Inter-Club Events

Weekends and how to organise them

What is an AIVC Weekend? Basically it is when one IVC invites members of other IVCs around the country to partake in a hectic series of activities, entertainments, eating and drinking in their own area. The guests stay with their members and visit local sites, historical and natural, and hostelries. They can be large affairs, with fifty or more guests, or smaller affairs with maybe only a dozen, depending on the size and resources of the host Club. The object is for the Club members to meet and socialise with members from all over the country and mutually enjoy themselves.

Choosing the Date

First of all you have to decide when to hold your Weekend. Look at what is going on in your area over the coming year. Is there a wine festival, music festival, goose fair or 150th anniversary of something going on that will give you a basic framework of events to build around? Examples from the past include Cheltenham's music festival; Nottingham's goose fair; Edinburgh's festival, Merseyside garden festival; Cambridge's midsummer fair. If your Club is on the edge of the IVC map or the area has a lot of interesting places to visit, how about utilising a bank holiday Weekend and making it a three day event?

Once you've decided on which dates (or two or three alternatives) to hold your Weekend, contact the News Officer to ensure that no other IVC is thinking of using the same dates. The earlier this is done the more likely you are to get the dates you want. If another Club has already picked the dates requested the News Officer can negotiate with the other Club. (It is not forbidden to have two AIVC Weekends on at the same time, but you're more likely to get a decent number of guests)

From the time the News Officer gets your Weekend dates they will appear in this bulletin, itself is a deterrent to other Clubs clashing. More information is added as you supply it. Also let your own members know that you're organising it, they'll have no excuse for disappearing on holiday when it occurs.

Saturday Night

If there is no festival or like event on which to base your Weekend probably the next most attractive feature (the one event that sets your Weekend apart from the others) its the Saturday night event.

Ceilidhs and Dinner Dances seem to be the most popular/widespread main events. Dinners of a special nature e.g. Elizabethan or mediaeval have also proved to be popular or you could have some form of barbecue or party, or a combination. Guests are quite prepared to dress up (or down) as they will know before they apply. You could choose an event that you have run for your own members with some success, you'll already have organising experience.

The setting or location can also be a draw. For example: Cambridge held an Elizabethan banquet, in full costume, in King's College dining hall; Cardiff held a ceilidh (actually it was the Welsh equivalent, twmpath or something) in the grounds of Caerphilly castle; Brighton had a disco on a railway station, transport to and from by steam train: Kent had a disco on a paddle steamer; Portsmouth a ceilidh in a Napoleonic defence; not everybody has a King's College or a castle but it's surprising what can turn up.

When you've decided on the main event, tell the News Officer, he'll add it to the bulletin entry.

The Rest of the Weekend

The rest of the Weekend can usually be organised around a fairly simple programme. If your main draw is the festival then obviously related activities will form the bulk of the programme. Remember, if you keep the guests going, they are not going to notice any problems in the organising. A typical Weekend programme would follow the following lines:-

Friday Reception - the place where the guests meet their hosts, the organisers of the Weekend and activities, and the ordinary Club members. Can be held in a members home or a place that is easy to find. Southampton used a Tudor merchants hall perched on the city wall. Some type of food should be offered to replenish the guests from their long journey. Drink can flow, but I would suggest not too freely, you could dispose of your budget at the first event.

Saturday Morning - a central meeting place and local events. Historic tours around the city; shopping expedition (for the forgotten toothbrush); museums etc.;

Pub lunch

Afternoon

longer trips to places a bit further out, the local stately home, castle or nature reserve, transport to be co-ordinated at the pub lunch,

or possibly

All day excursion: to somewhere slightly further away that can be the base for along walk or co-ordinated activities, or even somewhere that is so expensive that you need to spend all day there to get moneys worth. Nottingham arranged a day in Lincoln; Southampton a day on the Isle of Wight; (before they spent the whole weekend there): Kent a day in France.

Evening

as already mentioned. If there is no provision for food at the evening event make certain that the guests have the opportunity to eat separately, or with their hosts, between it and the afternoon activities. Oxford arranged a meal in the hotel next to the ceilidh; Exeter in a local wine bar.

Sunday morning - lazy, reading papers and drinking coffee, either with hosts or at a central point; or sporting type of events, tennis, squash, five a side hockey, guests vs. members.

Pub lunch

possibly at the local country beauty spot with Morris dancers, ducks etc.

Afternoon

as Saturday with more trips to local places on interest or some kind of treasure hunt, car or foot.

All day

again some kind of all day event could be arranged. I've seen some where the guests walked to the place arranged for the pub lunch and then back again.

Farewell Tea

where guests re assemble to sort out their transport home and say goodbye to their hosts, exchange addresses, invitations etc.

For a three day Weekend the Sunday could be arranged like the Saturday with a barbecue in the evening and the Monday as Sunday.

Give your guests two or three choices, separate events or all day events, fifty people are a lot more manageable in smaller groups. Remember that an event that is slightly out of the ordinary will attract more people. Newcastle went to the Farne Islands in a large rowing boat; Nottingham had abseiling down Castle Rock; Kent mediaeval jousting.

When your events are sorted out, especially the special ones let the News Officer know.

Organising Events

Get as many of your ordinary members involved as possible. Set up sub- committees for things like accommodation, catering, events. Use previous experience and expertise where it is available, approach members who've been away on Weekends themselves.

Publicity

Always keep the News Officer informed, the bulletin is sent to each Club every month, some even print direct copies in their own bulletins.

Send at least an information sheet to each Club (through the MDO) if not an application form, especially to Clubs you think likely to attend.

Contact your neighbouring Clubs and keep them informed, treat the events as joint activities.

Push the Weekend at Conference, there are usually facilities for poster displays and slide shows. If you're not attending (shame) ask the News Officer if he can publicise it for you (he's quite friendly).

Don't forget your own members, keep them as fully informed as possible.

Accommodation

Work out roughly how many guests can accommodated. Remember, if guests are staying in members homes, then floor space can often count if a guest is happy with the floor. Some guests do not expect a bed every time, others can be quite fussy about where they sleep. Let the guests know what to bring sheet/sleeping bags, etc. or ask them what they can bring.

Sort out who stays with who (this can produce some very interesting situations, from personal experience) ask the guests if there is anyone they want, or don't want, to stay with. If the guests have no preference you can arrange them according to the events they're attending, putting those without transport with guests going to the same events who have. Try to keep the distance the guests have to travel down, for instance, someone attending events ten miles to the west of anytown should not, if avoidable, have to stay ten miles to the east.

Footnotes

Have a cut-off date for applications, say about a fortnight before the Weekend. Late applications can then be accepted until accommodation or event numbers are full up.

When working out costs to be passed on remember the costs of publicity, printing, and postage. Entrance fees to stately homes etc. should not be included in the basic costs, some members are National Trust or Historic House members and can get into places free.