The City Advertising and Promotion Commission held a workshop November 13 about hiring an events coordinator as concerns have been raised about staff and the business being done at the Auditorium. Several commissioners proposed that money the commission has in savings could pay for the position.
Director Mike Maloney said that the current staff of five, including Maloney, as well as Administration Manager Danyelle Harris, Group Sales Manager Janalee Olhausen-Kaylor, Finance Director Ty Reed and Communications Manager Katelyn Jerrell are working cohesively, and he is proud of their work overseeing events and shows. Maloney said that they are currently looking at more than 150 events and acts for 2025 and have attracted the interest of four promoters in addition to Larry Schaeffer.
An events coordinator would assist in planning events, securing sponsorships, coordinating advertising, applying for grants, booking acts, overseeing Aud ticket sales, and maintaining records and patron lists. Maloney said that the current staff is pitching in on these duties, and Finance Director Ty Reed was also helping. For these reasons, he said there was no need for an events coordinator.
Commissioners Bradley Tate-Greene and Heather Wilson asked Maloney what he thought the staff did need, saying they still had some reservations. Maloney said he believes Madden Media has alleviated a lot of the burden and that there is currently “no void that needs to be filled.” He recommended that if commissioners had reservations, they look at the numbers for the upcoming second quarter and then decide.
Tate-Greene said he appreciated where Maloney was coming from, but wanted to make sure workers aren’t overwhelmed. Wilson said she wanted the team supported but agreed it would be fair to wait. Chair Steve Holifield said he was concerned about staff burnout and Maloney replied that staff are in constant communication with each other, and that it was being managed.
Holifield pointed out that Danyelle Harris, in particular, has been working during the day and also covering evening events at the Auditorium. He asked how Maloney was dealing with her pay, stress, and time off. Maloney said they were figuring it out with the city changing pay statuses and that maybe giving her and other staff a “mental health day now and again” would relieve being overworked. He also threw out the idea of making their positions salaried.
Maloney pointed out that the CAPC is $300,000 away from repeating what it did in 2023, saying that even if October, November, and December each only brought in $100,000, which October has already exceeded, that the CAPC would be even with what was brought in in 2023, even though they might have a loss of $300,000 from what they expected this year.
“Although to some that might sound like a lot of money, in our business it isn’t that big of a deal,” Maloney said pointing out that current numbers are projecting a return on investment of 50 percent. “For every buck spent, we make a buck fifty back,” he said.
Tate-Greene reminded Maloney that he had said he was grooming someone for an assistant or associate director position. Maloney said that looking at the current staff, there is a capability to internally raise someone to that position. He added that with this team in place, one of the members could step up into that possible position.
Commissioner Robert Schmid asked if Maloney thought he could bring in promoters and events and manage everything with the current staff. Maloney pointed to October events, speaking about the Nightmare in the Ozarks Film Festival that had 22 countries submitting films and 557 movie passes sold. He said next year’s October bookings would be a full week instead of a weekend. He also said that he was working with a promoter to bring in comedy shows and has planned music concerts, theatrics, and movies that are projecting a monthly income for the Aud of $30,000.
The next meeting is Nov. 21.