Review of Happy Days 2023 and forecast for 2024 

The purpose of this case is to present a high level review of the 2023 Happy Days event for Council, with an emphasis on the planning process and potential improvements for the 2024 event. The past year witnessed notable operational changes, in terms of staffing and event management responsibilities.

In addition, there were operational amendments to the budget for Happy Days to manage increased expenses and a decreased contribution from the specific Happy Days General Fund budget line item, due to an overage in 2022 expenditures. The approach included raising participation fees, implementing cost-reduction measures, eliminating certain event features, adding others, and bolstering fundraising efforts.
 
For the meeting, staff will highlight 2023 and review some of the feedback to date from, Council, the public and volunteers regarding various aspects of Happy Days events to inform the 2024 planning process.  Additionally, a discussion on featuring Ramsey’s 50^th anniversary as a city will be beneficial.

15-20 minutes

Consensus to move forward with Happy Days 2024 planning, acknowledging the need for greater reliance on volunteers and additional staff involvement, similar to 2022 levels, and without engaging an event management firm.