Conceiving the Event
This event was conceived as an entirely new format, the goal of which was to present a Feast as an interactive Arts & Sciences display. No similar events exist that I am aware of, and I have certainly not been to one, so this was essentially dreamed up from whole cloth. As my first significant A&S project in the Society, I chose to give myself the research advantage of choosing sources I was able to read for myself in the original. Many of the other details of the event developed around the theme, venue, and Staff who accreted through the process. Once you have your idea, I encourage you to begin with the Event Steward’s Handbook to help flesh out all of the details along the way. It was an invaluable resource for me to plan effectively.
Finding a Venue
Finding a venue was an extremely daunting task in this area of the Kingdom. Prices are extremely high, and the Populace has not adjusted their expectations accordingly. Because I insisted on this being a high quality event, I put the entire thing on hold until I found a venue that was sufficient and could be afforded. We were extremely blessed to find ThorpeWood, which exceeded all expectations on both counts.
Planning for & Recruiting Staff
When planning staffing for this event, I had several key requirements. First, we needed enough people to get the job done, and I wanted to recruit them in their entirety before opening Registration. Second, I wanted people who would share my vision and enthusiasm – a key factor in any event’s success. Third, I wanted a Leadership staff among them that was highly competent and capable so that I could delegate responsibility without concern. I started by creating an organizational chart, and recruiting from the top down. By bringing on the right people, in that order, they were able to contribute their own enthusiasm and leverage their personal connections to find the right people. I also advertised through SCA channels for the last 10% or so of Staff, ensuring everyone who wanted to had an opportunity to Volunteer at the event.
Creating Structure & Direction
I freely admit that I am a serious Organizer. If that was not already evident, it is about to be. I would call myself an over-organizer, however, the level of organization I prepared for this event is a huge factor in its success, and was praised by the Staff routinely. This is crucial to me – I want to create one that is as agreeable for the Staff as it is the Guests. Therefore, to organize my staff, a created an org chart just as I would for a business using Creately.
I divided responsibilities into Departments, and put my Leaders over each one so that everyone on staff knew exactly who they should talk to if they needed something. This was one of the most important processes of planning the event because it ensured I had enough Staff and Leadership, which allowed everyone, including me, to enjoy the day. The key principles of this organization are that every position has at least two people assigned, that every table had a dedicated server, that as many people as could comfortably fit were assigned to the kitchen, and that no one oversaw more than 5-6 people directly. The staffing ratio for this event was 1 Volunteer for every 3 Guests and this was the correct amount of Staff, not including our Performers.
Planning for Execution
It is my philosophy to set up an event to the extent that if I did not show up, it would run itself in large part. This meant a variety of job aides that amounted to plans, not just pieces of information set in front of the Staff. The most crucial piece to plan up front was the schedule for the day. In addition, I created floorplans and setup diagrams, a setup checklist for the day before, a list of substitute dishes for Guests with particular requirements, and other diagrams and signage as needed. My Deputy Event Steward was given a “Front of House Bible” which was the counterpart to the Kitchen Bible discussed in Behind the Curtain – Feast Planning. Like that document, it was given in its entirety to the top member of the staff in that area, and individual pieces of it were handed out in duplicate as needed. Between these two booklets, the event could essentially be run in my absence.
In order to prepare the Staff effectively to execute the event, we held several meetings in advance. I met with each member of the Leadership to discuss their expectations and mine, to bring those into alignment, and – crucially – to ensure they each had the resources and support they needed from me to do their jobs. I also held a meeting with all of the Staff together, and explained everyone’s role and necessary details to every member of the team so that they could understand how all of the pieces fit together.
Execution
The day of the event simply came down to “doing the thing.” Minor adjustments needed to be made, as they always will, but the vast majority of the event ran exactly as intended. My Leadership team did exceled at their duties, and – in large part – did not need me at all. I still made a point to check with each of them to ensure they were getting the support they needed, however, rather than expecting them to find me and come to me if they weren’t. This gave me the blessing of the opportunity to both circulate among our Guests and to serve the Staff Table their meal myself.
The most complicated piece we needed to execute on the day, since guests we self-seating, was a means by which to effectively, conveniently, and subtly communicate information about certain Guests – our Guests at the High Table, as well as those with dietary restrictions, specifically. To accomplish this I instituted a system of guest cards, which of course did have to be prepared in advance as well. While they were not period, they are highly functional and fairly discreet. These were handed out to specific people, marked on the gate list, at the Gate. They indicated a person’s seating position, as well as any dietary restrictions they may have. Simply printed on ivory business cards, they were an excellent tool that was not especially noticeable. Once seated, a Guest simply presented the card to their Server, and they would provide substitutions as directed by the planning documents.
The Feast Tokens
I wanted to present tokens which were grounding in the context of our event, while also serving as memorabilia. In our context, the spoon was the one thing a host provided to his guests. Then it would have been silver, and no one was permitted to leave the event until they had all been returned and counted. In this case, I wanted to gift all of our attendees a spoon, engraved for the occasion – something both memorable and practical.
In addition, I wanted to show our particular appreciation for the guests who supported the birth of a new event by purchasing upgraded seats at the High Table. In addition to the engraved spoon, each seat at the High Table was set with a hand-stamped pouch featuring a design including my personal badge and the Populace Badge of Highland Foorde, as well as the beautiful calligraphy from Meisterin Kolfinna. Each pouch contained a thank you note, and a jar of a seasoning blend that captured the flavors of our context that these Guests would be able to take home and enjoy whenever they pleased, hopefully with fond memories of our time together.
Accessibility & the Use of QR Codes
Accessibility is a high priority commitment for me personally and for our Barony. Part of this included plans to stream the event and discreetly amplify Court in such a long hall. In addition, for the benefit of our guests, all information about food ingredients was provided well in advance, and a menu sheet was laid on each table with a disguised (as possible) QR code that could be used to access details of the menu at a Guest’s convenience. Individual dish cards with ingredients callouts and individual QR codes were designed for the event, but were not used in the end.
