In its 21-year history, the Bell County Expo has hosted a variety of events - circuses to rodeos, youth fairs to ZZ Top concerts, ballets to high school graduations.
Dr. Mitchell Jacobs, president of the Expo board of directors, told the group the Expo Center should take advantage of its prime location in order to draw more people to the area, resulting in more dollars spent in area communities.
In March, the Expo Center board hired Conventions, Sports and Leisure International to do an economic impact study and market analysis of the Expo Center as it exists today and with the expansion project.
Bill Krueger with Conventions, Sports and Leisure International directed the feasibility study.
Krueger said the study included looking at the existing facility, strengths and weaknesses of the local market, competitive facilities and a market demand analysis.
One of the needs that became apparent during the survey was a dedicated indoor dirt-oriented arena, Krueger said. More than 30 percent of Expo Center activities involve livestock and horses.
The research suggested that sufficient market demand exists for the proposed expansion project. Moderate to strong demand was noted from a variety of horse and livestock events, shows and competitions.
The Expo Center has a master plan for the new building project and would include constructing a 150,000-square-foot facility on 40 acres of land west of the current facility.
The expansion would house a large permanent dirt floor arena with an increase in animal stalls. The plan incorporates additional parking, RV hookups and 30,000 square feet of exhibit space.
Economically, the existing Expo Center results in an additional $13 million of direct spending in the area. According to the feasibility analysis, an expanded Expo would have an $18.7 million impact.
Individual communities benefit from Expo activities, according to the study.
The existing Expo results in additional spending in Belton by $4.7 million; Temple by $6 million; Killeen/Harker Heights by $1.3 million; and Salado by $850,000.
The expansion would bring a projected increase in spending revenue to $5.7 million in Belton; $9.8 million in Temple; $2 million in Killeen; and $1.3 million in Salado.
Bell County Judge Jon Burrows said the Expo Center expansion project could be funded with an additional 2 percent hotel/motel tax.
The tax would have to be approved by the Legislature, Burrows said. If approved, the increase would bring Temple, Belton and Killeen hotel/motel tax up to 15 percent, comparable to Austin’s rate.
If the average cost of a hotel room in the area was $80 a night, the additional tax would increase the price by $1.60 a night, Burrows said.
The Commissioners Court heard from numerous organizations that use the Expo indicating their activities have outgrown the existing facility, he said.
“The Youth Fair people need more space,” Burrows said. “The horse show people have said they could host bigger and better events if they had more space. The Home and Garden people are out of space.”
The Expo Center is taken for granted, he said.
“It is a major economic generator for Bell County,” Burrows said.
The Expo began with a vision - to create a new ag barn for the Bell County Youth Fair, Jacobs said.
The vision eventually expanded from just an ag barn into a multi-purpose venue that can be used for a variety of activities.
“It’s time to expand our vision,” Jacobs said.
The environment in which the Expo does business is competitive, he said.
“We’ve got to make a decision whether we’re going to play in the big league or whether we’re going to remain as we are,” Jacobs said.
The competition has raised the bar, he said. In Waco, more than $20 million has been spent expanding and improving the Heart of Texas Complex.
In Taylor County, the Expo Center continues to expand, with $8 million in recent renovations. Both of these facilities are built for equestrian activities, with hundreds of stalls and multiple performance arenas.
