Visit McKinney Executive Director Aaron Warner told the board Tuesday that staff and board transitions, marketing awards and new event wins rounded out the organization’s activity as the 2025 fiscal year closed.

“We don't have finance and marketing updates this month … so that in October, once we have the new board seated, we're gonna start reporting 1 month in arrears,” Warner said, describing an internal reporting cadence change tied to new agenda reporting requirements.

Warner also noted outgoing board members and presented thanks to Whitney Nash and Ephraim Windham as they leave the board this month.

On marketing and collections, Warner told the board the City of McKinney updated an ordinance so online platforms that book overnight rooms in McKinney must collect and remit the hotel occupancy tax. The change was made to finalize a contract with VRBO; Warner said the city’s finance office expects hot-tax collections from those short-term rentals to begin in November.

Warner highlighted Visit McKinney’s recognition at the Destinations Texas conference, where the staff won two awards for a sports-trading-card marketing tool. He said the organization also wrapped its marketing vehicle, is installing new building signage, and won an RFP to host the U.S. Senior Pickleball Tour in 2026. Warner said Visit McKinney is taking a larger role this year in planning the NCAA Division II National Football Championship game scheduled Dec. 20, with FanFest on Dec. 19 at Tubbs Brewery.

Why it matters: requiring platforms to collect and remit hotel tax could increase local tax revenues and reduce enforcement burdens; Visit McKinney’s event wins and marketing recognition support the city’s tourism, sports and hospitality sectors.

What was not specified: Warner said the finance office expects collections to begin in November but did not provide an estimate of expected revenue. Warner and staff did not provide final dates or attendance estimates for the U.S. Senior Pickleball Tour beyond a 2026 timeframe.