Thousands of students, friends and family will descend on Columbia’s campus May 15 to celebrate Manifest, but the night before will be devoted to seniors putting forth one last effort to make career connections.

May 14 will mark Columbia’s second annual Industry Night, where students mingle and network with industry professionals on campus, and this year is bigger than ever. Six hundred and thirty-three professionals were set to attend as of May 7, and more are expected to be added before the event. The event will be divided into 19 separate receptions, based on majors and concentrations.

“Industry Night is going to be much bigger this year. The number of students signed up to attend has doubled from last year,” said Mark Kelly, vice president of Student Affairs. “And I’m hard-pressed to think of any big players in the Chicago arts and media industry that are not attending the event.”

After budget cuts for the Manifest festival, Kelly and others decided to put more of a focus on Industry Night.

“Industry Night, for us, is sort of an exit strategy, to give students this [networking event when they’re leaving] college,” said David Lewis, creative industry liaison of the Portfolio Center.

Lewis said students should be expecting different types of receptions based on their majors.

“Graphic design and photography majors are going to be focusing on showing their portfolios at this event. They have a very straightforward body of work to present,” Lewis said. “For other majors, it’s much more of a networking event. AEMM majors, for example, are putting on a rock show at Reggie’s Rock Club, because that’s what they do. It’s going to be about them talking about what they do passionately.”

During such an unsure time in the economy, jobs are hard to find, and many students are graduating with no job lined up.

“Getting out into the workforce right now is a scary prospect,” said Kara Long, a senior marketing communication major. “I didn’t think I would be in this boat when I graduated. I’m hoping I can get something out of Industry Night, even if it is just advice about how to go about getting jobs and internships.”

Kendra Hay, internship coordinator for the Arts, Entertainment and Media Management Department, is urging all of her students to attend and treat the event as an opportunity to seek advice and suggestions, not just connections.

“The concept of Industry Night goes far beyond getting phone numbers and networking,” Hay said. “Students should look at it as an opportunity to get questions answered and take suggestions from professionals in the industry. Not everyone is going to land an interview, but it will probably give people an idea of what they need to be doing to find a job in their field.”

Some students did land jobs and internships from last year’s Industry Night, but coordinators of the event said that it is not the main purpose of the receptions.

“It’s really important for students to realize this is not a job fair,” Lewis said. “That is an outcome. It happened for some students last year, and I am sure it will happen again this year, but this is about building a rolodex and seeing what the field has to offer.”

Lewis also urged students to be open to what the event has to offer, and to not pigeon-hole themselves based on concentrations in their field.

“This is a really huge event,” Lewis said. “In the real world, people don’t wear name tags. I don’t know of any other college that hosts an industry event as exciting, mature and savvy to the arts and media industry as this. Students here have the luxury of coming to these receptions that are curated for them; it is a great opportunity.”

For more information on reception locations and times by major, visit Colum.edu/Industry Night.