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NA <br />Recommendation: <br />Why is staff proposing the annual EDA Business Expo be dissolved? <br />(1) Considering the three annual EDA events (expo, golf tourney, networking), staff believes the business <br />expo provides the lowest value to the community (based on attendance and informal verbal feedback). <br />Attached to this case is the City's 2014 citizen survey. Page 11 depicts rankings of City sponsored events. <br />The EDA Business Expo ranks 6 of 7. <br />(2) Staff believes the EDA business expo is "losing momentum" for a two major reasons. <br />(A) through 2012, the EDA business expo was combined with the annual EPB Environmental <br />Expo --which provided various positive overlaps and momentum between both events (for customers <br />and vendors alike; and for coordination/ marketing). The EPB expo was dissolved in 2013. The EPB <br />decided to shift their resources to Happy Days. <br />(B) the competing Ramsey Happy Business Expo has seen greater success in attracting vendors and <br />patrons than the EDA business expo. <br />(3) The EDA Business Expo and the Happy Days Business Expo are City organized, executed, and funded <br />events. Both events serve similar businesses/vendors. Both events serve similar patrons. By eliminating one <br />of these events, the City is able to reallocate its limited resources (specifically human capital). Eliminating <br />one of these events is a large savings in staff time. <br />Please see attached proposal and data sheet. NOTE: the attached data sheet includes event attendance <br />estimations --these estimations are anecdotal (from staffs viewpoint only). <br />Action: <br />Provide staff direction on EDA Business Expo <br />- -does the EDA want to move forward with an EDA expo in 2016? <br />- -if no, how would the EDA like to reallocate the EDA expo budget in 2016? <br />09 03 2015 EDA Meeting Minutes <br />Ramsey Business Expo Proposal <br />Background DATA <br />2014 Resident Survey <br />Attachments <br />Form Review <br />Inbox Reviewed By Date <br />Kurt Ulrich Kathy Schmitz 12/31/2015 02:06 PM <br />Form Started By: Patrick Brama Started On: 12/21/2015 01:50 PM <br />Final Approval Date: 12/31/2015 <br />