Jesse McCartney will be performing at the annual spring concert this year, after receiving the most votes on the Student Engagement Instagram page. McCartney, who received 327 Instagram votes, will be on campus Apr. 21 for an afternoon concert. McCartney is not the only surprise in store for what Student Government plans to be the biggest Springfest in recent years.
Every fall, Student Engagement posts images on their Instagram account of possible artists for Springfest. The top ten images, in terms of likes received, were the artists that Student Engagement begins to look into.
The search is based on availability and budget, as they go through the top ten. Last year, Shaggy received the seventh most votes.
The contract process, as director of Student Development John Bennett explains, usually takes a long amount of time that consists of months of negotiations. McCartney was the fastest artist to be signed for Springfest in Bennett’s recent memory.
“This is the quickest we have confirmed an artist and gone through with the signing. […]This was the first time A, the artist accepted our offer and B, it was super fast. It was so much better [this way], usually there is so much back and forth,” said Bennett.
Bennett also mentioned that there will be a meet-and-greet planned with McCartney for students who help out with the event. More information about this opportunity will be provided at a later date on Student Engagement’s social media accounts.
The decision for all things Springfest starts as early as the fall semester, when the social life committee meets up to discuss different events on campus including Manhattan Madness.
The social life committee is spearheaded by senior Adam Genners, who is student body vice president of social life in student government.
“Regarding Springfest, we put together an initial list ranging from all genres, people aren’t well known, old school artists, it could be anyone. From there, we go through an agency and they tell us who is available and the prices. [The social life committee] would then narrow it down to realistic options based on budget and what students will enjoy. Some people might not be within the budget, some might be on tour,” said Genners.
This meticulous process allows for a good batch of choices to be presented to the student population. Once it’s narrowed down then the students see the options on the Instagram and vote based on liking an image. This is a new process Student Engagement introduced within the past few years.
The event comes quickly as the spring semester flies by, but Genners and student body president Micaela Bishop already have surprises in store.
“I don’t think we’ve ever done this in the past, at least in recent history. We’re hoping that people will be surprised by it, we think that it will make people say ‘wow, that was really cool’,” said Genners.
Springfest usually consists of an afternoon concert, followed by activities on the quad with inflatables, snacks, and a barbeque. The event is held rain or shine. Genners and Bishop are expecting, however, that this added twist will make the day even better. The surprise is expected to be announced the day of Springfest by student government.
“To those who aren’t the biggest Jesse McCartney fans, don’t be discouraged. Please still come to your favorite event of the year. It will be the best spring concert that Manhattan College will have had in my past four years as a student,” said Bishop.
Student government and Student Engagement have made it an emphasis to listen to students when it comes to important events like Springfest.
Although the semester has only just begun, the planning is underway for the food and the activities, in order to make Springfest enjoyable for every student. The first step of this, of course, is announcing the artist.
Bennett, regarding the excitement of the upcoming Springfest, said, “this time Jesse [McCartney] came in first and then said yes as well, so the stars aligned and it’s going to be great.”