The Cyclone Voice 2016 Finals were a big hit last night with Jesse McCartney emceeing the event.

Unfortunately many students were turned away due to the maximum number of students inside the Great Hall. An approximated 800 students made it in, leaving about 100 people left waiting in line when they heard the bad news of the venue being at “maximum capacity.”

Jim Brockpahler, Entertainment Programs Coordinator for Student Union Board, which sponsored the event, answered some questions and remarked on the success of the Cyclone Voice Finals.

Brockpahler said that SUB was not expecting the massive turnout to see the Finals.

“You just never know how popular an event like this might be,” Brockpahler said. “Certainly we weren’t expecting as many people as there were. Part of the success from the event depends on how well the committee and students promote the event, from social media to physical fliers,  [and] it’s all part of the advertising.”

You might wonder how the hosts are chosen every year for the Finals event. Brockpahler as well as some of his colleagues have connections with agents in the industry which helps them find their next big host.

“We reach out to agents that we know, give them an approximate date that the event will take place, and the price range that we’re hoping for. Once we have that narrowed down we then, as the SUB committee, choose who we want to host the Finals. Each host is different from the others and can be hit or miss, [but] McCartney was a hit,” Brockpahler said.

Not all the students who hoped to see McCartney got to, which brings up the possibility of a change of venue in the future.

“One of the main factors that goes into choosing the venue is the price we are willing to spend,” Brockpahler said. “The Great Hall is not only a fair price, but the SUB office is also located in the same building, which is beneficial to us. We’ve considered to change venues but we have a limited amount of possible places on campus or near campus. Ideally, the preferred venue would be larger than the Great Hall but also smaller than Stephens Auditorium, but there is no mid-range space like that currently.”

The turnout for the Finals vary year by year, but the host is the biggest factor. Last year Andy Grammer performed as well as hosted the Finals, and there was a big turnout but not to the extent to which McCartney attracted.

“It was nice to bring in a large crowd for the Finals, to sellout, even though it was too bad that we had to turn people away. The event was a great experience for the student finalists, who got to perform in front of a large audience as well as getting to talk to McCartney. Jesse was a great host this year as well because he interacted with the finalists as well as the audience very well,” Brockpahler said.

The host for next spring’s Cyclone Voice Finals will be chosen either late fall this year or early spring next year.

For more information regarding anything SUB, visit their website.