By Erik Morrison – Business & Economics Editor

On the weekend of Feb. 11-12, the Bishop’s University Student’s Representative Council (BUSRC) hosted their annual WinterFest in the Quad and the Gait. For some students who selected the weekend pass, they had the opportunity to attend an après-ski happy hour from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. in the Gait on Thursday evening to warm-up for the upcoming WinterFest-ivities on Saturday. According to Hannah MacQueen, BUSRC Director of Events, the council sold approximately 1360 tickets to the Saturday events, bringing in a revenue of approximately $70,000 after fees and taxes. On the BUSRC Instagram, some students questioned why tickets were so expensive to attend the event. This article will provide an in-depth breakdown of why tickets had to be priced at these rates.

Most students who attended WinterFest selected the Saturday pass. This allowed access to the rail jam from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and the concert from 10:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. in the Quad. The Saturday pass had a price tag of $50 plus Eventbrite (the ticketing platform) fees, which came out to just under $55. The Weekend Pass was priced at $55 plus fees. There was also an option to select a VIP Pass for $80 plus fees, which provided all the benefits of the Weekend Pass as well as additional perks, including access to a heated igloo, two glasses of champagne, and a large goodie bag which was sponsored by The Campus!

Organizing an event as large as WinterFest is expensive. There are many invisible costs behind the scenes that must be considered when deciding how to price a ticket. One of the most significant expenses of WinterFest was the rail jam setup, which included the slope, rails, and maintenance provided by Today’s Parks, a company specialized in creating and maintaining snowparks and similar events. The rail jam setup at WinterFest cost approximately $20,000. BUSRC also had to hire 18 additional security officers and marshalls, and cover expenses charged by buildings and grounds, such as the fireplace and maintenance of the Bandeen Hall washrooms. These expenses added another $8,000 to the WinterFest bill. The rental of lights for rail jam and the fences around the Quad added another $3,000 to the price tag. Many volunteers helped out at WinterFest. The BUSRC provided an honorarium to each volunteer, which added up to about $1,000 in total.

The BUSRC hired DJ K-SPINZ who performed during the rail jam, and Bishop’s own DJ Beaver who opened for RoseDriive, the headliner of the concert. Payments to these three DJs summed to about $7,000. The stage, installation, and speakers for the event was approximately another $16,000. Alcohol permits added another $1,500 in costs. Each entrant to WinterFest also received a bracelet upon entry. These bracelets totaled another $2,000 since WinterFest had three different types of bracelets for the three pass types. For the

VIP ticket holders, the Igloo was another $2,900, and the provided champagne was $800. Aside from Eventbrite fees charged to students, the platform also charges an additional percentage from the revenue brought in from ticket sales. This fee charged to the BUSRC was about $7,000.

Other expenses that add up include the salt truck that came between the rail jam and the concert and the insurance to cover the liability an event like WinterFest may have. It is important to note that the BUSRC does not receive any cash payments from sponsors, such as Red Bull during events like WinterFest. However, these sponsors do often provide free products and equipment such as the bar setup and the inflatable couch in the VIP igloo.

After all these expenses are considered, the BUSRC generated a profit of less than $5,000 on the entire event. All profits generated by WinterFest will also be allocated to WinterFest expenses the following year. Those who are employed by the BUSRC also do not receive any form of bonuses for hosting events such as WinterFest, which means the small profit will go back towards other events for the students of Bishop’s University. 

MacQueen also mentioned that it is not financially responsible to spend student fees on events since not every student attends an event such as WinterFest. The BUSRC has a goal of breaking even on events and as an organization as a whole because they are a registered non-profit. She noted we are lucky to have a great relationship with security, since some student unions need to hire external security for events, which adds even more expenses in planning events such as WinterFest. There are lots of hidden costs when putting on an event like WinterFest that all must be considered when deciding what price to charge for a ticket.