All the above.
What really worked on my first calendar event (back in March) as a new calendar organiser was to co-opt a couple of experienced organisers to run the desk — thank you Gareth and Tomsk
I think as a new organiser then you
don't want to tie yourself to the desk, as you need to be across everything on the day, so having experienced hands do it for you is one less worry. Experienced hands will bring any org-specific questions to you as they need to, but the other 99% of the time you just know it will get done properly and you can focus on the bigger picture and keep on top of the overall rider-experience at the start/finish. Obviously for a fully x-rated event without a village-hall start/arrivée then you may do something different, but even a car-park start with a large field can benefit from this.
What also worked for me was being able to ask three experienced organisers specific questions about organising an event in the months leading up to the event — Tomsk, Gareth and Kieron, again thank you
I found their insight invaluable beforehand as regards preparation, budgeting, catering, etc. Many "unknowns" became "knowns" and on the day it went very smoothly (I like to think). I found it also helps to arrive early at other people's events and sit and watch the organiser/helper dynamics and note how they go about running the event — helping on someone else's event from setting up to clearing out also really helps.
I think the critical time on the event is the 20 minutes before the start — there's a sudden surge in riders at the desk, all wanting a quick coffee, all crowding the space, and nobody wants to leave after the main bunch, so the onus is on you and your team to get them all seen to. Once you're through that and the ride has started then the rest of the day is really quite relaxed, as the team can deal with riders one-at-a-time without the pressure of the start time hanging over them. An extra pair or two of hands to get you through the surge at the start is useful — you probably won't need as many helpers at the finish.
FWIW, I checked my numbers and, although we made a small cash loss, we made a small amortised profit (after accounting for the purchase of re-usable items) — essentially a float for setting up the next event. I went into the first event with the idea that I didn't know enough to ensure a profit, so I would accept the risk and not worry too much — gaining the experience was more important. I now know more than I did, and I have a couple of boxes of kit (toasters, left-over disposable cups and plates, traffic cones, etc.) that I won't need to buy next time, so reducing the personal financial risk at my next event.
We spent about £2 per head on food, disposable cups and cutlery based on the number of entrants (200), of which 75% turned up so in effect that was about £2.67 per head. We (Mrs W) cooked and baked most of the food; the only commercially bought food was the snacks, sandwich-making stuff and drinks.
The changes I'd make next time would only be in the details: more bananas and pocket food at the start and a bit less cake at the finish. Fresh bakery rolls instead of Tesco pre-pack. And work out how to get sandwich fillings to be less than about 70p per sandwich — pre-sliced cheese and ham is eye-wateringly expensive when you divide the pack price by the number of slices!
Oh, one more thing: keeping a detailed record of income and expenditure enables you to do two things — reminder to yourself when planning your next event and help others just setting out; and convince the taxman that you really did make a small loss (assuming you did), so no tax is payable, should they ask ...
