Event Planning Guide

Every local group is different. Be sure to think about some of these topics as you come up with an event idea:

• Does your local group prefer to have an event idea presented to them a month or two before a budget would be presented to vote at a business meeting?

• Does your local group want at least a month or two weeks to look over a budget before voting on it at a business meeting?

• Does your local group have customs for who to reach out to for running an activity? (Example: contacting the Minister of Arts & Sciences to run A&S at the event)

• Are there historic reference documents in your local group? (Example: an Excel spreadsheet for sites that have been considered/contacted in the past for events)

• Does your local group run other events? 

  • How do you want to plan your event to help avoid volunteer burnout and  develop a good rhythm in the year? 

• Consider other Kingdom (or nearby) events that are traditionally in the same time frame

  •  Are these events similarly focused? Pulling attendance from the same niche interest groups? 

  • Are you allowed to conflict on the same weekend based on distance?

• What will help your event stand out? What is its major draw?

There are many things to think about when considering a site for an event. Think about what sort of activities you want to hold and the type of people that may come. When planning your event, you may want to take the following into consideration:

Epy's General Timeline:

• 12-9 months: Big Picture Items

  • Site secured

  • Budget Passed

  • Event Registered with the Kingdom

  • SCORES registration for event (if applicable)

  • Find key staff members (note: some of these need to be determined before Event Registration with your kingdom) including Head Reservationist, Feast Steward (if applicable), MIC (if applicable), activity MICs (if applicable), team leads (Example: Arts & Sciences if applicable)

  • Invite Royalty (you may need to wait to determine who royalty will be)

  • First pass at the event website

    • Include key information (date, time, etc.)

    • Include contact information

    • Include key links (SCORES online preregistration, Facebook event, etc.)

  • Big picture site layout

    • This should have been something you considered when selecting a site — what activities can go where?

• 9-6 months: Start promoting online

  • Social Media

    • Create Facebook event 

    • Post about big updates (Example: SCORES becoming active)

  • Second pass at the event website

    • Include all known MICs/Activity Leads

    • If having an Arts & Sciences competition or display, I really recommend getting up specific information including the scoring/judging criteria up — people need time to make things!

• 6-3 months: Be Thinking

  • Equestrian Insurance (if not already done) 

  • Solicit volunteers for more exacting jobs (Examples: teachers, parking management, feast help, set up help, judges, etc.)

  • Ensure you have your infrastructure (Examples: tents/pavilions, tables, chairs, list fields, etc.)

  • If a feast, have draft menu online

• 3-1 month: Be Planning

  • Ramp up frequency of social media posts (roughly 1 a week)

  • Ensure you have site tokens and feast tokens (if applicable)

  • Have details of activities listed (Example: What type of martial challenges are there? What weapons should they bring?)

  • Plan any signage necessary for the event (Examples: designated quiet area, directional signage for navigating the actual event site, feast hall layout, a map of the site, a large schedule, etc.)

  • Double check you have your infrastructure (Examples: tents/pavilions, tables, chairs, list fields, etc.)

  • Order supplies if needed

    • Flags or chalk for marking grass, zip ties, trash bags, etc.

  • Does your feast menu need to be updated?

  • Regularly check in with staff to ensure all is well

• 4-2 weeks: Be Promoting

  • Even more social media posts (roughly 2 a week)

    • Call out deadlines (Example: online registration ending, feast selling out, etc.)

  • Create any necessary signage for the event

  • Regularly check in with staff to ensure all is well

  • Staff gifts?

• 2-1 week: Be Specific

  • Have specific schedule on website

    • Tell people on social media the schedule is up

  • Ensure that all signage is created/printed

  • Plan specific layout of site (Example: do you have space concerns? Do you need to plan where day-shades go? Do people need to contact you about day-shade size?)

  • Regularly check in with staff to ensure all is well

• 1 week- 1 day: Don't Panic

  • Social media posts

  • Pack what you can beforehand

  • Try to sleep and eat

• 1-0 day: Last Minute Prep

  • Ensure directional signs are up

  • Set up activity pavilions, list fields, etc., the day before (if able)

    • Do you need chalk or flags to delineate list fields so people can set up?

  • Last minute social media reminders/ "Look at all this prep work! We hope to see you here!"

• 0 day: Have fun! Check on your team leads, remember to eat & drink, go with the flow, and accept help for tear down

• 2-4 days after event: Clean Up

  • Thank you note on social media

  • Lost and Found post on social media

  • Get borrowed belongings back to owners/ baronial items back in storage

• 1-3 weeks after event: Follow Up

  • Receipts! Get them to your Exchequer

  • Write basic fact sheet of event 

    • Example: Highland Havoc 2023 Event Report

    • Include predicted costs versus actual costs

    • Include predicted attendance, preregistered attendance, actual attendance (including "how many preregistrations who did show up" and "how many people paid at the gate")

    • Include who ended up being actual staff

    • Include "Lessons Learned" about the site, activities, etc. 

    • Include how many horses/riders (if applicable)

  • Do anything your barony/kingdom specifically requests or requires

  • Write award recommendations — you know you saw someone kick butt, so tell people about it!

There are many things to think about when considering a site for an event. Think about what sort of activities you want to hold and the type of people that may come. When planning your event, you may want to take the following into consideration:

• Are there accessible toilets and parking?

  • How is the terrain? Should people be advised to wear certain kinds of shoes?

• Do you need to rent portable toilets?

• Is the water potable? Do you need to plan around this?

• If you're having horses on site, where are the spigots? How much hose would need to be run? Do people need to bring all their water for their horses?

• Do different driving instructions need to be problem solved for those coming in with trailers/RVs/ large vehicles

  • This may involve driving around the area to find alternate route solutions —  be sure to promote this on the website, on the event flyer, and on social media if applicable.

• Are there nearby residential neighbors?

  • You may want to contact them ahead of time if it isn't a site often rented to introduce the SCA and let them know about the upcoming event

• Big picture site layout — what activities can be held here? What areas are flat, or hilly, or have tree coverage? Are fence lines or roads dividing up the space?

• Is there a rain plan? Will it impact activities?

• Is this on a flood plain?

• Is there an area that can be designated as a "quiet area" for those that need a respite?

• When considering a site, I recommend having a site walk with subject matter experts and bring a long tape measure

  • Also use Google Maps to help measure aerially 

There are many different kinds of sites — Epy normally runs events that involve outdoor martial activities, so these questions are catered towards them. 

Below are questions that Epy often asks of sites. All questions are personalized for the specific site based on what information may be online, the size/layout of the site, and other individual considerations for the site or event.

• Does the entire campground need to be rented? Or could we rent just part?

  • Could some fields be designated for our use? (if a larger site/campground/park)

• Is there an additional early bird set up fee?

• Is there a map that could be sent to us? (If site doesn't have map online and Google Maps is unclear)

  •  Is a floor plan of (building) available so we could preplan layout and make other determinations?

• Are people allowed to camp on-site?  

  • Is there a camping fee?

  • Would there be a group rate for campers?  (if camping fee)

• With it being an outdoor event, would there be there be any limits on the number of people we could have on site? 

• Are fires allowed on site?

  • Do they need to stay in already established fire pits?

  • Are portable firepits allowed?

  • Are there considerations for the firewood (Example: only use firewood from on site)?

• Would event tents be able to be staked into the ground? Or do you have a no-breaking-ground policy?

  • Are there any fireproofing requirements of tents?

• Is parking included with the rental? 

  • Accessible parking?

  • Are there any restrictions on places for trailer driving or trailer parking?

• Are there extra charges for additional portable toilets? 

  • Would we have to use specific providers of them?

  • Accessible toilets?

• Is trash removal included in the rental?

• Is there a cleaning fee? 

  • What sort of cleaning are we expected to do before leaving site?

• Would we be able to use the kitchen?

  • What sort of amenities or limitations are involved with the kitchen?

• Can we have alcohol on site?

  • Do we need additional permits for alcohol usage a general vendor fee (since we do charge admission to day-long participants), or other? 

  • What would our additional fees be?

  • What permits would we need to issue/follow?

  • Does the alcohol have to be in certain containers (Examples: no glass, period containers, etc.)

• What is the policy for animals on site?

  •  Is it only service animals?

  • Is the site dog-friendly for leashed, well-behaved animals?

• Would small private vendors be able to sell on site? 

  • Are any tax documents or permits needed?

• Are there key staff members of the site that you need to coordinate with or need their contact information for the day-of or if anything goes wrong?

  • Who do you contact if something goes wrong with the site? (Example: electrical breaker in locked room)

• Are there any site staff that we would need to budget for regarding overtime/weekend pay?

  • Example: Theater Technicians "If we wanted the black box theater set to a certain brightness for use, but didn’t need technicians there to change the settings, would they still be necessary if we’re using the space? "

  • Example: Security guards " Is it necessary to have the security guards? We do have our own insurance for events and would be able to add riders to it if necessary." 

  • Example: Police "We normally have a brewing completion. In the past, we have had just the judges taste what people have made, in small quantities, with a police officer present (when we were in a public school)."

• Are there any keys or key codes for buildings that you need to acquire (and potentially return)? Who has access to them? Are there any limitations on their dissemination? 

• Are there any limitations to the electrical system of the site/ kitchen/ event hall?

• If you need or are using a generator, are there guidelines on size, preferred rental company, and/or locations it can be on site? Does this need prior approval?

• Hall questions

  • Do we have limitations on what we can use on walls? (Example: adhesives)

  • How can we decorate?

• Tables and chairs questions

  • Are there rental prices for the tables and chairs?

  • Are tables and chairs included for the classroom? (If a school)

  • Would set up be included or would we need to set the rooms?

• Connectivity infrastructure

  • Do you need a certain bandwidth of internet or data for communication for safety reasons? For livestreaming parts of the event?

Martial Questions:

• Are horses allowed on site? 

  • Are they allowed to camp? 

  • If there are horses on site for another event/activity, are there guidelines for keeping us separate or areas we would be unable to go?

  • Is there additional paperwork needed or costs associated by site? (Example: interstate health transport forms, stall rental fees, hay or shaving fees, etc.)

  • Manure removal? Should it be taken home? Thrown in the woods? Spread so it isn't clumps?

  • If there is a riding arena: does it need to be picked of manure?

  • For space planning on the site, do you need the equestrians to pre-register with the length of their rigs?

• We typically have on foot armored fighting competitions. Would this be allowed?

• Would archery or throwing axes be allowed on site?

It takes a lot of people to run an event — you can't do it alone! Ask for help. These are things to think about:

• Ask people's pronouns and preferred title

• Confirm the preferred contact method of each staff member you interact with (Examples: text message, email, Discord, Facebook, etc.)

• I like to make small gifts with personalized thank you notes for my event staff — I try to make sure there are enough for all the marshals, MITs, teachers, gate staff, activity leads, etc.

  • Yes, I bring blank "Thank You" cards to the event to write last minute if there is someone I missed while planning

• See who wants to be promoted online

  • I like to have team leads and key personnel promoted online

    • It gives credit where it is due

    • It allows people to match a name (and pronouns) to a face if they need to find an activity lead

    • It gives you something to post about on social media to help promote the event in general and activities specifically 

    • Not everyone is comfortable with their name and face being online, and that's okay. I like to give them the option

• Team Leads

  • These are good for all sorts of activities — Arts & Sciences, guilds, martial activities, solars/meet ups

  • Often, when I am struggling to find a team lead, I will ask someone personally. 

    • If they are unable to be a team lead, I will often ask them if they have anyone they would recommend. People are more likely to say yes to a private communication/ask than a generic call for team leads/volunteers. 

• How do people sign up to help? Is there a volunteer form on the website? Do they contact the Event Steward?

  • Do team leads need help finding volunteers for their areas? Are they going to manage it themselves?

• Infrastructure Help

  • Set up/Tear down help

  • Do you need someone to help direct parking?

  • Do you need someone to run a day board?

  • Do you need someone to run hospitality? (Example: if royals are coming)

  • Do you need someone to ensure water is at activity locations?

  • Do you need someone to run a hot beverage station?

  • Do you need musicians for court?

  • Who empties trash?

• What can be deferred to non-staff members that helps alleviate work? 

  • Is a guild willing to run a fundraiser lunch? This would mean the feast costs would not need to be part of your budget, nor would you need to manage the lunch list, etc.

There are many things to think about when building a webpage and social media presence for your event. You may want to take the following into consideration:

• Key takeaway: Be consistent.

  • Think about tone

  • Think about formatting

• Teamwork: If you have a Social Media Officer and Webminister who are reliable and willing to help — use them! Work smarter not harder! You may also have volunteers willing to help with these aspects

  • Clearly delineate roles, responsibilities, and expectations (Examples: If something needs to be posted online, what is the expected turn around time? If a social media blast goes out on official Facebook channels, who is expected to share it to different Facebook groups?)

• If you need to get information from others to put on the website or social media, and you have a personal deadline, build in extra time before that to receive responses. Everyone is a volunteer, and sometimes deadlines or priorities slip. This extra time allows you to follow up on the content, be gracious to your staff, and still meet your internal deadline. 

• Verbiage

  • Is there a certain verbal tone you want to convey or type of language you want to use for the event to help set the stage?

  • Clearly state important facts (Event site address, date, time, etc.)

  • Keep in the same tense while writing

  • Don't be afraid to edit others' writing for clarity or conciseness

• Visual Identity/Cohesion

  • Think about what you want the event promotional material to look and feel like. Does it use certain colors? Certain types of graphics? (Example: Only photographs, only manuscripts, etc.) Be consistent in what you create

  • If the event webpage is going to be hosted by the local barony, they may already have a visual identity/standards for their webpages

• Website

  • Website Accessibility

    • Write image descriptions for pictures on your webpage

    • Ensure fonts used are readable 

    • Think of color distinction and if it passes common colorblindness tests (a good test is to look at the webpage in greyscale)

  • Hierarchy

    • When you develop the website, put the most important information at the top (Examples: date, location, contact information, costs, etc.) 

    • Don't be afraid to create section breaks

  • Be newcomer friendly

    • Link to definitions of things (Example: Their Majesties, A&S, etc.)

    • Do you have contact information for your Chatelaine? For Gold or Iron Key? Do you explain what those are?

  • Do you need any forms on the website?

    • Volunteer sign up form

    • Day-shade size form

• Social Media

  • When using hashtags in social media, use capitalized words so electronic readers can differentiate them (#LikeThis)

  • Think of image proportions for what will look best on social media platforms/posting

• For Social Media and Event webpage imagery, think of the following

  • Key Graphic: I suggest having a key graphic that has the name of the event, date(s), general location, and website on it 

  • Media Rights: You want to only use images that you are allowed to use

    • If someone makes 

    • If you want to use images of people, or their photography, or other media, make sure you follow current SCA Release Form Guidelines

    • The SCA has a list of Digital Scribes whose imagery you may be allowed to use 

    • Your kingdom may have a list of people who have signed releases similar to the the Kingdom of Atlantia's list (that information may be available on your Kingdom website, or you may need to inquire with a Kingdom Chronicler, Webminister, or Social Media Officer)

    • Look on Wikimedia Commons, Google Arts & Culture, or museum collection websites for images that fall under Creative Commons or can be used for educational purposes or not-for-profit use

  • Custom Made Graphics/Logos: If someone makes a custom graphic or logo for the event, I suggest crediting/thanking them on the webpage/in social media posts

• Videos

  • If you have time to insert correct subtitles into a video, I recommend it. Otherwise allow the platform to guess at subtitles

  • If the video platform allows "remixes" or any other method of acquiring/downloading your video/content, you may want to consider whether you want to allow that permission or not

• Event/Activity streaming

  • Have a plan /system in place for getting that content online

  • Consider what you want this experience to look like, and what other programs you may need to achieve that goal

  • Practice doing so before the day of the event

  • Ensure that you or the event site have the ability to support this activity (WIFI, data, etc.)

Costs for events can vary widely depending on the type of event and activities to be held there. Here are some things to think about when budgeting:

• Are there specific forms you need to use?

  • There may be Kingdom-specific forms desired for you to use that could probably be found on your Kingdom's exchequer website

• Be sure to build a budget that shows profit, not just breaking even

• Be sure to keep all receipts

• Do you have a protocol in place for being compensated by your local Exchequer? Any deadlines?

• What are the protocols for compensating Royals, local leaders (Example: Baronage), Event Stewards (you!), or other attendees?

• How does using an online registration system (SCORES) or splitting the profit with another group impact your income?

• What is going to be an event expense versus a baronial expense?

  • The difference being "will this item be all used up at the event, or is it something the barony is investing in to use at future activities?"

• Do you need to pay for additional insurance?

  • Does the site or the activities at the site require additional insurance? Example: Equestrian

• Always have a miscellaneous fund

• Are there random infrastructure items you need?

  • Zip ties

  • Plastic bags

  • Paper towels

  • Printing/publications (do you need to make a map poster of site?)

• Do you want to run a fundraiser for the event at other opportunities? At the event itself?

• How can you cut costs? 

  • What items are going to be borrowed for use at the event?

• If there is going to be a feast built into your budget, be sure to get that information from your Feast Steward before submitting your budget to a vote.

  • If you have someone (Example: a guild) running a fundraiser lunch, you do not need to have their expenses in your budget

You need a lot of stuff to run an event. Do you need and have the following?

• Baronial day-shade

• Royal day-shade

  • Royal green room

• Court items

  • Do you need a backdrop of any sort?

  • Thrones/fancy chairs?

• Hall items

  • If you are in a hall — can you decorate it? Do you need decorations?

• Feast items

  • Defer to your Feast Steward

• Martial items

  • Flags/chalk/string to delineate spaces

  • List fields

  • Prizes — are the MICs and activity leads in charge of them?

  • Day-shades for activities

  • Tables for activities

  • Water coolers

  • Targets

  • Backdrops for range weapons

• Infrastructure items

  • Hospitality items (feminine hygiene products for restrooms, extra toilet paper, etc.)

  • Directional signs

    • Both on roads leading to site, as well as wayfinding and potentially labeling activity areas

    • Is a poster map of the site or of the schedule necessary?

  • Basic tools 

  • Zip ties

  • Duct tape

  • Trash cans & bags

  • String

  • Tables

  • Chairs

  • Water coolers

  • Do you need lawn mowers, small saws, or any other item like that?

• Are you going to do any online streaming of the event? What sort of infrastructure items would you need for that?