The idea to have a Battle of the Bands during new student outreach originated because we have several students who are in band startups here in Flagstaff. We knew they’d be eager for any chance to play, and concerts are a huge draw for this student generation. The bands play a mix of Christian and cover songs, and they had some experience, so we knew they play well enough that we would feel good about their representing us.

We held our Battle of the Bands outside in a “quad” area between some of the major dorms at NAU. We also had tables set up in the quad area, one with a big keg of root beer and another with contact cards and I-V information. New students had been invited both personally and through campus advertisements, and many came to hear the bands and hang out and talk. We also had a few people walking through the area, greeting the students and inviting them to grab a glass of root beer and stay awhile. Between a couple of songs, we announced that the event was sponsored by InterVarsity and gave information on how to get involved.

While the event on the whole was effective, there are a few things we would do differently next time:

• Give the bands a specific and shorter period of time to play, so all bands have equal time to play.

• Have some way to transition between bands more quickly, or have something for the crowd to do in that transition.

• Have more greeters for people walking by and more people responsible for drawing in the students on the fringe.

This wasn’t a genuinely competitive “battle” for the bands, but something like that might work to draw in student input and ownership of the event.