Pirate Palooza

Case study

After two years of remote learning and canceled on-campus programming, Claremont McKenna College was ready to bring its student community together again for an on-campus music experience. Building upon the McKenna Palooza event that Kingdom of Mind produced for the university in 2018 and 2019, prior to the pandemic, the Pirate Palooza Festival was conceptualized - combining two annual on-campus events into the largest music festival experience yet.

Overview

Seen as an opportunity for the student body to come together for a final hurrah, Pirate Palooza was the last event of the school year for the university. Representatives from the student government, Dean of Students Office, and university facilities team were all involved in the project development and execution. Kingdom of Mind project managed the event, advocating for the requirements of each of these groups and finding budgetary, resource, and logistical solutions that left all feeling understood.

Services Provided:

Project Management, Production Design, Production Management, Site Management, Procurement, Budget Management, Artist Relations Management

Student Engagement

Pirate Palooza served as a fundraising event for the student's preferred charity partner, The Trevor Project- a non-profit focused on suicide prevention in LGBTQ youth. The project team was focused on promoting inclusivity through event programming.

The student organizers led talent buying with the guidance of the Kingdom of Mind team. Empowered to make buying decisions that would resonate most with the campus, the talent buying process was a learning opportunity that resulted in performances from electronic acts familiar on-campus and the acquisition of artist booking knowledge and experience.

Solutions:

Project Management

Weekly project meetings and project documentation was produced for the project team - made up of aligned student government and Dean of Students representatives. Shared budget, planning, and talent buying documents ensured that a common understanding was established.

Production Management

The stage design was developed with student input on what had worked well from other events held on-campus throughout the year. Budgetary decisions prioritized experience. KOM obtained the best rates from vendors in order to maximize production value.

Site Management

The student organizers and KOM collaborated in designing the site and positioning the stage at a new location on campus. Site visits were held with facilities, student, and Dean of Students leads present to provide input. CAD map was created to allow for visual feedback and informed site management decision making prior to load-in.

0:00

Isabella kept our project on track and the event was managed with transparency. Her team anticipated vendor, resource, and production needs so there were no surprises. Thank you for making the show a success! The students waited a long time to get together. Pirate Palooza was the celebration they had been looking forward to!

MaryKate Jacobs

Claremont McKenna College, Director of Student Engagement