♪♪ Scott: Aftershock, Farm-to-Fork, and the opening of the new SAFE Credit Union convention and performing arts center.

Sacramento is ready to be entertained.

However, with COVID cases again on the rise, balancing coming together with staying safe is on everyone's mind.

Visit Sacramento's Mike Testa joins us today to share what's in store for our region and the importance of community events in getting back to normal.

Mike, what is Aftershock?

Mike: Aftershock is the largest hard rock festival on the West Coast.

It started as a 2-day event in 2012, had about 11,000 attendees.

And this year, in 2021, we will have a 4-day festival with 40,000 attendees a day, with Metallica headlining two of those four nights.

So, it's certainly grown into a... a huge thing for Sacramento.

And the... the best part about Aftershock is 65% of the attendees come from outside of Sacramento.

Scott: Wow.

Wow.

Are there still tickets?

Mike: Uh, I believe it's sold out.

There may be some single-day tickets left but, um, you know, obviously, it was canceled in 2020 so a lot of people carried over their tickets to this year.

And this is the.

the first year that we added that fourth day so, that... that made some available too.

Um, but it's a... it's... it's a huge event for Sacramento.

Scott: Being sold out after all that we've been through over the past year, what does that tell you about people's expectations?

Mike: Well, I think there's a ton of pent-up demand.

You know, obviously, all of us have been sitting in our houses around the same people and missing the things that... that we used to do, whether that's going to a movie or... or a live, uh, music performance.

So, I think, you know, especially with music festivals, a lot of people spend their summer traveling around to those festivals and... and, you know, the group that puts on Aftershock, Danny Wimmer Presents, does four major festivals across the country.

So, I...

I think it shows you that... that people miss getting out and... and being with other people, and listening to live music, and just having that experience.

Scott: You talk about, uh, the people that are putting on-— Those promoters, they're... they're coming into, uh, doing Aftershock here at a moment where it is that we've got resurgent health con... health concerns related to COVID-19 and the Delta variant.

How are they planning to deal with the fact that you're going to have 40,000 people there who are all looking to have a good time, but at the same time, keep all of them safe?

Mike: You know, we... we've obviously been having that conversation over the last couple of months for Aftershock, for all the Farm-to-Fork events, for Ironman that's coming up in October, and I think the reality is, for all of us event producers, you... you want to make sure that you keep your attendees safe.

And, you know, like you said, there's... there's a lot of uncertainty right now with what's going on with COVID and the... and the Delta variant.

But, I think, what you can do is require proof of vaccination, require a negative test just prior to the show, require people to wear masks.

You know, it's... it's tough to social distance at a... at a concert.

Um, but I think if you... if you put some of those things in place, you've done everything you can, as an organizer, to keep people safe.

And, frankly, a lot of it is on the attendees.

They have to follow those instructions in order to keep their fellow, uh, concert-goers safe.

Scott: Well, let's all hope that they do because, as you say, there is pent-up demand and there's a lot of expectation out there.

I'm curious.

We... we talked about Aftershock.

What's the plan for Farm-to-Fork?

Mike: It's... it's the same thing.

We just announced last week that for the Tower Bridge Dinner, for Legends of Wine, for the Farm-to-Fork Festival, you cannot come in unless you have proof of a COVID vaccine or negative tests within 72 hours of the event.

We'll also have, uh, signs up to... to instruct people to wear masks.

You know, it's tough at the Tower Bridge Dinner cause you can't eat with a mask on and we've got people sitting fairly close to each other.

The good news for all those events is they're outdoors.

So that helps a little bit, but again, it's... it's really up to the attendee to follow the protocol that we put in place.

We're not going to be the mask police.

We're not going to run around and point at people and say, "Put your mask back on."

Um, we're going to trust people at their word, if they present a COVID vaccine card, that it's legitimate.

Um, you know, again, I think all of us, as... as people in this community, have a responsibility to follow the rules here.

And if we don't, we're going to do this for a long time.

Scott: You talk about community.

I'm curious.

You've been doing this for so long and.

and watched all types of different events over the years.

At this moment, what is the importance to our region of events like these?

Mike: Well, I think there's a couple of different things.

The obvious ones are the economic impact.

Again, we talked about Aftershock, 65% of the people coming from outside the Sacramento region.

That means they're all staying in hotels.

They're eating their meals out.

They're buying souvenirs before they go home.

They're either renting cars or using Uber and Lyft.

They're spending a ton of money into our economy.

I believe the economic impact number for Aftershock is just over $30 million over that what... what was a 3-day period, now a 4-day period.

When you look at Farm-to-Fork, the exposure that it's created for this market-— You know, we had, on the Tower Bridge Dinner two years ago, GQ magazine, New York Times Magazine.

We had a ton of national publications that write about Sacramento, and not writing about this sleepy government town or this Gold Rush Capital of 1849.

They're writing about our cutting-edge food scene, and the music festivals that are in this region.

So, the positioning for this market is... is incredibly valuable for us.

Scott: I-— You talk about our food scene.

I even heard that we're bringing, like, a worldwide butchering competition to town, or something like that?

Mike: Yeah.

So, the World Butchers' Challenge.

We actually were supposed to bring it here in 2020.

Obviously, it got delayed.

But it is the top butchers from 17 countries across the world.

They would compete at the Golden 1 Center for the... the prize of being the world's best butcher.

Um, it's incredibly competitive.

They're a lot of fun people.

It's men and women.

I think there's six members on each team.

But those are the types of things, you know, that... that Farm-to-Fork has helped us to attract.

We've got this food resume that we didn't have before.

And, you know, you go down the list-— World Butchers' Challenge, the Michelin Guide, a ton of, uh, farming conventions that we booked-— It's because of Farm-to-Fork.

Scott: Do we have anybody competing uh, in the... in the butchering, or are we just spectators?

Mike: No, no.

We have Danny Johnson from Taylor's Market who's actually the one that brought it to our attention.

Danny, uh, is the captain of the American team and... and he is, uh, he's-— I...

I had him promise me that he's going to win this thing because he's from Sacramento... Scott: Wait.

We... we have a local-— Hold on.

We got a local guy, a butcher, who is the captain of America's team in the world butchering competition?

Mike: Yes, sir.

And he.

he competed, I think it was, in Belfast three years ago, uh, on the... on the same team.

I think some of the players have changed, but yeah, Danny... Danny leads that charge for us.

Scott: Uh, what... what will happen next?

I...

I...

I'm curious, you know, we... we've been talking about keeping people safe and, um, you know, all of the things, the protocols and things like that that, um, people are working within... in trying to make sure that we're all safe.

Are there any local policies or trends that we can expect if we're parents and we're bringing children who, up 'til now, have not been allowed to be vaccinated to some of these large events?

Mike: You know, I...

I'm a parent too, so that's certainly something my wife and I have talked about regularly.

I think making sure that the attendees know the rules that are put in place and... and, you know, asking the parents to enforce those.

My children will be in masks when we go to big events.

Um, you know, like you said, they're not of age that they can be vaccinated, but I'm going to follow every protocol I can to keep them safe.

And again, that's not the job of the event organizer.

It's the job of the parents.

We will lay down what we think is the safest process to keep them, uh, healthy at the event.

And it's up to the parents to follow that protocol.

Scott: When you're looking toward the future, uh, I want to start with a bit of the past in asking what is it that we can expect, coming up over the next several months to a year, that we missed out on because of being locked down with this pandemic?

Mike: You know, Scott, I think one of the hardest parts about the... the pandemic for a lot of us at Visit Sacramento is we were on such a roll.

We had incredible momentum.

You know, we've got this Aftershock festival, but we were set to announce another festival.

Uh, we had a number of conventions that we were going after that we were set to announce that, frankly, uh, we're not able to announce anymore.

But when I look at the calendar ahead of us, we've got, you know, the... the events that... that are local.

The Farm-to-Fork events.

We've got Aftershock that's grown.

We'll host our first-ever Ironman in October, and that's a 3-year contract that we signed.

In June, we hosted the World's Strongest Man competition.

That's a 3-year contract that we signed.

We've got a lot of irons in the fire for conventions that we've never hosted before, some of which are very close to closing.

So, you know, the... the outlook is positive.

I think that the hard part is there's been a lot of starts and stops, obviously, because of the pandemic.

So, you asked me what... what my forecast for the next few months is.

It's tough to say.

I gave up forecasting about a year ago just because I kept being wrong.

But, I think, as we look ahead, and when I look at the events calendar and the convention calendar for 2022 and beyond, Sacramento is in a good place.

Scott: I'm curious.

Now I know that... that based on what you do, you love all events equally.

Mike: Yes.

Scott: But if there is one that quickens the heart a little bit, that's the most exciting to you, that's upcoming, which one is it?

Mike: Listen, I always love Aftershock.

I'm a live music guy, so I...

I love seeing those bands and I...

I really like that Metallica is headlining two of those nights.

That's... that's a big deal.

We've never had that before.

But I also like Ironman.

I think, you know, new events that we've never hosted-— Ironman is a... is a big deal in the sense that it's not like a convention, right?

When you go to a convention, you typically go by yourself.

When you go to Ironman, you bring witnesses with you so you can prove that you did this.

So, these people come to town two days before the event.

They stay two days after.

They're not as concerned about hotel prices.

It's a fairly affluent audience.

So, it's really beneficial for our restaurants and... and the businesses in our community, and it... and it shines an international spotlight on Sacramento.

So, those are the types of things.

Hosting things we've never had before.

Scott: Sure.

Yeah, I'm curious about Ironman.

Um, what-— Where is it going to be held?

What parts of Sacramento are going to be involved?

Mike: So, it's... it's, uh, a regional event in the sense that the swim will be, uh, in the Sacramento River.

Uh, they will exit at Raley Field, uh, and they will do the bike course through West Sacramento and parts of the Delta.

And then the... the marathon piece is after that, which hasn't been announced yet.

So, you know, we've... we've tried to spread it out and... and, I think, even for residents-— You know, West Sacramento-— You think about these guys going through on these bikes and it'll go through neighborhoods and people will come out on their... their driveway and... and watch these athletes go by.

I think that is... that is fun.

And... and to your question earlier, it's a reminder of residents of some of the things we've missed.

We've missed live sporting events as much as we've missed live music.

So, um, I think the visual of that will be a... a... a really positive thing, especially based on what's happened over the last 17 months or so.

Scott: It... it's kind of amazing to hear about all of the... the... the variety of events that are coming here.

You know, some people on the other side of the economic development, uh, spectrum talk about "Sacramento's really coming into its own," because it's a destination for companies to start to look at to either relocate or that, because we've all become kind of unhooked from our offices because of this pandemic, people are now moving where they're separating their work from their offices and Sacramento is among the most attractive places in the country.

That's diversifying our region.

At the same time, it sounds like we're being discovered, in a way, for things that typically would have passed us by and that promoters wouldn't have thought about us for.

What's kind of happened?

Mike: Well, I...

I think the market is seen differently.

And I. I think you and I may have talked about this before, but when you look at state capitals, they're seen as boring government towns.

But Austin, Santa Fe, Nashville-— Those are all state capitals.

You don't think of them that way because they've created an identity outside of being a government town.

And I think Farm-to-Fork has helped change our identity.

You've got national writers writing about our food scene.

You attract a Michelin Guide to the market and... and you have to remember that, prior to Sacramento, the Michelin Guide was in four cities: Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.

Sacramento is the fifth city in the U.S. that got into the Michelin Guide.

That tells you something about our food scene.

The opening of the Golden 1 Center certainly attracted a lot of music promoters that... that saw a venue there that was downtown, that was state-of-the-art, that performers wanted to play in.

So, the identity of this market has changed.

And I...

I...

I will just add this one piece, Scott.

The... the one thing I think we will continue to struggle with is that we're in California.

We will always be dwarfed by San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Napa to some extent.

We're not the first city that you think of when you think of California.

Scott: Uh , I've also noticed, uh, as I travel to San Francisco and pick up their local magazines in... in my hotel rooms, that a number of writers are talking about San Francisco's sort of Farm-to-Fork heritage.

And so, my own view-— I don't know what yours is and I'm sure you have to play nice with people-— but, is that being ripped off, uh, is, uh, or I guess the polite word is "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" coming from our big brothers and sisters in other parts of the state?

Mike: Without question, San Francisco is Farm-to-Fork but I would ask them where their farms are that they're sourcing because many of them are in the Sacramento region.

Certainly, different parts of Northern California and California.

But, if you ask the farmers here, many of them are making deliveries to San Francisco on a daily basis.

So, yeah, they're Farm-to-Fork and we give them the farm... Scott: And we want... We want them to continue doing that.

Uh, I just want them to give us the credit.

Mike: Yeah, I do too, Scott, but I don't think they're going to.

You know, listen, I...

I think in some ways, um, we've... we've made a lot of noise and... and taken some attention off them.

So, um, I'm...

I'm proud of it.

And... and frankly, our farmers and our chefs deserve the recognition they've been getting.

Scott: Well said.

I...

I want to change the subject and talk to you about something else that's exciting that's coming up, and that is the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center and performing arts theater that is about to come online.

How is, uh, your ability, or the ability of you and your colleagues, to attract major conventions and major arts-related activities to Sacramento going to change because of the... the rejuvenation of this long-time city asset?

Mike: Well, you know, the... the convention business is very competitive and meeting planners want to make sure that they are going to a destination that's the best experience for their attendees and the... and the delegates.

The fact that we have the newest building, the most state-of-the-art building, and, um, obviously somebody else will... will eclipse that sooner than later, but it absolutely matters.

And we're hearing that from meeting planners that, you know-— During COVID, especially, the-— part of what was keeping me going was driving by that building and seeing construction continue during the pandemic.

But it's not lost on meeting planners that our building is brand new.

It hasn't been used.

Nobody's been sick in it.

Um, there... there's an appeal there.

And when, you know, we've gone after some of these groups and we've signed some groups that we haven't had before, it's because of that new building.

And, you know, you asked about the arts-— Not only in the theater, but we have a group called NCECA coming soon and they're a ceramics, uh, organization that-— Ceramic arts-— We're attracting some of those events.

And, I think, again, the new building, the new theater, all those things add to the value proposition of Sacramento.

So, does it make my job easier?

Yes.

Are there still some challenges?

For sure.

We don't have any real ho... hotel product that's been added to the market.

There's been a few hundred rooms.

But when I look at downtown Austin, 18,000 hotel rooms.

Downtown Indy, 12,000 hotel rooms.

Sacramento is still under 3,000 downtown hotel rooms.

So, part of the idea is this new convention center will create demand for a new hotel.

Scott: And, you know, we're talking about new demands for hotels, bringing people into the city, into the region for these events.

One of the things recently that's been the topic of a lot of conversations, Mike, has been trying to get our own residents to return to Sacramento, particularly our downtown core, and to rediscover.

There's been a lot of concerns over, uh, you know, the pandemic and other things that have happened over the past year and a half since... since the inception of this.

What's your message to the people who are still on the sidelines and haven't really come back downtown and experienced any of these things, either that are going on or that are upcoming?

Mike: Well, I-— Listen, there has been a lot that's happened since the pandemic, you know, from protests to offices being closed, um, that have changed downtown in the short term.

But the reality is, when you look at any city across the country, the downtown is the heart of that region.

And downtown has the largest semblance of parking garages, hotels.

It's a large generator of sales tax.

Those are the things that provide the revenues to our government to pay for improved parks, to pay for police and fire.

Those are the things that... that make us all go as a region and make us feel safe.

So, I do think it's incumbent on residents to make sure that... that a downtown is healthy because it also ensures that other neighborhoods will be healthy.

And I... and I think, you know, as we continue to... to come out of this pandemic, hopefully sooner than later, I think some of that will naturally occur.

I think there's a lot of folks who worked down here who have been working from home for the last 17 months.

As they start coming back, they'll be reacclimated.

They'll feel more comfortable in downtown.

And I'm down here every day and I'm still going to restaurants.

I'm still seeing the same gems that were here pre-pandemic.

It still has a lot of magic that... that it had before.

So, all of that will come back.

I would just tell people to... to help us.

Help us speed up the recovery by coming down here and patronizing the businesses.

Scott: I'm curious.

As we emerge from the period we've been in, what is it that, uh, you and your colleagues hope that we're known for?

And I...

I...

I ask the question because, between the Golden 1 Center in West Sacramento, we've got, uh, the River Cats stadium.

We've got, obviously, you know, the new convention center and performing arts theater that are coming online.

We've got-— There were some, uh, retrofits of Memorial Auditorium in order to make it, uh, available and useful while the theater was being renovated, and that's used as well.

It seems like all of a sudden, we have this abundance of options from an entertainment and social perspective.

How do you make sense of all of that in terms of what you want us to be known for as you're projecting outwards to try and attract more people in?

Mike: Well, I think a lot of those things were... were in play or in-— under construction pre-pandemic, and that was the direction that a lot of us saw the city going.

And I think-— To answer your question, Scott, I think I want us to be known for a lot of different things.

I want us to be known as a good destination for live music.

I want us to be known for our restaurant scene.

I want us to be known for our "City of Trees" moniker.

I think there's a lot of things in Sacramento that, again, have flown under the radar simply because we're based in California and because we're a state capital.

But, as you said earlier, a lot of people are moving here and I'm not sure that would have happened 20 years ago.

I think there are amenities in this community now that are different from where they came from.

You know, San Francisco, obviously, has a lot of amenities and a lot of really cool things, but it's different than Sacramento.

You don't always have to, you know, make a reservation three months in advance to go to the nicest restaurant here.

You can come in dressed casually.

It's... it's a different community.

It's a friendly community.

And I think the diversity of Sacramento welcomes a lot of different people of a lot of different ethnicities.

And I think it's important, also, that we don't lose that.

You know, if you look at the restaurants on Broadway, the restaurants in downtown, there's a lot of different flavors out there and a lot of different, um, intellectual work that goes into creating a food scene here.

I love that diversity and I think that's something that... that we market to the rest of the world.

Scott: How do you all connect, essentially, the big events that are drawing people in with the local economy?

You know, we-— One of the things that we're trying to do right now is to help, you know, small restaurants, shopkeepers, entrepreneurs, kind of get back on their feet to... to where we were before and, hopefully, do even better.

How is it that... that you go from the large, in terms of bringing people into a city that, essentially, they may have never experienced before, and get them out of their primary venue, which is important, but sort of out into the rest of the community?

So that that way, those dollars really have a chance to circulate.

Mike: Yeah.

So, I think there's a couple ways.

The... the first is to make sure that businesses are aware that these events are coming in.

Make sure that they're adequately staffed.

If they have an upstairs dining room that they don't typically open, you should be staffed to open that because you're going to have the demand from the customers.

I think educating the folks that come here is really important, making sure that we have communication.

In their hotel room, that we're working with the event promoters beforehand, that we're working with convention meeting planners and... and giving people maps of... of where they are in the... in the city, maps of downtown and which restaurants are open.

We also work with different restaurants on a Show Your Badge program if you're a convention delegate.

And I...

I think, you know, those things are... are... are incredibly important.

It's... it's the education of both the consumer and the business.

Um, and I think we've done that fairly well in the past.

But, to your point, it's even more important right now to make sure that... that everybody is aware of the opportunity, and that the visitor knows where to go.

I think the last piece of that is we try to design these events-— Aftershock, Farm-to-Fork Festival-— They end at 10 o'clock at night.

The festival-— Farm-to-Fork Festival ends at nine o'clock at night.

Nobody's going back to their hotel room and going to bed.

We are trying to turn them loose on the businesses, and the bars, and the nightclubs, and the restaurants, to go enjoy a couple more hours in our community and... and spend their dollars with our... with our business owners.

Scott: You know, you talk about getting them out after the event itself and get them into the bars, the restaurants, wherever, so that they can enjoy a little bit more of what it is that we have to offer.

One of the things that comes up on regular basis is-— when I talk to people-— is how much we may all have taken for granted just being around other people.

And... and I'm curious.

From your perspective, how much of our quality of life is wrapped up in something we have taken for granted?

Which is us being at events like this, being out, and interacting with people in the community, whether you know them or not.

Mike: Yeah, it is-— It's a good question.

It's interesting.

I'm a...

I'm an introvert by nature and I, uh, I can be very shy sometimes at events and, you know, I've been working in our building for the last 17 months and, the majority of it, I was the only one here.

And one of my colleagues retired and I went to his retirement party and that was really the first thing I'd been to in... in a good nine, 10 months.

And I was a little apprehensive but when I got in there and started talking to people, I became energized, and I realized how much I missed that interaction.

Even as an introvert.

Just connecting and talking with other people.

So, to your point, I don't think we all realize what we've missed, but boy, when we get a taste of it, again, you realize how important it is.

And... and it's... it's been a hole, um, in... in your life because, uh-— You know, live music is one thing.

I love to go to those shows.

But just connecting with other people, um, I think, has been something that has really been missed and... and changed, um, our outlook and... and probably taken away some of the joy.

So, uh, getting those things back, I think, will... will make people, uh, happier people.

And I think we're all struggling in some ways.

And you know, I look at my business.

I want to get back to work, but I can't really do that until things pass.

So, uh, I...

I agree with you.

I think it's been missed dramatically and... and maybe we don't realize how much.

Scott: Well, it is...

It is really something that I can tell you that, uh, I felt myself in that, just when June 15th came around and... and we, you know, people started to come out more and more, it was interesting just being out on the streets, Mike, in that people seemed a little bit friendlier and a... a bit more welcoming.

And I think that there was just a level of gratitude that we all have shared in just being able to see and be seen.

And, uh, it's... it's funny how such a small thing, um, we don't realize how important it truly, truly is.

Mike: I agree with you.

I look at the Tower Bridge Dinner, which is always, uh, an in-demand event.

Our waiting list for people who want to buy tables is up to 22 different groups.

We've always had a waiting list, but... but not that high.

The demand this year, the phone calls we've been getting-— "How do I get two tickets?"

-— I think speaks to that point.

I want to go out and spend some time with people and... and be in public again.

So, uh, I think we're all chomping at the bit for that.

Scott: Finally, Mike, for the people out that are watching us who are wondering whether or not they should come out of their homes and participate in one of these upcoming events that are going on, or just start to get active again in the outside world, what advice would you give to them about how to kind of cross that Rubicon, or... or make the leap?

Mike: I always tell people to follow the... the guidelines of... of county, and... and state, and federal health.

You know, nobody's saying "Stay indoors, don't go outside."

They're saying, "Be careful and protect yourself."

Wear your mask.

Uh, stay distanced from people.

Get a... a COVID vaccination.

If you're not going to get a vaccination, then you need to get tested regularly to make sure you're not passing it on to other people.

You know, you asked earlier about children.

Um, you know, it's easy to... to... to say, "Nothing's going to happen to me.

I don't need a vaccine."

But who are you... who are you infecting?

And it's possible you're infecting children.

So, I...

I think, um, you just have to follow the guidelines and you have to use common sense and be safe and... and be aware that, you know, your neighbor may be at risk even when you are not.

And that's what we try to tell people internally.

Scott: And I think we'll leave it there.

Sound advice.

And that's our show.

Thanks to our guest, and thanks to you for watching Studio Sacramento.

I'm Scott Syphax.

See you next time right here on KVIE.

♪♪ ♪♪ Scott Syphax: All episodes of Studio Sacramento, along with other KVIE programs, are available to watch online at kvie.org/video.