The Administration recommends the approval of revisions to the Special Event Sponsorship Program; with said revisions to include a two-tiered program with qualifying criteria and a maximum funding request allowable for each tier.

The Miami Beach Special Event Sponsorship Program (the "Program") was created in June 2021 via Resolution 2021-31742 with an annual budget of $1,500,000 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 Program is for events held in Miami Beach. The purpose is to provide financial assistance and in-kind support to high-quality local festivals, special events, community events, or programming that promote community engagement and elevates Miami Beach as a world-class tourist destination.

The City of Miami Beach considers 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

·         strengthens Miami Beach by enhancing the City’s Cultural Events.

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

Prior to the Program being created, there have been major special events that received commission approval as a recurring enhancement in the budget. These events are currently not subject to the Program’s application and review process but are funded from the $1,500,000 Sponsorship budget. After accounting for the recurring major events, the unallocated annual budget for the Program is reduced to $400,000.   

At the July 26, 2023 City Commission meeting the Mayor and City Commissioners voted to approve the revisions to the Special Event Guidelines. The approved revisions included the bifurcation of the Special Event Sponsorship Program, to allow the Program to be independent from the guidelines.

Since its inception, the Administration has witnessed an increased interest in the Program, both from producers of large-scale events and community event organizers. To date, the Tourism and Culture Department (TCD) has managed three cycles of the Program.

The Program reviews non-profit status, length of event, history of event, hotel room block, number of attendees, resident/community benefit, marketing, and public relations exposure, and more. Applicants are 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.

For each cycle, applicants who meet the requirements are scored by a review panel and subsequently approved by the Mayor and City Commission.

Below are the previous funding recipients:

Based on previous cycles, and funding requests made to City Commission outside of the Program’s application process, the Administration has identified a need to create a tier for community events. In addition, based on the current budget, the Administration has identified an additional need to create a maximum amount of sponsorship funding allowed to be requested by an applicant.

TCD has collaborated with the Cultural Affairs Division to create parity between the Program and the Cultural Arts Council (CAC) grants program process. TCD also reviewed the proposed revisions with the City’s Grants Division and the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (VCA) to ensure the proposed revisions align with their sponsorship and grants process as well.

The Program is now being presented to the Mayor and City Commission for approval, with proposed revisions. The complete Program can be found attached to the memo. Below are the two categories being proposed, with their respective evaluation criteria. 

Special Event Sponsorship Application Categories: 

There are two application categories to be chosen from: Major Special Events or Community Engagement Events 

1. Major Special Events

·         Category Criteria

o   Special Events occurring one-time or annually within the City of Miami Beach.

o   MUST have confirmed hotel room blocks within the City of Miami Beach, in the form of hotel contracts or booking codes.

o   MUST have a minimum of 100 room nights.

o   MUST have minimum daily attendance of 1,000 people.

o   Can be Non-Profit Organizations

o   No restrictions on minimum budget requirements to apply.

·         Funding Requests

o   Must have proof of matching $1 to $1 funding.

·         Evaluation Criteria 

o    Length of Event (10 points)   

• How many days is your event? Producers are encouraged to shorten their load-in and load-out time periods. Extended or unnecessarily lengthy load-in/load-out schedules will be scored lower. 
•  Load In Day(s) and Load Out Day(s) Scoring Scale: 

o    Event History (10 points)  

• Organizational history of producing this event in Miami Beach or other comparable location.   

o    Economic Impact and Hotel Room Block (10 points)  

• Verification of hotel room booking in the form of hotel contracts or booking codes. 

o    Event Attendance (10 points)  

• Does the organization properly engage audiences, reach target audiences, assess and measure feedback? Examples could include surveys, blogs, online engagement, social media impressions, etc. (up to 5 points) 
•  Points will be awarded for projections on actual attendance (up to 5 points):  

o    Resident Benefit (10 points)   

• Applicants will receive higher scores based on their level of benefits to Miami Beach residents. (Examples: discounted tickets, free admission, multiday passes, etc.) 

o    Social and Community Impact (10 points)  

• Applicants will receive higher scores based on their engagement with the Miami Beach community, including benefits related to education, arts and culture, charitable donations, and environmental efforts. 

o    Marketing and Communications (10 points)  

• Does the applicant present a comprehensive marketing and communications plan that aligns with the target audience and programming goals?  

o    Environmental and Sustainability (10 points) 

• Does the event show environmentally sustainable practices? (examples: recycling, eco-friendly materials, etc.)  

o    Budgeting and Accounting (10 points) 

• Does the applicant outline their fiscal operation and provide a comprehensive and achievable budget? 

o    Name of Event Incorporates “Miami Beach” or Miami Beach Brand (10 points) 

• Use of “Miami Beach” to build brand identity and equity, as the community and tourists will continue to identify Miami Beach as a world-class tourist destination.  

All Applicants are required to have a minimum average score of 65 to be eligible to receive funding from the Special Events Sponsorship program. 

2. Community Engagement Events  

·         Category Criteria  

o    Special Events involving community engagement, with little to no use of Hotel Room Blocks. 

o    MUST have minimum daily attendance of 200 people.  

o    Can be Non-Profit Organizations  

o    No restrictions on minimum budget requirements to apply.  

·         Funding Requests  

o    Maximum funding requests cannot exceed $20,000.  

o    Must have proof of matching $1 to $1 funding. 

·         Evaluation Criteria 

o    Economic Impact (20 points)  

• Does the organization’s current programming contribute to Miami Beach as an international cultural destination/cultural tourism? 

o    Event Attendance (20 points)  

• Does the organization properly engage audiences, reach target audiences, assess and measure feedback? Examples could include surveys, blogs, online engagement, social media impressions, etc. (up to 10 points) 

• Additional points will be awarded for projected attendance (up to 10 points): 

o    Resident, Social and Community Impact (20 points)   

• Applicants will receive higher scores based on their willingness to offer benefits to Miami Beach residents. (Examples: discounted tickets, free admission, multiday passes, etc.) 

• Applicants will receive higher scores based on their engagement with the Miami Beach community, including benefits related to education, arts and culture, charitable donations, and environmental efforts.  

• Does the proposed programming enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors? Is the programming reflective of Miami Beach's demographics? Are diverse communities of Miami Beach being reached? Does the programming include collaborative efforts with other organizations/ groups? 

o    Marketing and Communication (20 points)  

• Does the applicant present a comprehensive marketing and communications plan that aligns with the target audience and programming goals? 

o    Budgeting and Accounting (20 points) 

• Does the applicant outline their fiscal operation and provide a comprehensive and achievable budget? 

All Applicants are required to have a minimum average score of 65 to be eligible to receive funding from the Special Events Sponsorship program. 

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 Administration recommends the approval of revisions to the Special Event Sponsorship Program; with said revisions to include a two-tiered program with qualifying criteria and a maximum funding request allowable for each tier.