The Administration recommends the approval of the Miami Beach Special Event Sponsorship recommendations for fiscal year 2023/2024.

The Miami Beach Special Event Sponsorship Program (the "Program") was created in June 2021 to assist the City in the review of event sponsorship and fee waiver requests. The Program process is formalized and allows the Administration to properly analyze and budget special event sponsorship requests. The City's current sponsorship process is within the City Code:

Section 12-6 of the City Code defines a sponsorship as any contract, grant, or other commitment by the City to fund an event, either through:

A cash or in-kind contribution, in any amount; or

A reimbursement for City special event-related costs (police, fire, sanitation); or

A waiver of special event permit fees (including user fees, admin fees, and square footage fees), in excess of $25,000.

Section 12-7(c) of the City Code provides that “in considering approval of a Sponsorship for an event, the City Commission may consider:

·         whether the event organizer has exercised good-faith, diligent efforts to apply for grant funding that may be available from the City's Visitor and Convention Authority ("VCA") or Cultural Arts Council ("CAC");

·         the Event organizer's history and performance in delivering quality Events;

·         any benefits being directly provided to the general public with respect to the Event, such as free or discounted tickets to persons residing in the City of Miami Beach, seniors, veterans, or member of disadvantaged groups;

·         whether the event is accessible to the general public (either as a ticketed event or otherwise);

·         the demonstrable economic impacts associated with the Event;

·         the demonstrable media commitments secured by the Event organizer for the Event; or

·         the efforts undertaken by the Event organizer to mitigate any quality of life impacts associated with the Event, including noise, littering, traffic or parking impacts associated with an Event.

In Section 12-7 of the City Code, sponsorship requests are generally to be reviewed well in advance of the date of each event, either as part of the City Commission’s annual budget process, or through applications to the VCA or CAC. Any sponsorship request that falls outside of the standard review process is subject to Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee (“FERC”) advisory review, as well as a heightened 5/7ths approval requirement by the City Commission.

The Program addresses these elements and provides a platform for event organizers to apply for city sponsorship in advance and allows the Administration time to do a proper due diligence and budget planning for the fiscal year, while also allowing for a opportunities to curate a fiscal year of engaging, unique, entertaining, educational and fun community events to benefit Miami Beach residents, businesses, visitors and culture.

The Program is for events held in Miami Beach. The purpose is to provide financial assistance and in-kind support to local festivals, special events, community events, or programming that attracts quality events and promotes community engagement and elevates Miami Beach as a world-class tourist destination.

The City of Miami Beach considered special events that:

·         provide unique and engaging experiences that increase resident quality of life;

·         increase tourism by hotel rooms block contract(s) and targeted tourist attendance;

·         promote Miami Beach as a national and international tourist destination;

·         accessible to the general public; and

·         strengthen Miami Beach by enhancing the City’s cultural events.

The Program includes an extensive review process to determine non-profit status, length of event, history of event, hotel room block, number of attendees, resident/community benefit, marketing, and public relations exposure, utilization of local venues and more. Applicants were required to have a mandatory dollar for dollar ($1 to $1) match and demonstrate this match through cash, other matching sponsorships, and/or in-kind contributions.

Accordingly, in its third year, the program applications opened on January 1, 2023, and closed February 28, 2023.

Ten (10) event organizers opened the application and six (6) event organizers completed the application. Four (4) applicants who met all application requirements, including deadlines, were reviewed. Incomplete applications were disqualified, and applicants were invited to apply during the next session, which launches on January 1, 2024, and will close on February 28, 2024.

According to the Special Events Sponsorship Guidelines, an application must score at least 65 points on the Sponsorship Score Card for the administration to recommend that the sponsorship be awarded. Furthermore, guidelines state that funding amount is based on several factors including, but not limited to, percentage of available funds, actual application score, number of applications within the fiscal year, etc.

Based on these guidelines, the administration is making the following funding recommendations. The Mayor and City Commission may approve or amend the amounts awarded.

Event Descriptions as stated in application:

American Black Film Festival by ABFF Ventures (the Event): The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is an annual event that empowers Black artists and showcases a wide range of entertainment content made by and about people of African descent. The festival serves as a platform for emerging artists and opportunity for major corporations to reach upscale Black consumers and support diversity and inclusion in the film and television industry. The event will take place live in Miami Beach, FL, June 2024.

Miami Swim Week The Shows by Unparalleled Productions (the Event): The Miami Swim Week® The Shows returns to Miami Beach with over 200 designers and an array of 30 plus satellite events set to take place all around Miami Beach. The largest swim and resort wear gathering in the world will feature a star-studded lineup of designers, models, and celebrities. The Main Event will be held at the SLS Hotel in South Beach.

King of the Court Volleyball Tournament by Sportworx International B.V. (the Event): King of the Court is a new beach volleyball format. The court is divided into a winning and challenging side, and points can only be scored on the winning side. Instead of two teams, there are five duos playing for time simultaneously in an elimination game. The break between the rallies is limited to eight seconds, ensuring a fast and action-packed game. All events will showcase the best Beach Volleyball players from all over the world.

Program applications for FY 24/25 including events held between October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025, will be open and available from January 1, 2024, to February 28, 2024. Sponsorships will be presented to Commission for approval.

In the 2022 City of Miami Beach Resident Survey, 86% of residents agreed that free or City sponsored art and cultural activities contribute to their quality of life in Miami Beach and 86% of residents agreed that Miami Beach Cultural Activities (such as art shows, film festivals, musicals, and live performances) contribute to the quality of life in Miami Beach.

The amount awarded for special event sponsorship for FY 2023/2024 is $389,000.

The Administration recommends the approval of the Miami Beach Special Event Sponsorship recommendations for fiscal year 2023/2024.