Staff: Farmers Branch game night drew about 215, board weighs splitting into three events

Staff presented a post-event report to the Farmers Branch Senior Advisory Board, saying the Sept. 14 game night drew about 215 attendees and generated roughly $3,600 in revenue with $5,100 in cash donations and a total prize-donation value of $10,594. "We hosted it here at the recreation center. We had about 215 people attend, $3,600 in revenue," the staff member reported.

Board members praised the turnout but identified operational snags: the ice machine failed during the event and there were sound- and announcement-quality problems in the gym. The chair said many attendees told board members the event felt better than in prior years and thanked staff for the work. "I think we had a great event," the chair said.

Board members discussed converting the one large annual game night into a three-event series to reach different audiences. One member proposed spacing events about four months apart — January, May and September — to provide more options for residents and to spread costs and programming. Staff cautioned that planning needs to begin early so any calendar or newsletter changes can be made in time; the board agreed the game-night subcommittee should meet with staff offline and return a concrete plan to the November meeting.

Board members also checked logistics and inventory: staff reported preparing 300 gift bags, distributing about 215 and storing the remaining bags and gift certificates. The event was reported as coming in under its $25,000 budget, with $22,637 in direct costs plus staff time noted.

The board did not adopt a formal change to the event format at the meeting; instead, members asked the subcommittee and staff to develop dates, staffing and sponsorship-deadline recommendations and present them for approval at a future meeting.