Cost for gig hits $116,000; event kicks off public phase
Nothing says a fancy fete like champagne — whether it’s in a flute glass or woven into a vinaigrette dressing and drizzled over grape tomatoes, like it shall be during USC’s black tie fundraising gala Friday night.
USC is readying itself to throw quite the soiree, as it simultaneously thanks donors and elicits more while offering organic lettuce wedges, seared French lamb chops and white chocolate mousse, coupled with fresh raspberries.
And that’s just the menu. For the 480 or so invited guests inside the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, there will be live music, keynote speeches and valet parking.
All told, the gala will cost $116,230 — $12,000 from university funds and $104,000 from the university’s private Educational Foundation, designed to support all missions of the university. That’s approximately $242.15 per guest, if you were wondering.
The event’s budget, provided at the request of The Daily Gamecock, shows $50,000 toward food and beverages. Another $14,700 goes toward live music, and $22,000 is allotted for a stage, video screen, lights and sound.
Renting and setting up the convention center set the university back $6,000, and chairs, platform, pipes and drain rental cost another $6,100. Table rentals, glassware and linens are $3,255; valet parking is $1,475, and ROTC fees are $500.
USC also spent about $12,000 printing and sending invitations and programs.
“The event will recognize and honor our special donors and launch the biggest capital campaign in the history of the university,” said university spokeswoman Margaret Lamb. “We are relying on in-house expertise and talent to plan this event and make it a very special evening.”
Michelle Dodenhoff, USC’s top development officer, said the event is “fairly standard in the campaign world.”
The long-awaited event — slated to kick off the public phase of the $1 billion Carolina’s Promise capital campaign — begins with a reception and several interactive exhibits, where visitors can learn more about USC’s best and brightest students and faculty.
Engineering professors will discuss fuel cell technology; medicine professors will display new ultrasound breakthroughs; library science students will highlight Cocky’s Reading Express, a literacy initiative; and library officials will display relic movie tones.
Video vignettes from different folks will highlight aspects of Carolina and its seven regional campuses. President Harris Pastides will give a brief speech, and David Seaton, CEO of the Fluor Corporation and the campaign’s chairman, will deliver remarks as well.
So how did folks score an invite? The university’s top officials and development officers will be there.
So will previous top donors, key state legislators and members of the congressional delegation. Prospective donors who haven’t previously given weren’t invited, Dodenhoff said.
“It’s a thank you event for those who have already given so much of their time and money to the university,” Dodenhoff said.
More events are scheduled in the spring, but details haven’t been released yet.