In preparation:

• Eight months: organizers meet to discuss and define details of activity – e.g., project, material supplies, scoring system, activity planning schedule, potential funding sources
• Six months: Milestone – all details set
• Five months: Prepare flyer and announcement
• Five months: Solicit sponsorship e.g. funding, staffing (judges, etc.), materials, facilities, refreshments (use Sign-up Genius or similar)
• Three months: Begin family recruitment announcements
• Two months: kickoff families’ engagement
• Provide rules and waivers
• Help families identify engineering mentor
• Answer questions and provide feedback and assistance
• Train staff – drill/practice
• Collect families’ contact information and verify
• One month: confirm presenters/prizes procured, contracts signed
• Two weeks: Send Reminder to Families to attend the event and SEND photos/description of their product, names of team members, photo waiver form, send a press release about the event
• Enter meeting into IEEE vTools.
• One week: Send Final Reminder/directions/tips to families, staff, facility
• Dress comfortable, registration and bracelet pickup, parking
• Cancellation contact
• Logistics, schedule
• send descriptions to judges

On day of event:

• 4 hours before: final setup, volunteers start arriving
• 2 hours before: start checking families in
• 1 hour before: everybody at their stations
• 30 minutes before: Bathroom/snack break
• When attendees arrive:  Other family, friends and spectators
• At start time: Welcome speech and fun kickoff, final instructions for the day
• During activities: fun activities begin, family project presentations, evaluating/scoring by judges, refreshments,
• Present IEEE video or demonstration as judges tally and winners identified
• After judging: Awards ceremony and closing comments

Later – after event:

• Lessons learned from organizers and volunteers
• Send a thank you note to volunteers, sponsors, facility
• Update the website with the story and photos of winners and activities.