Item 5-b
FY2023-2024 Work Plan
This document lays out the strategic work plan of the Santa Monica Pier Corporation for Fiscal Year 2023-2024, a year of exploration, learning and planning for the future, while simultaneously building upon the great traditions and experiences that have made the Santa Monica Pier one of the most iconic destinations in the world.
The Pier is approximately the size of a 3-block city street, upon which are an amusement park, an aquarium, a trapeze school, 8 restaurants, 13 licensed vendor carts, 4 retail shops and a 100-year-old antique carousel that is housed within an official Nationally landmarked building. Fishing and street performance add to the daily scope of activities on the Pier, as well as frequent brand activations, art installations and free-and-open-to-thepublic programming. A spacious, pinpointable, outdoor venue, the Pier has emerged from two years of a pandemic-rattled and weary world to once again welcome approximately 10-12 million visitors throughout the past year.
The Santa Monica Pier experience has long been defined by activity, and the past year has seen an incredible blossom of activity. Whether by attending events, dining at favorite restaurants, enjoying the thrills of the amusement park, or even simply watching the sunset, visitors came to enjoy their preferred activity in droves. For the Pier Corporation, this translated to a very good year, but with the dramatic effects of lengthy closure and caution still fresh in mind.
For the new fiscal year, the Pier Corporation will enter a new phase of reimagination, planning for its own organizational future while simultaneously building upon what the organization does best with its treasured free public events and continually seeking new ways to provide a better and even more memorable experience to those millions of visitors.
Map of Santa Monica Pier 2023
Santa Monica Pier Corporation Board of Directors
Board Chair Vice-Chair Secretary/Treasurer Nicholas Rolston Randi Parent Jeffrey Jarow Christopher Foster Daniel Hall Misti Kerns Carter Rubin Santa Monica Pier Corporation Staff Members
Executive Director: Jim Harris Operations Director: Aurora Piña Activations Manager: Anne Railsback Brand Manager: Julieta Giner Facilities & Weekend Specialist: Corey Hart Events & Office Specialist: Leo Erickson Accomplishments Of Fiscal Year 2022-2023
Fiscal Year 2022-2023 will be well-remembered as being the long-awaited re-emergence toward normality for the Pier Corporation as well as for the Pier in general. After over two years comprised of temporary closure, an abundance of caution and looming uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first full year of social gatherings, events, and business operations fully (and finally) resumed at the Pier with visitor numbers often resembling the levels prior to March 2020. While some areas of business continued to be tentative, the eagerness of people to visit and enjoy the Pier proves its vitality and meaning to a wide range of visitors that includes tourists as well as the regional and local communities.
The final weekend of the previous fiscal year (FY2021-2022) saw the return of the Pier Corporation’s marquee event, Pier 360. This annual beach culture and athletics festival has long been billed as the Pier’s “official kickoff to summer”, and its return after a two-year hiatus served as a grand declaration that the Pier – and Summer – were back and open for enjoyment. The following weeks (the first weeks of Fiscal Year 2022-2023) re-emphasized that statement as they ushered in a new era of outside-produced public and private events, highlighted by the Major League Baseball All-Star Oceanfront Experience in mid-July, and paved the way for the most successful year of event offerings in the Pier’s history.
That same fervor extended into most other revenue streams for the Pier Corporation, with activations/corporate promotions and Merry Go-Round party & event rentals seeing a return to pre-pandemic levels. Curiously, filming on the Pier (and in the overall Los Angeles area) endured an inexplicable drought during the normally busy fall and winter seasons, providing a reminder of how tenuous and unpredictable the Pier Corporation’s income sources can be.
The success of event and activation bookings enabled the Pier Corporation to expand its own free public programming offerings, which included the extraordinarily beautiful Dia de los Muertos celebration and the increasingly popular monthly Locals’ Nights, both of which incorporate and utilize the entire Pier.
Building upon the results of the constructive and informative sessions of the previous year’s study groups, the Pier Corporation continued with a reconfigured lineup of new study groups for Fiscal Year 2022-2023, with the year’s three new groups focused upon community engagement, policy & planning, and large projects. Each study group was composed of representatives of the Pier Corporation board and staff, Pier businesses, City Staff, and members of the local community. A brief definition and highlighted accomplishments follows:
• Community Engagement Study Group continued the brainstorming work of the previous year’s study group, with a mission to engage with Santa Monicans in ways that heighten appreciation of the Pier’s role in the life of the community in general and the personal emotional connections it evokes, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the Pier as a relevant and cherished community asset. The group invited representatives of local service organizations and local non-profits to help explore ideas and provide advice regarding outreach and encouragement for such organizations to hold their meetings at the Pier as well as to participate in monthly Locals’ Nights.
• Policies and Procedures Study Group was formed with a mission to review and recommend policies and long-term strategic plans that provide sustainable and inclusive economic benefit and a welcoming, positive experience for stakeholders to the Pier Corporation Board of Directors. From this group came the recommendation to the Board to approve a newly proposed Extended Events Policy for the Pier, which was then submitted to the City for adoption.
• Large Projects Study Group was assigned to determine, discuss, and advise the Pier Corporation Board of Directors about upcoming projects that will likely have significant impacts on the Pier. Such projects include the Pier Bridge Replacement Project, Santa Monica Bay Foundation’s prospective restoration of the Pier’s breakwater, future alternative use ideas for the Pier Parking Deck, the prospect of moving the Heal the Bay Aquarium up onto the Pier deck, and the City’s current proposed bicycle ramp from beach to Pier deck.
The recent fiscal year also included the establishment of new relationships with two of the Santa Monica Pier’s most similar worldwide counterparts: the Brighton Palace Pier of the United Kingdom and the Navy Pier of Chicago.
o Brighton Palace Pier - In July 2022 representatives from the Pier Corporation joined Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, Santa Monica Sister Cities, and Santa Monica’s Mayor Pro Tem for the official signing of a “Friendship Cities” agreement between Santa Monica and Brighton & Hove. Much of the delegation’s visit was spent at the Brighton Palace Pier, where staff from both iconic piers exchanged experiences with operations, events, marketing and management. The two venues have since enjoyed a mutually valued relationship.
o Navy Pier – In late-winter 2023 representatives from Navy Pier visited with Santa Monica Pier staff, followed by Santa Monica Pier’s staff reciprocating with a visit to Chicago’s Navy Pier. As with the Brighton visit, the staff from each venue exchanged information and ideas, highlighted by the prospective marketing opportunities of each of these iconic American piers being at the opposite ends of another icon – Route 66.
Fiscal Year 2023-2024
The new fiscal year shows great promise, as well as considerable challenges, with the Pier Corporation building upon the successes and lessons learned from FY2022-2023 and turning an eye toward the future of the organization.
In FY2023-2024 the Pier Corporation will focus and build upon the comprehensive Pier visitor experience. Included in this will be exploration into improvements to wayfinding, information-sharing, and in-person interaction. The organization will also continue to build upon what it is best known for: providing unforgettable free public events including the summer kickoff Pier 360 beach festival, monthly Locals’ Nights, and the enchanting Dia de los Muertos celebration as well as interactive campaigns such as “Dear Pier”.
In recognition of the prospective impacts of several upcoming large-scale projects such as the replacement of the Pier Bridge and major events that include the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics, the Pier Corporation will embark upon determining the possible impacts of each, as well as how to best prepare for them. Recalling lessons learned from the pandemic and its impact upon the Pier Corporation’s revenue model, coupled with the prospective impacts of some of the aforementioned upcoming projects and events, the Pier Corporation will focus on researching and exploring better models and methods of fiscal sustainability as well as embark upon a 3-to-5-year strategic plan with a 10-year NorthStar vision for its own future.
PIER VISITOR EXPERIENCE
The Pier is a large public venue upon which are many privately-owned businesses, yet from the perspective of the average visitor, it is all one comprehensive destination. As such, there is a general expectation of congruity which, unfortunately, does not really exist. The Pier Corporation is eager to focus on filling that void in a number of ways including the use of 21st century technology alongside traditional information sharing methods such as signage and good old-fashioned-person interaction.
Included in the improved experience will be the launch of new, in-person historical walking tours of the Pier, while the organization continues to develop new ways of keeping the century-plus of the Pier’s story alive and relevant to its visitors.
FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMMING
Complimentary to the comprehensive Pier Visitor Experience is the Pier Corporation’s programming slate its traditional free annual events and campaigns including:
Pier 360 Beach Festival – The Pier’s official summer kickoff event featuring paddleboard races, swim races, beach volleyball, skateboarding, and lifeguard competitions, all complimented by live music, deck activities and a popup “Museum of Beach Culture” which celebrates Santa Monica’s historic role in these highly popular activities.
Locals’ Night – Introduced in Spring 2022, this event has already become established as a Pier tradition. Operating under the theme of “By Santa Monicans, for Santa Monicans”, it is a monthly showcase of everything that is special about this city.
“Save the Pier!” Play – The annual retelling of the true story of how the Pier was saved from its slated demolition by a community grass-roots movement, staging a battle between City Hall and a dedicated collection of fishermen & fisherwomen, bumper car operators, surfers, restaurant cooks and wait staff and people who simply loved the Pier.
Wellness & Waves – A six-week Saturday morning yoga series produced once, sometimes twice annually at the peaceful west end of the Pier.
Dia de los Muertos – Honoring our ancestors and respecting cultural tradition, this is arguably the most beautiful experience on the Pier, with extraordinary altars inside the historic Merry Go-Round Building, a Chumash blessing, a parade featuring Aztec dancers, ballet folklorico, and mariachis, this relatively new annual event is a true inspiration.
SAMO Pride - The Pier Corporation partners with Downtown Santa Monica, Santa Monica Place and the City of Santa Monica to celebrate June as “Pride Month” in very unique Santa Monica fashion.
Seasonal Campaigns – Winter holidays, Valentine’s Day (month), Black History Month and other seasonal campaigns round out the calendar of Pier Corporation offerings and recognition, primarily through social media.
While this is a full slate of free public programs and campaigns, the Pier Corporation will continue to explore opportunities for more, with a specific focus toward a Lunar New Year campaign in Winter 2024 and possible arts festival in Fall 2024.
PREPARATIONS FOR UPCOMING MAJOR CITY PROJECTS & EVENTS
Several large-scale projects and are foremost on the minds of the Pier Corporation including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Pier Bridge Replacement Project (2025-2028) and the 2028 Summer Olympics. While each of these projects presents potentially good things for the Pier and surrounding area, they are equally concerning in that they will also have dramatic impacts on accessibility and traffic (both pedestrian and vehicular).
The Pier Corporation will work with City Staff, Pier businesses and the neighboring community to study and plan for the impacts that each of these projects and events may present, likely in ad hoc committees assembled with the same makeup of the organization’s study groups which have proven so successful in recent years.
PIER CORPORATION FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY REVIEW
While FY2022-2023 proved to be a better-than-expected year for revenue from rentals and activations on the Pier deck and in the Merry Go-Round, revenue for film permits suffered drastically and unexpectedly. Corporate partnerships too, have proven more elusive than in the past. The organization is currently exploring emphasis on seeking grants and donations, capitalizing on its status as a non-profit organization, and is also turning focus on developing new and unique merchandise to sell both to local retail outlets and directly through its website.
Coupled with the significant reduction of the annual grant from the City of Santa Monica for the fiscal year, and with the devastating impact the pandemic placed upon the organization in very recent memory, the need for the Pier Corporation to review and reimagine its funding model is ever-present in the minds of the Pier Corporation’s Board of Directors.
The possible impacts of upcoming large projects and events add to the impetus of the need to work with City of Santa Monica Staff to investigate alternative models of partnership. 3-5 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN WITH 10 YEAR NORTHSTAR VISION
With the devastating impact of the pandemic mostly behind us, the Pier Corporation will turn its focus toward its future, both immediate and long-term. The organization will develop an overall strategic plan to proceed through the expected and unexpected events and prospective complications of the next several years with an ultimate vision toward 10 years in the future, likely with the guidance of a professional consultant.