Setup for the event day should begin early, if your event starts at 11:00 am setup will have to begin around 5:00 or 6:00 am that day. The Executive Committee and all sub-Committee members, as well as other volunteers should arrive within the 5-6:00 am time slot to begin setup. Setup may include closing down roads, meeting with tent rental providers, setting up the pavilion tents or canopies, moving tables and chairs to specified locations, setting up the stage and getting generators or other requested equipment to their appropriate locations. If your event includes large exhibits, they should also be set up (and tested) in their designated location early in the morning. Allow ample time for set up – you do not want to be pulling the event together as attendees are arriving.
The volunteer lounge should also be one of the first things set up, this is where your volunteers should sign in, receive their volunteer T-shirts, and where they will rest throughout the day between shifts. The Science Chase Committee should also be one of the first to arrive and setup their event, allowing time for a run through of the entire chase.
Around 8:00 am your departmental representatives should begin to arrive and set up their specific pavilions. It is important that members of the Internal/Departmental Committee are available to meet and guide the departmental representatives to where their pavilion will be located and ensure they have all materials and resources requested. The Science Carnival and Science Stage Committees also need to be setting up and testing their equipment, distributing their buskers and other volunteers as appropriate.
Once all event stations are set up and the necessary equipment tests have been completed the event is ready to go! At this point most of your committee members can sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labour. However, the Volunteer Coordinator and Volunteer Committee members will need to keep track of the various volunteer schedules and shifts throughout the day, and the Science Chase, Science Carnival and Stage Committees will need to keep their programs running according to schedule – much of this work will be taken care of by the trained volunteers assisting throughout the day. Lunch should be provided to all volunteers and can be organized in shifts to avoid volunteer gaps during the event.
Once the event is over, take-down and cleanup must begin. Often the take-down and removal of the pavilion tents and canopies is taken care of by the rental company, however, depending on the scale of the event you may have to delegate volunteers to this task. Volunteers will also need to be appointed to help specific departments return sensitive equipment to their original storage location. In addition, it is very important to be familiar with your community’s by-laws regarding cleanup of your large attractions (such as the disposal of large amounts of corn starch for a non-Newtonian pool). Organizers will have to plan ahead for large garbage removal, and may need to contract a professional service.
The event is now considered complete. Congratulations!
