In an elective course titled “On Tour with Pop Icons,” 15 students from multiple Indiana University campuses and majors get together via Zoom to talk with tourism, event and sports management professor Erica Shonkwiler and Andrew Newport, the regional vice president of Live Nation.
“This year has been a packed year in Indianapolis,” Shonkwiler said. “We had the NBA All-Star game, the eclipse and the Olympic swimming trials. It has been one mega event after another, and then all of a sudden Taylor is added on top of it all.
“We wanted to make sure to plug students into these things and turn them into learning experiences, and that’s when we talked about doing a class on Taylor Swift.”
The virtual class on Friday mornings always has a full house. Newport leads the class and brings in various guest speakers who are involved in the Eras Tour and other major events in the entertainment world. He also shares his own experience having worked at Live Nation for more than 20 years.
“We didn’t want this to feel like a traditional college course,” Shonkwiler said. “There’s not a textbook on this, so, we had to get an instructor for the course that’s really good to provide that knowledge.”
The course covers Swift’s superstardom, the tour’s economic impact and the logistical details that make a massive event like this happen. Newport brings in guest speakers like the stadium director of Lucas Oil Stadium, Eric Neuburger, who explained to students what it takes for a venue to put on an event of this size including resale ticket concerns, semitruck logistics, stage crew staffing and more. Students like Alena Reed, a junior majoring in tourism, convention and event management in the School of Health and Human Sciences, are intrigued by all these aspects.
“The hype of the Eras Tour has changed the music industry completely,” Reed said.
“In each class we are learning the ins and outs of producing such a large event, as well as the economic impact on the city and how you get an artist this big to your city. Taylor only does a certain amount of shows, so you have to sell your city to get her.”
The city is fully embracing Taylor Swift’s visit, and the fans who were and weren’t able to score tickets. As part of the class, students are required to volunteer or work one of the many Taylor Swift-themed events popping up around downtown.
“We really wanted this class to showcase the business as a whole,” Shonkwiler said. “We wanted to showcase the impact to the communities and help the students explore this sector of the industry as a career opportunity.
“It’s a really unique situation to have a concert potentially have a greater economic impact than race day at the Indy 500. Her just being here, even if you don’t have a concert ticket, is bringing in all of these people who are staying in hotels, they’re getting Ubers, shopping downtown and frequenting restaurants that affect our community in positive ways.”
The course has brought together students from a wide variety of majors, including psychology, human resources and sports. They have made connections and gotten a glimpse into how their career paths can play a role in the entertainment and events industry.
For Reed, who already works part time at Ruoff Music Center learning from professionals like Newport has fueled her dream to work in events. She has interned with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and currently serves as president of the Professional Convention Management Association at IU Indianapolis, and she said this class will continue to add to her resume.
“Erica and all of our professors have made us very blessed to experience all of these things,” Reed said. “How many 20-year-olds can say they’ve worked two Indy 500s, have thrown a football at Lucas Oil Stadium and are working Taylor Swift events?”
