Kennesaw State students have recently been given the opportunity to vote on who will perform at the 2018 homecoming concert this fall, with the winning artist to be announced.
Artists on the 2018 ballot included the American Authors, Andrew McMahon, Chris Lane, Daya, Ella Mai, Jesse McCarthy, Lil’ Baby, Maddie and Tae, Moon Tai, The Plain White T’s, Relient K, Rich the Kid, Rodney Atkins and Scotty McCreery.
Such big names would not be possible without the extensive planning processes that surround this event for the KSU community.
Planning the homecoming concert has included artist and venue selection, coordinating facilities and University Information Technology Services, establishing a marketing plan, establishing quality production, booking a green room and planning other event logistics such as refreshments, games and event themes.
KSU-affiliated agents sent KSU a list of available artists, in which the most notable were selected to be on the ballot.
“We want to make sure the student body is able to give input on whom they would like to see on campus,” said Tiffany Millwood, coordinator for the Kennesaw campus’ student activities.
While students have an active input on picking which artists are selected, other factors, such as artist availability and rates, students cannot control.
“Artist availability can change rather swiftly, especially if they decide to go on tour, or if their booking cost increases and is no longer within our budget,” Millwood said.
Selecting candidates can begin as far back as January, but typically the agent won’t have a final list of artists until April or May. This list isn’t always definite because artists can become unavailable at any moment.
The homecoming concert recently began to fall under the Kennesaw Activities Board’s responsibilities and therefore is in a transitionary period. Previously organized by KSU Live, this is the first time that the KAB is hosting the Homecoming concert.
“Ultimately, our plan is to have the Kennesaw Activities Board as involved as possible throughout the entire process,” Millwood said.
The voting process ended on June 30 but students can find out more about this year’s homecoming activities at homecoming.kennesaw.edu.
