Black Tie Affair, the Willamette Events Board signature formal dance traditionally held at the Salem Convention Center, will be at the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) this year due to the original venue space being booked out for the Spring 2025 date, March 15.
Jodi Santielle, assistant director for Student Engagement and Leadership (SEAL), reached out to the Convention Center during June, as usual, to book the venue nine months in advance. However, this year the venue was not available within the event’s typical time frame. After discussion with the rest of the staff, it was decided that organizers would look into the main 511 building at PNCA as an alternative venue space to hold the event for this time.
“It’s a way to get the students from this campus up to PNCA and hopefully get some of the PNCA students to attend as well, who might not necessarily come down to Salem,” Santielle said. “It felt like an opportunity to do something different, to pivot and find the silver lining.”
After Santielle toured the space, she was able to map out where everything might go, such as the dance floor, media tech room, 21+ lounge, food and open space, as well as to confirm the space could hold the approximately 500-person event. Santielle, along with the staff on the Events Board and SEAL office staff, is still finalizing details such as security, transportation, catering and decorations, but is planning to keep the event the same as it would be at the Convention Center, with the only new addition being transportation.
To ensure safety of all attendees, the staff are working closely with Campus Safety to ensure the same level of security at PNCA as they usually contract with outside agencies for security at the Convention Center. Additionally, Santielle and the staff are working closely with PNCA to figure out catering details.
While Santielle plans to now reach out to the Salem Convention Center as early as 12 months in advance to book the venue for the event moving forward, the addition of PNCA's campus to the broader Willamette community has sparked a new goal to begin a tradition of holding the Black Tie Affair at the PNCA campus every three to four years if all goes well with the upcoming event. Since transportation is anticipated to be a major concern from the Salem attendees, she is hopeful providing buses will help the event succeed. “Some people don’t love riding buses, but it’s an option where you don’t have to take yourself and you don’t have to worry about that transportation, which I think can be a concern for folks sometimes,” said Santielle.
The plan is to have three charter buses with two departure and arrival times to and from the Salem Campus. Two buses will depart from Hatfield fountain at 7 p.m., and one bus will depart at 8 p.m., with a similar return schedule surrounding the event. Depending on ticket sales, the plans may be adjusted. Tickets will be available to purchase during the first few weeks of spring semester. Additionally, there will be opportunities for questions about the Black Tie Affair: tabling on the first floor of the UC and in Goudy will begin the final week of January.
“We will start ticket sales as early as possible and do a lot of tabling to explain why [Black Tie is] up [at PNCA] and why it’s a great opportunity,” said Santielle. “I anticipate things going well, because we are trying to make sure we have really thoughtful conversations to ensure it’s a safe and fun environment for all parties involved.”
The event will run from 8-11 p.m. on March 15, with individual tickets costing $15 and paired tickets costing $28.
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