Mo Rocca, a satirist from Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” is coming in two days, and about 40 percent of the available tickets have been sold.
This is statistically low when compared with recent events like the Indigo Girls and the Wilco concert, which both sold more than 80 percent of their available seats.
“It’s always hard to gauge where students’ interests will lie. Students are very into [National Public Radio], and they watch a lot of comedy, so why would you not bring Mo Rocca?” said Emily Justice, director of the Presenter’s Office. “I don’t think a lot of people are putting together who Mo Rocca is,” she said.
“When they find out that he is the guy on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart, they say, ‘I love that guy-he’s hilarious.'”
Then, they will buy tickets, Justice said.
The Presenter’s Office is exploring other strategies to increase ticket sales.
ASUU has sold about 200 tickets at half-price, bringing the total number of tickets purchased to about 600.
Tickets sold before a show, however, aren’t always a good predictor of how many people will actually be in attendance.
The screening of Morgan Spurlock’s movie, “Super Size Me,” didn’t sell that many tickets in the box office.
People lined up around the block, though, to buy tickets the night of the event.
ASUU said it thinks the same thing will happen with Mo Rocca.
“In the end I think a lot of students will come,” Justice said.
In an attempt to make students more aware of the Mo Rocca event, the ASUU Presenter’s office set up tables around campus and sold student tickets at half-off the original price.
They also handed out bagels, hot chocolate and leftover hospitality items from the Wilco concert, such as Coke, water, crackers and honey.
Usually performers don’t use all their hospitality items, so ASUU decided to share the leftovers.
“We will try to do this with the rest of our events,” Justice said. “It will be great to try and give these items back to students.”