When it comes to special occasions, everything is bigger in Texas. The University of Texas at Austin Events & Experience team plans more than 200 events annually, including fall’s Gone to Texas and University-Wide Commencement in the spring. But in April 2024, the team pulled off two major events within a matter of days.

The CMT Music Awards came to the Moody Center on April 7, with a concert at the UT Tower and the taping of “CMT Crossroads” earlier in the week. On April 8, the campus community celebrated a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse during the Total Eclipse of the Horns. Courtney Young, UT’s chief experience officer, was behind the scenes organizing the events.

“I think these are the types of events, different from your normal day-to-day UT events, that people expect from us. These events welcome the residents of Austin to our campus, which is fundamental to the work we do,” Young says. “UT is such an important, impactful institution in the middle of this incredible city. These kinds of events bridge the gap between us and the Austin community.”

In the days leading up to the concert and taping, staff members from CMT and UT were hard at work putting together a stage on the lawn in front of the Tower, which was bathed in orange light. Blaine Manuel, senior director of event logistics, says he was impressed by the CMT production team’s experience with staging large events that look great both in person and on television.

“I was just surprised by how big the production was, what they were able to do with the knowledge that they have on lighting and making the Tower look spectacular,” Manuel says.

He says they plan to integrate those techniques into events such as Gone to Texas.

Members of the UT community could sign up to attend the performances taped at the Tower by country music artists such as Kelsea Ballerini and Bailey Zimmerman.

“The event is open to all our staff, faculty and students, which is a huge reason why we said ‘yes’ and wanted to host. We wanted it to benefit everyone on campus,” Young says.

Manuel, who worked closely with CMT to manage the logistics, says the key to success was being “able to go with the flow.”

“You never know what’s going to come at you, but you have to just stay calm and not let CMT or anybody see you sweat,” Manuel says. “There are guests in our house. Basically, this is our home. We invited CMT in, and we want to make sure that their experience is good and that they want to return.”

Just hours after the awards show ended, Total Eclipse of the Horns took over campus. University Events & Experience created 16 viewing locations, distributing 100,000 pairs of eclipse glasses to students, staff, faculty and Austin residents through a partnership with the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. A variety of musical performances took place at the Tower in collaboration with the Butler School of Music and the Longhorn Band. Classes and most University functions were canceled from 1-2 p.m. so everyone could view the solar phenomenon. Undeterred by the cloudy sky, crowds looked up patiently as the eclipse reached totality around 1:36 p.m., plunging the campus into darkness.

“There are so many people. I didn’t realize how many people would be coming from out of town and out of state to see the eclipse. … It’s pretty insane,” student volunteer Jacob Jeweler said while operating a telescope at one viewing area.

The celebration was part of the University’s UTotal Solar Eclipse initiative. Faculty and staff members from various departments helped create an online eclipse hub and lead viewings on campus and around Central Texas. The Great North American Eclipse also gave UT a chance to display its research and scientific expertise, Young says. Each sun-viewing spot was equipped with multimedia screens to inform and entertain guests; for example, viewers could see a 3D installation that used the path of the eclipse to show how extreme weather and climate change can influence our world.

“This type of event allows our achievements in academics to be recognized and show what a powerhouse we are in academics in a really fun and exciting way through an event which doesn’t happen all the time,” Young says.

Young began her role at the start of the 2023-2024 academic year. She says she hopes to plan many more events to celebrate the campus community and to show what UT has to offer.

“The University Events & Experience team has the unique opportunity to dream up event experiences for all audiences on campus — students, faculty, staff, alumni and donors. We take that responsibility seriously and strive to create experiences and core memories for so many Longhorns and the Austin community,” Young says. “We are doing big things, and this past year was only the start.”