Run Events at CaptainCon
As an Event Runner, you are the heart of CaptainCon, organizing fun activities for the players who attend. Without awesome people to organize and judge tournaments, host board game sessions, teach classes, and generally make cool stuff happen, CaptainCon would not be nearly as much fun as it is for everyone. Event Runners are also part of the public face of the convention. Thus, we’ve put together a package of support for Event Runners as well as a set of basic expectations, both of which are described here. If all of this looks good to you, click the link to submit an event application. It will take you to our tabletop.events page where you can enter the details of the event(s) you want to run. We’ll look them over and circle back to you with any questions or approval/denial decisions.
Event Runner Options:
CaptainCon is always looking for great activities to share with our attendees and we’re open to consider anything you’d like to suggest. That said, here are some of the types of events we’re looking for people to run at the show:
Competitive Tournaments - These could be for a miniatures game, board games, or role playing games.
Role Playing Game Sessions - We’re always looking for great GMs to host a session or several.
Board Game Sessions - This is more about you teaching the game and proctoring the game for others.
Classes - These could be hands-on classes in painting or cosplay costume making, discussions on world building for RPG campaigns or the history of piracy, poetry workshops, or almost anything else that fits our theme, space, and insurance.
Miniatures Narrative Scenario Battles - Do you have a massive theme board for a miniatures game scenario you’d like to coordinate or a cool narrative scenario? Tell us about it. We love to see a bunch of gamers playing big games on amazing terrain not just for prizes but also to tell a cool story from the re-fighting of a great historic battle to a scene from film or novel.
Events for Kids - Much of CaptainCon is geared toward gamers 16 and older, with a handful of events restricted to 21+. BUT, we do have younger attendees and want to encourage the next generation of convention-goers so if you have something you’d like to organize specifically for kids 12 and under and their parents, please let us know.
18+ and 21+ Events - CaptainCon is open to clearly marked age-restricted events. However, we will conduct additional review of all age-restricted events to make sure they are not in conflict with the spirt of the convention due to theme or content. It is your responsibility as the organizer to check and enforce the age restriction. This goes doubly for events featuring mature content/themes or the consumption of alcohol. Convention staff will be checking attendance at these events. If an under-age player is found to be participating, they will be removed from the event and the event organizer may face consequences up to and including removal from the convention or being prohibited from running events at future CaptainCons. So don’t let a kid who’s “mature for her age” play in your drinking-themed 21+ game because “she’s not drinking”. Unless otherwise arranged with CaptainCon staff, you should schedule any 18+ and 21+ events to begin after 9pm.
Event Runner Expectations
An Event Runner is expected to be:
In compliance with all convention policies - make sure you read, understand, and follow all the general attendee policies for CaptainCon. Needless to say, you are in a position of trust with the CaptainCon team as part of the public ‘face’ of the convention, so violations of convention policies/rules by Event Runners will be taken very seriously and enforced vigorously.
Prepared - the successful execution of your event is on your shoulders. We’ll make sure that you get lists of pre-registered players, updated information about the setup/venue, and space/tables appropriate for your event that we’ve communicated on with you in advance. However, it’s on you to help us help you by promoting your event if you have social media or other community channels to get the word out (our advertising can’t be everywhere) and to bring everything you need for your event. Unless we’ve specifically agreed with you via email or similar method in advance, you should not expect CaptainCon to provide supplies for your event such as gaming terrain, copies of board games, art supplies, specific prizes, etc. See below for additional details about prize support and other supplies.
Punctual – arrive for your event a few minutes early to acclimate yourself to the area and give yourself any time you need to set up. Similarly, be sure to end your event on time if you are using space that is booked for another activity after yours so that the other Event Runner can set up and start on time.
Sober – You are the front line of the convention so you need to have your wits about you while Running your event. If we observe you to be intoxicated while running an event, you will be warned and, based on your response to that warning, you may not be invited back to run events at future CaptainCons. This is not something we take lightly as your ability to exercise good judgment is part of how we keep CaptainCon safe and welcoming for all.
A Good Communicator - We understand, life happens, we just ask that you talk to us. If something comes up that you can’t run your event, contact us as soon as possible to let us know so that we can make alternate plans and inform attendees. If you leave us hanging with a no-call no-show you may not be asked back in the future. While running your event, if a problem comes up, remember that it’s always better to ask than guess - find us (or send someone to find us) at convention HQ or ask a volunteer to call us on the radio for backup when needed for problems. Lastly, always pass on information about any reports of violations of convention policies by attendees. In short, we can’t fix things we don’t know about, so help us out.
In Charge of their Event - Your event is yours. You set the rules and the format (subject to our approval of your event submission) and thus you have final say in who participates. If you need to remove a participant or reject a participant who has registered, that’s your call and we will back you up 100%.
Benefits of Event Running:
All event runners are credited 5 points in the Captain’s Log system for each event/activity they run and report with at least 3 attendees. In addition, event runners are given comp badges and other signs of our thanks based on the number/size/duration of events they run:
Single game session, demo, or similar event = a free 1-day badge for the day of your game session/event
2 or more stand-alone game sessions or events = a full weekend convention badge
Single class/seminar or similar event = a free 1-day badge for the day of your class/event and event support based on ticket sales (if a ticketed event) as shown below
2 or more classes/seminars or similar events = a full weekend convention badge, event support based on ticket sales (if a ticketed event) as shown below, and vouchers for food at the concessions table
Tournament for 4-15 players = 1 day badge for the day of the event and event support based on ticket sales (if a ticketed event) as shown below
Tournament for 16-32 players = full weekend convention badge, event support based on ticket sales (if a ticketed event) as shown below, and vouchers for food at the concessions table
Tournament for 33 or more players = full weekend convention badge for 2 event runners, event support based on ticket sales (if a ticketed event) as shown below, and vouchers for food at the concessions table
Ticketed Events:
Some events will have a separate additional ticket cost to the participant. These will usually be miniatures tournaments and classes/seminars. If your event qualifies to be one of those events, we will discuss this with you in advance. The intent of the ticket cost is to help the convention cover overhead (such as renting tables/rooms) and support the individual event. The ticket price per person and the allocation of collected ticket fees between convention overhead expenses and event support are as follows:
| Event Type | Ticket Price per Person | Overhead Expenses | Event Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-day event, round or 4' tables | $10 | $4 | $6 |
| 1-day event, 6' tables | $15 | $5 | $10 |
| 2-day event, round or 4' tables | $20 | $8 | $12 |
| 2-day event, 6' tables | $30 | $10 | $20 |
| Class | $15 | $5 | $10 |
| Class | $20 | $8 | $12 |
All competitive paid events will receive a standardized CaptainCon “Champion” prize (designs vary by year) for the winner, paid from the Overhead fees collected.
Event Support funds for classes are to be used at the discretion of the Event Runner to pay themselves for their time and to cover the cost of any supplies that will be used up or given to participants in the course of the class - either purchased by the organizer or by the convention. Effectively, these funds go to the Event Runner directly at the end of the Convention.
Allocation of Event Support funds for non-class events is made in two ways - based on pre-registration numbers as of the last week of November and based upon final registration at the event.
On or about the last week of November, CaptainCon will contact the Event Runner to review the pre-registration numbers and collected ticket fees. At that time, the Event Runner may choose to allocate the collected Event Support portion of the fees received to date among the following categories:
To pay for the Event Runner’s room: For every $140 of collected Event Support fees allocated back to CaptainCon, we will use that to pay for 1 hotel room night for the organizer.
To purchase product prizes: Funds may be allocated to the purchase of product prize support by CaptainCon. We have an established local game store vendor that we will use for this. You tell us how much you want to spend and provide a shopping list, we do the rest - ordering from that list and bringing it to the convention for you. In planning your order, you can assume a 25% discount from MSRP prices. If we get better rates on specific items, we’ll let you know.
Conne’s Coins: Funds may be allocated to Connie’s Coins. These are universal gift certificates in $10 denominations that we will provide to you at the convention to give as prize support in your event as you see fit. Players can spend these just like cash with participating vendors at the convention to buy their own prizes.
At the event, we will review any additional ticket sales to participants with you and provide the Event Support portion of those sales to you in the form of Connie’s Coins to be used as prize support.
For example, John and Mike are running a 2-day Blood Bowl tournament with an expected attendance of 48 players:
Because of the length of the event and number of attendees, both John and Mike will receive a free 3-day badge to CaptainCon.
Because it’s a 2-day event played on 4’ square table spaces, the ticket price for players will be $20 each in addition to their convention badge.
By November 30th, 30 people have pre-registered for the event. This means that John and Mike have $360 ($12 x 30) in event support funds to work with. They could choose to have CaptainCon use $280 of this to cover two nights of their shared hotel room and the other $80 to purchase about $105 MSRP of product for prize support or they could choose to have CaptainCon spend all $360 of it to purchase product for prize support or they could allocate some of it to Connie’s Coins. Let’s say they decide to cover one night of the hotel ($140) and spend the rest ($220) on product prize support which buys about $295 MSRP of product.
Between December and the start of the actual event, the rest of the spaces in the tournament are filled, selling another 18 tickets. At the convention CaptainCon staff will provide John and Mike with $220 (18 x $12 rounding up to the nearest multiple of $10) in Connie’s Coins to use for prize support as well.
All together, this gives John and Mike one free hotel night and the players a prize pool of:
A custom CaptainCon champion award
$295 MSRP of Blood Bowl products
$220 of gift certificates to spend at any convention vendors