Shows


Campfire programs - Friday and Saturday nights
Campfire programs serve a dual purpose.  They provide entertainment for participants, and they allow event planners an opportunity to convey information to the whole crowd at once.  Campfire planners should assure that campfire gatherings are presented in a professional and timely manner.  The program should be planned in advance, rather than thrown together on the cusp.  Showmanship and attention to detail are paramount.

Develop your committee's budgetary needs and report your needs to the Finance committee 150 days before the event.
Determine whether professional entertainers will be brought in, or if talent within the scouting community will be utilized during the campfire program.
Have a group of volunteers take pictures and short videos throughout the event, and then present them as a slide show during the campfire program that evening.
Post an album of photos to the event website after the event so the public who could not attend will have an opportunity to view the scouts in action.
Develop a schedule of events for the campfire program.
If you are using scouting talent, make sure that they are well rehearsed for the program.
Have a run through of the program in advance so participants are aware of their cues, and the timing and order of the acts.
Approve the plays, skits and songs in advance to assure that they are appropriate for scouting audiences.
If awards are to be given out during the campfire program, assure that all awards are in place, in the correct order, and ready to be handed out before the campfire program begins.
Inform the audio / video committee of your a/v needs 30 days in advance of the program so that they will have the necessary equipment on hand and set up for the program.
If  written brochures are desired for the campfire program, have a  completed design given to the paperwork committee 30 days in advance of the event so that copies can be made.
Determine where the campfire program will be held.  Mark it on a map, and deliver it to the signage committee 120 days in advance of the event.
Utilize the campfire planning sheet and checklist found in the Troop Program Features to assure that nothing is overlooked in your plans for the campfire program.
If an actual campfire is to be used, gather ample fuel for the fire, prepare the fire ring, and build the fire the afternoon before.  Assure that it can be easily lit, and try out lighting devices if they are to be used.  Cover the fire to keep it dry in case of inclement weather.  Have fire suppression devices on hand to extinguish the fire.  File a fire plan with the fire department in advance of the event.  Assure that the fire is out cold after the campfire program.
Make a written report as to how your committee's process went this year, and make recommendations for future years.  Include the Start, Stop, Continue Analysis in your report.
Reconcile any budgetary difference from the actual expenses.  Attach receipts to your reconciled financial report, explanations for discrepancies, and recommendations for future events to the Finance committee.

Religious Services
A scout is Reverent.  Duty to God is one of the core principles of the scouting movement.  Since most scouts and scouters will not be able to attend worship services at home, due to being in attendance at the Expo, an opportunity to worship should be provided for them at the event.  Because there will be many different denominations represented by those in attendance, it is usually standard protocol that a non-denominational service be held that will satisfy most people's needs.  In a larger event, different services would be held for different denominations.  In our case, a single service is usually sufficent.

Develop your committee's budgetary needs and report your needs to the Finance committee 150 days before the event.
Familiarize yourself with the Boy Scouts of America's policy regarding inter-denominational services
Find a dynamic religious leader who is willing to deliver the message with the interdenominational guidelines in mind.
Find a backup religious leader who can step in and deliver the message in case the primary leader cannot attend.  Keep them informed of the message, and have them practice it in case they are needed.
Try to incorporate the expo theme into the message.
Develop an outline for the service, including hyms, responsive message, and any other elements that are necessary for the service, and submit a finished bulletin to the paperwork committee for printing 30 days before the event.
Report your audio/video needs to the a/v committee at least 30 days prior to the event so they can have the proper equipment in place and set up in advance.
Determine where the worship service will be held, and mark it on a map.  Deliver it to the signage committee 120 days before the event.
Consider taking up a donation for the World Friendship Fund or other worthy cause.  Assure that it is delivered to them after the event.
Promote the religious service before and during the event to elevate the number of participants that attend the service.
Encourage scouts and scouters to earn the religious emblem award for their faith by having a display during the expo with materials and information about how to learn more about the award for their faith.
Make a written report as to how your committee's process went this year, and make recomendations for future years.  Include the Start, Stop, Continue Analysis in your report.
Reconcile any budgetary difference from the actual expenses.  Attach receipts to your reconciled financial report, explanations for discrepancies, and recommendations for future events to the Finance committee.

Awards
Everyone appreciates a pat on the back for a job well done.  Awards allow us to give those deserving people the accolades that they deserve.  Awards can be given to participants for their performance, or for volunteers for their service.  Everyone likes to get an award, so the more opportunities you allow people to earn awards the better.  The awards should be impressive to show your sincere thanks or admiration.  The awards should be specific to the event when possible.  Attention should be taken to assure that names are spelled correctly, and that those deserving are not overlooked.  This may be your only chance to publicly thank those individuals that worked hard to make the event a success, so be sure to take the opportunity.  Often times, this public award will be the lasting impression that will bring  that volunteer or participant back again for the next event.

Talk with each committee and determine each committee's award needs for both participants and volunteers.  Do not forget to recognize the deserving volunteers of the awards committee.  Consider getting a few extra awards for those persons who may have been overlooked, or for ties.
Develop impressive awards that incorporate the events theme.  If awards are to be outsourced, get at least 2 bids for the making of the awards.
Develop a special award for the Expo Chair.  Highlight the chair's hard work to make the event a success.  Make a special presentation to the chair during the awards ceremony.  Develop a second, smaller award to be presented at the Annual District Awards Banquet.  Be sure to include both awards in your budget.
Develop a supply list.  Price the list and include it in your budget.  Do not forget the cost of printing.
Develop your committee's budgetary needs and report your needs to the Finance committee 150 days before the event.
Determine when and where the awards ceremony will be.  If it is to be during the campfire, be sure and coordinate with the campfire committee.  Report to the signage committee where the ceremony will be held.  Report to the paperwork committee when the ceremony will be held, so it can be included  on the agenda.
Determine if an awards brochure should be developed.  If so, develop it, and furnish a finished product to the paperwork committee for printing at least 30 days in advance of the event.
Determine your committees audio / visual needs and report them to the a/v committee 30 days in advance of the event so that they can have them set up for you before the ceremony.
On the day of the event, work closely with the judging and the paperwork committees to determine who the winners of the events are.  Make sure that you have awards ready for the winners.
Prepare the awards for presentation.  Those awardees whos names are known in advance, should have their awards prepared with their names on them.  The awardees who will not be known until the day of the event, should have awards prepared for them with the specific event name and placement on the award.  The committee should be prepared to add the winners names to the awards before handing them out if possible.  Prepare a table with the awards laid out in order so they will be easy to present at the ceremony.
Develop an impressive awards presentation.  Work with the a/v committee to get pictures of the events in action for the presentation, when possible.  Use them as an aid in your presentation.  Hype up everyone's performance.  Make the event sound like the huge success that it was.  Thank everyone for their participation.  Invite everyone to come out again for the next event.
If persons could not be present for the awards ceremony, be prepared to present their awards at the next roundtable.  If they are unable to attend the roundtable, see that they get their awards in another manner.
Make a written report as to how your committee's process went this year, and make recommendations for future years.  Include the Start, Stop, Continue Analysis in your report.
Reconcile any budgetary difference from the actual expenses.  Attach receipts to your reconciled financial report, explanations for discrepancies, and recommendations for future events to the Finance committee.

Crackerbarrel
Crackerbarrels are a time for fellowship among friends over some light finger foods and beverages.  Often, there are two crackerbarrels during an event.  The first is usually held on Friday night, and is held solely for the adult and youth troop leaders.  It is usually held in conjunction with the leaders meeting, and gives the camporee staff an opportunity to welcome the units to the event, and to convey important scheduling and volunteer information.  This crackerbarrel is usually very light, with only maybe some cookies, cheese, crackers, coffee and a cool beverage for those who do not drink coffee.  The second crackerbarrel, if the staff chooses to have one, is usually held on Saturday night, and everyone in camp attends.  Often it is held after campfire, and the food is much heavier than the previous nights crackerbarrel.  This crackerbarrel, although it will often incorporate the same foods as the previous night, often goes well beyond those staples, and includes finger foods such as pizza, chicken wings, fruit and whatever else the kitchen staff can find to throw together.  During this gathering, fellowship is at the forefront, as most announcements have been made earlier in the day, or during campfire.  This crackerbarrel is used as a winding down of the event and is often a jovial reflection of the fun that was had during the activities of the day.

Make a  determination as to how many crackerbarrels you plan on having, and estimate how many people will be attending  each.
Create menus for each crackerbarrel.  Be sure to take into consideration food preparation challenges based on the kitchen facilities that you will have on hand.  Do not overlook paper goods, spices, and serving dishes when making your purchase list.
Develop your committee's budgetary needs and report your needs to the Finance committee 150 days before the event.
Get estimates from the wholesale food vendors that the Council has contracts with.  90 days in advance, place an order with the food vendor that makes the best fiscal sense to use and obtain a Purchase Order through the Finance Committee for the order.
Make follow up contacts with the wholesale food vendor to assure timely delivery of the food, and to the correct location.
Determine which needs could not be met by the wholesale vendor, and arrange a time to meet the District Executive at Sam's or Cosco to purchase the remaining items using a Council credit card.
Assure safe food handling practices of the food through training your kitchen staff in the subject, and assuring that the proper safety and sanitation devices are ready for use at the time of the event.
Check the schedule of events, and determine the time and location of the crackerbarrels.  Prepare the food in a timely manner so it is ready at the appropriate time.  Serve the food to the participants.
Clean up after the crackerbarrel.
Inventory the left over food.  Any unopened food can often be returned to the vendor or store where it was purchased.  Food that cannot be returned, should be reported to the Event chairman for instructions as to how to handle it.
Reconcile any budgetary difference from the actual expenses.  Be sure to include any refunds that you may have gotten for the unopened food that you were able to return.  Attach receipts to your reconciled financial report, along with explanations for discrepancies, as well as recommendations for future events to the Finance committee.
Make a written report as to how your committee's process went this year, and make recommendations for future years.  Include the Start, Stop, Continue Analysis in your report.

Leader's Meetings
Meetings are a necessary evil when you are trying to coordinate the movement of a large group of people.  Meetings are the best way to disseminate information to a large group at once.  The most effective and efficient meetings are well organized, with ample planning done in advance.  This committies goal is to create professional, organized, effective meetings that will bring the group into sync, thereby, making the entire expo a success.

Develop your committee's budgetary needs and report your needs to the Finance committee 150 days before the event.
Work with committee chairs to create agendas for meetings.  Some hot topics that always need to be included in each meeting will be upcoming events and safety.
Create supply list for meetings.
Procure all supplies needed for meetings, including photocopies that may need to be handed out.
Set up the meeting area, organizing all materials, seating, etc. as needed to assure a smooth meeting.
Direct the flow of all meetings to assure that agendas are followed and that all topics have been addressed.
Work with the audio/video committee to assure that all messages can be easily conveyed to the audience.
Clean up after the meeting.

Audio / Video
Often times, the single barrier preventing a presenter to get their message across to the audience is poor sound or video quality.  It will be the responsibility of the audio / video committee to plan ahead to assure that a stunning audio and visual experience is had by those in attendance at the expo.  

Develop your committee's budgetary needs and report your needs to the Finance committee 150 days before the event.
Develop a plan to deliver a stunning audio and visual experience to the participants of the expo.
Develop a supply list of materials and equipment that will be needed to deliver a top quality program to the participants.  Secure the materials and equipment needed, including electricity to run the equipment.
Set up and test all equipment prior to shows and meetings, including hardware and software.
Work with committee chairs to develop appealing presentations to the participants.
Secure all necessary graphics and audio files prior to any presentations.
    
Develop a presentation agenda, and stage all files ahead of time as necessary to present shows that appear professional and seamless.  If necessary, create a power point or other similar presentation to assist presenters in conveying their presentations in a professional manner.
Clean up after the shows and meetings.
Return all equipment that was borrowed in its original condition.


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