Plans for the SFSS Spring Sendoff concert are well underway, and this second event promises to be bigger and boozier than the first. In response to student feedback from the dry Fall Kickoff concert, this time around there will be a separate beverage garden open to concert-goers of age, pending final university approval.
The event will take place on Apr. 4, and will feature electronic dance music artists 3LAU, Vicetone, Moiez, FKYA, and the winner of this semester’s SFU DJ contest. Student interest in the concert appears to be high, with over 700 tickets sold as of last week.
Last fall’s concert was met with hesitation on the university’s part, but in light of its success and positive feedback, SFU approved a second concert. While both the university and SFSS agreed to keep the event largely the same, a major change is the inclusion of a beverage garden.
Board members did discuss changing the genre of music in order to appeal to a greater scope of students, however, it was decided that the lack of alcohol was the biggest complaint and, therefore, the natural next step.
Brandon Chapman, business rep on the SFSS board of directors, explained that their aim is to make incremental changes to the concert model, so as to not risk the university’s disapproval.
The SFSS has already received approval from the City of Burnaby and the RCMP for the beverage garden. They are still in conversation with the liquor inspector, after which they can be receive the official green light from the university and will have a clearer idea of how the beverage garden will run.
The aim is to make incremental change to the concert model, so as to not risk the university’s disapproval.
Chapman has spearheaded the project since the SFSS began to entertain the idea of a second concert near the end of the fall semester. A task force of 12 people was formed mid-December and put forth the proposal to board on Jan. 20.
Despite concerns from other board members over the near $19,300 deficit of the last concert, the spring concert was approved.
“That won’t happen again,” said Chapman of the deficit. “We’ve already secured over $12,000 in sponsorships, which is huge.” A sum of $10,000 was contributed by the university and the rest came from external sources.
Ticket prices have also increased slightly to offset the cost of the concert, but it is still important to the organizers to keep this event affordable for students. The team is also evaluating the expenses of the fall concert to see where money could have been saved.
Chapman said that the society’s goal for similar future events is to break even. The SFSS has been working closely with Student Services to move towards a more sustainable and cost-efficient way of hosting concerts.
There has already been talk of another kickoff event next fall, which could potentially offer a more varied collection of artists. Chapman shared his vision for this event with The Peak: “Imagine Terry Fox Field being a place where people can come and just listen to some indie music in the afternoon when the sun shines, have a beer with some friends and reminisce about the summer.”
