War Bonnet Round Up Advisory Committee

WAR BONNET ROUNDUP RODEO ADVISORY COMMITTEE THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY FOLLOWUP WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 Recreation Center 12.00 P.M. Members in Attendance: K. Jones, K. Staten, D. Marshall, B. Skinner, P. Holm, B. Robertson, J. Moad, J. Stephens, C. Price, D. Sorensen, E. Grossarth, H. Pettingill, R. Buchan, Mayor Casper, C. Horsley Members not in Attendance: J. Newgard, B. Cranor, R. Campbell Call to Order K. Jones called the meeting to order at 12:15 p.m. Approval of Minutes B. Skinner motioned to approve the amended July 28th minutes. D. Marshall seconded. All in favor. Mayor Casper Mayor Casper discussed the following: • The War Bonnet Rodeo is good for our community, and she thanked everyone for their hard work. • She stated that the rodeo gets a bit better every year. • The sound in the VIP area was loud. • The announcer and concerns of his introduction. • Tribal relations. She offered ideas of ways we could make improvements on our relationship with the tribe. Sponsoring the Shoshone Bannock Festival might be one way to reach out.  • She appreciated the good leadership by K. Jones in production following the massive rainstorm on Saturday night, August 6th. • She suggested we contact Public Works to develop a traffic control plan. Chairman/Production – K. Jones Good: • Perfect performance for Friday’s show. • Saturday was a learning experience. • The collaboration on pre-rodeo. • The qualifier was amazing. • The addition of Brent Robertson. • Eric Grossarth killed it on social media. • Contestant sweatshirts. • Idaho Falls Gift and Kade. • The advertising done by Wolf. • Ely Sharkey as our bullfighter. • The fireworks this year. • Champ’s Heart with the pony rides at the qualifier and the rodeo. • Michael Pintar our PRCA certified photographer. • Van Visual. • The royalty representation. • Nancy, behind the scenes. • Our clown/barrelman Ron Burton. • The flag raising and lowering ceremony. • The south gate guy. • The Coors tent. • The “First Responders” moment on Thursday. • Porta Johns near the stage. • The larger stage. • The board room looks amazing. • Communication throughout our event. • The feedback received on more sponsorship opportunities. • The cash cow. • Casperson’s mini bulls. • The Cowboy Channel. Bad: • The mini-bull judge situation. • No stripping shoots on Thursday. • Delay of 90 points boom. • Royalty drama. • Bull fill-ins miscommunication. • Child harmed on south side.  • Sponsor flag madness on Thursday. • Volunteer of the year page missing in program. • The lack of seating for customers on Saturday. • The American flag presentation horse. Ugly: • The tribal rider delay on Thursday. • The rainstorm on Saturday. • Seating and the need for ushers. Director – P. Holm Good: • The Mutton Bustin Qualifier had a great turnout, with great entertainment for kids and a great vibe. • Having Brent Robertson join the committee. • A great, clean production. • The security was better. • The Tribal dancers and drummers. • K. Staten killed it with the sponsor coordination. • The quality of Korkow’s stock. • Our royalty was fantastic. Bad: • He discussed his thoughts on the mandatory meeting before the rodeo. He is going to revamp it a bit. It needs to be informative but not repetitive. • Wristband distribution concerns were discussed. • Champs Heart during media day was discussed. • A clown for media day might be helpful. • The Wednesday night kick off was not well attended. We need to change advertising to make this event worthwhile to hold. • Some program edits did not make it into the final program. Ugly: • Young kids behind the chutes. • Announcer issues. • Tribal rider delay. • Highschool bull rider issue. • Traffic situation at end of show. Committee Reports Military Affairs/American Legion – B. Skinner Good: • City support was phenomenal • Setup of rodeo was perfect. • Recovery from rainstorm was handled well.  • The flexibility of everyone. • Great supply of ice this year. • Mutton Bustin qualifier was a great success. • Queens participation was marvelous. • The facility gets better every year. • Getting rid of parking fees and raising ticket prices is smart. • The Volunteer of the Year was well received. • The new public bar was a hit. • Feeding of workers went smoothly. Bad: • Overcrowding in areas. • People expanding in bleachers take up more room. Is there away to checkerboard paint the bleachers to keep people in their section? • No policy about saving seats. • Need to strengthen the “no refund” policy. • Poor attendance at radio remotes. • Poor showing of contestants. • Need to give away programs as people park. • Could we sell programs for $1.00? • Too many vehicles in vendor area after the gates open. • Need policy for handicapped seating. Ugly: • Customer attitudes in some cases. • Customer attitude toward security. Hospitality/Sponsorships – K. Staten Good: • The Parks and Recreation staff who worked in the hospitality section were awesome. • The contestant sweatshirts were a huge success. • Casperson Mini Bulls was wonderful to work with. • The VIP food was much better than last year. • The behind the chutes party on Friday was a huge success. Bad: • We need more trash cans at the qualifier and only a couple of porta johns. • Need more traffic signs at the qualifier. • We need more trash cans near the rodeo secretary and contractors. • The poorly attended Kick-off party. • The day sheets need posted somewhere, maybe in sleeves. • The south gate near the grandstands should not be locked. • We need to have a point of contact sheet to give to staff, board members, and volunteers. Ugly:  • Flag girl families were in the way near entry gates. • No fiber at the Coors tent. • Big screen issues. • The announcer stage needs worked on, and equipment was ruined during rainstorm. • The arena lights. • The grain was stolen from the rodeo. Facilities/Grounds & Security – J. Stephens Good: • We had no power or equipment issues. Ugly: • The spotlights for Loop Rawlings. • There was committee discussion on the pros and cons of the Coors tent. Media/Emergency Action Plan – E. Grossarth • From the month of July through the first week of the rodeo, via various media platforms, they reached over 243,000 people. • There are many changes coming in social media in the next two months. Projections for digital advertising expected to double over the next six months. Youth Rodeo/Family Night – C. Horsley No report Financial Report – D. Sorensen/C. Price Good: • D. Sorensen stated that everyone in their respective areas did a great job. • Admission sales were much better than projected. Bad: • There was a section of north end gate missing (left open by vendors). • People were skirting around the parking lot and going toward the contestant area and getting in for free. • A certain amount of tokens are missing. Livestock Welfare – B. Robertson Good: • J. Moad and J. Stephens were great to work with and very helpful. Bad: • We need to do something with the roping box going forward. Raise it and grate it perhaps. • Purse amounts for contestants needs raised. • The seating capacity, and the “social aspect” of the rodeo needs improved. • Traffic control needs improved. Vendors/Merch – H. Pettingill Good: • Everything regarding vendors and merch went smoothly. • The lights giving directions to the vendors and east side bleachers worked great. Bad: • South side gates. Volunteers not aggressive enough in keeping people back. Meeting adjourned at 2:30 p.m. Next meeting will be September 22, 2022 Recorded by T. Sessions Department of Parks and Recreation