How the SAO books big acts

With performance costs by top artists reaching into the tens of thousands of dollars, universities across the country are looking to corporate sponsors to offset the staggering price of entertainment.

The Boston University Programming Council, which operates with a $100,000 annual budget, has begun looking to companies like Dove and Verizon Wireless to fund their campus activities, PC Vice Chair Kaitlyn Kerrane said.

“I think certain events lend themselves to [corporate sponsorship] more than others,” the College of Arts and Sciences junior said. “Like the Dove event, [the Apprentice speakers] were coming through Dove, so that was a way to bring something to campus that we’ve never brought before. We wouldn’t have been able to, not even financially, without Dove.”

Student Activities Office Assistant Director Jeffrey Murphy said money allotted to the PC on a yearly basis does not cover all of the costs associated with putting on an event.

“It doesn’t go as far as you might think,” he said. “They really have to make that money stretch to do what they do. There is no way big concerts, like Howie Day, given the capacity of the facilities we’re using, can even break even.”

School of Management sophomore Mike O’Day said he supports corporate sponsorship if it saves money, but there should be a cap on advertising at the university.

“I think it’s a good idea,” he said. “I mean if you can get someone else to come fund a concert, it benefits students and the university. I don’t mind if advertisements are used, but I think there should be a certain limit. I would mind if I started seeing flyers for Dove all over the place.”

PC Executive Chair David Badiner said there is a “fine line” between using corporate sponsors to fund PC events and having everything paid for by corporations.

“We don’t want it be too grotesque,” the CAS senior said. “We don’t want to bring an artist and have 500 sponsors. We are taking it on a case-by-case basis, but it is something we will continue to pursue.”

Kerrane said the PC’s intention is not to bring corporate sponsors to school, but many times, it is the only way to fund large-scale entertainment events.

“We’re not looking at it as bringing Verizon to campus,” she said. “We’re just trying to bring Howie Day to campus and this is the way we’re able to do it.”

Badiner said he worries corporate sponsors will begin to permeate all aspects of PC events.

“We were all worried about how this would go,” he said. “So far it has gone well and we haven’t gotten backlash from students. They understand how it works, and they’re used to it.”

According to Badiner, he said he would rather have his money spent on the actual event than on advertising.

“Do I want my money going toward advertising for an event?” he said. “That’s why we’ve reached out to sponsors so that sponsors are paying for advertising an event and the money from students is going toward the actual event.”

CAS sophomore Melissa Fedyschyn said seeing the PC gain corporate sponsorships gives events credibility.

“With the Howie Day concert, seeing that Verizon Wireless sponsored it, it seemed like a bigger deal rather than just having it BU sponsored,” she said.

Murphy said the PC must contend with the high cost of putting on a show. “When you go see Howie Day at the [TD Banknorth Garden], you would pay 35 to 40 dollars,” he said. “That’s part of the real world and just because we’re part of a university, it doesn’t mean we don’t have real costs associated with having some big event. It is a real balancing act for the PC to be able to offer things students want to see, like big names on campus, while still staying within their budget.”

CAS freshman Brian Soares said he does not think that corporate sponsorships will compromise university integrity.

“It’s not really a sell-out because it doesn’t go against anything the university teaches,” he said. “When buildings start being called new things, like the Maxi-Tampon School of Management, then things might have gone too far.”