10.2 Walkthrough 2: Site Visit and Tech Check

Event Logistics

• How have you ensured that people will actually show up to your program/event?
• Through which door(s) will participants enter?
• Who will create and post signage (for booths, entrances, exits, washrooms, etc.)
• Do you know where the washrooms are? Do the guests? Are washrooms accessible?
• Where will participants put coats, bags, wet/dirty boots, umbrellas, etc.? Will there be a coat-check?
• If you are providing transportation for your guests (bus, or shuttle, for example), have you booked and confirmed the vehicles?
• Do participants need supervision to go to the washroom? If so, how will this happen, and who is responsible?
• Where are the first aid kits, AEDs, fire extinguishers, flashlights etc?
• How will you manage overcrowding, and crowd flow?

Staff and Volunteer Management

• Who will greet the participants as they arrive?
• Who will emcee/introduce the activities, and how long will this take? How will everyone hear? If amplification will be used, has it been checked that it works?
• Has the emcee’s Script been shared with at least one other person working the event, in case the emcee is unable to fulfill their role?
• Who has the key to the Agency/room/space/facility? How will it be opened, and by whom? At what time? By what time must the space/building be empty? Who is responsible for locking up when the event is over?
• Who is your designated First Aider?
• How will the program personnel communicate with one another during the program or event? Text? Walkie-Talkies?

Facilities and Equipment

• Has the childcare area been booked? Safety-checked? Who is responsible for this?
• Do you need chairs/tables? Who is responsible for reserving, setting up/tearing down?
• Are the activities developmentally appropriate for the age(s) and abilities you are serving, and inclusive for the participants?
• Where will the equipment/props be stored until needed, and when will the equipment/ props be distributed?
• How will cash be handled and accounted for? Do you have a cash box? If money is to be changing hands, do you have a float? Who is providing this?
• What will you do if you run out of a certain supply or material?
• Do you have sufficient supplies, materials and equipment for your event, and do you know how to use them?
• Have you got a plan in place to collect tickets/waivers/assumption of risk forms?
• Have you identified all potential inherent risks, and have you established strategies for managing and/or reducing these risks? How have you made your staff and volunteers aware of these plans?

Catering and Alcohol

• Have you applied for, and obtained, your liquor license?
• If food is served, how will storage, handling and refrigeration occur?
• If alcohol is being served, do you have Smart Serve-certified people on your team?
• Have you confirmed with catering/ food delivery the location, time and quantity of what you need?
• Are washrooms fully stocked with TP, paper towels, hand soap, and clean sanitary disposal systems?
• Do you have backup $ for an emergency grocery run?
• Do the people handling the food have their Safe Food Handling certificate?

Program Management

• How will the people attending your event get divided into teams/groups?
• How will you manage transitions between activities?
• What is planned for closing? What will signal the end of the event? How will people know it’s over?
• Are there closing communications to attendees that will need to be made? Who will make these? How? When?
• Will name tags be used? How, when, etc.? Do you have enough name tags and markers for everyone?
• If people are going to sit at tables, how will they know where to sit, or which table?
• For participants with special needs, have you adapted/modified activities/ equipment appropriately and safely?

Administrative and Financial Considerations

• Who will be doing the purchasing for your event (décor items, materials, supplies, food)? Have you developed a system for handling reimbursements and receipts?
• Have you got a plan in place on when, how and where you will distribute door-prizes/draw prizes, and auction items that have been won?
• Have you confirmed the names of prize and sponsorship donors, and figured out a way to acknowledge them during your event?
• Will you be taking guest attendance? If so, how and when will this occur?

Emergency and Security

• Do you and your event team know the facility’s emergency procedures?
• Is security needed? When? Why? Who will take on this role?
• If you are holding your event outdoors, have you checked the weather report, so you know what to expect?
• Have you cued up any videos or media you plan to use, and have you checked before the guests arrive that the media works on your AV system?
• Do you have the required permits required to meet existing standards?
• What happens in case of a lost person?
• What else haven’t you thought of/considered?
• Will personnel involved with operations and logistics have a copy of the STEP 10 Walkthrough to reference during the event in order to stay on time? Who will be responsible for printing and distributing these?
• Are there any off-site equipment, prize or food/drink pick-ups that will be happening during the event? If yes, who will be going to get these things, and when?
• Do you have garbage & recycling bins set out?