Meet Director’s Guide for Local Club Events

These procedures outline the basic steps to insure a good local club event and should be used as a guide, with modifications to suit circumstances.

What Makes a Good Local Orienteering Event?

1. The event is planned and organized to run smoothly.

2. The courses are fair and set to the correct difficulty level.

3. The park/landowner welcomes the club to return.

4. The event staff has fun and is not hurried or hassled.

5. The participants are impressed with the event and glad they came.

Meet Director Procedure

1. Obtain assignment from club president. The meet director will usually either volunteer or be asked to direct a club event. Once the scheduling is complete, the meet director will be notified by the club president of the exact date and location of his event and any special circumstances. It is very important that the club president makes sure the meet director understands the scope of his duties and what exactly is expected of him. It’s best to put everything in writing or email to avoid misunderstandings.

2. Set your Timetable for the event. It’s best to begin planning your event about 2 months prior to the event date. Leave plenty of time for things to go wrong and for you to double check yourself and follow up with your event staff.

3. Contact the park ranger or landowner. Before you begin to make decisions, you need to know any park restrictions or concerns and you must abide by them if your club will be welcome to hold future events. Ask the ranger or landowner for areas to avoid, known safety hazards, what other groups may be in the park that day, arrangements for parking, what paperwork and fees will be required, and any other considerations you or he can anticipate. A good park-club relationship is built on communication, so talk early and often.

4. Arrange with the club Secretary and/or Treasurer for whatever permits, insurance certificates and porta-potty and shelter reservations will be needed.

5. Get Help. You should either have a co-director or an assistant meet director. The phrase “two heads are better than one” applies when organizing a meet. In addition, normal club growth requires the constant training of new meet directors, so if you can get an assistant who is not already a trained meet director, but has the time and desire to learn, you are benefiting your club. Plan together who will do what, when it will be done, and how many other people you will need to help.

6. Arrange for Maps. Contact the Map manager for planning maps, the process of getting any map corrections onto the final map, and when final maps will be in your hands. Always plan for plenty of extra maps, you do not want to run out of maps on the day of the event. This is NOT the place to try to save money. Extra maps for your event can be used for planning maps next time.

7. Staff your event. Normally, you will need to staff the following positions for the average local club event:

a. Course setters. Usually you and your assistant MD will also function as course setter and vetter. If not, recruit at least 2 people for these jobs.

b. Meet Staff. Always finish recruiting your meet staff at least a week before your event. Recruit both early and late staffers for each meet job so that all can run courses. The meet director should remain available to handle problems and to fill in if a staff member needs a short break. The assistant meet director should rotate thru all jobs, making sure things are going well and learning every task.

· Beginner briefing instructors. You should have at least 2, holding staggered sessions.

· Registrar. It’s best to have 2 during peak times.

· Starters. Unless it’s a very small event (under 50 people), you will need at least 2 people working Start, one doing the White and Yellow starts, the other doing the starts for Orange and above or otherwise divide starts evenly.

· Finisher. Have at least one person who does nothing but write down finish times.

· Results workers separate from Finishers.

· Designate one or two meet workers as First Aiders. Assign a SAR coordinator.

· Control Pickup crew. The more you got, the faster you get done.

8. Arrange for Equipment and Supplies. Contact your club’s Equipment manager and make arrangements for picking up what you need. Be sure to agree on who will check the equipment and replenish any consumable items or acquire replacements for lost or damaged items. Once you have the equipment, check to be sure everything is there and make sure all equipment and supplies are clean, dry and ready to use. An Equipment Checklist is later in this package.

9. Meet Director’s Site Visit.

a. Pick a general area of the map to use for the courses and inform CS team.

b. Pick a meet HQ near parking and preferably with rain shelter and comfort facilities.

c. Make lists of what you’ll need in the way of tarps, porta-potties, water and cups, extra equipment and helpers.

d. Check in with park ranger for special access needs, what time the park opens and closes, other arrangements.

e. Collect emergency phone numbers of park manager/landowner, nearest EMT unit, directions to nearest hospital, discuss safety issues with park manager or landowner.

10. Inform club president and persons in charge of obtaining permits and insurance certificates of the location of event HQ and parking. Make sure the driving directions and your contact info is correct on the club’s website.

11. Coordinate Course Setting. Course Setters, vetters and field helpers comprise the course setting team. This should be at least 2 people, but can be more. Offer to allow those interested in learning course setting to “get their feet wet” by tagging along with an experienced course setter or vetter. Designate a Head Course Setter who will coordinate. Meet Director should be sure:

a. Team members are active Orienteers and familiar with Course Setting Guidelines.

b. Each knows what they will handle, by when, and has plenty of time to do it.

c. Each team member is given training or has the experience they need.

d. Each knows the out-of-bounds areas and other park considerations.

e. Head CS has planning maps, clue sheet program or manual clue sheet instructions.

f. Head CS has necessary equipment, including control flags, control codes, punches, surveyor’s tape, map bags, control tote bags, water and cups for water stops, master map boards.

g. A deadline has been set by which the head course setter will give the meet director master maps, clue sheets, and course lengths.

h. Check on the progress of the CS team to be sure everything will be in place and ready to go on the morning of the event.

i. Head CS plans control pickup routes and prepares maps for post-event pickup.

j. Water stops are set up. If there is a water freeze likely, arrange to put out the water on event morning or protect water against cold.

12. The Night Before the Event:

a. Meet Director phones event staff and confirms time and location for their duties.

b. MD checks email and phone messages for event questions and responds.

Meet Director’s Responsibilities during the Event

1. Morning of the Event Early:

a. Make sure to have onsite before the event begins all permits, insurance certificates, master maps, control description copies, clean maps, extra water and cups for the Start and Finish areas, emergency contacts.

b. Make sure course setting team is onsite and hanging last of the controls and putting out remaining water stops.

c. Put direction signs along approach roads.

d. Put out any needed signs for Parking instructions and walking to meet HQ.

2. Setting up:

a. Unload the meet Equipment from your car and sort according to use – Registration, Start, Finish, Results.

b. Brief event staff as necessary, assist staff with setting up their areas, do not allow early arrivals to bother them until they are ready to begin.

c. Load starter cash, provided by club Treasurer, into Cash box.

d. If using master maps, make sure master maps are ready to go, both those in the master map area and those that can be copied before Start.

e. If the Start is ready to go early, make sure Starters can handle changing Start times and make announcement to participants.

f. Keep participants away from Finish area once they have finished.

g. Make sure there is a first aider and first aid kit handy to the Finish Line and the Finishers know the first aider.

h. Make sure Results has laptop with Results program set up and working or alternative method of computing results is ready.

3. During the Event:

a. Check periodically with Results workers for participants out over 3 hours. Initiate SAR procedures as appropriate.

b. At the pre-arranged time, have 2^nd shift event workers ready to take over and make sure the transition is smooth without upsetting meet procedure.

c. At the announced close of Registration, instruct Registrars to close Registration, and begin money computations. When they are done, take money, checks, calculation form, and membership forms in map case and return Cash box to meet equipment. Make sure Start sign-up sheets go to the Results for SAR purposes.

d. At the announced close of Starts, instruct Starters to disassemble the Start area, and take Start Time sheets to the Results.

e. Shortly prior to the close of Finish, have Results give you a list of those still out on courses and organize checking for their friends, cars in parking areas, and unprocessed punch cards to determine if they are truly out or simply missed checking in.

f. At course closing time, notify the control pick up crew to begin.

g. Once all participants are finished, organize clean up of the HQ area and the repacking of equipment and supplies.

h. Arrange with webmaster for prompt posting of Results.

Meet Director’s Responsibilities after the Event

1. Check with Results person to be sure all participants have returned. Make sure any injured competitors were sufficiently helped.

2. Assist designated SAR person in arranging searches for any lost participants.

3. Assist course setter in determining if any special post-event handling of control is needed (wet, muddy). Identify with CS any controls that need to be brought to the attention of the Equipment manager for repair or replacement.

4. Make sure the event area is clean and all meet workers have repacked and put event equipment back in your car.

5. Make sure there are no cars left that belong to participants or event staff. If there are, identify the missing persons and notify and assist SAR person with finding them.

6. Verify with course setter that all controls, water stops and vetting tape are out of the woods and that the entire control pickup team has returned safely.

7. Once everyone is back safely and all equipment is packed and in the car, thank event staff and dismiss. The CS or asst. MD should leave at the same time you do, last.

8. Return all Equipment to the Equipment manager’s house.

9. Confirm that Results have been sent to club webmaster and posted on club net.

10. Make sure all expenses of the meet have been paid/reimbursed. Prepare receipts and either send to Treasurer or take out of event cash and note on reconciliation form.

11. Verify calculations on money reconciliation form prepared by Registrar. Count cash and substitute a personal check. Send checks & reconciliation to club Treasurer.

12. Send sign-up/waiver forms and membership applications to club Secretary.

13. Return unused clean maps to the Maps manager.

14. Be sure to call or email your event volunteers to thank them and make sure they get the club’s volunteer recognitions.

15. Be sure to send a Thank You to the park manager or landowner for their cooperation.

16. Congratulate yourself on a job well done!

Registration Procedure

1. Early shift Registrars obtain their equipment and supplies from the meet director and set up registration:

a. Registration banner

b. Table & chairs

c. Tarps set up if needed

d. Sign-up/waiver forms with punch cards, nearby pens in cups

e. Maps & map cases

f. Control descriptions

g. Cash box with starter cash

h. Membership list and membership forms

i. Start time assignment grid

j. Announcements posted

k. Loaner/rental compasses

l. For sale items (t-shirts)

m. Masking tape, scissors, stapler & staples, calculator, trash bags

2. Registrar hands out sign-in forms and pens, indicates where to go to fill them out.

3. Registrar received completed form, check for completeness.

a. Name, address, phone, email

b. Check membership status and determine fees

c. Correct fees indicated on the form

d. Car information filled in

e. Course indicated, individual or group

f. Waiver is signed

4. Registrar takes money, hands participant map, map case, control descriptions, punch card, start time assignment off grid. Participant may be allowed to chose his/her own start time from grid.

5. Determine if the participant needs

a. Beginner instruction. Direct them to instructor or briefing area.

b. Loan/rental compass. Use collateral system (keys preferred). Instruct participants on the procedure for returning compasses.

c. Membership form (new or needs to renew).

6. Indicate master maps for those copying before they Start.

7. Indicate Start area and direct participants to show up 5 minutes prior to their Start time.

8. Shift change occurs smoothly supervised by meet director.

9. After Registration closes, late shift Registrars will close registration.

a. Pack up equipment and supplies, make a list of consumables that are low and give list to the meet director.

b. Return unused clean maps to the meet director.

c. Count money & checks in box, total fees from sign-up sheets and membership forms, sale/rental of other items. Fill in Money Reconciliation form. Place money, checks, reconciliation form, and membership forms in map case and give to the meet director.

d. Take sign-up sheets to the Results for SAR purposes.