Team BeligerAnt's Tech Talk

Event Organisation

Before you start:

First, find your venue! Check out size, cost, electrical supplies, tables, refreshment facilities, transport links. You will need tables for the arena(s) and pits spaces. Have a rough plan of how everything will fit in the space available. If it is to be a public event, check public liability insurance!

If you are not sure how many people might be interested in your event, announce your idea in the Events thread on the www.robotwars101.org forum, asking for people to express an interest. If you get enough positive replies, go ahead. If not, you have more spare time to build robots :o)

Get organised:

Choose your date and book the venue. Set up a basic web page with all the details people will need to know. Date, time, venue, rules, how to enter, travel details, refreshments, events. You can get a free URL from many sources to give your event site its own identity. www.freeurl.com, www.dot.tk, www.cjb.net to name but a few. Also get the postcode of the venue and provide links to a mapping service e.g. www.multimap.co.uk using the postcode to pinpoint the location. Don't forget about public transport - include nearest railway station, buses, etc. www.sac.freeurl.com/travel.htm should give you some ideas.

If you don't have your own covered arena, ask around and you will almost certainly be able to borrow one. I was offered three for SAC! If you want a Sumo or Pinball/Football arena ask me!

Announce the event:

When you have the venue and date confirmed, announce the event in the Events thread on the forum (even if you have mentioned it previously). Ask people to email you in order to enter. Make sure you reply to each email and add each person to a mailing list for sending out more details as the event draws closer.

Delegate!:

If anyone volunteers to help, say "yes!". On the day you may need frequency control, check-in/weigh-in, refreshments, photographer, video, security (for a public event), and people to help set up and clear away.

Two weeks before:

You should have a nice big mailing list by now, so it's time to use it! Send out a mail shot asking for everyone's robots and frequencies. Forward the replies to your frequency controller and try to spot any frequency clashes. Allocate people a specific frequency if they have one that doesn't clash with anyone else. Make a list of names vs frequencies and take it with you on the day.

Confirm that anyone you are depending on is still OK to help out (arena, frequency control etc).

One week before:

Write out the name of each robot on a strip of paper (about 5cm x 20cm) using a big marker pen. Take some spare strips and the pen to the event. You also need some Blu-Tac to stick them up on the wall. As each draw is made, the names are stuck up on the wall so everyone can see when their fights are coming up.

If you have a computer available at the venue, consider using "AssistAnt", which is a freely-available Excel spreadsheet to handle a knockout competition for any number of entrants (currently up to 50, but easily extended). Email me if you want a copy and I will also make sure you get any future updates.

If you don't have a computer available (or don't trust them!), a manual table is available which can be used to calculate the draws for each round. If you use the manual system, make up some results sheets and fill them in as you go along, highlighting the winner(s) of each fight.

On the day:

Check-in all the robots as soon as you can. Fill out a draw ticket for each robot and include the driver's name so you can see when you do the draw if you have someone drawn against themselves. "AssistAnt" looks after all this for you... As each robot is checked in also stick its name up on the wall.

Draw the first round as soon as everyone has arrived; if anyone needs time to prepare, their fights can be left until the end of the round. Arrange the names on the wall and fill in your first round results sheet. Now you're ready to start! Make sure everyone knows only one robot goes out in each fight.

Finally...

Try to enjoy yourself - it's meant to be fun!

Please forward any errors or omissions to me
gary.aylward@ntlworld.com