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

1. Do you have a Plan? And a Plan B?
2. How big is your space?
3. How many people will be there?
4. When is it?
5. When will registration start?
6. 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.
7. Who is responsible? Who makes decisions?
8. What is the agenda?

The Space

1. Do you have a floor plan?
2. Do you have photos of the venue and surroundings?
3. What is the size of your dance floor?
4. What is the quality of the floor?
5. Where will people sit? relax? eat?
6. Where do you think most people will be asking others to dance?
7. Is there clear line of sight for cabeceo?
8. How will people enter the floor? Are there bottlenecks?
9. Will there be food  and drinks? Where?
10. Where are energy outlets?
11. Where are the toilets?
12. What about the neighbors?
13. What about air conditioning / heating / windows
14. What if it rains outside?
15. Where do people smoke?

The Service

1. Will you offer food?
2. Will you offer drinks?
3. Will you do that yourself, or do you have helpers or catering?
4. How many people do you need?
5. How do you manage those people?
6. Will you offer other services?

The Food and Drinks

1. Will you or someone else provide food&drinks at the venue?
2. What will be included, and what will be for purchase?
3. What will be prices?
4. What will be the selection of drinks? Alcohol / coffee /…
5. Will you have food options for vegans, vegetarians or those with intolerances, like lactose, gluten?
6. Do you know who of your guests requires special meals?
7. Do you know how much food you will need?
8. Do you know when food will be served?
9. What kind of drinks will be available at the bar?
10. Do you need a license to sell food and drinks?
11. Do you need a license to cook and sell food?
12. Do you have the needed equipment?
13. Do you kn ow how to dispose of trash?

The Guests

1. How many people do you want to have? minimum? maximum?
2. What is the quota for leaders/followers you want?
3. Do you have quotas for people from the local scene? from the region? from other countries?
4. Do you have a “level” that people must have at least? How do you know which level applicants have?
5. Will you do first-come-first-serve?
6. What will you do with the unavoidable waiting list?
7. How will you manage the whole registration process?
8. Who will manage the process?
9. When will emails be sent?
10. What will be in those emails?
11. Who and how will you do payment processing?
12. Will there be a refund policy?

The Marketing

1. Do you have a marketing plan?
2. When will you start to announce the event?
3. When will registration be?
4. How much information will you send out, and when?
5. Who will do marketing?
6. Do you have a facebook page? event? group?
7. 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

1. Do you have an idea about the money involved?
2. Do you have a budget/calculation?
3. Do you know which is the legal organization that you are running the event as?
4. Do you need any insurance? liability
5. Do you have a bank account for payments?
6. Do you want to use paypal or cash transactions?
7. Do you know about tax regulations?
8. Do you know about music rights organizations (like German GEMA)
9. Do you have contracts for the most important parts?

The Music

1. Who are your DJs?
2. What equipment do you need?
3. Where will you get it from?
4. When will you test it?
5. How will the DJs be travelling?
6. Who makes the arrangements?
7. How and when will DJs be paid?

The Team

1. Who is your team?
2. Who makes decisions?
3. How will you select helpers?
4. Do you have some professional service people?

The Accommodations

1. Do you offer a dormitory?
2. Do you have a deal with a hotel?
3. Are you in a place, where people can chose from many available options?
4. Are you in a time/place where hotel costs are very expensive due to a trade fair?