2013 Spring Fling Summary

Spring Fling Summary April 19, 2013 Spring Fling is an annual carnival-like event that is held in the spring of each year. Spring Fling was held April 19, 2013 in conjunction with several Oglesby Union events, including the FSU High Flying Circus Home show, Paint-aPot, Breakfast for a Buck, films at the Student Life Cinema and Cosmic bowling. The event was free to FSU students with a valid ID, $15 for non-FSU students, and free for those under 12. Students were able to win prizes at game booths, get free food and enjoy rides, such as the Ferris wheel.

Attendance: Attendance was calculated by tracking the amount of wristbands that were distributed to faculty, staff, students, and non-students (members of the community). The total amount of people that attended Spring Fling was 2,188.

Survey Results: Of those students who attended Spring Fling 2013, 208 students (9.5%) completed the survey.

Demographics:

Gender

Classification 1% 6%

Freshman

19%

Sophomore

24%

27%

Junior 20%

Female

Senior Other

30%

Ethnicity

Residence African American/ Black

16%

Asian/ Pacific Islander 10%

53%

Other

73%

Graduate

2%

Male

19%

37%

Hispanic/ Latino White Other

63%

On-campus Off-campus

Marketing:

How Did You Hear About Spring Fling?

Orientation 1%

2% 2%

2%

12%

3%

20%

12% 11% 13% 21% 1%

R.A. Flyer Website Friend/ Word of mouth Newspaper Yard sign Banner Table tents Facebook Twitter Other

Why Did You Attend Spring Fling?

1% 2% 7%

Meet new people/ socialize 16%

Enjoy activities Learn about campus activities

34%

Hungry/ free food 37% Nothing else to do 3%

Spend time with family

Spring Fling was filled with different carnival rides, food vendors, and other activities. Overall, 98% of survey respondents enjoyed Spring Fling. Out of a variety of valid written responses, the top three Spring Fling activities attended were carnival rides, food trucks, and bands in the Club Downunder. Similarly, the top three favorites of those surveyed were food-related, ride-related , and games and activities related. The main reasons people attended Spring Fling was to enjoy the activities (37%) and because they were hungry and wanted free food (34%). The majority of those surveyed (56%) plan on definitely returning to Spring Fling next year.

Spring Fling continues to be one of the most popular spring events coordinated by the Oglesby Union.

Recommendations for Next Year: • • • • • • • • • • • •

Place food trucks along Crenshaw One more ride or another game trailer could fit and be used for next year pending budget allocation Keep rides on the Union Green and people on the sidewalk and, if possible, divide the lines better and use barricades Keep the same timeline for marketing Make rain plan earlier and incorporate it into planning Use Woodward walkway to connect to the ASLC Evaluate if RSOs fit purpose of event or involve them in different ways, such as having a Haunted Harvest like activity and making it a Market Wednesday feel Better advertise event and ensure all advertising, especially regarding registration and waivers, is clear, consistent, and organized Increase activities (i.e. more face painting) and bring back popular favorites (i.e. Henna tattoos) Incorporate more food trucks and variety of food Have maps available, in addition to the schedule, to show students where each activity is Increase the variety of rides and consider bringing back popular favorites (i.e. swings, rock climbing, etc.)

Conclusion Overall, the event was successful and continues to improve each year. This year, food truck vendors were utilized as part of a food truck throw down to incentivize participation. The splitting of the food trucks due to the rain plan caused some confusion for students. In the future, a map should be placed on the schedule or in a central location, such as by the registration, so students can see where all events and activities are located. Additionally, students noted unclear or inconsistent times and processes for the registration on marketing materials, social media and the Union website. The marketing plan itself was successful and should be implemented again.

Moreover, the use of RSOs in conjunction with the event should be evaluated as many did not feel engaged and had little traffic during their tabling. Either the use of RSOs should be eliminated or their role should match the event, such as hosting a carnival game. If weather holds up, the event should work to expand to the Woodward walkway to better bridge a connection to the ASLC. Some student suggestions have been adding more carnival rides or food vendors and diversifying the selection. These suggestions would have to be evaluated with the budget, time and space available