(Cannot be older than 2 years) to be placed on file with the PRCS Department as
well as its General Liability Insurance with corresponding Culver City headquarters
address.
Category C: “Non Profit, Non- R e si de nt” shall mean any 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization that
is not headquartered in the City of Culver City. Non-Resident 501(c)(3) Non-Profit
Organization, annually, shall submit a copy of its most current IRS Form 990
(Cannot be older than 2 years) to be placed on file with the PRCS Department as
well as its General Liability Insurance with corresponding headquarters address.
Category D: “P ri v ate Party, R esi de n t ” shall mean any City of Culver City resident holding a
private gathering. To qualify as a resident, renter shall submit a copy of his/her
most current utility bill (No older than 2 months) and provide a secondary proof of
residency with a photo id. Private Parties are events organized by invitation only,
and no admission is charged, no public marketing has occurred, no business or
services are being provided.
Category E: “P ri v ate Party, Non- R es i de nt” shall mean anyone residing outside of the City of
Culver City holding a private event. Private Parties are events organized by
invitation only, and no admission is charged, no public marketing has occurred, no
business or services are being provided.
Category F: “C ommer ci al , R esi d en t , ” shall mean any business headquartered in the City of
Culver City or any person or group that does not qualify under categories A-E
whether for monetary gain or not. To qualify as a "Commercial, Resident”, renter
shall submit a copy of his/her valid Culver City business license. Any person or
group in this category shall prove residency using any method found in category
“B” or D”. Anyone person, group or business in this category shall submit
their General Liability Insurance with corresponding Culver City address.
Category G: “C ommer ci al , Non- R e si de nt, ” shall mean any business not headquartered in
the City of Culver City or any person or group that does not qualify under
categories A-E whether for monetary gain or not and is not a resident of the City
of Culver City. Anyone person, group or business in this category shall submit their
General Liability Insurance.
INDIECADE 2014: ADDITIONAL COSTS FOR ROOMS
AT VETERANS MEMORIAL BUILDING
Category G Rental Rate
COSTS REQUESTED FOR ADDITIONAL WAIVER Rate Per Hour Number of Hours Total Rental Rate
Auditorium $329.00 9 $2,961.00
Iksan 33.00 14 462.00
Room A 22.00 $14.00 308.00
Room B 22.00 14.00 308.00
Lobby 100.00 100.00
* Other costs 389.00
TOTALS $4,528.00
*Please note that the original request for the 5 rooms at Veterans Memorial Building in March was estimated at $4553,
when those rooms actually cost $4942. The most recent request of an additional $4,528 in the staff report reflects the
that $389 difference.