The annual South by Southwest Conference, or SXSW, kicks off later this week in Austin, TX and its a major technology and cultural event that brings in hundreds of millions of dollars to Austin’s economy every year. In 2013, the Solar Decathlon came to Orange County on the heels of what the Department of Energy called the Gold standard for a proposed submission by Forde & Mollrich. It could have been the start of something big, except that Republicans took over the event, cut the marketing budget to almost nothing and an event that could have bought up to $30 million to Irvine’s economy would up generating about $11 million, less the nearly $1.5 million to put it on.
The 2015 Solar Decathlon will come to the Great Park, but as Mike Levin writes in yesterday’s Orange County Registeropinion pages (where the slogan should read “If anyone left of center publishes here it goes on the back page”) that there is no sense of urgency by the City Council to keep this event in Irvine at the Great Park.
From the editorial:
“Some well-intentioned folks have been reluctant to commit to an O.C. bid in 2017. While they are taking a wait-and-see approach, we can assume that other regions are gearing up for 2017 with ambitious plans and enthusiastic leadership, as they have in the past. We need to start the conversation now to put our best plan forward for 2017 and beyond.
With the proper vision, the Solar Decathlon will bring even greater attendance and economic rewards. Alongside world-class solar homes of the future, imagine electric car and motorcycle rides and races, solar-powered planes, and evening events powered by stored electricity generated by solar panels during the day.
The Solar Decathlon is literally about building the future and putting our local students on a path towards high-skilled, high-wage jobs in a growing industry. What a shame it would be to let this showcase slip through our grasp.”
The Solar Decathlon could mirror SXSW will music, arts, and other cultural activities that — properly marketed — could significantly boost Irvine’s economy.
But that would take a council majority that has a vision and will. They’d be reluctant to give Forde & Mollrich any credit for bringing this event to Irvine. Should the 2015 event match the 2013 decathlon’s $11.4 million in return, well, that’s a lot more than the city paid Forde & Mollrich to do public relations work for the Great Park. Then some folks would cut their nose to spite their face.