COLUMBIA, Mo. - Columbia will continue to be the home for the Missouri State High School Activities Association State Music Festival for the years 2018-22.
The three-day event featuring instrumental and vocal competition is hosted by the University of Missouri. The MSHSAA Board awarded the event to Columbia at their meeting Monday.
The City of Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau partnered with the University of Missouri School of Music to assemble and present the bid to MSHSAA. The CVB also was able to secure multiple supporting partners in businesses and organizations from all over the community, resulting in a strong bid packet that will help offset the cost of the festival.
In addition to the proposal submitted to the MSHSAA Board, the CVB also partnered with the School of Music during this year's festival to create an even stronger atmosphere in hospitality than in the past. These efforts included welcome signage, nametags for festival volunteers, a Columbia information tent and a custom Snapchat filter for the festival. The CVB also met with the School of Music after this year's event to help tighten the festival footprint for subsequent years by securing additional classrooms.
"The State Music Festival is an essential part of Columbia's tourism product," Amy Schneider, director of the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau, said. "We love having these incredibly talented students on campus and exploring our city during their time here, and I'm very thankful for our partnership with the University of Missouri and the generous community partners who came together to support keeping this event in Columbia."