Sententiae Viceregalis
Secunda Epistula, Dec AS XLI
by Alexandre Lerot d’Avigne and Eularia Trewe,
Viceroy and Vicereine of Østgarðr
Greetings again to the people of the Crown Province of Østgarðr from Alexandre and Eularia, Viceroy and Vicereine of Østgarðr. Our thanks go out this time to those who made Agincourt such a pleasure this year: the autocrat, head cook, and the many, many people whose hands make light (or lighter at least) work. Which brings us to this month’s topic. In the Prima Epistula, we spoke of the officers who keep the groups functioning. This month We shall speak of event staff, those who make events happen.
Unlike the Officer Corp, Event staff can vary quite a bit depending on the kind of event. Typically, an event will require some or all of:
- an autocrat, the main organizer of the event
- a co-autocrat, often a less experienced person learning the ropes
- a head cook, if food is to be served
- cooking crew, if more than a little bit of food is to be served
- marshals, if there’s martial activity
- merchant wranglers, if there is space for merchants
- set-up crew, to get the hall or space into shape for the event
- clean up crew, to return the site to good shape for site owner
Event staff are not required to be officers. In many cases it is better if they are not, since the officers have regular duties which take up their time, and running events takes up a lot of time, although over a shorter period. However, there is sometimes overlap, particularly among the various marshallates.
What this means is that anyone can run an event or help in running an event. It all starts with an idea and a proposed autocrat. From there, a bid is prepared and the event is on its way to becoming reality.
The Provincial Officer Corp is developing guidelines to clarify what is needed to put together an event bid, but in essence a bid is a proposal put to the officers of the Province or a Canton for an event. It should include some discussion of what staff will be needed and who will fill those positions, when and where the event will be, what activities are planned, and some budgetary information. The bid allows the group to decide if they will sanction the event; without that sanction it can not be an official SCA event.
With traditional events, some of those steps are often taken care of: there may be a traditional date or site, or both, for instance. With traditional events, an autocrat is sometimes drafted if no one has volunteered, but if someone wants to autocrat one of the traditional events, We and the officers are delighted to hear from them, and will do our best to provide the new autocrat with the tools needed to succeed. It is usually a good idea to volunteer as co-autocrat first, since events often represent a substantial investment of group funds and energy.
If autocratting is a bit daunting, try volunteering to help out in some other way with the event. Autocrats are almost always looking for people to fill out their staff and it’s a good way to get your feet wet.
| Baron Alexandre | Baroness Eularia | |
| Viceroy of Østgarðr | Vicereine of Østgarðr |