Easter Gathering Team Guidelines

Primary Responsibilities

To organise a residential gathering at Easter of circle dance teachers, prospective teachers, experienced dancers and musicians for the practice, dissemination and development of circle dances and music.
To be organized as a team of two or more persons as the leader sees fit who together shall divide up the tasks to ensure the success of the event.
At least one of the team should be or become a director of the Circle Dance Friends Company Ltd, for legal, financial and practical reasons. One of them should attend company meetings to report on progress and answer any queries that may be raised.
The Company will provide the deposit and financial backing for the event. The team is free to organise the event in their own way, but are ultimately answerable to the Company for covering costs and meeting legal requirements.

Locate a suitable residential venue. Ideally the venue should be able to provide accommodation for 50 people, a dance space, musicians' practice space (in the same building as the dance area), an area for tea breaks near the dance space, and areas for a shop, singing and extra workshops.
Liaise with the school on an acceptable fee, provision of food and menus, catering for special diets, providing tea and coffee, heating and lighting requirements, and the availability of extra facilities such as a swimming pool.
Create a budget for the event, calculating the cost per person, likely expenses, with a profit of £200 to return to the Company. Provide a proposal with written costs for the Company's July meeting.
Evidence of public liability insurance will be required by the venue and the team needs to check cover through the Company teachers' insurance scheme to ensure it is valid and sufficient.
Book the venue by 1st September and ask the company to provide the deposit.
Create an advert for the winter Grapevine to be taken to the autumn Company meeting.
Put information about the event on the Company website.

Take bookings from participants and deal with monies through the Company's account.
Send out the required information to participants on what they should bring to the event, how they can contribute, directions to the venue, and a list of other participants.
Ask for, and liaise with, workshop leaders, mentors for emerging teachers, and leaders of support workshops etc, before the event.
Produce a timetable of the event.
By at least one week before the event, inform the venue of final numbers of participants, pass on information about dietary needs, finalise needs, facilities, etc, and liaise with the Company to ensure that all advance payments required by the venue are made.

At the beginning of the event find focalisers for shared dance sessions, volunteers to be responsible for tea/coffee at breaks, sweeping the dance floor daily and any other duties that arise.
Introduce and make relevant announcements during the event, including information required by the venue, logistical information and workshop introductions by the teachers.
Compile a set of dance notes of the dances taught during the event, having made sure that a photocopier is available and instruction is received on its use.
Make available music sources for the dances taught as far as possible and coordinate production of a CD of permissible music.
Encourage feedback on all aspects of the event and be responsive to suggestions and resolve immediate difficulties as appropriate.

Review the event and collate recommendations from the feedback for the next event.
Update the details of the event on the company website, with photos if possible.
Liaise with the Company to ensure that all extra charges (eg for photocopying) are paid to the venue and submit receipted expense claims to the Company and full accounts of all income and expenditure.

The team will take on the organisation of the Easter Gathering for a minimum of two and a maximum of four years.

Tracy Lean and Suzy Straw
Last amended November 2010