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[RGRatSea]

My wife and I put on a games for our community and it was quite a learning experience. As a run up we planned a Rabbie Burns night complete with Scottish dishes (explaining "cock-a-leekie" was interesting), and live entertainment including readings of the works of Burns. That was for starters - to get folks thinking Scottish.

Planning for the games began about 16 months out by setting a timetable for what needed to be done and when. A rough schedule gains additions as things develop. I have a little experience in organizing, as a result my wife and I found ourselves doing the bulk of the work. Creating periodic news articles related to our direction kept the concept in the media and saved us from spending on advertising. We even got a write up in a London paper.

A check list of things to include, activities and amenities including food, drink vendors, the games themselves, awards, piper and dancers, sheep dogs (no trials for us, we had demonstrations as trials were not approved by the local folks with working dogs), clan tents and accommodations for participants and attendees. The previous posters all had good suggestions and your planning list will vary depending on location. We had combined county fairgrounds and a little league field with bleachers, lots of parking in an adjoining field and a building with beer and food, restrooms and a place to get out of the sun. Additional porta-potties we set out for the clan tents, the athletes and the vendors and guests.

Our grounds were fenced and we had a small entry fee. By careful management we started our games with $10,000.00 in the bank and at the end, with all the bills paid we still had half that left for the Games Association. I still have the recipes for the dishes. A local chef cooked everything as a test in advance of our events to understand the dishes. We even offered samples of Haggis.

If I can assist let me know, but I must say, we are leaving home soon and I will not have my materials available once we hit the road.

Best regards, don't let the list alarm you, you will make the right choices based on your circumstances and timing. A small, well run event is better than trying to do to much and being driven nuts.

Ryc

[sydnie7]

Personally, I prefer the smaller venues such as Vista over the larger such as Costa Mesa (both California sites that I know you have been to -- I've never been to a Games out of the state).

My main reasoning is that I like the athletics to be in the "heart" of the venue rather than stuck out in a remote area. The year we went to Queen Mary was the worst for that (among many other "worsts" of that venue!), with athletics in a small grassy area at the bow of the ship, completely removed from the rest of the event. Costa Mesa and Ventura also seem to isolate the athletics.

Starting with a smallish site such as Vista's does prevent you from growing too much in future. But I'd rather attend a small, well-run Games than an overwhelmingly large event.

We also enjoy the British car clubs that show up at most Games, depending on where you are there are a variety of clubs that could be interested in a display.

Check out your potential site's current concessions (food/drink) as they may have additional restrictions on event-specific food/drink vendors (i.e. the current concessions may have exclusive rights to sell at the site).

Best of luck with whatever you have in mind!

[Lorna]

Depending on the time of year, shade might come in handy. My family did the pipe band competition circuit for a few years. A lack of shade at one games was the biggest detriment that comes to my mind immediately. That was a long, brutal day. There was another games we all came home early because we were wind burned. Best of luck.

[piperdown]

source of electricity or lots of generators for the vendors.

[azwildcat96]

Just out of curiosity...Are you planning another SoCal games? Any general locations or areas?

[Steve Ashton]

One of the best, local, small games I have ever seen was held in a municipal athletic field.

The ball diamonds made for great heavy event venues. The backdrops came in handy for the hammer. There were bleachers to watch from.
The site already had power, lights, and good bathrooms. Some food vendors could use the existing hotdog stands.

Behind the bleachers of the ball field were trees and a park like setting with picnic tables. Perfect for setting up the vendor and clan society tents. Beyond them was ample parking.

All within a well known, secure, and well lit area. Lighting at night was important as these were two day games and the vendors wanted to keep their tents up overnight so security was on hand after closing.

One thing that many people overlook is access to the field with vehicles. Can the field you rent have cars and trucks drive on them. This is very important as you are setting up early in the morning and taking everything down at night. Time becomes critical and everyone is tired. The last thing you need is some idiot vendor who wants to pack up and drags his trailer pulled by his 3/4 ton ram truck over a mowed and tended field. The same can be said for a food vendor who want to pull a donut trailer over the same field.
But you do need some way of moving heavy stuff like tents, ice, equipment etc. around. And that stuff is too heavy to carry.

Lastly if you are going to have dance competitions or shows you will need a stage with a sound system and good sun and rain cover.

Prepare to rent 5-10 portable pop-up type tents for things like the weaving guild demo or the history and heritage lectures.
Also you will need lots of chairs and tables not only for the beer tent but for people to just sit down for a while.

Get your cadre of volunteers lined up early and have them well briefed. Where is the first aid station and the lost & found? Can they communicate with each other? Do they have t-shirts or vests so people will know that they are working and can find them easily?

And lastly but perhaps most importantly. There needs to be one person who is the central point of contact. That person needs to be in one place where they can be found at a moments notice and have easy access to an outside phone line and radios to all the areas of the field. There also needs to be a big sign letting people know that this is where to go if you need something.
This one central person, who does not move around, but has instant access to everything has saved more games than any other single thing. In some cases they have even saved a life.