Links to Forms
In addition to the information presented below, check out the Required Site Fee Exemptions on the An Tir page, so you're fully prepared.
So you're thinking about being the autocrat for an event… first of all, thank you! We appreciate your willingness to consider this important job, which will allow Montengarde and our guests to have a good time, meet new people, learn new skills and maybe make some money. It's important that you have a good time, too; after all, you're one of us - and a successful autocrat is a much-appreciated asset to any group. So it's in Montengarde's best interest to help you do the best job you can.
No autocrat is an island; you will be part of a team. Communications with your various helpers is essential; it makes for a smoother event and repeat volunteers. No one knows everything, nor is anyone expected to - asking questions is fine and certainly beats making avoidable mistakes. Every event is different; the following suggestions and guidelines are meant as a framework to help you feel comfortable as you learn. It is not meant as the complete guide to being an autocrat under all possible circumstances; its aim is to guide you through planning an event and putting together a bid in accordance with Society and local rules and with the least amount of stress possible. We hope you'll find it useful.
Start way in advance. Give yourself at least four months lead time, six months or more is better. Make a notebook and keep your notes, lists, e-mails, notes of phone conversations, business cards, and everything else pertaining to your event plans in it. You will be very glad later that you did. Take it with you to events, business meetings and everywhere else you go.
If you are a new autocrat, or have never before done an event the size of the one you are contemplating, you must have an assistant autocrat. This is someone in Montengarde who has experience being the autocrat for an event along the same lines as yours. Maybe you already know someone who you'd like to work with, if so, talk to them about it and see if they can commit to being your assistant. This is an important job; this person will take over the event if some disaster befalls you, and they will need to be available to give you advice and guidance. So make sure that whomever you select is able and willing to commit the time this will take. If you aren't really acquainted with someone who fills the bill, talk to the Seneschal and get suggestions for suitable people. Once you have found somebody willing to work with you, it's time to go into the next thing
So you want to bid on one of our traditional events. In order to make it happen, what would you need in a site? Good indoor space, high ceilings, a big kitchen? A large camping area, lots of woods, tons of parking? Make a list.
Find out how many people you should expect at your event. Check with the Exchequer and/or the Seneschal who will have records from previous years. This will let you know how big your site will need to be.
Now - where are sites that fulfill your requirements? Talk it over with your autocrat team, check with the Seneschal, other prior autocrats, the Yellow Pages, acquaintances who own land, etc. This is one of the biggest challenges facing a prospective autocrat; sites in Calgary can be expensive and may have a lot of limitations on activities such as archery and dates of availability. Keep looking.
Once you have located a prospective site, the following are questions to consider when talking to the owner
What would the total cost be? Would there need to be a deposit? Refundable? Is there a cancellation fee? How far in advance need the site be rented? Is our scheduled date currently available for this site? Is someone from the owner's staff required to be on site during the event? (Janitors, bar staff and security personnel are the most usual requirements in these cases.) Do they need to be paid in addition to the site rental cost? Is there a mandatory corkage fee for the bar?
How many people are allowed to occupy the site? (If an indoor site, there are usually fire marshal regulations in this regard.) How much parking is there? What are the hours of accessibility? What are the site's facilities? Are there any facilities on the site that are not included in the site rental?
Is there potable water on site? Is it included in the site rental? Trash removal? Would biffies need to be rented? Restrictions on open fires or candles? What is the emergency access route? Alcohol policy? Restrictions on collecting money on site? Is there a kitchen? What are its features? Is its use included in the site rental? Are there tables and chairs included with the site? How many?
Will someone be at the site to contact for plugged drains, burst water heaters and such? If not, how do we get in touch with the owner/caretaker?
What happens when it rains? Does the whole site turn into a bog? Is the ground rocky, wooded, hilly, flat? Are there streams or rivers on the site? If grassy, would the site be mowed before the event? Are there restrictions on driving cars onto any areas of the site?
Many more questions may occur to you, depending on the circumstances. Ask them all. Make notes of the answers, with whom you spoke, and the date.
Do not offer to get an insurance certificate. But if the owner asks for one, find out just what is required, this includes any special wording that may be needed on the certificate, and talk to the Seneschal about it. These can be obtained if need be.
DO NOT, repeat NOT, SIGN ANYTHING YET! You are just in the information gathering stage.
Now you have found a potential site, and it's time for the next step.
For each of our traditional events (Twelfth Night, Beltaine, DragonSlayer) the date will have already been selected and reserved. Ask the Seneschal or check the Montengarde web page at www.montengarde.org to find out the selected date. Check for the event bid deadline as well. This will let you know when you need to provide your bid to Their Excellencies.
So you’ve checked the date. You've checked with the site and it's available at that time. Now it's time to take a look at Worksheet A, the Site Fee Worksheet. You should now have all the information you need to compute the site costs and site fee. Pencil is OK (actually, recommended) at this point. Remember, you need to include archery lane fees in your site budget for Twelfth Night and for DragonSlayer if the main site does not have archery facilities. If you’re not sure how much to allow, ask the Archery Officer or current champion for a budget figure. If you're not having a feast, and there is no extra camping fee involved, you're done with that sheet. If you are having a feast, hold on, we're coming to that part. Fill in the Event Budget spreadsheet with the figures you get from Worksheet A. There is one other thing that you may need to consider, and that is the Non-Member Surcharge, or NMS for short. Talk to the Seneschal and Exchequer for more information.
You have an idea for the main event activity, perhaps, but what else is going to happen? Is there going to be a tourney? Rapier, Heavy, both? Children's activities? A feast, quest, court, A & S competitions, archery, classes? Is your event going to be part of one day, all one day, two days, more? Is there a Championship held at this event? Make more lists.
This is where the advice of your autocrat team can be especially valuable. No event can have absolutely everything, you need to decide what you want to concentrate on. Take a look at how many people we have, what they are presently interested in, where most of our out of town guests are likely to be drawn from, and other factors like the season, particular features of the site, and so on. Come up with at least one major and two minor activities - for instance, a big feast, a small tourney and some informal A & S classes. Or, perhaps, a war, some rapier classes and a potluck dinner. This can be varied ad lib depending on the time available, but try to keep things varied, interesting and maybe just a little nonstandard - it's nice to be able to offer people something out of the common ordinary event formula.
This is a good time to start drawing up a proposal for the funds that you may need to run this event. This will give you a better focus as to what activities you really want to have at your event. Will the A & S need supplies? What is needed for the planned children’s activities? What is your goal to complete your feast in? Will you be giving prizes? Fill in the costs in the Event Budget spreadsheet. Make sure you’ve allowed enough for this on Worksheet A. Adjust it if you haven’t.
Once you and your assistant have a rough outline of ideas as to what activities you want, you can start thinking about the next, very important step
It's time to assemble your event team. Again, your autocrat team can be a great help in deciding what mix of assistants will work well for your particular needs. Take a look at the Event Report Form; what positions will you need help in coordinating?
For our purposes here, assume two types of event help:
First, talk to the various Montengarde officers and Champions. If you are going to have a tourney, speak with the Master of Stables. Is he or she going to be available that weekend (don't take that for granted!), and if not, what other warranted marshals are locally available? The same applies in their own fields to the Herald, the A & S Minister, the Waterbearer, List Minister, and so on. Each officer should get first crack at being the responsible person at the event, but they may not always be able to, so make sure to ask. Contact the Baron and Baroness and any visiting Royalty who will be attending and ask them if they will be holding court.
If you are going to have a feast, you need a head cook. It is best for a novice autocrat to work with a veteran head cook, and vice versa. Again, confer with your assistant autocrat, the Seneschal and previous autocrats about choosing a head cook if you don't already have one in mind. Don't be afraid to ask for references, this person is going to be responsible for a lot of expenses and more than one event has gone over (or not) on the strength of the feast. Go over Worksheet B, the Feast Planning Worksheet, with your cook. Start penciling things in. Fill in the Event Budget worksheet with the figures.
You should contact the bar volunteer and make arrangement if you wish for alcohol to be available at the event. Do not assume that this will happen if you don’t ask. Please ask the Seneschal if you have any questions.
Now is the time to get out Worksheet C and Worksheet D. As people tell you they are willing to act as support or activity personnel, pencil them in, too. Keep in mind that life happens and things may change; people can't always be 100% sure of their commitments several months in advance. Stay flexible. It’s OK if things change or if there are a few blank spots.
Take a look at the Event Budget spreadsheet. Fill in any additional items that may be required such as cash float and various miscellaneous expenses. Check the sheet to ensure your numbers seem realistic and that the budget is showing an appropriate profit. Adjust the number accordingly and finalize your budget proposal.
So here you are - you have assembled a remarkable amount of information in your trusty notebook. You have a line on a good site, you know how much it's going to cost us to hold the event you're thinking about, you've got a general plan of what we're going to do there, and you have at least some of the folks lined up who will help you make it happen. What now?
Now it's time to sell your great idea to Montengarde. You may think, but I've already talked to all these people, and they know I want to do this, isn't that enough?
No, it isn't. In order for the branch to put on your event, the decision has to be made to spend branch money on it. Now is the time for you to take a long look at the Montengarde Financial Policy. It may not be exciting reading, but familiarity with it is a must for a prospective autocrat, particularly Sections VI and VII. There you will see that in order to get an event approved by the branch, you must submit "a written description of the event, including activities and proposed site, an Event Budget Worksheet, detailing the estimated income and expenses expected for this event, and a list of people that have committed to perform the necessary functions to put on the event, including the approval of the officers responsible for the activities proposed at the event." That is a long way of saying "The contents of Worksheets A, B, C and D and your Event Budget spreadsheet" - which you have already done. Print them off and make copies for the Baron and Baroness, Seneschal and Exchequer.
You will see that there is yet another form to fill out - that is the Event Bid Form. This is a condensed version of all the information you have already gathered on your worksheets; it's easier to refer to in a meeting, being only one sheet. Fill out the bid form, make several copies, and tell the seneschal you have an event proposal to bring to the next officer's meeting. We're almost there now, only a couple of steps remain:
You’ve already checked when the deadline is to present your bid. Now you are going to attend the Council meeting, and persuade the folks there that Montengarde needs, wants, and can afford to sponsor this event and that you will do a fantastic job organizing it. This is best done by coming to the meeting organized, with your notebook and copies of the event bid to pass around, able to answer questions about the site, your plans and your personnel, and with a confident attitude.
Let's assume that all goes well, as it probably will - the officers feel that they can support this event, the Seneschal gives the final OK and we can afford it. Now Their Excellencies will review it (and any other bids) for one week. They will announce Their decision at Tavern or in some other appropriate manner. Chances are you will already have been told of the decision prior to the announcement.
And now, at long last, here you are. Your great idea is now an event bid approved by Their Excellencies. Now you can present your budget to Council for approval using your Event Budget spreadsheet. The Baron and Baroness’ selection of your bid does not necessarily mean your budget will be approved as it was presented in the bid. It still needs to be approved by Council who may request some changes. This allows you to get the appropriate cheques from the Exchequer as you need them. It will be your responsibility to review the Financial Policy and make arrangements with the Exchequer to pay for your expenses. KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS. ALL OF THEM. You may not be reimbursed for expenses if you don't (remember the Financial Policy, Section VI? If not, go back and read it again, as many times as necessary.) Remind any autocrat team members spending money (for instance, the head cook) of this as well. The branch has approved your budget, remember that key word budget. If you find that you will need more money than you thought, this will need to be approved separately at another business meeting. DO NOT just spend it and assume you'll be reimbursed, that way lays unpleasant surprises. If in doubt, talk to your assistant autocrat, the Seneschal or the Exchequer. That's what they are there for, after all.
The gate is a very big part of your event. It is also one of the most important. This is where everyone will check into your event. You should create a volunteer roster and schedule a rotation for your gate people. Remember that no one wants to be at gate during the whole event.
Have a talk with the Exchequer about how gate money is going to be handled. Who do you have to run your gate? Do not assume that the Exchequer or Constable will run the gate. You are jointly responsible for coming up with a way to ensure the control of cash at the event (see the ever-popular Financial Policy, Section VII; bookmark it, if you haven't already). See to it that your head gate keeper understands the procedure thoroughly and gets all the necessary forms from the Exchequer. You will be the one to deliver all the funds to the Exchequer along with the necessary reconciliation forms within seven days of the event. You will be issued a receipt for these funds. Put it in your notebook and don't lose it; in the unlikely event of questions being asked, it could become very important. You will also need to request any petty cash for the gate's cash box from the Exchequer. Also, don’t forget to make arrangements to get the cash box itself along with the Autocrat briefcase. This needs to be done a good two weeks in advance of the event, so plan accordingly.
Have you talked with the Seneschal to get the gate box? Don’t confuse the gate box with the cash box. The gate box holds all the waivers that your participants must sign. You may even need a second person at the gate to be in charge of waivers at a busy event.
Your event copy is required to appear in the Crier. To ensure this, download the Event Information Form at http://www.antir.sca.org/Offices/Seneschalate/event-information.pdf and fill it out according to instructions. This is also sent to the Avacal Calendar Deputy, and must be received in order for copy to appear in the Crier. This must be accompanied by event copy that complies with the Crier policy. The policy is available in each issue of the Crier. This must be received by the Avacal Calendar Deputy by the 15th two months prior to your event. Provide the Seneschal with copies of the event copy and Event Information Form for his or her files.
Event copy is what will make people want to come to your event. If you don't feel like you're much of a writer, ask your autocrat team for help. Use the various local, Principality and Kingdom mailing lists to spread the word. Don’t forget to send copy to the Montengarde and Avacal chroniclers and Web Ministers as well.
If you need to send off for a Certificate of Insurance, this will need to be done at least 45 days prior to the event. You should make a copy of the request for your records.
Start making lists of what equipment you will need to hold your event. The Seneschal and Exchequer have records of what Montengarde owns, and where these things are currently located. Think about transport needs both to and from the site. Contact the Stablemaster to make arrangements for collecting these things (feast supplies, eric posts, SCA signs, etc.) well in advance (at least two weeks) of the event. Do not assume that this will be brought to the event without you asking for it and making the appropriate arrangements. Remember to also make arrangements to return the items after your event.
Remember that the site needs to be taken down, as well as set up. Organize your support personnel so that the same people are not doing it all both times. We leave places cleaner than we found them, and if that means you are the last person on site, picking up stray bits of trash, well, that's your job. Do not forget to thank them at the end of the event.
Talk things over regularly with your autocrat team, in person or by e-mail. Make a note of anyone who is doing especially good work; they might need an award recommendation.
Before you go off to enjoy your event, there is one last thing
You may recall from your reading of the Montengarde Financial Policy that every autocrat (in conjunction with the Exchequer) is required to submit an event summary within thirty days of the conclusion of the event (see attached form). Fill in the “Actual” columns in the Event Budget Spreadsheet too. This is VERY important; failure to submit these forms on time may result in disqualification from being the autocrat of any future Montengarde events. Submit copies of the Event Report and the Event Budget Spreadsheet to the Seneschal and Exchequer.
Don’t forget that you need to the deliver all the funds to the Exchequer along with the necessary reconciliation forms within seven days of the event. (Check the Financial Policy if you forgot).
Lastly, once it is all over and all the paperwork is finished, remember to thank everyone who helped you. Profusely. A small gift of some sort is nice, too. Knowing that their efforts are appreciated will bring people back to work with you again.
Congratulations, you did it. It really was a great idea.