Now that you’ve gathered your research and made a plan, you can answer questions such as:
How large will the event be?
What kind of competition will we hold?
And what themes will we try to plan our event around?
Don’t fret if you don’t have all the answers just yet; there’s still plenty of time to iron out the details once you’ve broken up into your staff roles. This is a concept called “Progressive Elaboration”, where you start with a larger idea and progressively add more detail over time until you have a finished product.
Not all of these roles will be necessary for every event and some people can take on multiple roles at the same time, just keep in mind the scope of your event, and keep in communication with everyone to make sure nobody is overloaded.
Operations staff are those who are responsible for the actual running of the event, the integrity of the competition, and the experience of the spectators. When it’s time for the event, these people will be ensuring everything goes as close to plan as possible and that any issues are resolved.
Here are a few potential roles for those interested in the operations side of the event.
Tournament Admin: responsible for the running of the tournament, which includes starting games, interpreting rules, settling disputes, and solving technical issues.
Player Manager: responsible for keeping competitors informed during events, escorting them to the stage, and making sure everyone is on time.
Hospitality: responsible for spectator experience, handling guest concerns, and keeping guests informed.
The broadcast staff consists of those who are part of the literal broadcast of the show, and they tell the story of the event. As broadcasting can be one of the most complex aspects of any event, it’s not uncommon to find a majority of staff working here in a wide variety of roles.
Here are a few potential roles for those interested in the broadcasting side of the event.
Producer: responsible for running the stream, choosing what scene to focus on, and typically directing the show.
OBS Engineer: responsible for the direct control over the broadcasting software to the stream.
Shoutcaster: responsible for giving commentary over games, providing insight into strategies, and entertaining the viewers.
Graphic Designer: responsible for designing the assets seen on stream, setting the creative vision for the show, and potentially creating updated graphics during the event.
Observer: responsible for controlling the in-game camera for the show, coordinating with the producer to focus on specific aspects of the game, and having a decent understanding of the game itself.
The publicity staff consists of those who work on getting the word out about an event and increasing the viewership. They’ll be brainstorming new and inventive ways of informing people about the event, its themes, and even doing live updates during the event to keep people informed. Publicity can be adaptable to whatever medium or form of communication you think is most effective to help get the word out.
Here are a few potential roles for those interested in the publicity side of the event.
Social Media Specialist: responsible for creating event social media accounts, creating posts to garner interest in the event, and posting updates to keep fans informed.
Writer: responsible for creating written content highlighting key aspects of the event, developing engaging narratives to get fans interested, and creating summaries or analysis of the event to inform the audience.
Graphic Designer: responsible for designing ads for social media specialists, setting the creative direction for publicity team, and potentially creating updated graphics during the event.
Photographer: responsible for taking photographs that capture the feel of the event, working with writers to supplement the narratives of the show, and working with social media specialists to post photos of the event.