Record ticket sales for Marble Falls holiday ice rink in 2021
A family enjoys the Marble Falls Winter Ice Rink during the 2021 holiday season. Ticket sales were up this past year over 2020. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
The Marble Falls Winter Ice Rink brought in about 20 percent more in ticket sales in 2021 than it did during the 2020 holiday season. Marble Falls Parks and Recreation Director Lacey Dingmen recapped season highlights during a City Council meeting Feb. 1.
The rink, which is operated by the parks department, was open Nov. 22 through Jan. 1 in Lakeside Park, 305 Buena Vista Drive. Although the rink was originally scheduled to start Nov. 19 in conjunction with the Walkway of Lights display, its opening was postponed because of delays caused by supply chain shortages.
In 2021, the rink brought in roughly $101,602 in net sales, about $6,000 more than the previous season. Net sales include income from presale tickets, walkup sales, and private parties. A total of 8,406 individual tickets were sold, a 20 percent increase over the 7,001 tickets sold the previous year.
Rink operating costs also increased in 2021. Total expenses for the season came to $127,889, leaving a $26,286 deficit, which was covered by sponsorship revenues and a $20,000 grant from the Marble Falls Hotel Motel Tax Advisory Committee.
The rink’s net income was about $4,500 for 2021.
“Not a huge amount of money is made, but we’re covering our costs and we’re able to bring this to our community,” Dingman said. “We’re happy to report that we are in the black.”
The increase in expenses is due in part to purchases made to keep things running smoothly, Dingman said. This season, the department brought on a full-time rink manager, invested in an electrical transformer, and rented an all-weather tent to house the rink. This is the second year the rink had real ice.
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I was impressed when I saw the $101,602 net sales, but then shocked to see such a deficit.
You are NOT “covering your costs”, nor “in the black” when you have to get a $20k grant from hotel tax funds . As an owner of an accommodation, I am certain that none of my guests come to ice skate. I believe the funds could be better-spent towards marketing the entire area as a destination.
You had a deficit = 26,286, then received 20,000 hotel tax funds, that leaves 6,286 deficit. You report you had 4,500 net income. That means you used sponsorship revenues = 6286+4500 = 10,786 to claim you came out ahead??
If customers are not willing to pay a ticket priced high enough to at least pay for the operating cost of the attraction, then the market has spoken and stop spending money on it.