Ahead of Spring Fling 2024, which is set to feature Daya and Metro Boomin, The Daily Pennsylvanian took a look at the behind-the-scenes work which makes the event happen.
Spring Fling, which is planned by Penn's Social Planning and Events Committee, consists of the Daytime Festival and the Spring Fling Concert — planned by two separate committees within the organization. SPEC leadership, which described them as "some of the largest college events on the East Coast," wrote that their planning processes are distinct from each other.
Over 10,000 students attend Spring Fling over the course of two days, according to Wharton senior and SPEC President Megan Li.
SPEC's goal for the Daytime Festival is to create “a more lighthearted event that will be fun and enjoyable for all." SPEC researches food options, carnival activities, and merchandise opportunities throughout the year and contacts student performing groups, Penn Athletics, and different vendors.
Most of the planning and organizational work during the fall semester for the Spring Fling Concert focuses on talent acquisition. Li wrote that SPEC works closely with multiple talent agents to find potential artists, considering factors such as availability, price, and logistics, which narrows artist options. Then, throughout the spring semester, the committee shifts their focus to event logistics — such as audio and visual technicalities at Penn Park, ticketing, and advertising.
The focus of this year’s event is the performances of Metro Boomin, the headliner and Daya, the opener.
“Metro Boomin and Daya fit our vision for what we wanted the concert to look like this year,” Li wrote. “We are very fortunate to be able to welcome them to campus.”
Spring Fling will also feature several changes from last year's edition in an attempt to make it a "novel experience" for attendees.
For the concert, Li highlighted changes in the genre of the headliner, with Metro Boomin belonging to a different genre than last year's headliner, Lauv. She added that SPEC attempts to avoid having performers who have previously appeared at Spring Fling.
Li added that the Daytime Festival has "more flexibility year to year," with many new food vendors — Korea Taqueria, Mom–Mom’s, and Funnellas Funnel Cake — joining the event this year. There are also new activities like a Human Claw Machine, Spinning Tea–Cups, and Shoot and Shower Basketball.
Li also wrote that SPEC faced additional challenges from inflation, which caused production costs to increase "exponentially" compared to the allocated budget.
"We've been working diligently to negotiate costs with different vendors and figuring out where we can be flexible in order to maintain the quality of experience our attendees are used to," Li wrote.
Li wrote that Spring Fling is one of the most anticipated events students look forward to, noting her excitement for students to see what they have prepared for the weekend.
“This is our best selling concert in recent memory and we have an excellent lineup of food and activity vendors for the Daytime Festival,” she wrote. “I don’t think there really is anything to not be looking forward to. Perhaps what I’m looking forward to most is driving a golf cart around campus.”
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