1. Unit 7 – Successful pre-entry events
Unit purpose: To emphasise the ways a pre-entry event will be viewed by others (as distinct from how the controller will view it), how the controller can prepare, and how he/she can plan for crises.
Learning outcomes: The controller will appreciate how his/her role is to facilitate others and also to maintain quality assurance of the event.
Content
Scope of the role of the controller
Presenting an Image
Participant expectations and behaviour
Preparation
Teamwork and team leadership
Crisis management
Evaluation
This is a discussion session, summarise the main points on flip charts or similar or recommend the attendees note the learning points as they go along. The overheads are there as top level reminders with relevant comments that should be covered in the discussion in the notes.
C2 course, Unit 7, Sucessful pre-entry events

2. Scope of the role of the controller
Open up a discussion about the scope of the role of the controller. Apart from the obvious task of controlling the actual courses from draft to final overprinted maps the controller needs to look at the entire event, especially wherever this could impact on fairness. Refer back to unit 1 on fairness.
Point out the potential contradictions – the controller is not the planner, they can require changes for safety or technical reasons and they can advise about the quality of the experience that competitors will experience. They should not re-plan courses.
The controller can never be the organiser, they don’t have the time and also need to keep an overview of what is happening.
Emphasise the need to set up independent checking systems, preferably have your own database rather than using the event one as it is very easy to miss errors in computerised databases. Also comment the controller shouldn’t do tasks that the planner or organiser should do.
Example – at the JK in the UK (equivalent to the Australian 3 days) the planner was overworked and the controller drew a map for a control hanger to place controls, he then checked the sites using this map. One of the circles was in the wrong place (on the Elite courses). Because there was no second check the error was not picked up.
C2 course, Unit 7, Sucessful pre-entry events

3. C2 course, Unit 7, Sucessful pre-entry events
Presenting an Image
Discuss what image the event has –consider what it looks like not only to competitors but also officials, clubs, associations and potentially sponsors .
Finally what would the controller course attendees as controllers of the event look for, what do they want to get from the event and how do others need them to behave.
C2 course, Unit 7, Sucessful pre-entry events

4. Participant expectations and behaviour
Consider what participants expect from a Group B/A2 event? How does this differ from a Group C event?
Possiblilities are higher quality courses, pre-marked maps, electronic timing, seeding, additional facilities, awards, presentations, spectator value….
Discuss what impact could this have on competitor behaviour?
C2 course, Unit 7, Sucessful pre-entry events

5. C2 course, Unit 7, Sucessful pre-entry events
Preparation
Good preparation is key to a successful event, talk about what the controller needs to do before and during the event. Mention planning your activities, taking into account when others will have completed their part (such as hanging controls, checking results before presentations). Point out that you need to communicate your expectations to others and that it is important not to take on too much, tiredness leads to mistakes and it is very easy to forget to take on enough fuel!
Talk about enjoying yourself and being able to take the time to talk to competitors and officials.
C2 course, Unit 7, Sucessful pre-entry events

6. Teamwork and team leadership
A successful event is due to effective teamwork, suggest that the controller needs to get to know the team beforehand, not just the main officials, but also team leaders. The timetable can be a useful tool to find out how comfortable / experienced they are and that nothing slips through the cracks.
Knowing the team will help to identify potential weaknesses and knowing these you can suggest ways to minimise or eliminate risks.
Be open to new ideas, their processes may be better than yours. Be willing to advise or mentor less experienced officials, often they only need reassurance, sometimes putting on a different track.
Talk about leading by example, a relaxed and confident controller makes everyone else feel more confident.
C2 course, Unit 7, Sucessful pre-entry events

7. C2 course, Unit 7, Sucessful pre-entry events
Crisis management
The ideal is to never have a crisis, real life throws them at you. The best way to handle them is to minimise the likelihood and effects of any crisis. Suggest doing risk analysis up front, what if?– brainstorm with the group and come up with significant problems that would affect the event. Examples are tapes to start go missing, hard disc goes on timing (SI) computer, control goes missing, W10 fails to return If the team knows what to do in the case of an emergency they can often minimise the effects (sometime so the competitors don’t even notice). Point out that if the situation has not been discussed then the team needs to know who will make the decision and how to get hold of them and not to make it up as they go along.
C2 course, Unit 7, Sucessful pre-entry events

8. C2 course, Unit 7, Sucessful pre-entry events
Evaluation
Before
During
After
Before and during the event look at how successful it is from everybody's viewpoint competitor, officials, spectators, clubs etc. Consider whether it is meeting expectations.
Look at how your actions affect others, what worked well, what didn’t and how would it have been better if handled differently. Give positive feedback throughout and avoid criticising, especially in stressful situations.
After the event evaluate your performance, review some of the good things that you did which contributed to the event going well, how did you focus during the time when things went well, what happened when problems occurred and did you take the right actions at that time? What can you learn from the event, about yourself? About others? About processes?
C2 course, Unit 7, Sucessful pre-entry events