So.....You have volunteered to be an event director...........
Please read this even if you have directed an event before. Now that we are putting on 50+ events a year it is important that everyone work together to keep things running smoothly.
Here is some important stuff that is often forgotten. This is also in the regular text, but it is here so everyone will still be reading and thinking when they get to it.
- Clear your parking, start, and finish area, and reserve a pavilion if needed, with the park as soon as you have a rough idea of where the courses are going.
- Make arrangements to get the equipment set assigned at the event where it is last being used. If you can not attend that event find someone to pick it up for you.
- Don't waste DVOA funds. We are an orienteering club not a caterer. A few goodies are nice, but no one should expect to have lunch on us.
- If in doubt about how many maps to print call Ed Scott. (610/582-2128) A database is maintained to provide good estimates on your printing needs. It is not really a problem if we have to hand draw a half dozen maps for latecomers on the day of the event.
- Help the next guy by providing him with the complete equipment kit as you got it. Don't leave part of it in your garage until "later". It's a real problem to open a box on the morning of an event and find it missing some of it's key contents.
- Send your data to the people that need it. Nancy Sharp for the Briar Patch, Kent Shaw for ranking statistics, Mary Frank for the club files and treasury, and Ed Scott for map and financial statistics.
- HAVE FUN. The joy in directing an event is watching everyone having a good time at your event. It's like having a party. Don't wear yourself out so much that you can't enjoy the day. Get lots of help. Do what you can and delegate the rest.
As soon as you said "I will" you made a commitment to about 600 of us and an untold number that our advertising will reach, that there will be an event at a particular place on a particular day. The good news is that the large majority of those same 600 should be there to help you if asked. To be successful, you need to begin some planning as soon as possible.
- Start now.....Courses. The event planner has probably already put your event in the schedule as Beginners, Score, Vampire, All courses, etc. At some locations pavilions have already been secured so your registration area is already determined. A short walk to start is fine, but finish should be close to parking, especially in cold weather. You must decide which, if any, of the courses you will design, and who you can ask to design any courses which you wish to delegate. Be sure both you and your course designer if you decide to utilize one, are clear on who is responsible for checking the sites selected prior to hanging the control, and who is to hang the controls the day before or day of the event. If you choose to do some course design yourself and it is your first attempt, please ask for a copy of the USOF course design guidelines (Available from Ed Scott and in the Event Directors Box) (also, at Course Setters Guide and recruit a vetter (Fred Kreusi at 610/363-7459 will advise you on a vetter) that is willing to actively support your efforts with periodic reviews and advice. On your first attempt at course design, it is probably best to design courses of the level at which you regularly compete. Don't forget about providing water on the courses. USOF guidelines require a water stop every 2.5 K. Usually two gallons for each course using the control is enough at a local event.
- Next step.....Call The Park. Once the rough outline of the courses is developed you can determine the parking area to be used and approximately where the start and finish will be located. The parks should be notified of these locations now so that they have the opportunity to advise you of any problems immediately rather than after the courses are finalized or perhaps even printed. If you want to reserve a pavilion do it now. Your expenses will be reimbursed by the treasurer.
- Step Three.....Find your equipment. You will receive a note from Ed Scott outlining which equipment set has been assigned to your event, where your equipment set will be used prior to your event, and who is to get the set from you when you are finished. Make arrangements to get the equipment. It is important for you to get the equipment as soon as possible from the previous user. The longer equipment lies about unused, the more it tends to scatter and the more difficult it becomes to find. Please keep the entire kit together. Do not loan out bits and pieces to other club members. Even if what you loan out isn't essential to your event it may be to the next person to use that kit. It is very frustrating on the day of an event to open a box and find some key piece of equipment is missing. Maps and printers are not usually from the same source as your general equipment, however printers tend to travel with equipment sets for several months at a time. Printers can be located through Bob Meyer at 610/489-0875. Maps are normally found in one of four locations. Information on where to find your maps is on the same note that told you where to get the equipment set.
- Step four......recruit your day of event helpers. The best place to recruit workers is at the events held on the weeks before your event. If you prefer to phone you can get a membership list and suggestions from Mary Frank. Try to get some new workers, but at the same time have someone with experience at each key location. You will need to staff three main locations, registration, start, and finish. It is best to have at least two people at each spot and two crews, one "early" (10:00 to noon) and one late (noon until closing) Note that registration closes at 1:30, and start about 15 minutes later, but finish can be around until 4:00. It is good to recruit a control pick-up crew ahead of time also. This gives them the option of coming to the event around 1:15, running their course then going out for controls, rather than running early and still being there at dusk getting out of the woods.
- Step five.....the final week Crunch time. By now your courses should be finalized and the control descriptions written. There are Macintosh and IBM programs available through the club for control description printing. Maps need to be printed. If you have never used the printer before it is best to learn by watching someone with experience. An experienced person can easily do all the maps needed for a local event in under two hours. A novice without an advisor may take two nights and still turn out lots of unsuitable prints. Call Ed Scott for estimates of how many maps to print. Having to hand draw a half dozen for the latecomers the day of the event is better than having 30 leftovers. Don't be afraid to get help if you need it. Attach the control descriptions to the maps. Staples are all right, glue sticks are better. Don't cover the legend or other important areas of the map with the control descriptions. If in doubt put them on the back. Check the equipment kit. If you are short on consumables like pink cards or map cases, call the manager of the kit that you are using. A stack of pink cards number about 110 to the inch so two inches will do all but the largest of local events. If you are short someone can bring you more the morning of your event. Plan when the flags and water are going out. It is a nice idea to leave a plastic bag with the water jugs so the person that picks up the jugs after the event has a place to carry all the used cups. Buy any refreshments that you think are appropriate, but don't over do it. A couple of cookies is nice, but no one should expect to have lunch on us.
- Day of the event.....Hey everything is done now. You can relax! Actually you should arrive early, set up registration and start so that when your crews arrive they can start to process the mob that we all expected. Make sure all your helpers get to run by recruiting a few extra replacements as the day goes on. The finish won't be busy until later so don't worry about that until everything else is up and running. Spend the rest of the day observing what went right and what went wrong. See if there is any need for improvement the next time. Make sure you have someone to pick up controls at the end of the day. Don't wait to do that job until your car is the only one in the lot. Give the complete kit to the next user. (He is an excellent candidate for control pickup as he has a vested interest in getting all the controls out today)
- A couple of days later.....Wind down, but don't put the paperwork off too long or it will never get done. If she didn't get it the day of the event, send Mary Frank the proceeds minus any expenses you are claiming. Kent Shaw needs all your results to feed into our ranking database. He will also enter all your results data if you get the pink card stubs to him. Nancy Sharp needs your results and a brief story for the Briar Patch. Mary Frank needs the money from your event, and a copy of the Event Report Form for the DVOA and USOF records, and a list of your helper crew. Ed Scott needs a copy of the Event Report Form for a map usage and financial database.