Board introduces Nick Montagno as city liaison, hears event and marketing reports

Jeanette introduced Nick Montagno as the board’s new city liaison and special projects lead following Larry’s retirement. Jeanette said the organizational chart was reworked and described Nick as "our lifeline to city hall," who will oversee the department and special projects.

Board members heard a string of event recaps: the Texas auto riders and automotive journalists visited for drives and coverage; Lakewood Garden Club and other group visits produced hotel stays; the Texas Craft Brewers Guild was reported to be staying at the Bevy for a multi-day visit. Staff reported positive feedback from hoteliers and that some events reserved hundreds of hotel room nights.

Staff highlighted that weather and traffic re-routing can affect downtown visitation (March traffic rerouting temporarily boosted Main Street counts) and that staff are monitoring event-driven visitation and retail impact. Members encouraged staff to continue cultivating group visits and to capture clearer event-attribution data in future reports.

The meeting closed after additional housekeeping and no further agenda items.