VSU’s Campus Activity Board had to supply guests with extra chairs after their Boom Boom Bingo event drew a crowd that packed out the Student Union’s ballrooms.

CAB hosted the game on Thursday, Aug. 22 as a celebration to open the first week of school. The event was to encourage students to mingle and make friends with a high-energy take on a classic game.

The game itself was split into multiple rounds, and patterns such as the classic one-row bingo, blackout and capital T were used. There were also breaks for music throughout the game, often because the song matched the space that was drawn.

When the game was paused, there was still always something fun to do; DJ Tez and Emcee Tim Nela kept the audience engaged with things like karaoke and dancing, and maintained a constant back-and-forth with the audience to keep everyone in the moment.

Jiang was also the winner of the grand prize, a 32-inch Fire TV. She described being shocked at the win, and that she didn’t come to win, but to mingle and talk to other students.

“I never really win stuff in bingo, I was surprised,” Jiang said.

Boom Boom Bingo started off with a full house, but as more and more people joined, CAB had to accommodate by bringing in more chairs and tables for the influx of participants coming in. Before this, the overflow of players had to stand or sit on the floor to play.

“We had chairs as backup just in case, but it was amazing that it packed out.” Brianna Perkins, a junior elementary education major and marketing director for CAB, said.

Bingo has been popular in the past, and it has become a repeat event due to its demand.

“We know that [bingo] is gonna bring more people out, so that’s what we did,” Perkins said. “We just decided to put a twist on it.”

The student energy was noticeable, and not just by CAB; both the DJ and emcee, who both work with Michigan-based company Eventee Entertainment, said that the audience was entertained and engaged.

“This school had far more engagement than most,” Tim Nela, emcee for Eventee Entertainment, said. “They were screaming, dancing, everyone was so involved.”

“We’ve been all over, but this place had so much energy,” Montez Fennick, DJ for Eventee Entertainment, said. “We had a room full of energetic students, there were so many smiles on everyone’s faces. This is what we love to do.”

Both Montez and Nela have expressed enthusiasm with returning to VSU for future events, citing how good the crowd was with engagement.

“This energy is super contagious, and the hospitality was amazing,” Nela said. “They brought the energy, it was fun.”

Students have also said they enjoyed bingo, but want to see more variety with CAB events. Game nights, movies, and other engaging events have been highly praised by participants, and are the most anticipated activities by CAB.

Written by Bailey Wilson, Managing Editor. Photo courtesy of Bailey Wilson.