For over twenty years, the City of Plano had made significant investments in providing public access to high-quality and diverse cultural experiences that include performance art, visual fine art, community celebrations, and commercial entertainment. 

The Arts & Events Division that managed these cultural arts facilities and produced the city’s large-scale festivals was struggling to keep up with their ever-changing duties and ad-hoc responsibilities. Their commitment to “making things happen” was a magnet for increased responsibilities and scope. However, growing out of necessity rather than intentionality left the Division vulnerable to reactionary management practices and no strategy for scaling in the future. 

TheatreDNA conducted numerous interviews with the Division’s staff and city leadership and reviewed all operational documentation. The findings revealed an organization in desperate need of restructuring to handle their core lines of business, including venue management, special events and community engagement, and cultural arts programming. The restructuring strategy was well received and adopted because it did not increase headcount, and it allowed the Division to properly operate at scale and with focus.