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Advisory committee declines supplemental $300,000 for Concourse, refers request to finance
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Summary
The Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee voted to deny a supplemental $300,000 ATAX request from the Hilton Head Concourse and to forward the matter to the town finance and administrative committee for a final decision after members raised concerns about deficits, precedent and limited ATAX funds.
The Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee voted to deny a supplemental ATAX request from the Hilton Head Concourse and forwarded the request to the town finance and administrative committee for further consideration.
The Concourse's representative, Rick Sable, told the committee the event generates significant visitor spending — “It’s about a $13,000,000 impact to the community,” he said — and outlined cost-cutting and revenue changes planned for 2026, including eliminating airport events, consolidating tents and charging exhibitors for parking. Sable also cited survey numbers used in the calculation: average party size 2.49, reported average daily expenditure of $720 and an average stay of about 4.5 days; total attendance cited for the prior year was 18,500 with 41.9% reported from outside a 50-mile radius.
Committee members pressed Sable on the numbers, sponsorship efforts and operating deficits. One committee member summarized the panel’s concern about precedent, saying the group did not want to open a path whereby organizations that had a bad year could routinely return for supplemental awards. Another member noted the committee’s current ATAX grant balance and asked how the Concourse could survive if only a portion of the requested funds were available; Sable replied that he did not believe the event could proceed on a reduced amount and that the organization was seeking additional sponsorships but had limited time to secure them.
Public commenter Richard Busy said the Concourse is “a worthy event” that attracts off-season visitors but argued the organization should regroup and seek a national sponsor rather than ask the town for $300,000 more this year. He told the committee, “Concours in my view should take a year off.”
With those concerns unresolved, the committee took a motion to deny the supplemental award and to forward the request and the committee’s recommendation to the finance and administrative committee; the motion was seconded and approved by a show of hands. The finance committee and, ultimately, town council will make the final decision on whether to allocate town funds or permit any advance funding.
The committee’s discussion and the referral leave open next steps: the Concourse may pursue additional private sponsorship and county support, and the finance committee will review the application, the committee’s record and the Concourse’s submitted materials before making a recommendation to the town council.
