The Loper Activities and Programming Council is bringing Aux Cord Wars to UNK in place of the annual spring concert. The spring concert will be held every other year, with a smaller event in the off-year, due to budget concerns.
The market for artists playing in college venues is changing with more competition from bigger venues like CHI Health Center Omaha and Pinnacle Bank Arena.
“It’s getting very, very difficult for artists to play in a college market anymore,” said Renae Zimmer, director of student engagement. “The budget just isn’t there.”
The budget for this event is between $25,000-$30,000. LPAC spends between $85,000-$100,000 for a big spring concert.
“Aux Cord Wars was definitely right in our price range for the off-year,” Zimmer said.
Aux Cord Wars is coming to the Health and Sports Center on April 24 at 7 p.m. The high-energy, interactive musical game show rewards students based on crowd reaction with cash and prizes.
“It’s like a fun DJ game show,” said Laura Carnahan, co-chair of the committee planning the event. “People get to pick and choose their favorite songs, and most of the time it’ll cater to the audience.”
Aux Cord Wars travels to universities and venues across the nation. The event places the audience in control of determining which participants play the best songs.
The show will be hosted by Jay Dukes and Trizzy, along with DJ Smeezo and DJ 7Tre.
The committee charged with planning the Aux Cord Wars event is co-chaired by Carnahan and Ayden Brophy.
“It’s going to be different than the typical spring concert,” Brophy said. “It’s gonna be really fun, still really high energy, but students need to bring their best playlist and their game face if they want to win some prizes.”
LPAC was introduced to Aux Cord Wars at the National Association of Campus Activities conference, which is a non-profit organization that helps college campuses discover new ways to create engaging campus events. UNK students got to attend an Aux Cord Wars event and were interested in finding a way to bring that to Kearney.
From there, campus representatives conversed with the Aux Cord Wars communications team at the National Association for Campus Activities event and booked them for UNK last fall.
The LPAC committee has been collaborating with the Aux Cord Wars team to create promotional materials and marketing strategies. Carnahan said they have also met with the fire marshal, campus security and other essential personnel to ensure the safety and logistics of the event.
LPAC hopes to have between 800 to 1,200 students in attendance. Zimmer said that low attendance may cause LPAC to reevaluate the events they organize and what they are spending money on.
Tickets for the Aux Cord Wars are free, but students are encouraged to purchase pit tickets for the event to guarantee a spot on the ground floor. Glow sticks and light-up wands will be handed out upon entry. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
