2015 Final Wisconsin Farm Technology Days Report Dane County TENT CITY Committee
Committee Overview The Tent City Committee was responsible for the layout and staking of vendors, exhibitors, and Farm Technology Days Committees (Family Living, Progress Pavilion, etc.). Tent City was also responsible for: facilitating the ordering of all tents and related tent supplies; securing trailers for those committees that needed them, obtaining contracts and services for 2-way radios and sound systems for the stages and arenas; recruiting volunteers to aid in staking out tent city and to assist exhibiters in locating their correct booth or lot both before and during the show.
Committee Responsibilities The tent city committee was responsible for: The design, and layout (staking) of tent city (show grounds) including all lots, booths, and committee tent locations. Insuring that sufficient parking was appropriately available adjacent to the show grounds. Assisting vendors with locating their reserved lot or booth locations within tent city prior to the show. Ordering of all tents, tables, and chairs for show committees Obtaining all 2-way radios for the show and assigning them to the various committees as well as ensuring they were all returned nightly for recharging. Contracting the sound system for the Equine area, Family Living Committee Stage, and Youth Committee Stage. Providing curtesy cart transportation before, during, and after the show for show venders and those needing assistance. Securing Fire Extinguishers for the show. Assisting with the exit strategy of venders upon close of the show on day three.
Committee Structure Committee structure consisted of two co-chairs, an executive committee liaison and 57 volunteers. Majority of coordination and planning for the show was completed by the executive committee liaison and co-chairs. Volunteers were scheduled for specific shifts prior to and during the show to complete needed tasks.
Executive Liaison: Kyle Minks, Phone: 608-224-3675, Email: [email protected] Was responsible for the layout and drafting of tent city using AutoCAD. Incorporated AutoCAD drawings and designs into GPS units to use in field investigations and ensure the correct location of all exhibits. Relayed questions and concerns of the Tent City Committee to the Executive Committee. Attended all Executive Committee meetings and reported back to the Tent City Committee. Supported and assisted with all Tent City Committee responsibilities whenever possible.
Co-chair: Duane Wagner, Phone: 608-509-2746, email: [email protected] Lead contact for trailer rental Lead contact for tent rental Lead contact for 2-way radio rental Lead contact with Host Family Recruitment of volunteers
Co-chair: Steven Ottelien, Phone: 608-224-3734, email: [email protected] Recruitment of volunteers Developed 2-way radio checkout procedure Developed volunteer schedule Liaison between Tent City Committee and volunteers
Budget 2015 Tent City Budget Item Budget Amount Actually Spent Communication Radios $ 4,025.00 $ 4,000.00 UTV/Golf Cart Rental $ 17,500.00 $ 25,615.00 Tent, Table and Chair Rental $ 131,791.00 $ 135,865.05 Office Trailer Rental $ 15,000.00 $ 10,420.00 Material and Supplies $ 2,100.00 $ 1,319.68 Office Supplies and Expenses $ 500.00 $ 283.77 Sound System $ - $ 4,525.00 Miscellaneous $ 6,000.00 $ 830.68
Total $ 176,916.00 $ 182,859.18 1. Communication Radios Previous shows had requested roughly 150 to 175 radios for the show. We anticipated that we would need roughly 200 for the Dane County show and increased the budget for radios to $4,025.
2. UTV/Golf Cart Rental The tent city committee was not responsible for securing UTV’s/Golf Carts for the show. This was done by the Grounds Committee. However, the budget item for this equipment remained under the Tent City Committee’s budget.
3. Tents, Tables, and Chairs Increased the budget slightly from the 2014 FTD show in anticipation that additional or larger tents would be needed for the 2015 show.
4. Office Trailer Rental Increased the budget slightly in anticipation of needing an additional trailer. The Tent City Committee ended up not getting its own trailer and shared with the Grounds Committee
5. Material and Supplies Increased the budget slightly from the 2014 show.
6. Office Supplies and Expenses Increased the budget slightly from the 2014 show.
7. Sound System Was not included in the original budget and was added at a later date.
8. Miscellaneous Increased the budget slightly from the 2014 show.
Timeline Three years prior to event Tent City Co-chairs were selected.
Two years prior to event Begin drafting the tent city layout (map) using AutoCAD Conduct site visits using preliminary layout in order to identify problem areas within the site (parking not available on 4 sides, steep areas within the field making it difficult to site trailers, tents, buildings, etc., access to roads and proposed traffic flow patterns, wet spots within the show grounds, etc…) One year prior to event Develop and send out equipment request forms to Committees
Six months prior to event Remind Committees to return equipment request forms Contact BRIGGS to discuss the majority of tent and equipment needs Secure contracts for trailers, sound system, and radios Worked with host family to set timeline for Tent City Layout
Four to six weeks prior to event Finalize tent and equipment orders with Committees and confirm availability with BRIGGS Stake out tent city after 3rd crop hay came off
Less than four weeks prior to event Coordinated trailer delivery Coordinated radio pickup See attached timeline
At the Show Set Up:
The Tent City trailer was shared with the Grounds Committee and arrived approximately 6 weeks prior to the show. Lath and staking materials (paint, hammers, lath bags, plastic flags, and markers) were ordered and received by July 24th.
On July 27th the staking of tent city began. It took approximately 3 days to stake. The first day consisted of one three person team staking the perimeter fence of tent city using a survey grade GPS unit preloaded with perimeter waypoints. Lath was placed every 100 to 200 feet and sprayed with yellow spray paint. Admission gates, bathrooms, info booths, beverage stands and anything else located along the perimeter fence were also staked. This took about 8 hours. Lath were marked using permanent marker to identify the location of all the areas.
On July 28th we had four, four person, teams along with four survey grade GPS units preloaded with all the lot and tent corner locations. Each team took a row of lots and worked back and forth (north and south) to site the corners of all lots within the row. The tents located on 6th street were not staked during this day. The four person teams consisted of one person running the GPS, one person confirming lot numbers using a map, one person carrying and pounding the lath in, and one person marking the numbers on the lath. Using this method we were able to stake out all lots in approximately 6 hours. Big thanks to area NRCS staff for their assistance in providing volunteers and GPS units. It also was helpful to have a couple of UTVs available for us to transport bundles of lath.
On July 29th one three person team spent approximately 8 hours flagging out the location of all the tents between 6th streets using GPS and plastic flags. All flags were labeled to identify the location of all tents (Education, Food, etc…).
NOTE: Lath was used only for marking fenced in areas, large demonstration areas, and lots. Plastic flags were used to mark locations of all tents, trailers, and booths. The following two to three weeks after staking tent city consisted of one sometimes two committee members checking in on the site daily for about 3 hours to make sure all lath and flagged locations were still accurately marked (they sometimes fell over or were knocked down by mowing). Committee members also checked in with BRIGGS to see if they needed anything or had any questions about the tent layout. Committee members also assisted some venders in locating there spots for the show; however, the grounds committee also assisted greatly in helping venders find their locations.
Thirty radios were picked up on August 7th for committees to use during show set up. All radios were picked up in Wausau instead of having them shipped given the large expense associated with insurance for shipping. Only about 10 radios were used daily until August 21st. The remaining 170 radios were picked up on August 19th. All radios were preprogramed by Northway communication and labeled accordingly:
Radio # (example: Radio #126) Committee Name and channel number (example: Tent City CH 14) If Found Call (example: If Found Call: 608-555-5555)
In addition all charging banks were numbered 1 through 200 to make it easier to keep track of which radios were checked out. Replacement costs for the radios were $1000 so we stressed to everyone not to lose them. We also had a sign out sheet to keep track of who had the radios.
Volunteers for Tent City: Two Weeks Prior to Show: Aug 10 thru Aug 15, 2015 One to two volunteers staffed Tent City trailer from 8 am to 4 pm. This was covered by co-chairs and executive committee liaison. Main duties were: monitoring tent set-up, fine-tuning tent city layout, resetting layout stakes, checking out radios and answering general questions.
One Week Prior to Show: Aug 17 thru Aug 20 Three committee members staffed Tent City trailer from 8 am to 4 pm. Main duties were monitoring tent set-up, fine tuning tent city layout, assisting vendors to lots, resetting stakes, checking out radios and answering general questions.
Friday Prior to Show: August 21st Consisted of all three committee members being present on site from around 7 am to 5 pm. This day consisted of flagging all the booth locations within the Agribusiness tents. This was done using a printed out vender list from Anna and Tiffany, 100 foot tape measure, plastic flags, and a marker. 12 x 12 foot booths were then measured flagged and marked with a booth number. We also did assist some vendors with locating their lot/booths throughout the day. Note: Volunteers were scheduled to drive curtesy carts and assist venders moving into Agribusiness Tents for this day, but were cancelled as very few vendors were moving in. This could have been a result of Agribusiness Tents were late in being erected and cold and windy weather.
Saturday and Sunday Prior to Show: August 22nd and 23rd Three committee members staffed Tent City trailer from 8 am to 4 pm. Main duties were handling issues as they arose. Note: Volunteers were scheduled to drive curtesy carts and assist venders moving into Agribusiness Tents for these days, but were cancelled as very few vendors were moving in. This could have been a result of Agribusiness Tents were late in being erected and weather was cold and windy. Monday Prior to Show: August 24th “Really Busy Day” - Two volunteers were assisting with checking out of radios. One volunteer was in each of the Agribusiness Tents along with a list identifying which vendors were in which booths. We also had volunteers operating 2 golf carts, in addition to the 3 UTVS that committee members had, to assist vendors throughout the show. Oftentimes venders and volunteers needed a ride to the Headquarters Trailer or Grounds Trailer. Majority of Agribusiness Tent vendors moved into booths on this day.
Tuesday (First Day of Show): August 25th Committee members on site 5 am through 8 pm. Early morning extremely busy as final vendors moved into Agribusiness Tents. Need to have volunteers available to assist from 7 am to 9 am. Committee members removed layout stakes and flags from 8 am to 9 am.
Radios: Dispatch and receive radios to each committee. Really important to have an organized individual distributing radios in order to keep track of them all. Make sure all radios were charged during the night. Recommend having two individuals on each shift with two shifts a day (6:00 to 12:00 and 12:00 to 6:00).
Curtesy Carts: There were 8 (4 person golf cart) curtesy carts as well as 3 UTVs operating within designated quadrants of the show grounds. There were two shifts during the day in which volunteers were operating the golf carts (7:00 to 12:00) and (12:00 to 5:00). UTVs were operated by Tent City Committee members. These carts were available to assist both venders and attendees of the show.
Committee Members: Through out day, dealt with specific requests from other committees and vendors. Requests ranged from missing table and chairs, lack of sides on tent, equipment blocking tent opening/booth. Two issues of vendor set up in wrong space. Used UTV’s as backup for curtesy carts during busy period.
Wednesday (Second Day of Show): August 26th Committee members on site 5 am through 8 pm. Radios and curtesy carts operated same as Tuesday.
Thursday (Third Day of Show): August 27th Committee members on site 5 am through 7 pm. Radios and curtesy carts operated same as Wednesday. Note: Volunteers and committee members need to be available to regulate traffic during tear down (4 pm to 5:30 pm).
Equipment Needed 3 UTVs needed 4 weeks prior to show until the end of the show. These were used before the show to stake out tent city as well as help venders bring exhibit materials into the show before and during the show. 8 (4 person) golf carts were needed during the show as curtesy carts 3 radios were used the Friday before the show and up to the show. 12 radios were needed during the show. Shelving within the trailer to set all the radio charging banks on. (these were labeled and placed in the Sign trailer after the show) 10 – 12 Clip boards 12 laminated maps Vendor lists (from Amy and Tiffany) one alphabetized and one organized numerically by lot number Label maker to make labels for the radios Laminating sheets 900 pieces of lath 800 flags (fiberglass)
Volunteers Tent City Committee utilized 57 volunteers with many volunteers working multiple shifts. Each shift was 4 to 5 hours long. Staking Tent City- (15 to 20 Volunteers): Assisted Tent City Committee with layout of Tent City for 6 hours one day one month before show. Radios – (4 volunteers) Responsible for monitoring radio check-out and check-in for four days (Monday thru Thursday) from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm each day. Shifts were split between volunteers with backup from Tent City Committee. Agribusiness Tent Captains- (20 volunteers shifts): Each tent had a captains scheduled starting the Friday prior to the show through Monday. For Friday, Saturday and Sunday- one captain covered two tents from 8 am to 4:30 pm (split into two shifts). For Monday, each Agribusiness Tent had a captain from 8 am to 4:30 pm (split into two shifts). Note: Because Friday, Saturday and Sunday were so slow, these volunteers were cancelled or sent home Curtesy Cart Drivers- (68 volunteer shifts): Drivers were required to attend a training session prior to the show to become certified to drive carts. Friday, Saturday & Sunday prior to Show: (12 volunteer shifts): Two drivers assisted vendors from 8 am until 5 pm. Note: Because Friday, Saturday and Sunday were so slow, these volunteers were cancelled or sent home Monday prior to show- (8 volunteer shifts): Four drivers assisted vendors from 8 am until 5 pm. Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday- (48 volunteer shifts): Eight drivers assisted vendors and show attendees.
Additional thoughts for a successful Farm Technology Days show 1. Many vendors had equipment shipped to the grounds trail on 4 way pallets or in larger containers. Make sure you have someone coordinating with grounds and the volunteers in the Agribusiness tents to aid in delivering these pallets and equipment.
2. I would encourage using multiple survey grade GPS units to stake out tent city as well as find volunteers who are proficient in using the equipment. This made staking out tent city much quicker and easier.
3. Have one person Be in contact with BRIGGS (tent and equipment rental) sooner as to the tent and equipment requests you are receiving from committees and the availability of that equipment. 4. Hold short meetings with representatives from BRIGGS, FTD Executive, and a member of the Tent City Committee during tent set up to make sure all tents and equipment are on schedule to be delivered prior to the opening of the show.
5. Have a check out sheet with all tents and equipment to check off all equipment as it is delivered.
6. Signs attached to the curtesy carts operating during the show would be helpful so that attendees and exhibitors know they are available.
7. Create a table and chair verification form for committee chairs to verify the tables and chairs they requested were actually delivered.
8. Very few radios were used prior to Monday of the show (most people used cell phones). The number of radios ordered prior to show could be reduced.
9. Dane County ordered 25 extra radios then were requested by committees. Less than 5 of these radios were used.
10. Radios were preprogramed prior to picking them up. If specific channels are needed to be programed get those to the radio distributer prior to pick up.
11. If possible, six person curtesy carts would be more useful given the groups of individuals requesting service.