A few words about the organization of robotic competitions
Event management technologies have long been known, developed and put on stream. You can always order a turnkey event, starting from the conference and ending with the wedding.
Robotic competitions and festivals for schoolchildren and students (not to be confused with exhibitions or demonstrations) stand out in this row, especially if they are massive and held in a short period of time. Such events cannot be completely left to the contractors due to the large number of nuances.
Under the cut - a brief overview of the features that organizers of robotics competitions have to deal with.
Any educational organization that pays attention to robotics will sooner or later begin to hold competitions for its students and take part in other robotics competitions of various scales.
We will leave out of the box the block of preparatory measures that are aimed at recruiting, and in some cases, the selection of teams that are going to take part in the competitions, and we will go straight to the point.
First of all, children's robotics competitions differ from other events in that the following points are added to everything else that is clear and understandable for the organization:
Of course, a lot depends on the number: teams, their participants, guests and potential visitors. The technologies for conducting competitions for 100 and for 1000 participants are very different. And for 5000 participants, they change dramatically. But always in relation to such events, the key formula remains that everything happens "massively and in a limited period of time."
Any event in which children participate, requires special attention with regard to escort by special services, which without fail includes ambulance, fire service, security.
Below we will talk more about events from 2000-3000 people, but most of the recommendations are also applicable to local school events.
The answer to these general and closely interrelated questions will allow more meaningful transition to a detailed planning of the event.
What? You need to understand what format of the event is planned. It will be a friendly event for 20 teams between schools or a big festival for 1000 teams.
Where? It is important to distinguish between: or you have an agreement on a site that can accommodate a certain number of teams; or you have a minimum number of teams for which you have to look for a site.
When?From this point depends not only an understanding of the time available for preparation, but also a forecast regarding the teams. For example, if you are planning an event with schoolchildren and students, then the summer holidays, the beginning of the school year or the exam time is not the right time. Carefully read the calendar of events of school / student life so that there are no overlays with the dates of the competition. Otherwise, there is a risk of being left without the main participants.
Who! We definitely need to understand who the main organizer of the event is. If there are several of them, it is necessary to fix who has the last word and who is the holder of the seal for documents, and also - whose organization’s employee is the key on the site and manages all the processes.
At whose expense?Always a very important question to understand. Especially in terms of the volume of the budget and the timing of its receipt.
There are only 4 stages of the event - planning, preparation, conducting and closing stage. The most difficult moment is the preparation of the event after general planning. All issues that were not taken into account at the previous stage have to be resolved at the next, and this takes resources and time (especially if ignored problems are revealed after the start of the competition).
How not to forget about every little thing and take everything into account? Especially if you have a limited human, temporary and financial resource. There are scheduler programs for various purposes and types. Someone uses them, someone not. But the most important condition is the ability of the entire system to provide uninterrupted access to all information offline.
One of the easiest and most effective ways to not forget anything and take everything into account is to create folders, even in the cloud, even on the local computer. The principle is very simple: the folder should contain comprehensive information; Each folder should be filled with clear and relevant information for each person from the organizing team.
As an example, I will give a list of folders, which, in my opinion, allow you to most fully reflect the preparation and conduct of the event:
The logic of filling can be different, and the folders in the list are arranged in alphabetical order solely for ease of search and understanding.
Why is this needed? This allows for a very clear gradation and easy identification at any given time. Which is extremely important for logistics and security work.
You can for example use the following color differentiation of badges:
Badges are best for team members. It is more convenient to use stickers or badges with stickers of team numbers, which are assigned to them during registration. By the way, on the issue of budget: stickers for badges for printing on an ordinary printer are sold in office stores in a very economical version - 65 pieces on A4 sheet. In addition, this method allows you to get a lot of advantages:
It would be logical to put these materials in the “Printed Materials” folder, but this should not be done: this is an important block that is associated with registration lists, requires special attention and quick access, therefore it should be in sight.
Registration lists are the basic basis of the whole event, which allows you to control the number of participants and the composition of teams, predict and plan many things that greatly affect the budget (for example, meals).
Registration can be carried out in a variety of ways. Only one thing is invariable: compliance with Federal Law-152 of July 27, 2006 "On Personal Data".
No matter how the registration of participants for the event is carried out, everything should be consolidated and tabulated. From here registration lists for the information desk and the issuance of a package of souvenir products will be formed, from here lists for food and lists for judges will be transmitted. Finally, certificates and diplomas will be printed from the same tables for winners and competitors.
Next are simple tips that can greatly simplify life:
The ideal option is when all the data converges. But all the same, there will be individual participants or entire teams that for some reason did not register, or the data does not match. In this case, the organizers on the spot will have to do a number of actions with such participants: add to the lists, update them and pass them to the judges and those responsible for printing diplomas and certificates; as well as fulfill the obligatory part of receiving a package of documents from such participants - consent to the processing of personal data, safety measures, an order for accompaniment, a new team list.
If you have the opportunity to attract volunteers for the event, do it.
Special volunteer organizations can give people, but you can attract your own free employees or students of local universities.
Of course, with the volunteers it is necessary to carry out a lot of preparatory work in advance. But if everything is done correctly, then volunteers are a very effective way to make the event comfortable for both participants and organizers.
Do not forget that traditionally the organizers provide volunteers with uniforms and meals.
There are a number of things that volunteers can do:
But there are processes to which volunteers cannot be involved (this is often directly prohibited and prescribed in the agreement on volunteers, especially if they are involved through specialized organizations):
Obviously, personal certificates of participation in robotic (or any other) competitions and diplomas of prizes are a very useful document for all participants. In addition to recognizing the merits of the teams, these documents are often accountable and count as bonuses in many educational institutions.
Here are some tips to help minimize labor at this stage:
All these difficulties will make it possible to print dozens and hundreds of personal diplomas in a short period of time of 1.5 - 2 hours, which organizers and judges must meet. This is the maximum time that must elapse between the end of the competition and the rewarding of the first prize winner on the stage so that the team members do not have time to get tired and “burn out”.
Often within the framework of festivals and competitions, if resources allow, it is logical to arrange meetings of specialized specialists, heads of educational institutions, team leaders and partners of the event. Such meetings, workshops, discussions are held in separate rooms with moderators and moderators.
And it is precisely any part of the business program in the framework of robotic competitions that can be perfectly conducted and prepared by any external person or contractor under the supervision of a representative of the organizer who knows the goals and objectives of the business program, its purpose, is immersed in the general course and schedule of the event, which speakers should who will listen and with whom to replace the speakers if they cannot come.
That is, in fact, the "Business Program" is an event in the event. It has all the attributes of an event: participants, speakers, coaches, premises, provision, registration, meals, etc. We must not forget that the maintenance and provision will require a separate person and budget.
Holding any event with at least some budget involves searching for contractors and concluding agreements for site rental, printed matter, furniture rental, medical support, fire protection, food, event insurance and much more. In some cases, this process is complicated by the presence of tenders to select a supplier or competitive procedures.
This is a large and complex block, which is nevertheless familiar to many and from different angles. As elsewhere in the organization of robotic competitions, there are no universal agreements. Check with your accounting department in advance the conditions and forms of documents (including the cancellation of participant packages and handouts).
Most often, most robotic competitions are not self-sustaining, and spending sponsors, private or public, always requires close attention to the reporting documentation.
Approve in advance the forms and the list of documents for closing contracts (acts, additional agreements), because there will be no time to do this on the spot.
All issues on permits should also be resolved from the local departments of the RNPR (regional department of supervision and preventive work), the Ministry of Internal Affairs and local authorities (notification letters, approved development plans, arrangements with ambulance teams and firefighters on the days of the events).
One of the most voluminous and complex blocks in the preparation of robotic competitions is the planning of the area on which the event itself will take place. The size of the site and the number of teams should not contradict each other. When, finally, the balance is found, it is time to start planning the area. The organizer must clearly understand how many teams he has, what place each needs, how many chairs and sockets need to be allocated, how wide the aisles should remain between tables, so as not to cause complaints from firefighters (and this is at least 3 meters, however, in each particular case, consult local services RONPR).
All this layout with designated tables, chairs, sockets, banners, partitions, walkways, usually called short - building.
Perhaps a separate article should be devoted to this issue, but in short, the development involves the preparation of a plan on a scale:
A file (preferably a spreadsheet) with the prescribed amount of equipment in each zone:
The Plan and the File must always be synchronized and each exist in a single instance, in which all changes are made in parallel.
A plan is not a diagram. It is done on a scale to avoid mistakes and unpleasant surprises. The plan can be done in a special program to promptly make adjustments. Any program that can work with curves is suitable. For large halls and events, 3D visualization is very useful. It allows you to avoid many mistakes with logistics and external representation (often with 3D visualization there is a shortage or excess of space, which is not visible on the "flat" plane).
When preparing the site, do not rely on memory, but always refer to the prepared plan. The same plan should be on site at all times.
From the point of view of the organizing committee, it is imperative that all participants in the process have all the information on what is happening on the site, but everyone clearly understands who is responsible for what. There is a rule that says that if you don’t know who does this, you will have to do it yourself or it won’t be done at all.
It is necessary to have a separate room where all the representatives of the organizing committee will be able to quickly get together and talk. In this place all the necessary documentation is stored. It’s advisable to just put the floor plans, schedules and timings on the wall, there they will definitely not be lost.
It is convenient to use a set of walkie-talkies on the site for communication between key responsible people. Mobile phones in such situations may turn out to be ineffective, it is better to agree on the rules of negotiations on the walkie-talkie in advance.
The judges and their assistants are those people who do all the work on the site to conduct robotic competitions. The organizer's task is to do everything so that the judges can calmly and efficiently do their work without worrying about household things. The selection, training, education and training of judges is a large preparatory unit. It’s very difficult to prepare judges from scratch in a month, and in a week or two it is almost impossible. Indeed, the judge at such an event is often a volunteer.
For the event you need to have an absolutely clear idea of the following positions:
Informing participants unobtrusive, but constant, is a way to minimize questions on the spot and organize a self-regulatory process. Everything happens much easier and does not get off the schedule if the participants and teams know in advance what they should do, where to go and at what time.
Such information in a minimal format may include:
The information desk is the face of the competition, not only the main entrance, but also the first impressions of the event. Therefore, it is necessary to determine an individual responsible person with the necessary number of stress-resistant assistants (they may be from among the volunteers), they must have answers to all questions, problems must be resolved quickly and efficiently. And for this, all the documents in order of registration and a list of answers to all questions you must prepare yourself and provide them in advance. Moreover, in a form that is understandable even to an outsider, unprepared person. The more possible answers to the most impossible questions you foresee, the less they will call you to solve current questions.
And again, remember the law “On Personal Data”. Do not forget to collect the originals of consent to the processing of personal data from each participant! And if it is a minor, then there is also consent from the parents.
Questions to the organizing committee from the participants will come before the start of the competition. Collect them (along with the answers) immediately in a separate folder and use in the future to create memos and instructions for the information desk. Ideally, if the rules provide answers directly to the judges. It is also useful to have a folder to collect team appeals and responses to appeals. Let it be.
Competitive areas are kept here (that is, those blocks of the competition where the different chief judges and participants are different). The main documents of each direction are the regulations of the competitions themselves and layouts of the competition fields with elements.
Separate folders for each competitive direction will allow you to control and have at hand all the latest versions of the regulations. It is better to have documents in parallel in the Word format (for convenience) and PDF (for the site and newsletters), as well as layouts of competitive fields in all directions in curves and in PDF for quick viewing and in TIFF, so that they can be printed as soon as possible without intermediate steps and additional negotiations with designers. Make it a habit to always indicate the size in mm in the file name of the layout field for printing, so that the printing company does not ask unnecessary questions.
Regardless of the scale of the event, in order to create the general atmosphere of the holiday, an official grand opening is necessary. It is especially important to give the floor to representatives of organizations with the support of which competitions are held. If possible, the opening script is best given to professionals. It is better to conduct the ceremony to a person who understands the process and format, there is definitely no way to do a volunteer here.
If artists are present at the opening, do not forget that they will need a separate room for the preparation and placement of props.
If you plan to attend status guests, remember that such people can be late and shoot down the entire schedule. Therefore, one should not set the stages of competitions that are significant for the teams immediately after the opening ceremony, it is better to leave some kind of clearance.
Before, during and after the competition, information is constantly being requested from interested parties: management, partners, the media. So that your information is always at hand and leaves in the same format and without inconsistencies in external sources, consolidate it in one place and do not forget to update and adjust as necessary.
Place in the folder “Officially” all documents that are approved within the organizers as official data:
Frequently requested data:
It is useful to create an “event card” where official information is collected and constantly updated.
It is convenient to pre-prepare a newsletter about the results of the event, where at the end of the competition you will only have to enter the names of the winners and indicate some fresh facts.
Often in the process of preparation, there is a request for data that is in your structure together with others and they contain information for internal use.
For such files, it makes sense to organize a separate folder. This will reduce the time for preparing information and will reduce the likelihood of accidentally transmitting confidential information to third parties.
If representatives of partners are present on the site, always have at hand:
If there are more than 3 partners on the site, it is necessary to provide a curator for them and your convenience.
If a partner provides prizes, specify in advance whether his representative will personally participate in the award ceremony.
Each robotics competition involves a huge number of printing products: documents, regulations, competition fields, image banners, programs, memos, pointers, medals, cups and dice for cups themselves, diploma and certificate forms.
If the budget allows, then the participant’s package will be added to the printed matter:
Do not forget to consult in your accounting department or in the accounting department of your sponsor how this expense item is drawn up and written off.
If it so happens that the budget allows you to purchase all of the printing industry, then you will have to provide a place for its storage and find people who will receive, unload and complete it.
However, responsible fire departments may not like the storage of all this stuff in one room. If a warehouse is expected at the venue, such premises should be agreed with the fire departments. Offer the site and the fire services the option of organizing shelving, free passages and fire extinguishers, that is, convince the responsible services that there will be no landfill and blocked walkways in this room. But remember that at many commercial sites there is a separate paid warehousing service, which entails a burden on the budget of the event. And yet all banners must necessarily have fire safety certificates that are best kept at hand.
According to SanPiN 2.4.5.2409-08 section 6, clause 6.8, "the intervals between meals should not exceed 3.5-4 hours", which means that in the case of children staying at a long public event, they must be provided at least a full hot lunch. Even if it is not possible to organize the first, then the option of the second must be accurate and must be hot. Of course, this can be interpreted as the responsibility of those accompanying (parents and leaders), but in this case, your responsibility is to point to the paid food point within walking distance. Will such a point appear next to how convenient it is and whether participants will like this format, is another question.
In general, in competitions they are usually provided with meals:
Eating a large number of people in a limited period of time is not at all a trivial task for organizers and contractors and requires detailed calculation and coordination with the general schedule.
Be sure to pre-approve not only those who provide food, but also those who carry out cleaning after catering. By the way, even in cleaning issues at robotic competitions, there are some nuances. For example, many cleaning organizations prohibit their employees from cleaning at the stands and tables of participants in technical zones (training zones) of teams. So garbage collection in technical areas (team training areas) is a separate issue, the solution of which must also be foreseen in advance.
Let's get back to nutrition. It is necessary to determine the place and time of eating and make sure that this does not contradict the schedule of the competition. On the shoulders of the organizers lies the approval of the menu. Not only can it be different (for participants and employees), but in addition to lunch, it is absolutely necessary to provide dinner for those who work at the event all day, for 12-16 hours (judges, organizers, volunteers).
At hand you need to have lists of all the people who need to provide food.
The result of any competition is victory. Both the participants themselves and the people who worry about them want to see the names of winners and prize winners on the site or other official sources as soon as possible. Therefore, the process of collecting data and creating a pivot table should be carefully verified and debugged.
The following data collection logic works well:
These issues can be resolved, for example, with special software. In this case, everything should work “like a clock”.
Bottom line: at the end of the event you have a complete table of winners, which you can publish and submit half an hour after the end of the event.
Important! You can’t print diplomas until the winners table is filled, otherwise it will lead to errors that can not be quickly eliminated. The above diagram will help ensure that all important data is saved.
The main document on the basis of which work is carried out at the event. For the vast majority of participants, this is the main document on the basis of which they are sent on a trip, and travel expenses are paid to someone. For organizers, this is a way to agree on the rules and behavior on the site. Everything that is not spelled out in the provision can be used against you. For example, if you forgot to indicate in the Regulation that “the age of the competitors is from 10 to 14 years,” then you cannot legitimately refuse to participate in a 30-year-old uncle, and this will entail long clarifications on the spot that will steal your most important resource - time.
At a minimum, the Regulation should indicate the main points:
Often in the Regulation it is written that in more detail the parameters of each of the competitive areas are prescribed in the regulations.
As a joke, they say that a good Regulation on an event should have at least 200 pages. And also everyone knows that in every joke there is only a fraction of the joke.
For the vast majority of participants, the easiest way to legitimately come to an event is a written invitation from the organizing committee. There is no difficulty in issuing, signing and sending scans of 10-15 invitation letters. But if the number of such invitations exceeds a hundred or two, then it takes a lot of time, given the fact that each organization has its own preferences in the design of such letters.
I offer a couple of options for optimizing the work.
First: you can share a PDF document with a fixed filling in the fields, which the participant fills out on their own, and then simply prints.
The second option (just in case we have many organizations with our own requirements) involves a more energy-intensive algorithm for creating invitations: the organizing committee offers a basic draft of the text with the main parameters of the event, and the team already changes this text for itself and returns it to the organizing committee for registration .
It is better to create a separate mailbox for processing invitations, which can then be deleted painlessly. This will save time and nerves in the future.
The culmination of the competition is the determination of the winners and their rewarding. Ideally, with diplomas, medals, cups and fanfares.
In order not to grease the impression and leave unforgettable memories for the winners, observe a few principles:
Between the end of the competition and the award, no more than 2 hours should pass, but preferably an hour or a half. This is especially critical for young children.
Errors in the names of teams and names of participants should not be allowed.
It is necessary to print registered diplomas for each of the participants of the awarded team. It is important for everyone to bring home a personal diploma and file it in their portfolio.
As part of the preparation of the prizes, do not forget:
The minimum award kit includes:
Scheduling - a long and painstaking work with the coordination of all interested parties (judges, sponsors, site owners).
When scheduling, it is most logical to move from general to particular and highlight the backbone - points that cannot be replaced and which cannot be abandoned under any circumstances:
Make the schedule on the banner, roll-up, screen - in general, as visible and readable as possible from anywhere in the competition area.
A great solution (if possible) is a smartphone application with a schedule of competitions.
By the way, a separate schedule should be for each direction. Naturally, the teams of one direction are not very interested in the schedule of another, why do they need extra information? And then, the schedule in the directions provides the maximum self-regulation of the process. Write a personal schedule for each team separately, even if there will be at least 100 pieces, but the participants will clearly know the time of their races.
A separate schedule is also required for guests.
For the organizers, of course, there is an internal schedule, which includes all the points from the development to the closing of the sites.
Save all data from judges here. Electronic protocols, scans and photos of the results of the races.
If necessary, this will help to restore the necessary information without significant effort.
In the confusion, protocols can lose. Therefore, ask the judges to photograph them.
After the completion of competitions and festivals, the teams return home and it is advisable for everyone to demonstrate tangible evidence of the work done both before themselves and before the leadership and the sponsors. For those who won prizes, for example, diplomas. For the rest of the certificates. Plus, an important indicator will be the gratitude issued on the form of the event or a letter of thanks to the organization that sent them, for the sponsor who was able to allocate funds for the team’s trip.
This is a tangible result of the efforts not only of the team, but also of those who have done all the preparatory work for the participants in preparing the event. Gratitude, which can also be hung on the wall, is always pleasant and encourages participation in the following events.
To optimize the process, you can prepare a thank you template and provide it to the team. The team will return the completed template back, it only remains to check it and issue the original and send it to the team.
In conclusion, I want to say that if you have an organization of robotic competitions where schoolchildren and students take part, then regardless of the scale of such an event, do not take it as a pleasure walk and do not use the “decide on the spot” formula.
Holding the competitions themselves for the organizers is just the tip of the iceberg on the surface, under which is hidden a giant in volume and responsibility work, which does not end at all when they announce from the stage: “Dear team members and guests! Technical areas and competition areas are closing. See you again! ”
Robotic competitions and festivals for schoolchildren and students (not to be confused with exhibitions or demonstrations) stand out in this row, especially if they are massive and held in a short period of time. Such events cannot be completely left to the contractors due to the large number of nuances.
Under the cut - a brief overview of the features that organizers of robotics competitions have to deal with.
Any educational organization that pays attention to robotics will sooner or later begin to hold competitions for its students and take part in other robotics competitions of various scales.
We will leave out of the box the block of preparatory measures that are aimed at recruiting, and in some cases, the selection of teams that are going to take part in the competitions, and we will go straight to the point.
First of all, children's robotics competitions differ from other events in that the following points are added to everything else that is clear and understandable for the organization:
- Children, children and children again. Many children in one place.
- From several pieces to several dozens of competitive areas, inside which everything proceeds independently, but in general their processes should be consistent with the general schedule.
- Mass registration in a limited period of time when teams appear on the site.
- Understanding what each participant is doing at every moment of time.
- Organization of mass catering in a limited period of time.
- Mass awards in a limited period of time.
Of course, a lot depends on the number: teams, their participants, guests and potential visitors. The technologies for conducting competitions for 100 and for 1000 participants are very different. And for 5000 participants, they change dramatically. But always in relation to such events, the key formula remains that everything happens "massively and in a limited period of time."
Any event in which children participate, requires special attention with regard to escort by special services, which without fail includes ambulance, fire service, security.
Below we will talk more about events from 2000-3000 people, but most of the recommendations are also applicable to local school events.
Five questions
The answer to these general and closely interrelated questions will allow more meaningful transition to a detailed planning of the event.
What? You need to understand what format of the event is planned. It will be a friendly event for 20 teams between schools or a big festival for 1000 teams.
Where? It is important to distinguish between: or you have an agreement on a site that can accommodate a certain number of teams; or you have a minimum number of teams for which you have to look for a site.
When?From this point depends not only an understanding of the time available for preparation, but also a forecast regarding the teams. For example, if you are planning an event with schoolchildren and students, then the summer holidays, the beginning of the school year or the exam time is not the right time. Carefully read the calendar of events of school / student life so that there are no overlays with the dates of the competition. Otherwise, there is a risk of being left without the main participants.
Who! We definitely need to understand who the main organizer of the event is. If there are several of them, it is necessary to fix who has the last word and who is the holder of the seal for documents, and also - whose organization’s employee is the key on the site and manages all the processes.
At whose expense?Always a very important question to understand. Especially in terms of the volume of the budget and the timing of its receipt.
There are only 4 stages of the event - planning, preparation, conducting and closing stage. The most difficult moment is the preparation of the event after general planning. All issues that were not taken into account at the previous stage have to be resolved at the next, and this takes resources and time (especially if ignored problems are revealed after the start of the competition).
All in folders
How not to forget about every little thing and take everything into account? Especially if you have a limited human, temporary and financial resource. There are scheduler programs for various purposes and types. Someone uses them, someone not. But the most important condition is the ability of the entire system to provide uninterrupted access to all information offline.
One of the easiest and most effective ways to not forget anything and take everything into account is to create folders, even in the cloud, even on the local computer. The principle is very simple: the folder should contain comprehensive information; Each folder should be filled with clear and relevant information for each person from the organizing team.
As an example, I will give a list of folders, which, in my opinion, allow you to most fully reflect the preparation and conduct of the event:
- Badges and stickers for teams
- Acknowledgments
- Award forms and certificates
- Volunteers
- Temporary files to send
- Business program
- Treaties
- Building
- Information for participants
- Directions
- Answers to participants
- Opening event and guests, opening script
- Officially
- Partners - Information
- Printed products
- Nutrition
- Winners
- Position
- Invitations
- Prizes and awards
- timetable
- Registration Lists
- results
- Judges and experts
The logic of filling can be different, and the folders in the list are arranged in alphabetical order solely for ease of search and understanding.
Badges and badges with stickers for teams
Why is this needed? This allows for a very clear gradation and easy identification at any given time. Which is extremely important for logistics and security work.
You can for example use the following color differentiation of badges:
- Organizing Committee - Green
- Judges - Red
- Guests - Yellow
- Press - Blue
- VIP - black
- Technical Services - Gray
Badges are best for team members. It is more convenient to use stickers or badges with stickers of team numbers, which are assigned to them during registration. By the way, on the issue of budget: stickers for badges for printing on an ordinary printer are sold in office stores in a very economical version - 65 pieces on A4 sheet. In addition, this method allows you to get a lot of advantages:
- The team enters the competition with an identification letter code denoting the competition and a serial number. For example, the competition is called "Kegelring", involving the older and younger age groups. Accordingly, the letter code with the team number may look like this: KPc-08 (the eighth in a row team direction "Kegelring" of the older age group).
- Numbers of teams allow you to avoid ambiguous situations (for example, when a team suddenly decides to take the name "Cool Eggs", which at the award ceremony will sound, frankly, not really.
- Stickers can be placed on badges, badges. And if you give the team more such stickers, then the participants can place such stickers on their robots, laptops, backpacks, cameras, etc. This speeds up the process of finding lost things. The badges here have a dual function: this is the identifier of the team members, and souvenir products to commemorate the event.
- Stickers can also be used to provide meals to participants.
- You are saved from the time-consuming and very expensive process of printing badges on the spot, when hundreds and sometimes thousands of people come to check-in in the morning in one or two hours. In addition, changing the participant or changing the name of the team for the competition process itself ceases to be a problem.
- At first glance, the organizer understands what kind of person is in front of him: from which team, which direction of the competition and where is his venue - and can instantly orient him.
It would be logical to put these materials in the “Printed Materials” folder, but this should not be done: this is an important block that is associated with registration lists, requires special attention and quick access, therefore it should be in sight.
Registration Lists
Registration lists are the basic basis of the whole event, which allows you to control the number of participants and the composition of teams, predict and plan many things that greatly affect the budget (for example, meals).
Registration can be carried out in a variety of ways. Only one thing is invariable: compliance with Federal Law-152 of July 27, 2006 "On Personal Data".
No matter how the registration of participants for the event is carried out, everything should be consolidated and tabulated. From here registration lists for the information desk and the issuance of a package of souvenir products will be formed, from here lists for food and lists for judges will be transmitted. Finally, certificates and diplomas will be printed from the same tables for winners and competitors.
Next are simple tips that can greatly simplify life:
- Surname, first name and patronymic should be put in different columns for simple and efficient mass printing of certificates and letters.
- The region and settlement should be selected from the fixed list for ease of processing and quick receipt of statistical information. It has been tested in practice that even the word “Moscow” can be written by people in several different ways.
- Ask to indicate the phone in the format 8 123 456 78 90 so that spreadsheets do not spoil you then all the lists. Or force the input to be reformatted.
- Ask to specify only one e-mail from the team, this facilitates the formation of a mailing list (it is desirable that this is the contact of the person who is actually responsible for the team, and not the director of the educational institution or head teacher).
- Have on hand an Excel registration table template for latecomers, and be sure to fill out an example.
The ideal option is when all the data converges. But all the same, there will be individual participants or entire teams that for some reason did not register, or the data does not match. In this case, the organizers on the spot will have to do a number of actions with such participants: add to the lists, update them and pass them to the judges and those responsible for printing diplomas and certificates; as well as fulfill the obligatory part of receiving a package of documents from such participants - consent to the processing of personal data, safety measures, an order for accompaniment, a new team list.
Volunteers
If you have the opportunity to attract volunteers for the event, do it.
Special volunteer organizations can give people, but you can attract your own free employees or students of local universities.
Of course, with the volunteers it is necessary to carry out a lot of preparatory work in advance. But if everything is done correctly, then volunteers are a very effective way to make the event comfortable for both participants and organizers.
Do not forget that traditionally the organizers provide volunteers with uniforms and meals.
There are a number of things that volunteers can do:
- Indicate the passage to the sites in accordance with the plan.
- To help the judges at the competition venue.
- In the technical area, help to keep order.
- To urge to keep order in the technical zones (training zones) of the team.
- The volunteer has the right to raise before the judge the issue of disqualification of the team in case of failure to comply with the requirements for compliance with the order.
- Escort participants and visitors to the sites, wardrobe, first-aid post.
- Pass teams into technical zones in accordance with the instructions of the judges.
But there are processes to which volunteers cannot be involved (this is often directly prohibited and prescribed in the agreement on volunteers, especially if they are involved through specialized organizations):
- Communication with the press.
- Performing a security function (including asking people inappropriately behaving).
- Communication with fire departments or site administration representatives.
- Room cleaning.
- Elimination of breakdowns of electric networks, stands or equipment.
- Handling.
Award forms and certificates
Obviously, personal certificates of participation in robotic (or any other) competitions and diplomas of prizes are a very useful document for all participants. In addition to recognizing the merits of the teams, these documents are often accountable and count as bonuses in many educational institutions.
Here are some tips to help minimize labor at this stage:
- Layouts of the text of certificates and diplomas must be done in advance and produce a test print. Moreover, everything should work offline, that is, without access to the Internet.
- All personal certificates must be printed before rewarding and put into folders according to commands. Life hack, which will help a lot with searches and control: put the team number in the corner of the certificate.
- The well-known merge of Word & Excel files allows mass and in a short period of time to print certificates.
- To avoid surprises, remember that standard laser printers can work with paper weights of up to 160 g / m2.
- It is necessary to prepare in advance the so-called rewarding tables where all the words that will be pronounced during the rewarding are spelled out. The referees on the spot will simply enter the names and numbers of the teams on these tables. Do not forget that for intrigue, the places declared from the stage must go in the opposite order. That is, starting, for example, from the 3rd place and ending with the 1st.
- Place computers and printers for printing diplomas in a quiet place with limited access. Ideally, one specially trained and trained person would enter. His task is to quickly enter information on the results of the competition. Layout files are pre-located on the computer. Diplomas are printed only from the awarding card, which avoids offensive mistakes.
- Assign someone to take photos of all awarding cards so that nothing is lost.
All these difficulties will make it possible to print dozens and hundreds of personal diplomas in a short period of time of 1.5 - 2 hours, which organizers and judges must meet. This is the maximum time that must elapse between the end of the competition and the rewarding of the first prize winner on the stage so that the team members do not have time to get tired and “burn out”.
Business program
Often within the framework of festivals and competitions, if resources allow, it is logical to arrange meetings of specialized specialists, heads of educational institutions, team leaders and partners of the event. Such meetings, workshops, discussions are held in separate rooms with moderators and moderators.
And it is precisely any part of the business program in the framework of robotic competitions that can be perfectly conducted and prepared by any external person or contractor under the supervision of a representative of the organizer who knows the goals and objectives of the business program, its purpose, is immersed in the general course and schedule of the event, which speakers should who will listen and with whom to replace the speakers if they cannot come.
That is, in fact, the "Business Program" is an event in the event. It has all the attributes of an event: participants, speakers, coaches, premises, provision, registration, meals, etc. We must not forget that the maintenance and provision will require a separate person and budget.
Treaties
Holding any event with at least some budget involves searching for contractors and concluding agreements for site rental, printed matter, furniture rental, medical support, fire protection, food, event insurance and much more. In some cases, this process is complicated by the presence of tenders to select a supplier or competitive procedures.
This is a large and complex block, which is nevertheless familiar to many and from different angles. As elsewhere in the organization of robotic competitions, there are no universal agreements. Check with your accounting department in advance the conditions and forms of documents (including the cancellation of participant packages and handouts).
Most often, most robotic competitions are not self-sustaining, and spending sponsors, private or public, always requires close attention to the reporting documentation.
Approve in advance the forms and the list of documents for closing contracts (acts, additional agreements), because there will be no time to do this on the spot.
All issues on permits should also be resolved from the local departments of the RNPR (regional department of supervision and preventive work), the Ministry of Internal Affairs and local authorities (notification letters, approved development plans, arrangements with ambulance teams and firefighters on the days of the events).
Site development
One of the most voluminous and complex blocks in the preparation of robotic competitions is the planning of the area on which the event itself will take place. The size of the site and the number of teams should not contradict each other. When, finally, the balance is found, it is time to start planning the area. The organizer must clearly understand how many teams he has, what place each needs, how many chairs and sockets need to be allocated, how wide the aisles should remain between tables, so as not to cause complaints from firefighters (and this is at least 3 meters, however, in each particular case, consult local services RONPR).
All this layout with designated tables, chairs, sockets, banners, partitions, walkways, usually called short - building.
Perhaps a separate article should be devoted to this issue, but in short, the development involves the preparation of a plan on a scale:
- Drawing a plan of the location of the competition areas.
- Drawing furniture and footage of competitive fields.
- Fencing sites.
- Plan location of security and other services.
- Electrician. There are always a lot of electricians at robotics competitions. Each team needs at least 2-3 nests. Separate sockets for large screens and professional sound. 380V sockets for catering services. All this requires very careful calculations and ensuring electrical safety.
- Separate arrangement of coolers to comply with the drinking regime.
- Fire exits and a place for doctors is an axiom.
A file (preferably a spreadsheet) with the prescribed amount of equipment in each zone:
- The name and number of the site.
- Short description.
- Tables.
- Chairs.
- Sockets.
- Furniture for competitive and training fields.
- Additional equipment (coolers, plasma, microphones, etc.).
- Additional positions (carpet, ottomans, special booths, fire extinguishers, indicators, racks, etc.).
The Plan and the File must always be synchronized and each exist in a single instance, in which all changes are made in parallel.
A plan is not a diagram. It is done on a scale to avoid mistakes and unpleasant surprises. The plan can be done in a special program to promptly make adjustments. Any program that can work with curves is suitable. For large halls and events, 3D visualization is very useful. It allows you to avoid many mistakes with logistics and external representation (often with 3D visualization there is a shortage or excess of space, which is not visible on the "flat" plane).
When preparing the site, do not rely on memory, but always refer to the prepared plan. The same plan should be on site at all times.
From the point of view of the organizing committee, it is imperative that all participants in the process have all the information on what is happening on the site, but everyone clearly understands who is responsible for what. There is a rule that says that if you don’t know who does this, you will have to do it yourself or it won’t be done at all.
It is necessary to have a separate room where all the representatives of the organizing committee will be able to quickly get together and talk. In this place all the necessary documentation is stored. It’s advisable to just put the floor plans, schedules and timings on the wall, there they will definitely not be lost.
It is convenient to use a set of walkie-talkies on the site for communication between key responsible people. Mobile phones in such situations may turn out to be ineffective, it is better to agree on the rules of negotiations on the walkie-talkie in advance.
Judges and experts
The judges and their assistants are those people who do all the work on the site to conduct robotic competitions. The organizer's task is to do everything so that the judges can calmly and efficiently do their work without worrying about household things. The selection, training, education and training of judges is a large preparatory unit. It’s very difficult to prepare judges from scratch in a month, and in a week or two it is almost impossible. Indeed, the judge at such an event is often a volunteer.
For the event you need to have an absolutely clear idea of the following positions:
- The list of judges and their assistants and experts in areas with contacts.
- Memo for judges (what, where, when).
- Information on the "office" from the judges. In advance, you need to collect information about what is required in each of the directions and sort them into boxes: printed protocols, lists and timesheets, scissors, different types of adhesive tape, rulers, stopwatch, tablets, pens, pencils, etc.
- Letters sent to judges for a month, two weeks, a week with reminders of what needs to be done. Indeed, for judges, your event is not a matter of a lifetime. They have work, family, study and many other things.
- Separate folders with documents in areas that need to be printed out for judges and experts in advance. This will allow you to not lose a single document. And such documents must be requested from those who know best how they should look - from the judges.
- Referee documentation is an important point in recording the results of competitions for both judges and participants:
- Protocol of each race
- Pivot Tables
- Controversial Issues
Information for participants
Informing participants unobtrusive, but constant, is a way to minimize questions on the spot and organize a self-regulatory process. Everything happens much easier and does not get off the schedule if the participants and teams know in advance what they should do, where to go and at what time.
Such information in a minimal format may include:
- Access plan to the venue from the nearest public transport stop.
- Memo of the participant (a large document that is needed mainly for the organizer and deserves a separate article).
- Site plan with the location of the competition and technical zones.
- Memo instruction for registration participants. Information for the front desk and questions desk. Where does the registration procedure include, a separate document for those who register, what documents to collect, where to put it, what to do, if the participants do not have such documents, etc.).
The information desk is the face of the competition, not only the main entrance, but also the first impressions of the event. Therefore, it is necessary to determine an individual responsible person with the necessary number of stress-resistant assistants (they may be from among the volunteers), they must have answers to all questions, problems must be resolved quickly and efficiently. And for this, all the documents in order of registration and a list of answers to all questions you must prepare yourself and provide them in advance. Moreover, in a form that is understandable even to an outsider, unprepared person. The more possible answers to the most impossible questions you foresee, the less they will call you to solve current questions.
And again, remember the law “On Personal Data”. Do not forget to collect the originals of consent to the processing of personal data from each participant! And if it is a minor, then there is also consent from the parents.
Answers to participants
Questions to the organizing committee from the participants will come before the start of the competition. Collect them (along with the answers) immediately in a separate folder and use in the future to create memos and instructions for the information desk. Ideally, if the rules provide answers directly to the judges. It is also useful to have a folder to collect team appeals and responses to appeals. Let it be.
Directions
Competitive areas are kept here (that is, those blocks of the competition where the different chief judges and participants are different). The main documents of each direction are the regulations of the competitions themselves and layouts of the competition fields with elements.
Separate folders for each competitive direction will allow you to control and have at hand all the latest versions of the regulations. It is better to have documents in parallel in the Word format (for convenience) and PDF (for the site and newsletters), as well as layouts of competitive fields in all directions in curves and in PDF for quick viewing and in TIFF, so that they can be printed as soon as possible without intermediate steps and additional negotiations with designers. Make it a habit to always indicate the size in mm in the file name of the layout field for printing, so that the printing company does not ask unnecessary questions.
Opening of the event and guests
Regardless of the scale of the event, in order to create the general atmosphere of the holiday, an official grand opening is necessary. It is especially important to give the floor to representatives of organizations with the support of which competitions are held. If possible, the opening script is best given to professionals. It is better to conduct the ceremony to a person who understands the process and format, there is definitely no way to do a volunteer here.
If artists are present at the opening, do not forget that they will need a separate room for the preparation and placement of props.
If you plan to attend status guests, remember that such people can be late and shoot down the entire schedule. Therefore, one should not set the stages of competitions that are significant for the teams immediately after the opening ceremony, it is better to leave some kind of clearance.
Officially
Before, during and after the competition, information is constantly being requested from interested parties: management, partners, the media. So that your information is always at hand and leaves in the same format and without inconsistencies in external sources, consolidate it in one place and do not forget to update and adjust as necessary.
Place in the folder “Officially” all documents that are approved within the organizers as official data:
- Press release
- Post release
- News prepared for publication
- Social Media Posts
- Tables of official data on the number of teams
- A selection of photos from the event
Frequently requested data:
- Dates, place and time of the competition
- The number of teams is total and in directions
- Number and name of participating regions and settlements
- Which officials attended the event?
- Winners in all directions
- Winners statistics by region
It is useful to create an “event card” where official information is collected and constantly updated.
It is convenient to pre-prepare a newsletter about the results of the event, where at the end of the competition you will only have to enter the names of the winners and indicate some fresh facts.
Temporary files to send
Often in the process of preparation, there is a request for data that is in your structure together with others and they contain information for internal use.
For such files, it makes sense to organize a separate folder. This will reduce the time for preparing information and will reduce the likelihood of accidentally transmitting confidential information to third parties.
Partners - Information
If representatives of partners are present on the site, always have at hand:
- Their contacts
- Information about the partner (brief description of the activity, significance for your event)
- Partner logo vinyl-ready and jpg / png
- Official information about the partner for publication on the site
- List of what a site partner will need
If there are more than 3 partners on the site, it is necessary to provide a curator for them and your convenience.
If a partner provides prizes, specify in advance whether his representative will personally participate in the award ceremony.
Printed products
Each robotics competition involves a huge number of printing products: documents, regulations, competition fields, image banners, programs, memos, pointers, medals, cups and dice for cups themselves, diploma and certificate forms.
If the budget allows, then the participant’s package will be added to the printed matter:
- T-shirt / polo / jacket
- Folder / Bag / Backpack
- Pencil / Pen / Flash Drive
- Notebook
- Icon
- Special souvenir (thermo mug, power bank)
Do not forget to consult in your accounting department or in the accounting department of your sponsor how this expense item is drawn up and written off.
If it so happens that the budget allows you to purchase all of the printing industry, then you will have to provide a place for its storage and find people who will receive, unload and complete it.
However, responsible fire departments may not like the storage of all this stuff in one room. If a warehouse is expected at the venue, such premises should be agreed with the fire departments. Offer the site and the fire services the option of organizing shelving, free passages and fire extinguishers, that is, convince the responsible services that there will be no landfill and blocked walkways in this room. But remember that at many commercial sites there is a separate paid warehousing service, which entails a burden on the budget of the event. And yet all banners must necessarily have fire safety certificates that are best kept at hand.
Nutrition
According to SanPiN 2.4.5.2409-08 section 6, clause 6.8, "the intervals between meals should not exceed 3.5-4 hours", which means that in the case of children staying at a long public event, they must be provided at least a full hot lunch. Even if it is not possible to organize the first, then the option of the second must be accurate and must be hot. Of course, this can be interpreted as the responsibility of those accompanying (parents and leaders), but in this case, your responsibility is to point to the paid food point within walking distance. Will such a point appear next to how convenient it is and whether participants will like this format, is another question.
In general, in competitions they are usually provided with meals:
- Team members and their leaders
- Organizers, judges and experts
- Volunteers
- Технические службы и врачи, пожарные. Если эти службы работают по договору, то кормить или не кормить, остаётся на усмотрение организатора.
- Иногда – гости
Eating a large number of people in a limited period of time is not at all a trivial task for organizers and contractors and requires detailed calculation and coordination with the general schedule.
Be sure to pre-approve not only those who provide food, but also those who carry out cleaning after catering. By the way, even in cleaning issues at robotic competitions, there are some nuances. For example, many cleaning organizations prohibit their employees from cleaning at the stands and tables of participants in technical zones (training zones) of teams. So garbage collection in technical areas (team training areas) is a separate issue, the solution of which must also be foreseen in advance.
Let's get back to nutrition. It is necessary to determine the place and time of eating and make sure that this does not contradict the schedule of the competition. On the shoulders of the organizers lies the approval of the menu. Not only can it be different (for participants and employees), but in addition to lunch, it is absolutely necessary to provide dinner for those who work at the event all day, for 12-16 hours (judges, organizers, volunteers).
At hand you need to have lists of all the people who need to provide food.
Winners
The result of any competition is victory. Both the participants themselves and the people who worry about them want to see the names of winners and prize winners on the site or other official sources as soon as possible. Therefore, the process of collecting data and creating a pivot table should be carefully verified and debugged.
The following data collection logic works well:
- The judge fills in the awarding table.
- In a printed special person according to the time sheet, brings the teams to the table of winners (see the chapter Forms for awarding and certificates, clause 6).
- The report card is sent for printing diplomas.
- According to the time sheet, the leader reads the winners during the award ceremony.
These issues can be resolved, for example, with special software. In this case, everything should work “like a clock”.
Bottom line: at the end of the event you have a complete table of winners, which you can publish and submit half an hour after the end of the event.
Important! You can’t print diplomas until the winners table is filled, otherwise it will lead to errors that can not be quickly eliminated. The above diagram will help ensure that all important data is saved.
Position
The main document on the basis of which work is carried out at the event. For the vast majority of participants, this is the main document on the basis of which they are sent on a trip, and travel expenses are paid to someone. For organizers, this is a way to agree on the rules and behavior on the site. Everything that is not spelled out in the provision can be used against you. For example, if you forgot to indicate in the Regulation that “the age of the competitors is from 10 to 14 years,” then you cannot legitimately refuse to participate in a 30-year-old uncle, and this will entail long clarifications on the spot that will steal your most important resource - time.
At a minimum, the Regulation should indicate the main points:
- Organizers
- Targets and goals
- Location and Dates
- Categories of Participants
- Competitive directions with the age limits of the participants
- Prizes and awards
- What is allowed
- What is forbidden
- Project Financing Sources
- Special requirements
Often in the Regulation it is written that in more detail the parameters of each of the competitive areas are prescribed in the regulations.
As a joke, they say that a good Regulation on an event should have at least 200 pages. And also everyone knows that in every joke there is only a fraction of the joke.
Invitations
For the vast majority of participants, the easiest way to legitimately come to an event is a written invitation from the organizing committee. There is no difficulty in issuing, signing and sending scans of 10-15 invitation letters. But if the number of such invitations exceeds a hundred or two, then it takes a lot of time, given the fact that each organization has its own preferences in the design of such letters.
I offer a couple of options for optimizing the work.
First: you can share a PDF document with a fixed filling in the fields, which the participant fills out on their own, and then simply prints.
The second option (just in case we have many organizations with our own requirements) involves a more energy-intensive algorithm for creating invitations: the organizing committee offers a basic draft of the text with the main parameters of the event, and the team already changes this text for itself and returns it to the organizing committee for registration .
It is better to create a separate mailbox for processing invitations, which can then be deleted painlessly. This will save time and nerves in the future.
Prizes and awards
The culmination of the competition is the determination of the winners and their rewarding. Ideally, with diplomas, medals, cups and fanfares.
In order not to grease the impression and leave unforgettable memories for the winners, observe a few principles:
Between the end of the competition and the award, no more than 2 hours should pass, but preferably an hour or a half. This is especially critical for young children.
Errors in the names of teams and names of participants should not be allowed.
It is necessary to print registered diplomas for each of the participants of the awarded team. It is important for everyone to bring home a personal diploma and file it in their portfolio.
As part of the preparation of the prizes, do not forget:
- Determine the composition of the prizes (provided directly by the organizers and partners of the competition).
- Determine the number and set of cups and medals in places (someone makes 3 prize places, someone 4 or 5).
- Use the same winner table template to fully understand the picture.
- Prepack the prizes in boxes according to the reward scenario.
- Prepare replacement prizes (in competitions, you may suddenly get two second or third places).
The minimum award kit includes:
- Box with prizes, medals and cups.
- A file with diplomas arranged in order of awarding: starting from last place and ending with the first.
- Report card (for the leader).
Event Schedule
Scheduling - a long and painstaking work with the coordination of all interested parties (judges, sponsors, site owners).
When scheduling, it is most logical to move from general to particular and highlight the backbone - points that cannot be replaced and which cannot be abandoned under any circumstances:
- registration
- Dinner
- Opening
- Rewarding
Make the schedule on the banner, roll-up, screen - in general, as visible and readable as possible from anywhere in the competition area.
A great solution (if possible) is a smartphone application with a schedule of competitions.
By the way, a separate schedule should be for each direction. Naturally, the teams of one direction are not very interested in the schedule of another, why do they need extra information? And then, the schedule in the directions provides the maximum self-regulation of the process. Write a personal schedule for each team separately, even if there will be at least 100 pieces, but the participants will clearly know the time of their races.
A separate schedule is also required for guests.
For the organizers, of course, there is an internal schedule, which includes all the points from the development to the closing of the sites.
results
Save all data from judges here. Electronic protocols, scans and photos of the results of the races.
If necessary, this will help to restore the necessary information without significant effort.
In the confusion, protocols can lose. Therefore, ask the judges to photograph them.
Acknowledgments
After the completion of competitions and festivals, the teams return home and it is advisable for everyone to demonstrate tangible evidence of the work done both before themselves and before the leadership and the sponsors. For those who won prizes, for example, diplomas. For the rest of the certificates. Plus, an important indicator will be the gratitude issued on the form of the event or a letter of thanks to the organization that sent them, for the sponsor who was able to allocate funds for the team’s trip.
This is a tangible result of the efforts not only of the team, but also of those who have done all the preparatory work for the participants in preparing the event. Gratitude, which can also be hung on the wall, is always pleasant and encourages participation in the following events.
To optimize the process, you can prepare a thank you template and provide it to the team. The team will return the completed template back, it only remains to check it and issue the original and send it to the team.
Finally
In conclusion, I want to say that if you have an organization of robotic competitions where schoolchildren and students take part, then regardless of the scale of such an event, do not take it as a pleasure walk and do not use the “decide on the spot” formula.
Holding the competitions themselves for the organizers is just the tip of the iceberg on the surface, under which is hidden a giant in volume and responsibility work, which does not end at all when they announce from the stage: “Dear team members and guests! Technical areas and competition areas are closing. See you again! ”