The “scene” events targeting the traveling more advanced dancers is exploding and thus also diversifying. TMD would like to offer the following catalog of questions to future organizers.
This is a set of questions without answers. Every event will find their own set of answers. There may be similarities, but not all the time: often events of a certain category will have similar answers.
As an organizer, I believe these questions will help you to make a better event. Try to find answers to all of them – and also to talk with others about your answers.
Please let me know if I have missed important topics.
Hard facts
- Do you have a Plan? And a Plan B?
- How big is your space?
- How many people will be there?
- When is it?
- When will registration start?
- Do you have a “business plan” — a calculation that includes all things you need to pay for, and all sources of money. You will not have exact numbers, but you must have guesstimates.
- Who is responsible? Who makes decisions?
- What is the agenda?
The Space
- Do you have a floor plan?
- Do you have photos of the venue and surroundings?
- What is the size of your dance floor?
- What is the quality of the floor?
- Where will people sit? relax? eat?
- Where do you think most people will be asking others to dance?
- Is there clear line of sight for cabeceo?
- How will people enter the floor? Are there bottlenecks?
- Will there be food and drinks? Where?
- Where are energy outlets?
- Where are the toilets?
- What about the neighbors?
- What about air conditioning / heating / windows
- What if it rains outside?
- Where do people smoke?
The Service
- Will you offer food?
- Will you offer drinks?
- Will you do that yourself, or do you have helpers or catering?
- How many people do you need?
- How do you manage those people?
- Will you offer other services?
The Food and Drinks
- Will you or someone else provide food&drinks at the venue?
- What will be included, and what will be for purchase?
- What will be prices?
- What will be the selection of drinks? Alcohol / coffee /…
- Will you have food options for vegans, vegetarians or those with intolerances, like lactose, gluten?
- Do you know who of your guests requires special meals?
- Do you know how much food you will need?
- Do you know when food will be served?
- What kind of drinks will be available at the bar?
- Do you need a license to sell food and drinks?
- Do you need a license to cook and sell food?
- Do you have the needed equipment?
- Do you kn ow how to dispose of trash?
The Guests
- How many people do you want to have? minimum? maximum?
- What is the quota for leaders/followers you want?
- Do you have quotas for people from the local scene? from the region? from other countries?
- Do you have a “level” that people must have at least? How do you know which level applicants have?
- Will you do first-come-first-serve?
- What will you do with the unavoidable waiting list?
- How will you manage the whole registration process?
- Who will manage the process?
- When will emails be sent?
- What will be in those emails?
- Who and how will you do payment processing?
- Will there be a refund policy?
The Marketing
- Do you have a marketing plan?
- When will you start to announce the event?
- When will registration be?
- How much information will you send out, and when?
- Who will do marketing?
- Do you have a facebook page? event? group?
- Do you have a plan and understanding how fb-page/fb-event/fb-group will be used, and where the difference is?
The Money and The Legal
- Do you have an idea about the money involved?
- Do you have a budget/calculation?
- Do you know which is the legal organization that you are running the event as?
- Do you need any insurance? liability
- Do you have a bank account for payments?
- Do you want to use paypal or cash transactions?
- Do you know about tax regulations?
- Do you know about music rights organizations (like German GEMA)
- Do you have contracts for the most important parts?
The Music
- Who are your DJs?
- What equipment do you need?
- Where will you get it from?
- When will you test it?
- How will the DJs be travelling?
- Who makes the arrangements?
- How and when will DJs be paid?
The Team
- Who is your team?
- Who makes decisions?
- How will you select helpers?
- Do you have some professional service people?
The Accommodations
- Do you offer a dormitory?
- Do you have a deal with a hotel?
- Are you in a place, where people can chose from many available options?
- Are you in a time/place where hotel costs are very expensive due to a trade fair?