After Taylor Swift spontaneously surprised Auburn students, she left many questions behind on how the surprise came about.
Ryan Leander and Michael Wekall finally received the hugs they have been seeking from Swift, after receiving their third challenge via e-mail Monday at 12:30 p.m. Swift asked them to gather as many people as possible and host a karaoke show at 2 p.m. in the Auburn University Hotel and Dixon Conference Center.
They were just as surprised as the rest of the 350 students that just made the capacity cut to be a part of the private concert. Some may wonder how this was pulled off so smoothly.
"Taylor wanted to do this as a thank you to Michael and Ryan for putting so much effort into their videos," said Todd Cassetty, director of video productions for Taylor Swift. "She is so busy. She had some free time Monday, and it was the first time she could pull it off. I checked with Michael and Ryan that they would be around and not be in class because the last thing we wanted to ever do was pull them out of class. The timing worked out perfectly."
The office of communications and marketing was contacted Thursday, April 22, by Swift's video production concerning a possible event on campus, said Deedie Dowdle, executive director of communications and marketing.
Dowdle said they were not certain of what was happening, and if Swift was actually going to make an appearance until a confirmation phone call was received the day before the actual event took place on campus.
"(Swift's) team really wanted to keep it a surprise," Dowdle said. "On Sunday, we got word that she would likely be here. Out of respect for Miss Swift, we helped them set up and only told just a few people, so we could make sure we got the absolute best set up."
Swift's production team took the lead on scheduling the event, but the communications and marketing office recommended the hotel simply because doing it on campus during the last week of class could create problems, Dowdle said.
Cassetty said Swift really wanted to document the moment because she was so excited about it all.
"The video production team drove down Sunday night, and we were there with Michael and Ryan (Monday) when they received the challenge from her over e-mail, and we followed them through the entire process of them trying to fill up the auditorium at the hotel," Cassetty said.
There were many speculations on how Swift snuck into Auburn without anyone truly knowing if she was going to make an appearance until she surprised the crowd after singing "You Belong With Me" karaoke style.
"Taylor wore a hoodie on the way from the (Auburn) airport to the hotel, trying to be as incognito as possible," Cassetty said. "She really wanted it to be a big surprise for Michael and Ryan."
Nobody was contacted at the airport concerning Swift's arrival, said Bill Hutto, director of Auburn University Regional Airport. She landed at approximately 2 p.m. with a couple of vehicles to pick her up.
"We have a lot of airplanes that come in and out, and we do not know who is on those airplanes a lot of the time," Hutto said.
Hutto said Swift departed from the airport at approximately 3:50 p.m. with a security escort.
Nobody at the airport knew it was Swift until after she had left for the performance at the hotel.
"After about 30 minutes of Ryan and Michael stalling, I was pretty sure she was actually there," said Emma Robertshaw, senior in family business and entrepreneurship. "I didn't think it would have been such a big deal with security and all if she hadn't."
Robertshaw said she had been following Ryan and Michael's campaign and was glad it actually became reality for them.
"It's just fun to see something like this happen, that you would have never really imagined... Taylor Swift in Auburn," Robertshaw said.
Wekall said this was a dream come true after spending at least two hours a day just getting the word out via social media.
"Honestly, I just want to say how thankful and so happy I have (Michael and Ryan) in my life," Swift said as she addressed the auditorium. "I just really appreciate you guys coming out and being so awesome. I am so happy to see you guys and so happy to be in Auburn today."
Wekall said they were not expecting this at all.
They didn't know exactly when, how or if a hug would ever come from Swift.
"We never really had a date set in our mind," Wekall said. "But I think our goal was just to get it before we graduated, because we both graduate in May."
He said Swift just rocked Auburn with 350 people inside the auditorium and at least 200 others waiting outside in the parking lot, in hopes of seeing Swift.
"I felt like after all you guys have done, a hug might not be enough so I decided to see you at Auburn," Swift said. "Maybe I thought you guys, Michael and Ryan, would like to come have front row seats at one of my concerts."
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