Students may have noticed the plethora of scattered Lupe Fiasco posters advertising the fall concert, but they might not know about the mastermind behind the concert: Activities Commission's concert coordinator, junior Emily Lambe.
Lambe's job is far from easy or simple.
"I am responsible for booking, organizing and executing a large scale show each semester," said Lambe. Her proceedings begin in May of the spring semester and involve taking a campus-wide survey of what artists students would like to see perform for the upcoming year.
Lambe emphasized that the difficulty of planning concerts lies largely in the accommodation of everyone's specifications.
"Many complaints were voiced about how Geneseo always puts on a rock concert that tailored to a specific crowd and not the minority and never varied genres," she said.
When selecting Lupe Fiasco as the fall concert, Lambe took those complaints into consideration. Lambe describes Lupe Fiasco as a smart hip-hop act that appeals to a wide variety of students.
The process of getting the concert together doesn't end until the concert is over. Publicizing is extremely crucial and does not end until either the concert is sold out or the day of the concert.
"I am working to target the students at Geneseo through the usual effective means, such as posters, white boarding, chalking, What's Up e-mails, as well as the surrounding areas, like Rochester schools, with radio advertising and ads in school newspapers," said Lambe.
The preparations for the actual day of the show are also extremely important and time-consuming. Lambe explains that there are many responsibilities involved, like having security and preordered shirts ready to go, contacting the University Police to be there and speaking with the tour manager regarding questions about the show.
Lambe listed some of her additional responsibilities as, "Grocery shopping for the hospitality rider requirements, setting up dressing rooms, working with SA Tech to set up the gym, having press badges ready, organizing meet and greets and finding people to take tickets."
"The list never ends!" she added.
Lambe describes the actual day of the show as both overwhelming and exhilarating, but overall an unforgettable experience.
Senior Pat Oberle, chairperson of Activities Commission agrees.
"Basically, anything can happen, but the best part is having the whole board there to support each other," he said. According to Oberle, the teamwork of Activities Commission makes the effort worthwhile.
"No matter what happens, there are always good stories afterward and they are some of my favorite days," he said.
AC is the largest student-run group on campus and this year they are re-implementing the Friends of AC program. The program allows students who are looking to volunteer and learn more about AC to come to monthly meetings or help out at any events that AC may be holding.
Lambe encourages those interested to come to the AC weekly open meetings held Thursdays at 6:30 p.m., or e-mail sm14@geneseo.edu for more details.
"I will be looking for volunteers for the Lupe Fiasco show in particular, so anyone interested in the concerts process should definitely come talk to me," said Lambe. "I'm always open to new ideas and extra help!"