PRE-SHOW PLANNING & PREPARATION 

 

 

• Clear the date with the school authorities/calendar

• Double check for community or other school schedule conflicts

• Set Date with Northeast Color Guard Circuit

• Put Date and event on School and community Calendars

• Clear use of school facilities 

• School Administration 

  • Athletic Department 

  • Custodial Staff 

  • Profesional Hired PA System 

  • Parking for Buses/Spectators 

  • Concession Stand/Cafeteria (HUGE POTENTIAL FOR INCOME) 

  • Contest Meeting Room 

  • Tabulator (Competition Suite) Room/Station 

  • Restroom Facilities 

  • Changing Area(s) for Students

  • Room for Judges

 

THINGS TO ORDER/PUBLISH AS SOON AS POSSIBLE 

 

* Trophies
* Tickets
* Programs – (HUGE POTENTIAL FOR INCOME)

 

JUDGES

​

• The Vice-President is in charge of securing judges for your show. You will however have to complete and sign a contract with the NY Federation of Contest Judges. Once this contract is signed and sent in, no changes to the requested number of judges can be made.

• Arrange with Chief Judge to pay judges in cash. Suggest you pre-arrange receipt for chief judge as they receive the cash. Count the cash turned over in front of/with the chief judge.

• Please inform the chief judge of the contest that the critique should go in order of furthest distance from the contest site. Those having to travel the furthest enter first. Please also have a schedule prepared for them in this order as some do not know from which area a unit may be from.

• Show host MUST provide a dinner for their Judging panel.

​

​

SHOW CLASSIFICATION PERFORMANCE ORDER:

​​

• Novice

• Cadet

• Regional A

• A1

• Senior

• Indepentdent A

• Scholastic A

• Independent Open

• Scholastic Open

• Scholastic World

• Independent World

​

CONCESSIONS

• Appoint Chairperson

• Obtain Workers and planners

• Anticipate need for food based on number of guards in the contest – order Food/Beverages/Paper products

• Have monthly meetings up to 30 days prior to contest date to ensure everything is covered – change to weekly within 30 days of contest date.

• Booth –

  • Tables, grills, paper products, condiments

• Signs – where is the cafeteria?, menu, prices (Canadian exchange if necessary)

• Trash receptacles/recycle receptacles

• Arrange for trash disposal and grounds pick-up immediately after the contest.

• Arrange for change on hand

• Arrange for Canadian Exchange chart

• Arrange for periodic collection of accumulated money, safe-keeping, counting, wrapping. Suggest that large cash build-ups are not permitted.

• Change boxes, bank deposit bags

• Money aprons if necessary

 

SPECIAL CREWS/ASSIGNMENTS NEEDED

​​

​​

• Tabulator to Run Competition Suite

  • Table/Chairs

• Security – Parking Lots, hallways, crowd control, doorways to gymnasium

• Guides for guards entering the show

• First Aide/Nurse/EMT on stand-by Highly Recommended!!

• Trophy Display/Presentation

• Admissions –

  • People to work the door

  • MAKE SURE THEY KNOW THAT ALL UNIT DIRECTORS WITH A NECGC ISSUED BADGE ARE ADMITTED FRONT SIDE SEATING FREE OF CHARGE.

  • NECGC will provide you with wrist bands for all Guard Performers

  • Change

  • Directions to unit room/changing facilities

  • Show information for contestants (practice, warm-up and show times)

• Program/Raffle Ticket Sellers

  • At entrance

  • In stands

  • In cafeteria

• Money Handlers

  • Wrappers

  • Night deposit bags/etc.

​

COMMUNICATION WITH PARTICIPANTS – PLEASE SEND THE SHOW PACKET BY EMAIL TO ALL PARTICIPATING GUARDS…..  MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN THAT EMAIL ALONG WITH THE EMAIL NECGCWEB@GMAIL.COM SO WE CAN POST YOUR PACKET ON OUR WEBSITE!

​

• Send advance sale tickets with voucher form

• Directions to school or competition site

• Maps showing warm-up areas, prop storage areas, immediate area of contest floor including entrance and exit doors.

• Bus Parking

• Spectator Parking

• Unit Entrance

• Spectator Entrance

• Cell Phone number for day of show – staffed with a person who can provide information – times, DIRECTIONS, weather conditions, etc.

• General Show information – practice times, warm up times, performance times, critique location/time/line-up, cafeteria menu, prices, rest rooms location, etc.

• NOTIFICIATION MUST BE PROVIDED ON THE ENTRANCE AND EXIT OF GUARD MEMBERS AND FLOORS/PROPS….

• Delivery of pre-show announcements for each Guard. – upon arrival or to announcer?

 

SHOW SITE

• A Professional Sound system and Announcer are required.

  • CD player, Computer, Variable Speed Change must be available for Cd and Digital copies of music. 

• Line contest floor to WGI specifications

 

PUBLICITY

* Pre-Event Publicity – local newspaper, school calendars, signs in school/area businesses, radio
* Post-Event – contact the local radio stations, newspaper or TV stations, let them know of your show, invite them to do a story on it, take pictures, film it, etc….get the word out…it will only help you for future contests to attract more spectators.

 

POST EVENT TO DO’S

• Financial Statements – how much money did we make?

• Publicity – get the word out

• Thank-You’s – during the course of putting the show together, keep track of who does what and send them a formal Thank-You note.

 

MISCELLANEOUS

• National Anthem – taped or live – (American & Canadian)

• Have Keys to important areas – ESPECIALLY THE COPY ROOM – also make sure the copier is warmed up and ready to copy when the final recap is completed! Please don’t make guards go in to critique without recaps!

• American Flag

• Canadian Flag

 

POST CONTEST MEETINGS – CRITIQUE

• MUST start at 10:30 – some larger shows may want to have a small portion of the critique during the intermission

• Make sure everyone is aware of the location

• The Chief Judge or Contest Director will handle this meeting

• Guards that have the farthest distance to travel will go first – HAVE this order determined BEFORE the critique begins. The earliest critique will begin as soon as the judges are available….which should be DURING retreat and presentation of awards.

• Arrange for someone to have access to the Printer to provide a MINIMUM of 4 copies of the recap to each guard.

​

​

​

​

Good Luck and have a great show!

​

​

​

​

​

​

​