Event Steward 110

This was going to be a recap on Atlantian 12th Night 2025, but after writing, it changed to general notes about running an event. The basis of this post still relates to that event and it's unique challenges of a snow storm the night before.

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Advertising for the event did really well. I received compliments on it even last weekend. I posted just about every week in the 2 months leading up to the event, generally with updates on competitions, feast menu, hotel room blocks, fun Roman facts, or anything else to get people excited and interested in the event.

Getting an event website up and flushed out is key to creating buzz about an event. Now an event such as 12th Night doesn't necessarily need "buzz," but it does benefit from getting the information out there. For smaller events this is really key to getting people interested in coming. As an Event Steward, you have to keep in mind all of the decisions that people make when deciding to attend or not. Having as much information as possible helps people make that decision easier.

Barriers to Attendance & How to Resolve them

Now for the fun stuff. Nothing says barrier like a snow storm the day before your event! With anywhere from .5" - 8" projected, it was touch and go on if we would be able to hold the event at all. I was in constant contact with the local Seneschal, the Baronage, and the Crown to determine what the best decision would be. The chef had already purchased everything for a sold out feast. Some had come into town early due to weather related issues at their own homes (there was a water issue in Richmond that left a lot of Caer Mear without running water for a few days, so a hotel shower was much appreciated!). Some dropped out early anticipating traffic related concerns. Some dropped out the morning of because they couldn't get out of their driveways or the roads were too bad to test. At the site and surrounding areas, we ended up with about 1-1.5" of snow. The roads were well treated and there were no issues. We ended up with a lower attendance than originally expected, but it turned out to be a lovely event, with some showing up that had not been to an event in many years.

Weather is a barrier you cannot resolve, you can only plan around. There are plenty of others that you can resolve. Here are my top three:

• Cost - Make the event worth the cost. As sites charge more and more it is harder to keep event costs down. I came across a presentation I gave for Autocrat 101 back in 2004. Average site fee at the time was $3-5. Now it's $15-20. Add onto this cost travel, food, child/pet care, and for two people to attend a one day event you're now looking at over $100. That is a large ask and you as Event Steward need to make sure it's worth it.

  • Why do I want to drive 3.5 hours to your event? I'm doing a cost benefit analysis on every event I attend. I may opt not to go to an event I want to go because it's too far, we can't get our dog sitter, or because I really can't justify driving 7 hrs in one day to be at event for 4-5 hours. That's a long day and the hubs will be beyond grumpy at the end of it and I don't want to deal with that. I'm not a fan of getting a hotel because that adds to the cost.

  • What will make me do it anyway? If the theme, competitions, and feast menu are too good not to attend. If someone I know is being elevated.

• Food - At an event like 12th Night, your feast can often make or break you. A well planned, delicious feast is an excellent way to get people to attend. Advertising it well ahead of time makes it even better. I like to get menus out at least a month prior to the event. This allows time for people to review ingredients, ask questions, and make sure the feast fits their dietary needs. I don't know how many feasts I have skipped because there haven't been menus published well ahead of time. I have dietary restrictions and I need a full ingredient list, thank you very much! This holds true for many people.

  • For this feast, we decided almost a year before that we wanted to do a full gluten free feast. This was quite the undertaking and while a lot of it could be done through very selective recipe choice, there were some substitutions that had to be made. Within our household we tried at least 6 different bread recipes. Gluten free bread sucks. It does not like yeast, or yeast does not like it. I got one loaf to rise, but then that flour mix was discontinued and we couldn't find it to use it for the feast. If we ever opted to do this again, unleavened bread all the way. I will say that we had a number of people who thanked us for doing a gluten free feast as it was the first time they were able to eat a feast in many years. For one person it was what made her come to an event after 20 years away from the SCA.

  • Lunch was a different story. We had someone say yes and then back out relatively last minute to doing a fund raiser lunch. We pivoted and did a potluck dayboard style lunch that ended up working out fairly well. We had a good mix of items and the only complaint was from the kitchen staff because of where we had to setup due to placement of power outlets for crock pots.

• Kids/Pets - Two parts of the same coin here. Both require extra attention and care or someone to watch them during an event.

  • Kids - Make sure there are children's activities! They need to be entertained just as much as the adults. Make sure the activities are advertised and parents know where to take the kids to partake.

  • Pets - Advertise if pets are allowed onsite or not. Make sure this available in advance so pet sitters can be arranged. I loved seeing all of the pups (my own included) at Altantia's Coronation last weekend, but obviously an indoor event like 12th Night or some outdoor sites may not allow pets. Know the rules and make sure they're posted!

Staffing is Important!

Make sure to fill out your staff with people you can rely on. Know what you need and where you need them. From parking and bathroom attendants (the later of which I forgot!), to gate and Royal Liaison, and everywhere in between, you have a lot of roles to fill. Make a list and the consider all possibilities. Do you need a hall steward to be in charge of telling people where to setup tables and be in charge of rearranging them for court/feast? Do you need someone telling people where to setup pavilions around the list field? Did you make a map that has all of that information? Do you have your feast/kitchen staff, MoL's, MiC's, A&S contests? Do the Baronage or Royals have any special requests? Don't forget your clean up crew! Make sure you have a few people that you trust to serve in the key roles and to serve as your backup. Someone should be making sure you're taking care of yourself throughout the day too.

Communication.

This is the most important. Talk to people. Know what's going. Before the event, check in with your staff.

• Ask your MiC's how their scenarios are going and get summaries to put on the website.

• Check in with your feast steward and get a menu with ingredient lists. Even after you have this, make sure you communicate for any changes/updates that may occur due to availability.

• Make sure to check in during the event too. Make sure people know where you are or at least how to find you. Have a backup in case you cannot be found or are momentarily indisposed.

• In regard to 12th Night, the KMoAS got stuck in the storm and was unable to get to the event. This was known a few days ahead of time, so plans were made. A few of the other people running contests also couldn't attend at the last minute due to weather. We were all in communication and the KMoAS was able to find someone to act as MC and I setup a live stream so that those who needed to be present for the contests were able to watch them and have a discussion afterwards. We used our Baronial GoogleMeet for this and let the rest of the Kingdom know that court and bardic events were streaming on various social media platforms so the populous that were stuck in the snow could watch as well.

Be informed.

Know if there's anything go on in the area. Will there be any road closures nearby? Is there lots of rain in the forecast? Are there any concerns with field conditions? Keep track of the event schedule, follow up with heralds, royals, competitions, make sure things are moving along. Check in with the kitchen and make sure there aren't delays.

Anticipate the needs of your staff.

Make sure they have everything they need to do their jobs and find it for them if they don't! Doing their job is more important than finding the thing, especially if that person has a time limit on what they are doing. Be early and stay late. Bring snackies for the setup crew (coffee/donuts/bagels/whatever) if you are able.

Remember.

You will forget things. It's okay. It happens. Have a list, that will minimize the things you forget. Whether that is assigning a person to bathroom duty or locking your keys in your car or where you left your mug, something will be forgotten. Breathe, relax, and remember that the hardest part is the days leading up to the event. Once the event starts it should (mostly) run itself. Not saying you won't be busy, but a majority of the things that happen are beyond your control at that point.

Within 24 hours write your thank you's to your staff and everyone that played an exemplary role in having the event be a success.

Within 72 hours, write yourself a post mortem. This is just for you. What went well, what advice would you give yourself after the fact, what would you do differently or improve next time? These can be small or large things. Don't forget to include the thanks here as well. "The person serving as my deputy was wonderful. They made sure I was hydrated, fielded questions, and kept things in the hall running smoothly." This serves two purposes. It reminds you of who you want on your staff in the future and it gives you something to look on when writing award recommendations.