With many of the sports very experienced co-ordinators "retiring" (Sue Denmark - JK 2004, Judith Powell - CROESO 2004) is it time for BOF to appoint a professional to take over the co-ordinating of the BOC and JK (and other majors SHI, BEOC)? Both Sue and Judith remarked that they worked full time for 1 year leading up to their events. I know other regions are also finding it difficult to cajole members to take leading roles for majors, there are still some positions vacant for next years World Cup in the South East.
A professional co-ordinator would work 2 - 3 days a week, liaising with the region on access issues for new areas, appointing controllers, planners, organisers, media, sponsorship, public address sytems, timing systems etc. After a few years this person would have "best practice" processes in place for Regions to follow for successful majors instead of Regions trying to re-invent the wheel each time. This person would be employed by BOF and paid for out of the membership income say 12-15K p.a. Am I naive or mad or wrong ?. Do other regions have an abundance of volunteers to hold these events, if so maybe one day it will be left to those lucky few to host the majors every year.
Major Events Professional ?
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Major Events Professional ?
Cymru am Byth!
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freaky_phil - orange
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Re: Major Events Professional ?
freaky_phil wrote: Am I naive or mad or wrong ?
No! I think this is a brilliant idea. As a "typical" BOF member I would consider my money very well spent on ensuring continuity of best practice at major events. Expectations of quality in Orienteering, as in many other areas of our lives, are rising all the time and major event organisation is no longer a spare-time task. Will we soon see our first "Events Tsarina"?
- Mr Chips
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I've said elsewhere - the appointment of professional co-ordinators/organisers for these major events would be a major contribution to club development, as it would free up experienced club members to get stuck in to club activity. I was convinced when English development officer that at least one club folded because of the pressures of being involved in one of these major events. If it was possible, I would have liked to have seen development officer salaries spent on this sort of task.
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awk - god
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Mr H. has been banging on about this for years - we'd rather see are BOF money spent on something really useful than another Matlock based pen pusher and having sat in on the JK meetings lately I'm astonished at the amount of work it involves. I've spent a lot of time on my little bit - and that's really just the EVO - but have to say that's the best bit and i love doing it - but a paid official won't be able to do everything and i suppoose there will be those who say I'm not doing my bit unless i get paid like him - or don't you think that will happen?
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Mrs H. - nope godmother
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gross2004 days:
Yes I forgot about this, I think part of Donald P's salary is paid by the Scottish 6 day company and he is the main co-ordinator for the 6 day. Yes I agree Mrs. H, there will be some who say I'm not doing it cos I'm not getting paid, but I would guess that those people would not be the main movers and shakers for a major anyway. People like you will do it for nothing cos you enjoy it, but what I am saying is that you will be asked/expected! to do more and more and more until one day you say enough is enough I'm off to another sport that appreciates me and then you will be a loss to the sport and all your knowledge also lost. Get BOF to employ somebody and it will ease the burden on the regions, and this person is getting paid so there will also be some accountability if he/she screws up.
Many majors have had mistakes made in them but you cannot blame the people who made them they have been working on the events for more than 1 year and volunteered all their time, but will the same mistakes be made again?, probably yes. If there is a Major Events Professional then they will not be as it would be up to that person to make sure they didn't.
Let's see some real return on the increased membership/levy proposed, that will help us spend more time with map in our hand instead of a telephone/keyboard organising events we should be competing in.
Just look at Scotland, the SOA & Scottish 6 Days...... that shows what can happen:)
Yes I forgot about this, I think part of Donald P's salary is paid by the Scottish 6 day company and he is the main co-ordinator for the 6 day. Yes I agree Mrs. H, there will be some who say I'm not doing it cos I'm not getting paid, but I would guess that those people would not be the main movers and shakers for a major anyway. People like you will do it for nothing cos you enjoy it, but what I am saying is that you will be asked/expected! to do more and more and more until one day you say enough is enough I'm off to another sport that appreciates me and then you will be a loss to the sport and all your knowledge also lost. Get BOF to employ somebody and it will ease the burden on the regions, and this person is getting paid so there will also be some accountability if he/she screws up.
Many majors have had mistakes made in them but you cannot blame the people who made them they have been working on the events for more than 1 year and volunteered all their time, but will the same mistakes be made again?, probably yes. If there is a Major Events Professional then they will not be as it would be up to that person to make sure they didn't.
Let's see some real return on the increased membership/levy proposed, that will help us spend more time with map in our hand instead of a telephone/keyboard organising events we should be competing in.
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freaky_phil - orange
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freaky_phil wrote:gross2004 days:Just look at Scotland, the SOA & Scottish 6 Days...... that shows what can happen:)
Yes I forgot about this, I think part of Donald P's salary is paid by the Scottish 6 day company and he is the main co-ordinator for the 6 day.
Not usually he isn't. The main coordinator is a volunteer club member - in 2003 it was Pat Squire. Not sure about 2005 as the coordinator resigned and Donald may have taken over while another was sought.
But its a big job, and I argued for a paid coordinator when it fell to Interlopers to be central organisers.
Graeme
WOC2024 Edinburgh
Test races at SprintScotland (Alloa/Falkirk) and Euromeeting (near Stirling).
Test races at SprintScotland (Alloa/Falkirk) and Euromeeting (near Stirling).
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graeme - god
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I think you could get a capable person to work for 10-15K part time and as you say - the job should get easier once it's up and running.
As for my voluntary contributions - I make it an absolute rule only to do the stuff I enjoy and think i'm good at. You won't catch me mapping and planning etc that's all a mystery. i write and I talk but it's surprising how much you can get done with that - i'd love to get paid for something tho' if only to shut up the legions of women who snear at my housewifely status - mind you they are more than happy for me to be the perennial parent helper, teach their children to swim and take them orienteering - but that's another story.
As for my voluntary contributions - I make it an absolute rule only to do the stuff I enjoy and think i'm good at. You won't catch me mapping and planning etc that's all a mystery. i write and I talk but it's surprising how much you can get done with that - i'd love to get paid for something tho' if only to shut up the legions of women who snear at my housewifely status - mind you they are more than happy for me to be the perennial parent helper, teach their children to swim and take them orienteering - but that's another story.
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Mrs H. - nope godmother
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Graeme - about Scottish matters, but is Donald's salary part funded by the Scottish 6 day company?. Tell me it's none my biz if you wish or is it all by SOA/Sport Scotland?? Just trying to get an idea of how much input DP has on the Scottish 6 (which is the best 6 day in the world by the way, except when it's Wales's turn.) as an example of how my idea (well Mrs. H's very old one!) might work in practice.
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freaky_phil - orange
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Graeme wrote: Not sure about 2005 as the coordinator resigned and Donald may have taken over while another was sought.
The original co-ordinator for next year's Scottish 6 Days has a new job on the other side of Scotland so her place has been taken by Anne Hickling, a GRAMP member and editor of the SOA magazine.
- SIman
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freaky_phil wrote:Graeme - about Scottish matters, but is Donald's salary part funded by the Scottish 6 day company?. Tell me it's none my biz if you wish or is it all by SOA/Sport Scotland??
I dont think its a secret, and I think he's part funded by 6-day company.
Donald's remit is basically to do all the jobs volunteers don't want to do.
"Amateur led - professionally delivered". There have been occasions when he could have taken more of a "leadership" role (i.e. telling people what to do rather than doing it) and he's been remarkably resistant to it whenever there's been a hope of getting a volunteer (which there usually is for bossing people around jobs). Personally, I can't think of any more successful professional sporting appointment.
Graeme
WOC2024 Edinburgh
Test races at SprintScotland (Alloa/Falkirk) and Euromeeting (near Stirling).
Test races at SprintScotland (Alloa/Falkirk) and Euromeeting (near Stirling).
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graeme - god
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