Poway Center for the Performing Arts
Operational Analysis Action Plan
— BUILDING CREATIVITY —
City Council Presentation
by Webb Management
Services, Inc.
June 3, 2025
2 Management consultants for the
development, renovation, and operation of
cultural facilities
Feasibility studies, business plans, strategic
plans and district plans, all within the cultural
sector
Clients are governments, arts organizations,
developers, and educators
28 th year, with over 500 projects
Study completed by Stacey McMath, Victoria
Plettner-Saunders and Duncan Webb
Webb Management Services
Firm profile
3 • Review all aspects of the PCPA operations
• Recommend best practices and other operational changes • Improve efficiency, decrease the operating subsidy, and generate additional revenue
• Approach was to assemble the data, viewpoints, and
experiences that lead to a clear picture of the past and present of the PCPA
• Also consider the operating environment, the broader
forces and trends impacting the venue, and the
experiences of comparable venues
• Analysis leads to recommendations on programming,
operations, marketing and sustainability of the venue as a community asset
Study Brief
Goals & scope for operational review and fee study
4 • Confidential interviews with staff, leadership, users, and other stakeholders
• Review of past studies and internal documents
• Analysis of activities, attendance, and sales
• Review of recent financial performance
• Mapping of current audiences
• Analysis of the defined market area
• Research on competitive regional facilities
• Benchmarking and best practices research from
comparable venues in the region
• Review and update of forces and trends
Situation Analysis
Study components
5 Jim Hyldahl, Poway Symphony Foundation
Karen Tansey, City of Poway
Janet Lettang and Jana Johnson, Community Advocates
Chris Hazeltine, City of Poway
Hamid Daudani, Gujarati Association of San Diego
Melissa Tucker, City of Poway, Poway Center for the Performing Arts Ellen Marcial, Poway Symphony Orchestra
Audrey Denham, City of Poway
James Ingersoll, City of Poway, Poway Center for the Performing Arts Brian Pepin, City of Poway
Katherine Hirsh, Community Advocate
Steve Vaus, City of Poway
Karen Matlin, San Diego Silk Guild
Mike Cook, Poway High School
Kayla Warren, Poway Unified School District
Deborah Childress, Ms. Debbora's School of Dance
Margaret Goodman, Poway Unified School District
Kathie Bretches, Urban Metropolitan Educational Theatre Network Garrett Moreau, City of Poway, Poway Center for the Performing Arts Toby Batly, Southern California Ballet
Situation Analysis
39 confidential interviews with staff, supporters, elected officials, and other local stakeholders Roger Morrison, City of Poway
Sharlene O'Keefe, Poway OnStage
Wendy Kaserman, City of Poway
Belinda Romero, City of Poway
Daniel Krall, Poway OnStage
Ron Little, Poway Unified School District
Jennifer Hanson, Poway OnStage
Kevin Bender, Bender Performing Arts
Carol Osborn, Poway Unified School District
Shannon Beeler, City of Poway, Poway Center for the Performing Arts Brandi Foisie, City of Poway, Poway Center for the Performing Arts Rachel McCarthy-Henneforth, Poway OnStage and McCarthy Foundation Caylin Frank, City of Poway
Peter De Hoff, City of Poway
Stuart Holmes, Bernardo Heights Middle School
Lynne Ingstad, SoCal Dance
Barry Leonard, City of Poway
David Grosch, former City Council Member
6 Situation Analysis
Strengths
- A functional facility serving many uses and users
- A small but mighty staff
- Largely satisfied users
- Good working partnership with the PUSD
Opportunities
- The market is large and prone to participate
- More revenue through strong partnerships
- Support city goals for a safe, family-friendly
community with strong amenities
- Resume summer operations
Weaknesses
- Inability and lack of experience fundraising
- Limited staff experience booking touring acts
- Limited marketing skills and resources
- Behind on capital maintenance
Threats
- Fundraising competition
- Commercial entertainment competition
- Concentration of small venues in the market
7 Situation Analysis
• The City of Poway has a lot to be proud
of in terms of what the PCPA is and does
• There are opportunities for the PCPA to
deliver more value, but additional staff
and financial resources are required
• Most of the opportunities available are
based on building and strengthening
partnerships
• The PCPA must be prepared to compete
for audiences, programs, and financial
resources based on a strong identity and
value proposition
Insights from the SWOT analysis
8 Implementation Plan
1. Presenting: The City should consider renegotiating the contract with Poway OnStage to build its presenting function and attract residents.
2. Fundraising: We recommend a stronger partnership with Poway OnStage or the formation of a new foundation to support PCPA deferred maintenance.
3. Marketing: The PCPA should invest in marketing and
communications skills and tools to support renters, build awareness, and support fundraising goals.
4. Measuring Progress: The City should design and adopt a more holistic approach to measuring and evaluating PCPA benefits and impacts on the community.
5. Rents and Fees: We recommend an annual adjustment based on consumer price index (CPI) escalations to keep up with rising costs.
Preliminary recommendations
9 Implementation Plan
Current org. chart
Green: Full-time
Orange: Part-time
Blue: Event-based
The current organization
chart shows three full-time,
two ¾-time, and one part-
time staff supported by a set
of event-based part-time
personnel.
Director of
Community
Services
Theater
Manager
Admin Assistant
(part-time)
Front of House
Coordinator
(3/4-time)
Front of House
Assistants
Box Office
Coordinator
(3/4-time)
Box Office
Attendants
Technical
Theatre
Coordinator
Technical
Theatre
Coordinator
Stage
Technicians
10 Implementation Plan
Proposed org. chart
Green: Full-time
Orange: ¾ time positions
Blue: Event-based
Yellow: Service providers
The proposed organization chart
changes two positions from ¾-
time to full-time and one position
from part-time to ¾-time and
adds a marketing consultant.
Director of
Community
Services
Theater
Manager
Marketing
Consultant
Admin Assistant
(3/4-time)
Front of House
Coordinator
Front of House
Assistants
Box Office
Coordinator
Box Office
Attendants
Technical
Theatre
Coordinator
Technical
Theatre
Coordinator
Stage
Technicians
11 Implementation Plan
This summary of activity from FY22 through FY30 shows slow growth in activity over time. Rental activity can and should grow over time, including both commercial renters and subsidized access for non-profits Activity summary
Activity Summary 2021-2022 2022-2023 2023-2024 2024-2025 2025-2026 2026-2027 2027-2028 2028-2029 2029-2030 Actual Actual Actual Projected Projected Projected Projected Projected Projected Presented Performances 14 13 14 14 13 13 13 13 14
Presented Use Days 30 25 32 28 28 28 28 28 28
Presented Event Attendance 7,941 7,960 8,613 9,100 8,413 8,413 8,413 8,413 9,061 PUSD Performances 26 48 52 50 50 50 50 50 50
PUSD Use Days 52 74 88 83 88 88 88 88 88
PUSD Event Attendance 7,404 12,019 13,021 12,520 12,520 12,520 12,520 12,520 12,520 Arts & Ed Rental Performances 6 17 19 19 19 19 19 19 22 Arts & Ed Rental Use Days 10 17 23 23 21 21 21 21 24 Arts & Ed Rental Event Attendance 3,361 7,132 7,971 7,971 7,971 7,971 7,971 7,971 9,230 Non-profit Rental Performances 35 50 53 53 53 53 53 53 57 Non-profit Rental Use Days 61 77 72 72 72 72 72 72 80
Non-profit Rental Event Attendance 10,766 19,080 20,225 20,327 20,750 21,174 21,597 22,020 24,138 For-profit Rental Performances 13 30 35 35 35 38 40 41 45 For-profit Rental Use Days 21 35 42 42 42 46 48 49 50
For-profit Rental Event Attendance 7,305 11,571 13,500 13,423 13,703 15,181 16,300 17,035 19,056 Total Performances 94 158 173 171 170 173 175 176 188 Total Use Days 174 228 257 248 250 254 256 258 270 Total Attendance 36,777 57,762 63,329 63,341 63,357 65,259 66,801 67,959 74,004 12 Implementation Plan
The budget summary shows expenses increase in FY25-26 due to adjustments in staffing. Poway OnStage fundraising supports capital improvement projects and does not impact the operating budget. The result of operations, which is effectively the City’s annual funding requirement, is estimated at $430,000 annually.
Budget summary
Financial Summary 2021-2022 2022-2023 2023-2024 2024-2025 2025-2026 2026-2027 2027-2028 2028-2029 2029-2030 Actual Actual Actual Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast Earned Income
Rental Income 164,063 256,973 261,451 245,649 286,056 303,234 318,234 330,821 368,180 Concessions 59,673 92,897 107,159 93,879 93,904 99,624 105,037 110,065 123,450 PUSD Contribution 105,847 266,809 352,587 366,320 423,507 441,474 460,308 480,051 500,751 Ticket Sales 20,017 20,732 14,406 7,930 8,168 8,413 8,665 8,925 9,193 Staff Services 142,392 160,574 197,226 189,472 195,156 201,011 207,041 213,252 219,650 Ticketing Fees 90,207 129,980 175,260 164,777 166,425 168,089 169,770 171,468 173,182 Total Income 582,199 927,965 1,108,089 1,068,027 1,173,215 1,221,845 1,269,055 1,314,582 1,394,406 Operating Expenses
Personnel 722,245 782,219 643,580 687,780 791,616 831,197 872,757 916,394 962,214 Other PUSD Qualifying Expenses 289,408 341,155 374,318 407,124 418,404 430,158 442,408 455,180 468,502 Contracted Services 50,000 20,000
Non-Qualifying Expenses 277,147 294,378 317,711 330,296 344,272 356,604 369,409 382,708 396,520 1,288,800 1,417,752 1,335,609 1,425,200 1,604,293 1,637,958 1,684,574 1,754,283 1,827,236 Result of Operations (706,601) (489,787) (227,520) (357,173) (431,077) (416,114) (415,519) (439,701) (432,831) Earned Inc./ Op. Exp. 45% 65% 83% 75% 73% 75% 75% 75% 76% 13 Implementation Plan
A scorecard that can be used by City of Poway
staff and leadership to track progress and
measure the success of the PCPA against
annual targets.
First section outlines goals in the four
functional areas, namely programming,
marketing, fundraising, and education, and
then initiatives required to move forward in
each area.
The next columns suggest measures and
targets that can be created and filled in for
each year.
Measuring progress
14 Implementation Plan
15 Questions?