After much anticipation, the 30th Anniversary edition of Circle City Classic arrived, leaving an impression on the thousands of people who came from around the city, state and country to enjoy its activities.
Now, with the annual event over, organizers are taking a close look at this year’s Classic and what they believe went right and what they think can be done differently.
In an exclusive post-event interview with the Recorder, Indiana Black Expo, which oversees Classic, expressed satisfaction with its results, especially a slight rise in turnout for the college football game, its flagship function.
Attendance
According to IBE, 31,137 individuals attended this year’s game.
“It’s not a huge increase, but it is higher than what we had last year,” said Vernon Williams, spokesman for IBE.
He noted that IBE disagreed with a much lower figure of 22,357 attendees published in an Indianapolis Star article earlier this week, saying that it is inaccurate because it only counted tickets that were sold and not each person who was actually seated in Lucas Oil Stadium during the game.
IBE’s number, he said, is higher because it accurately combines the number of people who actually purchased tickets (made available through Ticketmaster) with the number of individuals who attended the game using credentials and complimentary tickets.
“We had people in the stadium who weren’t paid ticket holders, like you would at any baseball or basketball game,” Williams said. “Right around 8,000 people with comps and credentials saw the game.”
Williams admitted that “everyone knows” that attendance for Circle City Classic is significantly below its height during the 1990s.
“We don’t have the same attendance we had 10 or 15 years ago, that’s no secret,” he said. “But when you talk about the amount of fun people had who did come, that is indisputable. Yes, we have a work in progress, but to see attendance go up instead of go down or flat line is positive.”
Williams said he and other IBE staff members have received unsolicited feedback, including emails, phone calls and face-to-face dialogue, from Classic guests saying that they will not only continue to attend, but also encourage their friends to come next year.
“You could see the kids and families on the sidelines during the parade talking to reporters or leaving the stadium after the game with smiles on their faces,” he said.
Williams further said that attendance during the Friday Nite Cabaret at the Indiana Convention Center with Charlie Wilson, Johnny Gill and Rose Royce was high, and that both the Greek Step Show and the Gospel Explosion filled the 950-seat Madame Walker Theatre to capacity.
“At Fan Fest it was so thick at times you could barely walk,” Williams said.
Logistics
Janelle Henson, events coordinator for IBE, noted that credit for completion of this year’s Classic must be given to approximately 500 volunteers. They help out in a variety of areas such as the parade, a venue committee, food, housing and transportation for guests, hospitality and special activities like the coronation, football clinic and pep rally.
“There is no way we could do this without our volunteers. They are phenomenal,” Henson said. “We are talking about people who gave up weeks of Saturday mornings and time from their jobs to make this a success. They are not just volunteering to get a T-shirt, they do it because they truly care about the organization.”
Henson, who is in her second year with IBE, described this year’s Classic as “nothing short of amazing,” with plenty of energy from the crowd.
“We work very hard here at IBE, and we can’t make everybody happy, but it is good to know that the people who do appreciate what we do – providing scholarships for our students – had a great time,” Henson said.
Key decisions
Williams said the staff was pleased with two key decisions that were received well by Classic attendees, including moving Fan Fest out of Pan Am Plaza to a more convenient location near Lucas Oil Stadium on South Street.
Another decision involved inviting the special honorees to this year’s Coaches Luncheon, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who are best remembered for raising their fists in the air in a display of unity against discrimination and injustice during the 1968 Olympics.
“They were very well received everywhere they went, even among young people, because of the act of courage they displayed at a time when we were going through so much as a people,” Williams said. “No celebrity or politician has ever received the kind of applause and ovation those two gentlemen received during the game’s halftime.”
Organizers say it is too early to discuss what will be different or any possible decisions for next year’s classic.
“No decisions have been made at this time, because there’s a lot that goes into Classic and much of it depends on the schedules of the schools,” Williams said. “This is a yearlong process, but we do hope to have information ready early in the year as opposed to later.”
