Following in the wake of the SFSS’ first concert at Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby campus last September, the year-end Spring Sendoff concert welcomed 1400 party-goers for a night of electronic dance music (EDM) before final exams started.
The event featured international DJs as well as artists from within the university community. With headliners 3LAU and Vicetone who have been featured on the world renowned Ultra Festival stage, it was a rare opportunity for SFU artists FKYA and Sajjid to take their craft to the next level.
While the goal might have been to break even financially, the Spring Sendoff seems to have exceeded projections. Brandon Chapman, SFSS business representative and one of the the event’s organizers said, “With over 1400 attendees as well as flawless production, increased sponsorship, dedicated volunteers and world class artists, it was [. . .] a perfect way to end the spring semester.”
For Moiz, one of the Spring Sendoff performers and current SFU business student, this wasn’t just a concert: “It was an opportunity of a lifetime where I was able to share the stage with some of my idols.”
Demands for a concert at SFU began after a failed attempt by an SFU club to bring K’Naan to campus in fall of 2010; the SFSS has since taken on this challenge as a more capable body. Current SFSS president Humza Khan said, “While we lost funds for the first event, we wanted to at least break even while developing a successful show for the Spring Sendoff.”
Not only are organizers claiming that the concert was profitable, but according to Vanessa Herdman, promotions manager at Red Rain, the event was positive and encouraging for the sponsors as well. Herdman told The Peak, “These are the types of events we are looking to get involved in. Community focused events that bring different faculties together to have fun and enjoy some time away from studying.”
Excitement for the Sendoff began to rise as students frantically searched for last minute tickets for the concert on Friday, April 4, while organizers put the final touches on Convocation Mall.
When the concert started at 4:00 p.m., the earlier DJs played their sets to the volunteers who danced in anticipation of a crowd. The event did not start to pick up until around 6:30 p.m. when students began to pour in from all sides of the campus, ready to party.
Students voiced their dissatisfaction at the event’s 10:00 p.m. end time. Ahmed Mohammed, a 4th year Computing Science student at SFU stated that he had purchased tickets to the Spring Sendoff, but didn’t feel he had enough time to enjoy the concert: “This concert is great, but it needs to be longer. I finished class at 6:30 p.m., go home to meet my friends to bring them, rush here for 8:30 and an hour later it’s finished?”
According to Chapman, the SFSS would ideally like future events to start and finish later due to the low attendance between 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Khan explained that the main difference between the Spring Sendoff and the Fall Kickoff was the fact that the organizers had gained considerable experience from the first event, and Khan was able to assist Chapman as the advisor for the Spring Sendoff. There were numerous other changes, like moving the washroom plans from the Maggie Benston Center to SFU Theatre, tightening the fencing, and moving the volunteer tickets stands further out.
The event’s success wasn’t just a plus for its organizers; Burnaby campus’ Highland Pub also saw an increase in revenue on a day that normally “would not have seen any business being so close to finals,” according to Khan.
As organizers feel that the basic concert structure has been successfully executed, they hope that future events can include more students, incorporate more diverse music genres, activities and much more. Chapman suggested organizers “vary up the music style at future events; perhaps starting with an indie folk band or some other genre during the day, followed by an EDM style artist.”
Chapman’s concluding words outlined his hopes for the future: “Community building is an ongoing process and one year of successful events by the SFSS is not going to change the school, but it’s definitely a good start to support other groups’ initiatives.”
