Cash, Check or Flex only

It’s 5am… do you know where you’re daughter or son is? If UPB is having a concert there is a good chance they are sleeping on the Warren patio. No joke, people take their concerts seriously here at JMU. Ticket sales occur once a semester maybe twice usually for Center Stage but this year things are different. UPB, Center Stage and yours truly have worked out a way to have 3 concerts this semester: Cartel, 9.24.10, B.o.B., 10.28.10 and Sara Bareilles, 12.2.10. Each of these shows require a similar planning, marketing and executing processes.

One thing about concert planning that I have come to love has been the ticket sales.  Day before the sales occur Center Stagers set up lines on the patio for the faithful fans to camp in. When we leave for the night and return to our houses JMU students with blankets, pillows and tents in hand creep over to set up their beds. The excited fans arrive anywhere from 5 to 10 hours early to play games, watch movies or just sleep until the doors open at 8am. I arrive at 5 am when the sun is still asleep for B.o.B ticket sales. Sleeping bodies and soft whispers greet me with my UPB umbrella as I wait patiently for the time to arrive. Fast forward to 6:30 am people begin to pack up their sleeping bags and rub the sleepies out of their eyes. Forms required to buy tickets are passed out and they are clutched like they are golden tickets.

7 am: my marketing team starts going through the line to give away 15 meet and greets for B.o.B. The campers quickly wake up and try to remember facts about B.o.B to win the prize. The large doors fly open revealing the ticket sellers. Students line up with their forms and cash, check or flex their eyes excited for the event occurring weeks from now.

Throughout the day I find reasons to go up to the Warren box office and check the ticket number sold. On my way to the bus I check the final count before I go home. I see the last person purchase their orange ticket, B.o.B. is sold out! It took 6 hours and all 1300 tickets for the show are gone. No marketing needed now, we can just relax and wait for the 28th day of show preparations.