A new deal with Bounce sparked backlash from clubs over unclear messaging and ticketing fees.
The AMS first announced their partnership with Bounce, an online platform made for hosting and promoting events, in an e-mail sent to clubs on Feb. 4, although it wasn’t strictly enforced. The partnership, which was finalized in August and reannounced to clubs on Sept. 10, allows Queen’s clubs to submit events for approval, sell tickets, and promote events all within the Bounce app.
In an interview with The Journal, Vice-President (University Affairs) Alyssa Perisa explained that Bounce didn’t provide any specific monetary incentive for the deal, and the AMS entered into the partnership because Bounce offered a price that made the app cheaper to use than Formstack, the previously utilized platform.
But controversy quickly surrounded the announcement, with confusion arising as to whether the use of the app for ticket sales was mandatory, with many clubs upset over Bounce’s 2.9 per cent plus $1.30 fee per ticket sold. A petition protesting the AMS for allegedly mandating the use of Bounce for ticket sales, which threatened a boycott of the app, received 40 signatures from club leaders—including the leaders of seven EngSoc clubs.
The AMS has since clarified that the use of Bounce for ticket sales isn’t mandatory. The Event Planning form will be moving to Bounce, and use of the platform will be mandatory in that sense, but use of other Bounce features, including ticketing, is said to remain optional.
Co-captain of Queen’s Biomedical Innovation Team Darien Gaw, Sci ’26, told The Journal that this wasn’t the messaging at the AMS Club Leadership Training on Sept. 13. He claims clubs were told that “events not submitted through the Bounce platform and using Bounce for ticket sales and RSVPs would be denied approval,” thereby rendering use of the app for ticket sales mandatory.
Perisa said that while she wasn’t present at the training, she has “heard concerns that it was miscommunicated.”
“I did review the presentation that Bounce provided, and I didn’t see anywhere where they’re claiming that it was mandatory,” she said. “However, obviously, it was perceived to be mandatory, and that alone is something that we want to shut down.”
The Clubs Commission clarified use of Bounce for ticketing wasn’t mandatory by amending their online announcement on Sept. 15, making an announcement at the AMS Assembly on Sept. 16, and sending an email to club executives on Sept. 17. In the e-mail, which was obtained by The Journal, Clubs Commissioner Xian Tronsgard wrote that they’d “never mandated or changed [their] stance in that clubs aren’t required to use Bounce or its features” and that “any suggestion to the contrary is misinformation and will be dealt with accordingly.”
Perisa admitted, however, that there was “definitely some miscommunication” on their end. She made specific reference to the initial e-mail sent to clubs on Sept. 10, which said that “all AMS clubs and societies are to use Bounce for activity/event RSVPs and ticketing, instead of E-transfer or Eventbrite.”
“Unfortunately, the wording was unclear,” she said. “It was meant to be a suggestion for clubs. It was never our intention for clubs to have to use the ticketing service that Bounce provides.”
The interview with Gaw, which took place on Sept. 15 before amendments were made to the AMS announcement, suggested the deal violated AMS Clubs Policy, which dictates that changes to Clubs Policy must be brought before the General Clubs Caucus for approval. Perisa asserts the deal is “not a policy change” but instead “completely procedural,” and that it therefore doesn’t require approval from the Clubs Caucus or AMS Assembly.
Perisa nonetheless intends to discuss the deal at the first Clubs Caucus of the year in October.
“I do understand that there might be some feedback about Bounce that we’re going to have to look at,” she said. “Ultimately, we want to ensure that we’re making decisions that are best for our clubs. We’re going to listen to all concerns, but for the time being, we’re really excited about the partnership.”
Perisa hopes the deal with Bounce will increase the reach and engagement of clubs.
Tags
AMS, Bounce, clubs, Clubs Commission, VPUA
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