The El Dorado Advertising and Promotion Commission and MAD are continuing discussions about how to refresh MAD on Ice and maintain it as a viable holiday event in downtown El Dorado.
In March, Pam Griffin, president and CEO of MAD, told A&P commissioners that the fourth annual ice-skating rink event, which ran from Nov. 19. 2022 - Jan. 2, 2023, sustained a $28,000 profit loss.
MAD had typically met its goal of breaking even with operating costs of the ice-skating rink, Griffin said.
The event has been supported by the A&P commission since its inception in 2019.
She said the loss stemmed, primarily, from a revenue shortfall and an increase in expenses.
Griffin reported that earned revenue items -- tickets, season passes, skate rentals, skating aids and food and beverages -- fell $12,000 below budget projections.
Additionally, the number of skaters who pay to skate at MAD on Ice has leveled off at 4,500 over the past couple of years as the country emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Griffin cited an unanticipated $13,000 expenditure to cover issues that arose with finding the proper chiller to keep the ice frozen and she said utility costs rose for the 2022 - 2023 season.
Collectively, the losses that MAD has absorbed and with funding from the A&P commission and Murphy USA, the presenting sponsor of MAD on Ice, an average of $140,000 is being spent to rent the skating rink each season, said Griffin.
The total annual operating budget exceeds $200,000.
Following the wrap-up report for the 2022 - 2023 season, Griffin posed a series of questions.
"We've been doing the same thing for four years now and while it's good, we're not seeing the increases that we would like to see," she told A&P commissioners. "So, then it begs the question, 'Do we continue doing this?' Is it something the community wants us to do? Is it something the A&P wants us to do?"
A lengthy discussion followed, with A&P commissioners and MAD officials discussing ideas to reinvigorate MAD on Ice.
Creating a new holiday event and expanding MAD on Ice by adding tubing hills, "fun with lights," inflatables, etc., were some of the ideas that were presented.
Such activities, Griffin said, are not as expensive as the ice-skating rink or the necessary implements to operate it.
As another potential cost-saving measure, MAD and the A&P commission have also discussed purchasing an ice-skating rink, rather than renting one each year.
Griffin previously presented a quote of $243,000 for the rink itself. The price did not include installation, maintenance and/or the chiller.
The discussions resumed during a regular A&P meeting on Wednesday.
Several options
Griffin, accompanied by MAD IT manager Benji Brown, said MAD officials have had internal talks and come up with several options for a MAD on Ice/Winter Wonderland event for the 2023 holiday season.
She said MAD had looked into pricing and will dig deeper into estimated costs for some options, noting that some ideas will likely be ruled out as the vetting process advances.
"We can do what we've always done. We have identified some additional ice-rink providers. We can do an ice rink with a different vendor that could potentially be quite a cheaper," Griffin began.
"We can also do a tubing hill and we have some ideas on tubing hills. We can do a tubing hill with a cheaper ice rink or we can just do a tubing hill by itself or we can just do nothing," she continued.
Brown noted Ice-America is the vendor that MAD has used over the past four years and a price quote for the 2023 -2024 season is "quite a bit more than what we have done in the past."
He said MAD has begun exploring outside vendors and quotes that have already begun rolling in have shown significant savings and the equipment will be adequate to operate and manage the ice-skating rink.
"Especially now that we're pretty well-versed in running an ice-skating rink, a lot of that stuff can be taken on by us ... as far as labor and that kind of thing, instead of a third-party provider," Brown said. "And so, really, we just need equipment in order to run it at this point, which is a great option."
He said he introduced the idea of a tubing hill, not only to boost sales, but also attendance in general, with Griffin adding, "Put some new energy into it."
Brown said that while he has heard positive feedback from multiple people who have tried the ice rink and "love the idea of an ice-rink," MAD on Ice has reached "a level plane of attendance."
He called the situation a double-edged sword, saying, "It's nice that we know and that we can count on a certain level of revenue but we're not boosting attendance very much at this point and so it kind of cuts both ways."
Added Griffin, "And as costs continue to rise, that equation gets more and more upside down."
Including more attractions would mean additional expenses so MAD is looking to cut costs "somewhere else," Brown said.
He said the group is considering starting the tubing hill area at the top of the MAD Amphitheater, noting that the ground of the amphitheater slopes southward and drops about 10 feet toward the stage.
The fake-ice tubing would save on expenses, including utilities (electricity) and costs to maintain a real-ice hill.
"They actually do those, but they're incredibly expensive. So, I would not want to skate on fake ice. I'd like to skate on the real deal. If I'm sliding down on a hard-bottom tube, I don't care that the ice is there. I care if the thrill is there," Brown told commissioners.
A tubing hill would be cheaper than an ice-skating rink; however, combining the two would help make MAD on Ice a destination and boost attendance, he continued.
"Because a lot of people have tried the ice rink and they've decided that it's not for them. They're glad they did it one time but they don't want to bust their tail on wet slippery ice," Brown said. "So those people we would recapture, I believe, with a tubing hill that requires no skill ..."
"They'll find a new way to bust their tail," Griffin interjected with a laugh.
Brown said a tubing hill is also likely to delight children who visit MAD on Ice, telling commissioners, "You just throw kids down a tubing hill over and over and over again and they'll just think it's the greatest day ever."
Don Miller, chairman of the A&P commission, asked commissioners Maria Simpson (treasurer), Dianne Hammond (also a member of the El Dorado City Council) and Kelli Harrison to serve on a committee to work with MAD to continue vetting ideas for MAD on Ice and to return to the full commission with recommendations.
"We can reinvent this event, which is something that we have seen over the years continues to bring a number of visitors. It's been popular with our residents. How do we take that next step?" Miller asked.
The three commissioners agreed to serve on the subcommittee, with Simpson as the lead.
Griffin said MAD has collected loads of information and details and she thought that a "working meeting" with the A&P subcommittee, rather than a regular meeting with the full commission, would be the better format in which to review the information.