City renames department to Communications, Tourism and Events; staff outlines digital tools, tourism hires and new Maybourne Center manager

City communications staff told the council the department formerly known as Communications and Marketing has been reorganized as the Communications, Tourism and Events Department and described several operational changes and new initiatives.

The presenter, staff member (communications), said the department plans a citywide Canva design rollout to let trained departmental staff create branded materials while communications continues to manage official public releases. The presenter said the city recently launched TTX Connect (formerly 3-1-1) and worked closely with IT and vendor partners on website, app and text features.

On tourism, staff moved the Maybourne Center under tourism and said a new manager starts June 9. The presenter described the Temple Ticket digital publication for downtown promotion, the city’s sports marketing presence at Sports ETA, and upcoming events including movie nights and an Oktoberfest plan. Staff also highlighted an interactive capital-improvement-project map on letstalktemple.com and a newsroom launch to centralize media releases.

Communications staff reported internal engagement measures — a city employee newsletter with a 42% average open rate to nearly 50,000 addresses — and described professional-development and awards work, including recognition for videos and printed materials.

The presentation included requests for coordination on event permitting and continued cross-departmental collaboration; no council action was requested at the workshop.