Discussion about 2021 EDA Events

The purpose of this case is to discuss the status and get some direction on the Business Expo, Business Appreciation Day and Business Network Meeting.

Due to the continued impacts of the Covid Pandemic and the Governor's Executive orders modifications and pausing of many City events will need to occur.  This impacts the planning and format of events but staff is hopeful that things will open up more later in the year.

Business Expo
In a normal year, Staff would be gearing up for the Business Expo to be held at Adrenaline sometime in April.  Last year the City did not hold a Business Expo but did a lot to help market and provided financial assistance to Ramsey businesses. The Ramsey Resident and the City Website were used to help market our businesses during this tough time. 

Due to current Executive Orders, an indoor event of this kind is not feasible do to indoor capacity issues as of now. Staff is hopeful that come fall / early winter the executive orders will be lifted, or changed, to allow for this important event for City retailers and service businesses to occur "in person".  Adrenaline has proven to be a great venue for an "in person" event and Staff would like to continue to hold it there if possible. Staff is hopeful that some sort of an event can happen later in the year and will be putting together some ideas. Staff believes that this event would fall in to the "pause/pending" category.  

Business Appreciation Day - Golf Tourney
in 2020, a modified event was held during the normal Third Tuesday in August. The event was revised to include staggered start times, box lunches and Virtual Economic Development Update in lieu of the standard awards dinner. The virtual event included highlights from the Business Appreciation Day Event and the 2020 Business of the year. The City was also able to move the venue to Rum River Hills Golf Course due to the inability to have an "in person" banquet. 

In 2021, shotgun start events are now allowed and it is looking like there might be a decent possibility of an "in person" banquet by mid-August, with the potential for capacity restrictions.  As such, Staff is recommending that the event move back to the Links at Northfork due to their capacity to have an "in person" banquet and award ceremony, if restrictions are loosened to allow for it.  Staff is asking the EDA to consider setting the date of the event to August 17, 2021 and to give staff flexibility to begin putting a plan together for the event with some contingencies to bring back in May/June. This event would fall into the "possible modification" category. The event may need to be modified to address any restrictions that may be in place at the time of the event.

Business Network Meeting
This event is typically held in November and involves an in person breakfast and presentations. Last year, Staff put together a "Virtual Economic Development Update" via Zoom in December. The event included development updates, Covid response, Highway 10 updates and a Business Appreciation Day summary. Past events have typically included Highway 10 Updates, Development Updates and an engaging Keynote Speaker. 

Staff is hopeful that by November an "in person event" will be possible.  Staff is looking on ideas for a potential Keynote Speaker and topics.  The last "in person" Business Network meeting (2019) was focused on Highway 10 planning and updates.  Staff believes that this might also be a good topic for 2021, as there should be more certainty as to the plan and the timing of the project. Staff is also open to other ideas the EDA might have. Even if the event became a virtual and/or hybrid, Staff suggests that an engaging keynote speaker be added back into the schedule. 

N/A

Staff is looking for direction and some specific action on each EDA Sponsored Event. This general direction has been reviewed by the City Council, Staff Leadership Team and Emergency Management Team (pandemic related) and are comfortable with the framework below. 

1. Business Appreciation Day Golf Event and Awards Dinner
   1. Set date as August 17, 2021
   2. Set venue as The Links at Northfork
2. Business Networking Breakfast
   1. Set general timeframe as November/December
   2. Create a short list of potential venues (The Fountains of Ramsey, a local church, Adrenaline Sports Center, etc.)
   3. Confirm topics (Highway 10 Updates, Development Updates, Engaging Keynote Speaker, other)
3. Business Expo (for planning purposes only - not a confirmation of event approval)
   1. Confirm postponing until fall (likely September or later to avoid overlap with other City Events)
   2. Confirm Adrenaline Sports Center as venue
   3. Acknowledge contingency planning (high-level feedback only at this point - more detail to provided at a future meeting)

EDA Marketing Budget. Event specific budgets to be brought back at a later date for further discussion.

See recommendations above.

Motion to approve the following

1. Set the 2021 Business Appreciation Day to August 17, 2021 at The Links at Northfork.
2. Set the timeframe for the Business Networking Breakfast to November-December with a focus on a more traditional format (if allowed at the time of the event).
3. Direct Staff to postpone the Business Expo and direct Staff to attempt to schedule an event in the fall/winter as a general replacement with in-person capacity.