Union Board avoids Little 500 concert budget planning woes

Amidst funding cuts within Union Board, a new team of directors and pressure to keep ticket prices low, Union Board concerts director Asher Wittenberg is working to finalize one of the biggest campus events of the year.

After sending an offer to an undisclosed musical act Feb. 15, Wittenberg is currently awaiting a response that could book the performer for the official Little 500 concert.
“Now we just wait for a response,” Wittenberg said. “Usually, you hear back within two weeks, and I expect it to be about a week.”

Wittenberg said Union Board is willing to make a counter offer if the act does not accept the current price and that other acts are still in close contact if the current offer falls through.

Regardless, Union Board plans to announce the official lineup March 1.

After receiving decreased funding allocated from student mandatory fees, this year’s Union Board has emphasized fiscal responsibility, especially when it comes to events that could potentially lose money.

Despite the Little 500 concert being a staple of the organization, Wittenberg has had to approach the concert’s planning from a new perspective.

“They are scrutinizing every single proposal that comes through, including this concert proposal,” said Rob Meyer, assistant director for Indiana Memorial Union activities and events. “They’re making sure that they will not be in a deficit, instead of the model of past Union Boards where they said ‘Well, we always break even,’ and then they lose a lot of money.”

Though the exact time Union Board books a performer varies, Meyer said this year’s board held off making any offers before attending a booking agency conference to see what options were on the table.

“It’s been a tough thing,” Wittenberg said. “We can’t spend $1 million on a Lil Wayne concert. Regardless of how we spend, it comes down to making the most face. It comes down to booking talent that you feel comfortable with risk-wise.”

Excluding the Lil Wayne year, which Wittenberg sees as a “once-in-a-decade kind of show,” he said the Union Board does not have lowered expectations for this year’s performer or overall show.

In fact, they plan to lower ticket prices to the $20-40 range, in contrast with past shows, such as the Lil Wayne concert, where the cheapest tickets sold for $60.

“The artist is really hot right now,” Wittenberg said. “As soon as we get confirmation, we’re looking for a second or third. We’re trying to keep it much more affordable.”

To avoid losing money on the concert, Union Board is planning their budget around lower ticket sales to avoid overestimating the amount of revenue and ending up in debt.

Instead of cutting funds for the Little 500 concert, Wittenberg said the Union Board concerts committee has sacrificed other lectures, comedy acts and concerts to avoid spending more than the budget.

“There have been many programs we’ve done in the past that we can’t do this year,” Wittenberg said. “I’d like to have done a couple shows by now, but we decided that the Little 500 concert is synonymous with Union Board, and not providing one would be a disservice to students. It’s one of those things that’s expected of us.”