We have come up with the idea of a surfing competition for our contingency plan which I think will be a really good idea but we have to look into a bit more. Being the first week of planning the event I think it is going quite well because we have a lot of the information already.
22nd March 2004
We have got the website started and decided on the things we are to change. The list is as followed.
Video clips from ‘The Bitches’
Pictures from ‘The Bitches’
Contacts of the local accommodation and facilities available
Health and safety Guidelines
Sponsors
Day to day runnings and activities
Competition details
Dates and Information points
About the area
Registration forms that can be printed off the website
We wrote down a basic idea of what to change these things to. We also changed the logo just to make it look a bit better. We have come up with some people that can provide a DJ and PA system as long as they get free entry, food and drink. There is no sign of the contingency plan which I think is really bad as it needs to go onto the website. Ii obtained some information about past events to get an idea of what it is all about. Still designing a ticket but no success on that subject. There is still no sign of poster ideas that is holding up the production of the ticket design, which I am pretty disappointed about.
Have got the contact numbers from last year but no action has been taken into contacting them. Asked the rest of the group about the lay out of a tally board for the competition and have decided that we will use numbered thick elastic bands which will be placed around wrist or ankle. This way we can keep on track on how many people are in the water at that time.
Being the second week into planning the event I don’t think it is going too well. I thought it would be easy but there is a lot of work and things that need to be completed before moving onto the next task, which is not really happening.
29th March 2004
I have been on the Internet and onto some chat boards and messaging services giving out the information that the event will be running this year. Quite a response. It is not good really because the website isn’t up and running so people cannot refer to the website for more information about the event. But I will keep in touch. I have seen the poster design so I can work on the tickets. Not a lot of people are agreeing to the design of the poster and want it changed. A couple of draft copies have been up for vote but not many people are happy with the content and colours. Started the manufacture of the tally board but I am not very happy with it as I think it may be too big, so further recommendations are to be thought about for the tally board.
Still no sign of the contacts being contacted. Contingency plan idea is to hold a surfing competition and maybe have a swap around, where the surfers and kayakers swap around and have a competition. We have handed the task of organising photographers to another group, as our action plans are not looking too good. The website is near enough ready for being put onto the Internet, just a few things that need to be sorted like the registration forms and health and safety guidelines.
Looking at week 4, 5th April 2004 I can see that nearly everything is down within our group’s tasks. Just waiting for the final design of poster to alter the ticket design and then they are ready to be sent off. Came up with the idea of selling tickets at the doors at the event. We are looking for alternatives for the contacts we currently have and a few people outside of the group have given us a hand on this. The tally system is in process and near completion. Just need to get bands. Come up with the idea of holding heats such as quarterfinals, semifinals and finals for the surfing competition. This has been thought through and ready to be put into practice.
I think that the idea of using action plans is a good idea because it allows you to see what stage you are at in helping to plan the event. I think it would have worked more effectively if there was more space to write so you could have a more detailed in-depth breakdown of the tasks that need to be completed, as I kept notes along with each weeks personal action plan. I also think it would be good if there were more rows so you could view more tasks.
I am now going to produce health and safety guidelines for participants.
- If you go into the water, make sure you collect your band from the tally board so we can keep on track of how many people are in the water
- When in the water, keep to your designated area, surfers and kayakers at different ends to avoid accidents and collisions
- No glass bottles on the beach or in the water so no one can cut themselves
- No alcohol to be brung onto the beach or into the water as it can cause disorderly behavior and could result in drowning
- No dogs to be allowed on the beach due to environmental issues
- Incase of emergency, please contact you’re nearest rescue service or get hold of an event organiser.
I am now going to produce health and safety guidelines for contributors.
- Make sure you are in your reserved space and tell event organisers on arrival and when you leave so we know where you are
- Make sure you know where the nearest information point is located incase you need to contact an event organiser
- Make sure you know where you are supposed to be and at what time so it will make it easier for you and us incase we need to find you
I think these guidelines will be effective as it means that we can keep a record of where everyone is and how many people are in the water. Also keeping water users in designated areas will make it easier for them as they don’t have to worry about collision by kayak into surfboard or vise versa. The reason for knowing where the information points are will reduce people getting lost and getting the wrong times for a particular heat or event. On the information point there will be information about the following.
- Day to day runnings and times
- Information about accommodation and local phone numbers from the area, such as taxi services, emergency services and local facilities.
- General information about the events and the history about ‘The Bitches Festival’
I think that some people will not be pleased with the health and safety guidelines, as they may feel restricted in what and what not they are allowed to do. I think there is going to be a lot of people bringing alcohol onto the beach but if it is very moderate I suppose we could slack off a little to save arguments. There will be plenty of litterbins scattered around the area and hopefully people will be considerate enough to do their bit for the environment and put their rubbish and any they find in the bin. It will be encouraged. If there is litter on the beach then there is going to be litter in the sea. The emergency service wont need to be there but they are invited and more than welcome. They can even have a free ticket!
If people went by these guidelines I think that it would make it a safe, successful and enjoyable event.