Tim Emery Owner and Operator of Boston’s Restaurant and Sports Bar Columbus City Council Hearing on the Arts & Culture Admissions Fee October 11, 2018

 Good evening.

 I’m Tim Emery, and my wife, my kids and I own and operate Boston’s Restaurant and Sports Bar in the Arena District.

 I’m here in support of the Arts & Culture Admissions Fee.

 I want to thank the City Council for holding this hearing, because a great deal is at stake.

 We’ve operated Boston’s since 2008. We employ 40 to 50 people at any one time, and business is good.

 The reason business is good is that Nationwide Arena is across the street.

 In fact, Nationwide Arena was a major reason we opened our restaurant in the location we chose.

 While people come to the Arena District for all sorts of reasons, events at the Arena and other venues that have grown up around it are central to the success of our business and others like it.

 A big event at the Arena boosts our revenues anywhere from 300 to 500 percent over a typical day.

 Conversely, the Blue Jackets lockout in 2012-13 was one of the most difficult periods we’ve ever suffered.

 But we are only a small example of what the Arena means to Columbus.

 Without the Arena there would be no Arena District. There would be no Huntington Park.  Without the Arena, there would be no Columbus Blue Jackets.

 There would be no Women’s Final Four, no women’s volleyball championship, no NCAA men’s basketball.

 There would be no downtown venue bringing in top performing acts from around the world.

 Nationwide Arena has helped put Columbus on the map.

 The Arena is often an out-of-towner’s first taste of Columbus, but it’s never the last.

 While they’re here, they experience our arts and culture, shopping, recreation, restaurant and nightlife scenes.

 I speak to LOTS of first-time visitors, and they are always blown away.

 They leave as ambassadors for our city.

 And it’s why we no longer need to add “Ohio” when we tell people we’re from Columbus.

 The ticket fee is essential to keeping the Arena open long-term and keeping our economy strong. And it seems fair to me.

 People pay Ticketmaster much more than what this proposal asks. I haven’t heard anybody say, “I’m not going to see Kid Rock because the Ticketmaster charge is too high.”

 Remember that the Arts & Culture Admissions Fee isn’t going into somebody’s pocket in Beverly Hills, like a Ticketmaster charge. It’s going right back into our community.

 In closing, I and countless other business owners have a critical stake in the Arena’s future.

 It’s the lifeblood the Arena District, and has been the catalyst for thousands of neighborhood jobs and local taxes generated since the Arena opened.  I ask that you keep Columbus strong by adopting this proposal. Thank you.