DeKALB | Between sports, ceremonies, comedy and music, the Convocation Center is at its busiest during the winter months, when outdoor venues are closed.

“For February alone, we have something like 22 events scheduled within a 28-day month,” said Kevin Selover, the assistant marketing director of the Convocation Center. “Especially in the last two years, February and March have really been our busiest months.”

The last week of February and first week of March are no exceptions when it comes to musical acts. John Mayer will visit NIU Tuesday for one of two Illinois dates on his 2007 “Winter Continuum” tour, which kicked off Jan. 25. John Mayer recently swept the Grammys with five nominations and two wins for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album for “Continuum.” All tickets for his NIU show are available online or at the Convo Center box office for $46. Mayer’s performance starts at 7:30 p.m.

NIU country music fans need only wait a few days for Sugarland’s show Friday. Opening the show will be The Wreckers and Rodney Atkins, both quintessential modern country acts mixing just the right amounts of rock, country and pop exuberance.

Sugarland, made up of the musical minds Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, released their sophomore album “Enjoy the Ride” in November 2006. Sugarland tickets cost $35 and the doors open at 7 p.m.

Less than a week after the Sugarland show, the Goo Goo Dolls will visit NIU as part of their “Let Love In” tour. “Let Love In” is the band’s eighth album in a two-decade-long career. Tickets to this show come with a student discount rate of $28.50 ($31.50 for the general public), as long as the tickets are bought at the Convo Center box office.

Each performance has a unique sound and will probably pull different crowds – something that’s not an accident.

“We don’t want students to have to choose between ‘Show X’ and ‘Show Y,'” Selover said. “We know it’s hard to afford two shows back to back, so we try to bring a variety of acts and space out shows that will pull similar crowds.”

The Convo tries to find effective ways to inform people of upcoming performances.

“Each show is advertised in a way that targets the audience we expect would most likely attend,” Selover said. “We try to strategically place show info in the most appropriate places.”