You Asked for It
Q: Let's talk briefly about the new exhibition facility. Where will it be located, how big is it compared to the Astrohall, when will it be finished, and what is the Show's financial commitment to this project? A: The new exhibition facility will be located on the north side of the Astrodome between the present warehouse and Circle Drive, extending from Fannin west into what has been the barbecue contest location. The building will be approximately 1,300,000 square feet, compared to about 750,000 square feet in the Astrohall. Construction will take about two years with completion by the 2003 Show. It will have enough exposition space for our current livestock show and commercial exhibits, including those commercial exhibits that are now housed in the Astroarena. The new building does have more office space for Show staff and considerably more meeting room space. The primary financial responsibility of the Show will be the build-out of the new offices and meeting rooms. Q: What will happen to the Astrohall and Astroarena when the new exhibition facility is complete? A: After completion of the 2002 Show and relocation of staff to the new building, the Astrohall will be demolished and the space will be surface parking. Presently, there are no plans to replace the Astroarena. It will remain a vital part of the Show, housing the horse show, sales pavilion, Stockman's Club, etc. Q: While the new exhibition facility is under construction, on-site parking will be drastically reduced. What plans are being formulated to deal with the loss of this parking area? A: In addition to the new parking lot on the west side of Kirby Drive, the Show's building committee is currently studying options and working with planners and engineers on the possibility of building a parking lot on our Highway 288 property. Offsite parking such as this will be necessary to accommodate the cars that will be displaced by construction. We also will have to rely on Rodeo Express more than ever. The shuttle busses transported a record 315,000-plus people to the Dome in 1999. Although we used virtually all the available buses and made the maximum number of trips, we must do more in 2001 and 2002. Q: What other plans are there to utilize the "Bowlegged H Ranch," the Show's property off Highway 288? Is there a possibility the World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest will be moved there? A: We presently have facilities there that house our rodeo stock, and it is possible that other support areas also will be considered in the future. There are currently no plans to hold any of the Show activities, such as the World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, on the 288 property. It is generally agreed that activities such as this one need to be held on the Astrodome grounds. Q: A new stadium is in Houston's future. Where will it be located, and what details can you give us? A: A new rodeo/football stadium is a reality. At this writing, plans are moving ahead at a rapid pace, not only with the NFL but also with the Harris County Houston Sports Authority, Harris County and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. All parties are ready to move and rapidly start construction. The proposed location for the stadium is the area west of the Astrodome out to Kirby Drive. Murworth would be approximately the "50-yard line" for a facility that seats approximately 68,000. According to current requirements, the project would be completed by the 2002 football season. As you may have read, the Show has agreed to a 35-year lease with annual rent of $1.5 million. The terms of the agreement will allow the recovery of the lease cost through enhanced marketing and advertising opportunities in the new stadium as well as participation in the "naming rights" revenues from the stadium. Q: What will happen to the Astrodome when the new stadium is complete? A: The correct answer to that question is that no one is really sure. It seems to be a unanimous decision that the Dome will remain. Whether or not it becomes an exhibition building with multiple exhibit floors, an amphitheater or a combination of those purposes is still to be determined. The ultimate decision will depend on funding -- keeping in mind that this community is building a new baseball park, a new exhibition facility on these grounds, a new rodeo/football stadium and, quite possibly, a new basketball arena. It is not likely that money is going to be readily available for renovation of the Astrodome. Most of us feel that in due time it will be put to good use. Q: With the Show committing a vast amount of financial support to these projects, does the organization have representation on these governing bodies? A: The Show is involved in the planning of the new facilities -- both the exhibition facility and the new rodeo/football stadium. With the stadium being built, the financial obligations of the Show changed somewhat. However, the added opportunities for sponsorships, concessions, etc., outweigh our obligations, and we feel that the Show will be quite well served in regard to spectator enjoyment and financial success. There are representatives on the Harris County Houston Sports Authority and the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation boards of directors who are also on our Executive Committee and our board of directors. Q: Will the current level of funding for scholarships and research grants be maintained? A: The Show's educational programs are what "Benefiting Youth and Supporting Education" are all about. It is our purpose to ensure the programs will be perpetuated and enhanced by the dramatic plans the Executive Committee has endorsed. Most of our members should be aware that we had a substantial increase in our scholarships following the 1999 Show, and another increase has been budgeted to follow the 2000 Show. Our leadership has worked diligently to make sure that our financial situation is such that the proposed building programs do not affect our scholarship and educational programs. Q: The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association has recently announced plans for a special circuit or tour of high-profile, champion cowboys to compete at select rodeos on live television. With that in mind, coupled with the growth of the Professional Bull Riders organization, how will this effect the Houston Rodeo? A: The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association is making plans at the present time for what they are calling a pro tour. The pro tour is, in a sense, a group of rodeo committees that will organize a television series of 10 or 12 well-produced rodeos with high profile champion cowboys. Dan Gattis has been on the committee to analyze the potential for such a tour and ultimately to organize the tour. Houston is included on the list, and the Show is considering whether or not participation in such an event would be in our best interest. In reference to the Professional Bull Riders Association, we did have a misunderstanding with the group last year, and, as a result, they had a performance that was scheduled on top of our final performance on March 7. We have had very open discussions with the PBR organization and with sponsors who are involved in both shows. We have been assured that we will not have a conflict in years to come. Q: At the chairmen's seminar, it was announced that the Show was converting to a new computer system. What benefits will be derived from this new system? A: The Show is converting to a new computer system that should give us more flexibility in tracking our members, customers, sponsors, etc. As a result, we should be able to service their needs much more efficiently. Most of us at the Show hope we have lived through the hardest part of the conversion, and we are looking forward to utilizing this powerful new tool. Q: Recently, several committees have been, or are in the process of being, consolidated. What is the current stance on committees in terms of numbers and size -- is there still a "freeze" on committee growth? A: We have had a couple of committees that have been consolidated. We believe most of our membership and committee volunteers understand that the Show, like any other business, is always changing. New committees sometimes need to be created, some committees need to be disolved and some need to be consolidated. We do not think that it is beneficial for a committee to be organized, or to remain, that does not have a specific purpose and a real need to exist. Change is one thing that we are sure will be constant as we try to keep the Show as lean as possible, both in staff and volunteers, yet able to serve our customers to the fullest. There is not a freeze on committee growth, just a desire to grow only when it is needed and to grow with good business sense in mind. Q: In closing, when it's all said and done, where do you envision that the Show will be five years from now? A: When it is all said and done, the Show will be much larger, it will be considerably more financially successful, and it will impact the lives of even more people throughout this community, state and nation than it does today. We have a wealth of talent involved with the Show, and as long as we all keep our eyes on the same spot in the future and are committed to helping youth and supporting education, the Show will continue to be a success. Keep in mind, it was not many years ago that when we had an attendance at the rodeo of 40,000, it was front-page news. Now when we have a crowd of fewer than 55,000 people, everyone wants to know what happened. It was not long ago that we were giving 20 scholarships worth $4,000 each, and now we are giving 460 scholarships worth $10,000 each. We have a great Show -- it is a great entertainment event, it is a great educational event and it is a lot of fun. If we all keep working together, there is no end to the good that can be accomplished.
|
||||||||||
Letters and comments should be sent to: |
||||||||||
