(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Conroe, Texas, is admitting its mistakes that lead to a $16,000 loss on a Ricky Scaggs Christmas concert that was supposed to spur tourism to the small town as a destination for arts and entertainment events.
Conroe City Councilman Jay Ross Martin admitted that the city needs to “get out” of the concert business, and acknowledged that it made its share of missteps leading up the December 11th performance. He did remain positive that it helped craft the town’s image, however.
“If the show had made money, that would have been great,” he told the Conroe Courier. “The goal was to get the show here. I don’t think we really lost anything. It was well worth the city promoting a show of that magnitude. I know what it did for the city’s image. Now, we’ve got to make these types of things work economically.”
The show’s original budget had been totaled at $32,000, but unexpected expenses totaled almost $42,000. The city pulled in only $25,638 in revenues, resulting in a net loss of $16,222.
Martin told the paper that he will present a plan before the city council by which “seed” money would be awarded to events that would help increase tourism. The money would come from the city’s hotel occupancy tax. A nonprofit group could be chosen to determine the viability of each event, he said, as well as handle the promotion and operation.
“We don’t have a department to do the things that needed to be done for a concert like Ricky Skaggs,” Martin told the paper. “We need to turn it over to a nonprofit group that is more capable of putting on these shows.” –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
