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ISSUE 908 NOVEMBER 09 2009 PHOTO: NATALIA POPOVA
CARDIFF'S STUDENT WEEKLY
free inside this week’s
interviews speak to Bombay Bicycle Club music review Swn Festival Fashion goes on the cheap
Having a ball! Union executive decide this year’s Summer Ball will go ahead, despite the financial implications Gareth Ludkin News Editor The future of the Summer Ball seemed uncertain last week after concerns were raised about the financial viability of such a largescale, annual event. But the debate was taken to Student Council, where it emerged that the majority of students wanted some form of Summer Ball to go ahead. The Board of Directors for the Students’ Union - which is composed largely of sabbatical officers - tabled the discussion at Student Council to help assess whether the demand for a
Summer Ball was high enough for the Union to continue investing in such a financially risky event. On monetary grounds alone, it was proposed that the Summer Ball was ‘not a sensible and appropriate project to undertake.’ The Ball, which costs between £250,000 and £300,000, is one of the biggest in the country and subsequently carries huge risks. “If we were a commercial business we wouldn’t do it,” said Rich Pearce, Finance and Commercial Officer at the Students’ Union. “The Ball is a huge risk but we put it on for the students - we think that the students value it that much.”
The Summer Ball saw a loss of £20,000 last year, and over the past eight years, the greatest loss has been £30,000. The Ball is so expensive to put on that it has never made a profit, but this is something that the Union executive has come to accept, and they continue to put on a Ball year after year, despite this fact. In 2008, the Ball had its most successful year, incurring just a £1,000 loss. A huge number of people – roughly 7,000 – turned up to see acts such as Pendulum, Zane Lowe and Scouting for Girls. But in 2009, and in the midst of a recession, the Ball struggled to achieve such a return, with a turnout of less than 5,000 stu-
dents. Holding the same Summer Ball again this year carries huge risks, but the Union executive have decided to go ahead with it because of the demand from students. Traditionally held at Coopers Field, behind Cardiff Castle, the Summer Ball carries a number of variables that can significantly affect the success of the event. The weather, ticket sales, the cost and popularity of acts, bar staff, facilities and fun fair are just some of the factors that are crucial to the success of the event. continued on page 2
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