Rondelet successful despite many last minute ticket transfers
The Rice Program Council considers Rondelet, held the evening of March 22 at Trevisio Restaurant and Conference Center in the Texas Medical Center, a resounding success, President Aisha Jeeva said.
The Rice Program Council considers Rondelet, held the evening of March 22 at Trevisio Restaurant and Conference Center in the Texas Medical Center, a resounding success, President Aisha Jeeva said.
Success!
“This was the first time bringing back Rondelet after several years, and I’d say it was definitely [successful],” Jeeva, a Martel College junior, said. “Things went off extremely smoothly and we’ve received a lot of great feedback about it; students seem very happy with the event. Having positive feedback and high student interest (tickets sold out in 10 hours!) definitely sets things up well for future.”
Jeeva said the locations for next year’s formals have yet to be determined, but that they will not be on-campus.
“This will depend on a variety of factors, including student interest and ticket sales/prices,” Jeeva said. “Next year we are going to have to host both formals off campus, given that there is not a single venue on campus that can sustain an event with such a capacity. We have been lucky the past two years for Esperanza in that there were tents already on campus for other major university events, but unfortunately it is unlikely we will have that option next year. We’re currently scouting locations, but high venue rental fees (up to $10,000!) are our biggest hurdle to overcome.”
Jeeva said that strong student interest in formals will allow RPC to book better venues.
“We hope that students continue to show strong interest in these off campus formals so that we can afford great locations,” Jeeva said. “The more tickets we sell, the more money we have to work with and the better the venue we are able to get. That being said, Trevisio was a great location and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback about it, so it is definitely still an option.”
Jeeva said this year will hopefully set a precedent for the tone of future formals.
“Because our future formals are likely to be held off campus, having this fantastic experience this year will really help set the tone for the future and is a good indication to us that students are happy to attend off campus formals,” Jeeva said.
Ticket transfers
According to RPC Committee Chair Micah Tatum, of the 640 tickets sold, 103 were transferred between students.
“[Transfers] began immediately after we sold out but died down in the following week,” Tatum, a Jones College junior, said. “Interestingly enough, we received a large volume of ticket transfers on the week before our event. This carried on through the week of Rondelet until our cut-off time 5 p.m. last Friday.”
Jones freshman Krysten Barnes said she sold her ticket and attended the Houston rodeo instead.
“I didn’t think I would enjoy the dance as much as I would the rodeo,” Barnes said. “Also, a lot of my friends weren’t going to be attending the dance, because there was a very limited amount of tickets, and they sold out so quickly that my friends weren’t able to purchase one.”
According to Tatum, the volume of transfers was not unprecedented. He said that this year, Esperanza sold 1705 tickets and saw many more transferred. Tickets to Rondelet were sold out within ten hours of their release, which Tatum said may be an explanation for the transfers.
“I think that a lot of people purchased tickets on a whim without knowing whether they’d be able to go or not,” Tatum said. “This probably led to the wave of transfers starting up the week before our event.”
Daniel Zhang, a Sid Richardson College freshman, said he initially intended to sell his ticket but ultimately attended the event and found it enjoyable.
“The dance floor was very small and cramped, but the venue was really nice,” Zhang said. “Overall, it was a great atmosphere.”
Tatum said RPC was satisfied with the turnout rate.
“We’re hopeful that Rondelet can return as a Rice tradition for the coming years,” Tatum said. “Judging by the turnout this year, it’s highly possible that it’ll happen.”
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