Contacting / Dealing with Site Owners and Vendors

When speaking with site owners and vendors, remember to be professional. Typically these people are not familiar with the SCA. You want to leave them with the feeling that they are working with a group of intelligent, responsible people, and not a bunch of nuts. Also, keep in mind that they will probably not be familiar with SCA terms. When using titles, use modern equivalents (for example: Event Coordinator instead of Event Steward / Autocrat, Treasurer instead of Exchequer, Group President instead of Seneschal, etc). For additional tips and information please see the SCA Local Exchequer's handbook chapter 8 III.

Always remember: You are representing the SCA. Be polite, friendly and businesslike.

Things to Ask

The information you will need will vary according to the event you are planning however following are some general questions to help with the initial phone call:

  1. Do they rent to outside groups? Many churches will only rent their halls to church members. There are also groups that will only rent their halls to members, like the VFW and the Elks' Club.
  2. Is the site available for the date of the event? What is the charge? They will ask for the length of time you want to rent the space. Remember to keep in mind that setup & take-down time will be needed. For example: If the event will be from 1pm - 5pm you will probably need the site for at least Noon - 6pm.
  3. Do they give discounts to Non-Profit groups? If this is the case, see the Non-Profit Status page for further information.
  4. Do they allow for outside food to be brought in? If so, what are their requirements to allow for this? If food will be allowed, see the Feasts page for further information.
  5. Some sites will only allow food that is done by their in-house catering companies. If this is so, and you are planning for food at the event, then this site will probably not work. Typically in-house catering is expensive and can only provide very mundane food choices.
  6. Other sites will allow food to be brought in but require that the person in charge have a Food Handler's licenses or a Food Manager's license. These licenses can be obtained through the county. There are several people in the SCA with these licenses so you may have to ask around to see if one could help you.
  7. What is the size of the site? How many people does it hold?
  8. Do they have chairs & tables? If so, how many? Are they included in the rental price or is there an additional charge?
  9. If it's a fighting event, is there an outside area that can accommodate this? If so, how large is it?
  10. Is it possible to go down and view the site?
  11. Is there water and restrooms available? If port-a-johns will need to be rented, do they have a vendor that they recommend?
  12. If this will be an outdoor event, is there shade available? Can tents/shade pavilions be staked into the ground?
  13. What is their policy on alcohol and pets?
Make sure to take notes!! Include any general information: the day & time you spoke with someone, and the person's name & title that you spoke to! There have been instances where the site person the autocrat had been dealing with left the company. Having accurate & complete notes made sure that previous arrangements were passed on correctly to the new site person.

Pamphlet for Site Owners

If you are contacting a potential site that has not dealt with the SCA in the past, they may have questions about what we do. The SCA publishes a document specifically for site owners, which gives an introduction to our organization and explains a bit about who we are, and what we do. This Information for Site Owners document can be easily printed, or emailed, and given to site owners.

Non Profit Status Letter

Another useful document to have when talking to site owners is a Confirmation of SCA Non-Profit Status Letter. Some sites offer discounts to non-profit organizations so make sure to mention our non-profit 501c(3) status to them. See the Non-Profit Status page for additional information.

Insurance

Some site owners may require proof of insurance, or additional insurance. Make sure to ask the site owners for their insurance requirements as soon as possible. Please see the Insurance page for additional information.

Submitting Additional Information

If you would like to submit some advice or additional information, please submit it here