2. Dividing up the work

It is job of the Chapter President to really “get the ball rolling” on minicon planning by constituting an able group of chapter members willing to help plan the conference. While not always necessary, it helps to assign certain staff members to certain jobs. The minicon staff members can be chapter officers, but they are not required to be. The various jobs on minicon staff are as follows:

Conference Coordinator: The Conference Coordinator is the Chief Executive of the Minicon. He/she is responsible for coordinating the work between the various Minicon Staff members.

Director of Debate: The Director of Debate is responsible for creating the specific debate resolutions for the Minicon.

Director of Logistics: The Director of Logistics is in charge of making sure all Chapters undersand the various transportation methods they could use to get to the minicon.

Director of Advertising: The Director of Advertising is in charge of promoting the Minicon. This position involves making flyers and other promotional materials for the event, as well as working with Chapters to make sure that the event is well attended.

Director of Communications: The Director of Communications works closely with the Director of Activism and is primarily responsible for contacting Chapter Presidents. This person can expect to make a lot of phone calls to “plug” the event. 

3. Debate

Creating Effective Debate Topics   

What makes a debate topic good? Good debate topics must be reasonable, so that both the PRO and the CON can be legitimately defended.    If the Minicon is to have a theme (a decision that can be made by the Chapter President, the Conference Coordinator, the Debate Staff, or the Minicon Staff as a whole) then all debates must, at least indirectly, conform to the central theme.

Blurb Writing 101   

Blurbs are useful in attracting students to debates, as well as providing a basis for those less knowledgeable about the subject being debated; however, they must be objective and free from political bias

Blurbs should be about a paragraph long, should provide context and background information on the debate, as well as summarize the viewpoints of each side.

Recruiting Debaters and Moderators

Minicons are some of the hardest events to recruit debaters and moderators for because they naturally have a lower attendance. Once the Debate list is distributed to Chapters, do not simply sit back and wait for debaters to sign up. Be aggressive.  

4. The Keynote Speaker

Keynote speakers are never necessary for Minicons; however the addition of such a speaker is sometimes a nice touch.

About three and a half weeks before the Minicon you should have a list of potential keynote speakers. A good potential Minicon keynote is someone with extensive knowledge of a political issue, but someone who isn’t necessarily a celebrity. Keynote speakers usually run one full debate block, but make sure that the speaker leaves at least 15 minutes at the end of his/her presentation for questions from the audience. At the beginning of the block, it is customary to formally introduce the speaker, and at the end, it is customary to publicly thank the speaker and present them with a small trinket, such as a JSA mug. If your Chapter needs an award or prize to present to the keynote speakers contact your state or regional officials. 

5. The Agenda

The Conference coordinator is in charge of creating the agenda for the conference. The Agenda is absolutely vital as it really is the overall plan for the day.  For a comprehensive guideline to writing an agenda, read the ECR Minicon Handbook.

6. Logistics and Advertising

The Director Logistics is in charge of making sure that everyone attending the minicon has a way of getting there. About two to three weeks before the event, the Director of Logistics should contact Chapter Presidents and discuss Transportation arrangements. The Director of Logistics must research public transportation and roads, in order to ensure that any transportation question can be readily answered. The Director of Logistics is also responsible for the physical logistics of the event. He/she should be in constant contact with school officials to make sure that all the rooms are still available and that all arrangements previously made with the school will still work. On the actual day of the event, the Director of Logistics is responsible for making sure Debate Blocks go smoothly, and dealing with any unforeseen logistical problems that may arise.   

As with recruiting debaters, Advertising must be aggressive and strategic. Call Chapter Presidents, and specifically ask them to come to the event. Make sure that all information on debates, time, and location is sent to every Chapter President that has expressed interest, and always follow up with these Chapter Presidents by calling them.

Of course, just because we emphasize personal communication, don’t be afraid to supplement this verbal promotion with more traditional forms of advertising such as fliers. The point is that, while you don’t need fliers to have a successful event, you do need personal communication.  

7. The Homestretch

The afternoon before the Minicon, the Minicon staff should have an event called pre-con. Pre-con can take place at someone’s house, or at school. During Pre-con, the Minicon staff should discuss the planning of the Minicon, looking back on what worked, what didn’t work, and how to improve future performance. Pre-con is also a time to print agendas, prepare s signs for the different rooms, and make sure every Minicon staff member knows what they need to be doing.

On the day of the Minicon, get to your school about an hour before Registration is scheduled to begin. During this one-hour time slot, post  room signs on doors, get the Registration table ready and if need be, rearrange desks in rooms. When attendees start arriving, have two Minicon staff members work the Registration table, collecting admission if necessary, and make sure the rest of the Minicon staff greets people from other schools.

During debate blocks, make sure every attendee is in a debate. If there are a large amount of people loitering in the halls, it can be disruptive to the event; therefore, have somebody walk around and request that they enter a debate. During the day while Debate blocks are going on, the Director of Logistics should monitor the different rooms, making sure everything is going smoothly.

At the end of the day, make sure that you take signs off of doors, any trash is cleaned up, and all the chairs and desks in the rooms are rearranged. Then, Congratulate yourselves on a job well done! 

Abridged from the ECR Minicon Handbook, Written by Jon Nwaru and Mike Marcusa