By Neil Farrell ~
The City of Morro Bay is in the process of signing an agreement with a professional cycling race, anticipating that the resultant good publicity and worldwide exposure to the cycling world will pay big benefits in its efforts to promote tourism and economic development.
[pullquote align=”full” cite=”Joan Solu” link=”” color=”#0000FF” class=”” size=””]This is Morro Bay on display, Morro Bay on parade[/pullquote]On Tuesday, the City Council was to hold a discussion on signing on to host the start of one leg of the Amgen Tour of California, slated to run from San Diego to Sacramento next May.
Based on previous hosting of a start by Pismo Beach, whose public pier has served as the start of a tour leg several times, that city spent about $45,000, according to a City staff report. Visit SLO County, the agency that runs the County Tourism Marketing District, or TMD, has pledged $30,000 towards bringing the tour here.
Morro Bay collects a 1-percent bed tax on behalf of the County TMD, so that money could be considered Morro Bay’s come back, as the money would go to the motels to pay for the rooms.
That would leave the City to cover some $15,000 and the Administration intended to ask the Morro Bay Tourism Bureau for $10,000, cutting the City’s potential liability to just $5,000. That money would likely come out of the $30,000 that the City Council authorized the City Manager to spend on economic development projects in the last budget.
Indeed, at its last meeting, the Tourism Bureau discussed the matter and voted unanimously to authorize giving some $16,000 to the cause. But the support didn’t come without some probing questions from the board, mainly dealing with the number of rooms that Amgen wanted comped for the night before the race. That would be to host the tour officials, media, and the bicycling teams.
A total of 120 rooms are to be set aside, based on the average daily room rate, about $120 each plus bed taxes. And the tour said there could be an additional 475 rooms needed for the entourage that follows the race. Those rooms would be essentially, reserved and paid for at a negotiated price. The tour would let the City know the exact number needed before the race.
Another thing the tour wants at least 3-star rated motels and Morro Bay just doesn’t have many. So that means there would likely be overflow room stays, either to Pismo, Cambria, Cayucos or San Luis Obispo.
Board member Joan Solu was excited that it looked like the tour would finally come here. The Tourism Board had twice looked into it and both times it just didn’t make sense. “They’re looking for 3-star and we need to be 5-star,” she said. “This is Morro Bay on display, Morro Bay on parade.”
According to the staff report, “As about 1.1 million people worldwide will also be introduced to Morro Bay, this equates to an additional major tourism marketing and promotions advantage relevant to the expenditure of TBID funding to assist with destination marketing [that is, hosting this event provides direct destination marketing opportunities…].”
That resounded with the board, which has been a big supporter and participant in the Annual Savor the Central Coast event that just occurred in September. This isn’t about setting up a trade booth, Solu said, it was about exposure to a world audience.
Deputy City Manager, Sam Taylor, who brought the idea to TBID, admitted there would be complications involved but that some of the motel owners he’d spoken to had already signed on.
Board member, Michele Jacquez, said she was glad the tour was coming and acknowledged that they might end up paying for some rooms out of town, but, “It helps us get on the map.” She added that she wished it were an ending of a leg rather than a start.
Taylor said that tour representatives, at a meeting several weeks earlier, had told him that the start of a leg has less impact on a community than an ending. And one reason they are asking Morro Bay is that to ride from Pismo Beach to Monterey would be too far of a ride for a single leg, under cycling rules.
And that’s part of the rub, the start, which would be at Morro Rock and race through town on whatever route the City decides on, would likely clear town in 15-20 minutes. And this particular leg would fall on a Tuesday.
The work that will be required by the City to coordinate everything the tour wants, is extensive, but, “In consultation with Pismo Beach and other jurisdictions that have hosted the race in previous years, City staff determined the requirements were not so onerous that being a host city was out of the question,” reads the staff report.
The Rock parking lot is the only place big enough and close enough to a potential start line in town and AEG Sports, which produces the tour for Amgen, has told the City to expect perhaps 3,000 spectators to come to town, roughly half the number of people that attended the 2-day Avocado & Margarita Festival.
The route thorough town can be as long as the City wants. “After discussions with Amgen, all staff, including police and fire, recognize the benefit of this event to the community from a tourism marketing and promotions standpoint [as well as a community celebration in general], and believe a course that goes a longer route through town would give more people the opportunity to participate.”
And, “The City would be responsible for security, managing street closures, all permits that may be required, providing restrooms, providing meals at various times and locations, and more. Most of that is a financial cost. For instance, other cities have simply hired catering firms to provide the food. Local tourism bodies have provided funding for the hotel rooms.”
The Tour would include Morro Bay in its marketing including world-wide TV commercials, broadcast in 200 countries, and would allow Morro Bay one 30-second commercial to showcase itself, showcase the town on the Tour’s website and other “advertising benefits that are too numerous to list.”
There are also opportunities for local non-profits to benefit, through things like auctioning off autographed jerseys and VIP “experiences.”
But the list of requirements from Amgen is long too. According to the information provided by AEG Sports, first mentioned is police protection and City crews to close roads as necessary within town. The Highway Patrol, Caltrans and the race managers would handle things once they hit Hwy 1 and head to Monterey. Included in that are two scissor lifts and a forklift.
The City would be responsible for all permits needed for things like tents and toilets, alcohol served at the start line or in a VIP tent, on-site merchandise and concession stands as requested by race organizers, banners and signage, and all the equipment like a stage and P.A. system.
The City would have to provide emergency medical personnel, which the fire department or ambulance service could provide.
The City could also be one of four cities chosen to host a “Breakaway Mile” event, a half to 1-mile walking event along the race route to “honor the millions of cancer survivors worldwide,” part of the Tour’s “Breakaway from Cancer®” initiative, signing up at least 150 people to participate, plus secured parking for 75-plus participants.
Some of the motel accommodations might be a little tricky, as the Tour wants at least 80 free rooms on a 60:40 ratio of double beds vs. singles. And blocked into just two motels “within close proximity to the start line and each other.”
Hotels must offer breakfast or be close to full-service restaurants, be a minimum of 3 star properties, and provide TVs that show the Tour’s broadcast network. This year’s race was carried by NBC and its sister network CNBC.
The Tour also wants the City to feed breakfast to its approximately 30-person crew; provide a light breakfast for the 50 or so reporters and photographers that will be covering the race; and provide 520 box lunches for the teams and staff, consisting of a sandwich, fruit, chips, cookies. Sandwich choices to include three varieties plus a vegetarian (small percentage vegetarian).
The City would also be financially responsible for setting up an official “Tour VIP Hospitality” area, with food and beverages for an estimated 200 people with a “high end” breakfast including at least one hot breakfast item, with the menu subject to AEG’s approval. The company wants a caterer under contract 90 days ahead of time, and the breakfast must include all service ware, utensils, plates, platters, ice and ice bins.
And this, “Professional contracted wait/service staff to serve the breakfast [not volunteers].”
They also want floral arrangements and décor for the tables, and linen tablecloths.
There is also something called a “Taste Of…” program for host cities to showcase the town’s local flavor. The City would have to provide catering for the official AEG/Michelob Ultra tent that would double as the Taste Of site.
For that, the City would get a 10-foot by 10-foot booth inside the tent for a local restaurant to provide presumably free samples of its fare.
They also need a total of 385 parking spaces for cycling teams (160), VIPs (100), staff (75), and a minimum of 50 spaces for the media. Plus space for 10 semi trucks and overnight security.
The City will have to set up a 50-space media tent by the start line and arrange for 200-300 volunteers to help with the race and set up a place for them to sign in.
The TBID board also discussed the number of volunteers needed. Member Jack Smith noted that there is a huge cycling community in SLO County that would probably love to help. He said he liked the demographics of the TV audience AEG provided, noting that bicycle riders usually have more money to spend.
Taylor has been busy working on the issue, as he said the Days Inn and Blue Sail Inn have already agreed to block off the 80 rooms for the cycling teams.
