McMurtry College's Y2K: Puberty 2.0 public party held Jan. 25 broke new ground with its food sponsorships, according to McMurtry External Vice President John Breen.
"I don't think it's something that other colleges have pursued before," Breen, a junior, said.
Breen said he used his previous work experience to fundraise and organize sponsorship deals.
"I reached out to a bunch of companies," Breen said. "I offered them advertising sponsorships on event posters and any distribution material. They were pretty receptive. They donated either gift cards to buy food or plates of food."
Breen said 13 of the 40 local businesses he contacted ultimately agreed to sponsor the event.
"One of the things that was prohibitive was the timeline," Breen said. "I [reached out] around Thanksgiving, but Christmas is busy for restaurants, " Breen said.
External Socials Kyle Giubbini said the sponsorships will hopefully continue into the spring with the start of Beer Bike.
"Some of the brands [on the posters] didn't necessarily sponsor for this party, but they will for Beer Bike," Giubbini said.
Breen said McMurtry pursued the sponsorships as part of an effort to improve the visibility of McMurtry's public parties.
"One of the goals ... was to set a standard for future McMurtry publics," Breen said.
Giubbini said the popularity of the sponsored food helped with attendance at the party.
"Approximately 900 [people] attended," Giubbini said. "Based on approximations, this year's party was significantly larger than last year's."
Attendee Paul Wu said that although he enjoyed the food, he wished there was more.
"The food was great, but it ran out way too quickly," Wu, a Jones College freshman, said. "I hope future parties also get sponsorships but make sure to stagger it through the night."
