My goodness! Judging from my stat counter, several folks have been particularly interested in Autocratting today. Welcome! I hope you find other topics of interest within these pages as well. Meanwhile, below are a few more things I’ve found to be useful when organizing an event.
If you’ve missed the other articles in this series:
Click here to read Part 1.
Click here to read Part 2.
Click here to read Part 3.
Cultivate the Merchants
• Make every effort to attract merchants and support them. Merchants travel a lot. Happy merchants attract people to next year’s event!
• Set aside a place for merchants near a high-traffic area, such as the feast hall or the fighting field. If possible, assign someone in your group to help them set up and tear down.
Support the Heralds
• A poorly-heralded event is a disaster. Herald all areas – sleeping, fighting, merchants, hall, other activity areas – make sure no one is left out.
• Wake-up calls must take place every morning. If your guests are still asleep on Sunday morning, the fact that your site closes at noon means nothing.
• Keep your Site Herald informed of updates/changes in the schedule. Remember, events run on HST (Herald Standard Time). If your Herald doesn’t know about something, neither will the majority of your guests.
• Make sure your Site Herald has plenty of help. Your site may be large enough to need more than one Herald. If your Herald is getting tired or feels pressed for time, he may resort to “Drive-By Heralding,” which does no one any good.
• Seamas has more on Site Heraldry on his SCAdia site. Type www.scadia.org, or click on the link at right under "Recommended."
Showing posts with label Autocrat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Autocrat. Show all posts
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Saturday, March 04, 2006
This Autocrat's Attitude - Part 3
Click here to read Part 2.
Coordinating an event schedule out of the multitude of ideas from within your group can be a chore, but the sooner you have at least a preliminary schedule, the sooner you can start promoting your group's event! Here are some site- and schedule-related tips for budding Autocrats...
Get organized and start early
• If you’ve done your job well, there won’t be a bunch of last minute things that have to be done on site. An event should be fun for you too!
• Make sure there is something for everyone (fighters, artisans, children, everyone!) to do. It’s better for folks to complain that they “didn’t get to do it all,” than complain that there wasn’t enough to do.
• Though we refer to “SCA time” for a reason, lunch and feast must start as close to scheduled time as possible. Feastocrats don’t like having to keep food hot while the tourney ends, and hungry people don’t return next year.
Know your site
• Learn as much about the site as possible. There may not be anyone available on the day of your event to show you where the cleaning supplies, circuit breakers, climate controls, and other such things are. Most importantly, always know where to put the trash you generate at the event. You don’t want to be unexpectedly stuck with 16 bags of garbage on Sunday afternoon when you’re 30 miles away from the middle of nowhere!
• Look at your site every year. Just because you remember the site from last year doesn’t mean that something hasn’t changed! It helps to have the person in charge of each activity along when you look at the site. Visualizing your activities will help you decide what will work where. Try to have a backup location for each activity in case of unforseen circumstances.
• Drive your directions, from both directions, every year. Signs don’t always look the same when coming from the other direction, and even state highways can move!
Coordinating an event schedule out of the multitude of ideas from within your group can be a chore, but the sooner you have at least a preliminary schedule, the sooner you can start promoting your group's event! Here are some site- and schedule-related tips for budding Autocrats...
Get organized and start early
• If you’ve done your job well, there won’t be a bunch of last minute things that have to be done on site. An event should be fun for you too!
• Make sure there is something for everyone (fighters, artisans, children, everyone!) to do. It’s better for folks to complain that they “didn’t get to do it all,” than complain that there wasn’t enough to do.
• Though we refer to “SCA time” for a reason, lunch and feast must start as close to scheduled time as possible. Feastocrats don’t like having to keep food hot while the tourney ends, and hungry people don’t return next year.
Know your site
• Learn as much about the site as possible. There may not be anyone available on the day of your event to show you where the cleaning supplies, circuit breakers, climate controls, and other such things are. Most importantly, always know where to put the trash you generate at the event. You don’t want to be unexpectedly stuck with 16 bags of garbage on Sunday afternoon when you’re 30 miles away from the middle of nowhere!
• Look at your site every year. Just because you remember the site from last year doesn’t mean that something hasn’t changed! It helps to have the person in charge of each activity along when you look at the site. Visualizing your activities will help you decide what will work where. Try to have a backup location for each activity in case of unforseen circumstances.
• Drive your directions, from both directions, every year. Signs don’t always look the same when coming from the other direction, and even state highways can move!
Sunday, February 19, 2006
This Autocrat's Attitude - Part 2
Click here to read Part 1.
Autocrats frequently get a bad name – some of them deserve it. Happily, it is possible to autocrat an event without being an overbearing tyrant – or being perceived as one. If you are thinking about entering a bid with your group to autocrat an event, here are a few things to consider…
Know the job
• “Autocrat” is not a title, it’s not a position of authority, and it’s definitely not a position of power. It’s a position of responsibility. The Autocrat is responsible for working together with the group and its officers to organize an event.
Know yourself
• Be brutally honest here. You are one person, and you have a mundane life to deal with while you’re organizing this event. Know what you are able to do and what you’ll have time to do in the months leading up to the event. Delegate everything else. Just remember to touch base with the folks who are helping you to make sure their projects are all on track.
• On the subject of delegation: Whoever says, “We oughta…” just volunteered to do it.
Be flexible
• Unforseen circumstances will occur, that’s a given. Avoid scheduling activities that only you can handle, so that you can remain available to deal with the unexpected.
• You’re not the only person with good ideas – don’t be afraid to listen to what others have to say.
Be reliable
• If you say you are going to do something, do it.
• The Autocrat never leaves the site during an event unless absolutely necessary!
• If it becomes necessary to leave the site during an event, always make sure at least one person (preferably a group officer) knows where you are going, why, how to contact you, and when you expect to return.
Autocrats frequently get a bad name – some of them deserve it. Happily, it is possible to autocrat an event without being an overbearing tyrant – or being perceived as one. If you are thinking about entering a bid with your group to autocrat an event, here are a few things to consider…
Know the job
• “Autocrat” is not a title, it’s not a position of authority, and it’s definitely not a position of power. It’s a position of responsibility. The Autocrat is responsible for working together with the group and its officers to organize an event.
Know yourself
• Be brutally honest here. You are one person, and you have a mundane life to deal with while you’re organizing this event. Know what you are able to do and what you’ll have time to do in the months leading up to the event. Delegate everything else. Just remember to touch base with the folks who are helping you to make sure their projects are all on track.
• On the subject of delegation: Whoever says, “We oughta…” just volunteered to do it.
Be flexible
• Unforseen circumstances will occur, that’s a given. Avoid scheduling activities that only you can handle, so that you can remain available to deal with the unexpected.
• You’re not the only person with good ideas – don’t be afraid to listen to what others have to say.
Be reliable
• If you say you are going to do something, do it.
• The Autocrat never leaves the site during an event unless absolutely necessary!
• If it becomes necessary to leave the site during an event, always make sure at least one person (preferably a group officer) knows where you are going, why, how to contact you, and when you expect to return.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
This Autocrat's Attitude - Part 1
Sometimes called by other names, the Autocrat is the person in charge of organizing an event. I’ve Autocratted several events over the years, and have been involved in the organization of many others. From these experiences, I’ve developed an attitude…
Know your group
• Remember first, foremost, and always that the SCA is a volunteer organization. Know the talents, likes, and dislikes of the people in your group. Some people would rather take out the trash than herald a tourney, while others are perfectly happy to spend the entire event in the kitchen. Give a task to everyone who volunteers so they feel involved, but be sure to match task to temperament.
Know your event
• Every event has a “feel” that has developed over the years. Learn your event’s history so you can maintain that “feel”. Your group and guests will be more comfortable because they know what to expect. The event’s history will also give you a clue regarding which activities work and which do not.
Keep it in perspective
• “Autocrat” is a position of responsibility, never of power.
• Remember, this event does not belong to you. The Autocrat is the organizer and implementer of what the group wants done.
Know your group
• Remember first, foremost, and always that the SCA is a volunteer organization. Know the talents, likes, and dislikes of the people in your group. Some people would rather take out the trash than herald a tourney, while others are perfectly happy to spend the entire event in the kitchen. Give a task to everyone who volunteers so they feel involved, but be sure to match task to temperament.
Know your event
• Every event has a “feel” that has developed over the years. Learn your event’s history so you can maintain that “feel”. Your group and guests will be more comfortable because they know what to expect. The event’s history will also give you a clue regarding which activities work and which do not.
Keep it in perspective
• “Autocrat” is a position of responsibility, never of power.
• Remember, this event does not belong to you. The Autocrat is the organizer and implementer of what the group wants done.
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