Mooneschadowe Demo Strategy and Tactics

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Points from the campus demo held 9-5-12. Will be adjusted as time/inspiration hit. Suggestions sent to elsa@hailmog.org will get the machine moving again.

  • Edited and rearranged: --Elsa 09:22, 5 October 2012 (PDT)


Purpose of Demos in the First Place

  • To participate in our local community
  • To attract those who need us but may not know it yet
  • To promote awareness of our Dream within the community
  • To perpetuate the effectiveness of Mooneschadowe as a whole


Setting Up A Demo

Most of this is "commonsense-level" stuff. But - if you haven't done this over and over for many years, it may not be the first thing you think about. This collection of notes is intended to jog thought processes, not necessarily cover everything needed for the course of a demo (though if we can make that mark, more to the AWESOME!)


Prepwork

  • Clear it with whoever has the responsibility for scheduling (Authority Having Jurisdiction)
  • Fliers!
  • Business Cards!
  • Coordinate post-demo activities with Mooneschadowe. For example: Fighter Practice the next night, something happening over the weekend (Guard Practices are good!), New Event-Attendee Orientation and Garb the week before an event.
  • O'Colly and maybe Newspress communication. Maybe write up a Press Release ahead of the fact? That would help a bit with the weird phrasing. Ask the Hospitaler's office for help - there are Media rules and considerations involved.


Set-Up Stuff to Bring

  • Tables - 2-3, arranged in an L?
  • Table cloths!
  • Chairs - As many as we can get
  • Pavilions - 3 is a good number: 1) with full wall coverage for changing/storage, 2) for a formal A&S display (expensive/delicate pieces), 3) hanging out space where the Fighters can rest and socialize, and interactive A&S can be demonstrated. Bring dog mat rugs for this third one.
  • Foods - Some sammich things, some easy snacking things (no-mess finger foods are best - cherries and grapes go over well)
  • Drinks - Bottles of water, Gatorade


Ambience/Display Stuff to Bring

  • Display pieces - Fiber arts (textiles), Leather arts, Well-crafted armor, Pretty weapons, Framed scrolls, Beads on a string, Jewelry, Metal work
  • Everyone should wear nice garb if possible. Not necessarily the nicest thing they own, but the nicest thing that will tolerate the weather and the working. Gulf Wars and Mooneschadowe shirts are a reasonable compromise.


Finish Work

  • First fighter practice afterward: Help armor people who haven't tried it before. No one should be left without someone to talk to at the very least.
  • First Meeting afterward: Dance or A&S if possible.
  • Event Orientation Meeting, to cover points such as: How to show up in style, What you need in order to take care of yourself, How to act like a person who knows things about stuff.
  • Eventing Updates - Who's going to what, and what accommodations are available for new eventers (caravans, crash space).

Unique Purpose of Presenting Demos on the OSU Campus

  • To keep our existance in the forefront of campus awareness
  • To maintain a presence in the campus community so we can develop and share our educational credentials
  • To catch students early in their academic careers, when they have time for us and may be able to use our unique perspective to their advantage in their social and academic lives.


Annual Stillwater-Campus Activities

We periodically kick around the idea of joining in Lights on Stillwater but that venue is not well suited to what we do. People attending Lights want for-free job-fair-type handouts that they can collect and be the cool person with the cool bag. We don't show well there.


Try to get in the Campus Activities Mart - that was a main premise in reinstating our Registered Student Group status. They offer us a table that we can do whatever with on Library Lawn (or somewhere else? the stadium?). We've set up a pavilion over the table before - that was absolutely awesome and all the other clubs were jealous! But the point is that it gives us the same face time and credence as every other special-interest group on campus: It makes us look just as normal as any other club on campus!


Campus-Specific Prepwork

  • Campus permits - For the space (non-stakable places should be indicated by Physical Plant) and time, for chalking, for any fliers we hang up. Ask if the area can be mowed ahead of time instead of during the scheduled demo hours.
  • Chalking! For a Demo on Wednesday, Monday night is the right night to go so people can have some time to plan to stop by. There's a stencil of a knight somewhere.


"Best Practice" Dates for Fall Demo Day

The last Wednesday of August is historically the "sweet spot" for attracting new interest because:

  • Students aren't overcommitted with their classes yet
  • They may not have figured out their interests, so we can help!


The first Wednesday of September is a good fall-back spot because:

  • It's often rainy or at least slightly cooler than August. Rainy demos have the advantage of being comfortable. Of course, they wash away our chalkings, and fewer people are willing to stand just outside of hailing range and watch us for awhile.
  • Students are still new enough to the semester that they may be able to rearrange their timing to accommodate our meetings.


It's not advisable to schedule later than that first week of September because we'll need to find garb, armor, and other assistance for everyone who shows interest, and we still have Triumphe to put on.