Record attendance, soaring auction prices, great weather and diverse entertainment — all the pieces fit at the 2000 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, making it an event that should have been remembered for a long time. But with the official groundbreaking of the new Harris County Stadium held just days after the conclusion of the 2000 Show, all attention quickly shifted to the future. With construction of the much heralded Rodeo/NFL stadium and the 1.3-million square foot exhibition building scheduled simultaneously, the Show is now faced with one of its biggest challenges ever — how to produce the first-rate event that people have grown to expect with the space limitations presented during the building of these great facilities. Most of you have seen drawings or diagrams of the stadium and exhibition building, and there is no doubt that our new facilities, when completed, will be the finest in the world. Before we move into our new "homes" for the 2003 Show, however, we have a lot of work to do.

The questions I hear most often are those you are probably thinking about right now — how is parking being addressed, and how am I going to get to the Show? Indeed, those are high on everyone's list and are undoubtedly the most complex issues we face. After examining the following numbers, it's easy to see why:

As you can see, available parking spaces are going to be cut nearly in half, while available space for Show attractions in the parking lot area will shrink by two-thirds. After reviewing these figures, it is obvious that major changes and decisions must be made for the 2001 and 2002 Shows, and beyond. With that in mind, we recently held a series of four "town hall meetings," which were designed to provide and gather information and ideas regarding the operation of the Show during the next few years. It was a positive experience, and I commend the committee volunteers who participated. There were some great ideas presented and many questions were posed. Obviously, all of them could not be answered as the final layout and design for the Show is not yet complete. However, I can assure you that everyone is working hard to create a setup that will be enjoyable while utilizing available space in the most efficient way possible. All feedback is being considered. Even though all the details are not yet available, there is one thing you can always count on — the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will continue to be a first-class event. Now, we must turn our attention to the Show's greatest resource — its people — to tackle these challenges. With nearly 13,000 volunteers and many more members, it is vital that we approach this situation as a "family" and work together to present the best Show possible. In order to do that, we are all going to have to make some sacrifices of convenience and learn to live with change. We have done this many times in our past, so this should be no exception. As you can tell by the numbers above, we will have to reduce the size of some of the Show's attractions (carnival, educational exhibits, The Hideout) and will have to move portions (if not all) of other events to off-site locations yet to be determined. Obviously, parking will continue to be the hot topic. After careful analysis, we are in the process of designing an off-site parking/shuttle bus system expansion to accommodate our needs. This will require most of us (including board members, committee volunteers, exhibitors and staff) to park off-site and use the shuttle bus system. Rest assured, it will accommodate the needs of everyone involved, whether you're working a late shift or have to be on the grounds at 7 a.m. I believe that our Rodeo METRO Express is already one of our greatest assets — nearly 300,000 patrons used the service during the 2000 Show. With this service already in place, we are now exploring the addition of several more nearby parking facilities that already exist and some that are still on the drawing board. Regardless, I am confident that we will provide the quality service in the tradition of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Will we experience problems? Sure, we will. Will there be inconveniences? You bet. Is it all worth it? The answer is a resounding yes! If you have any doubts about that, I ask you to think about our mission — Benefiting Youth and Supporting Education. There is no question that it's worth the effort. Next year, when you're waiting in line for a shuttle bus, think about the teachers in our RITE program who are opening up new worlds by helping potentially at-risk children learn to read. Think about the awe-filled eyes of a child seeing a 1,200-pound steer for the very first time. Or how about the excitement on the face of the young exhibitor who just learned that her animal was named grand champion. Think about the pride and appreciation of the high school senior who now can go to college thanks to a scholarship from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Yes, our sacrifices during the next few years will be rewarded. The new facilities will allow even more opportunities for people and exhibitors to attend our Show. But more importantly, they will help increase our revenue sources, providing even more resources for our educational programs in the future. In order to accomplish the monumental challenges facing us, it's going to take a team effort in the truest sense. Our margin for error is slim, as every conceivable space is going to be needed. Schedules will be tight, and some very popular attractions may have to be moved or eliminated. Nevertheless, I'm confident that we will put on a great Show in 2001, one with which we will all be very proud to be involved.

And with your help, the "Show with a Heart" won't skip a beat.

Photo by Kaye Marvins Photography

P. Michael Wells President