Geocaching Event

[Joel&Cheri]

My high school is holding an ALL class reunion this summer and I thought it would be fun to hold an event. A potluck is difficult because of the distances people will be traveling from. Are there any other ideas out there for a successful event? I've never hosted one so any ideas on what to do or not to do would be helpful!

[+joranda]

Is this event for geocaching or the high school reunion?

[+sseegars]

Yeah, are there many geocachers in your reunion group?

[Joel&Cheri]

Is this event for geocaching or the high school reunion?

It is a high school reunion but there are various types of community events going on. As for numbers of geocachers from my high school, I wouldn't have any idea but I wouldn't limit it to just those people because there are numerous geocachers from this area including Canada that would attend also. It is just a time when tons of people will be in town and why not hold an event?

[+joranda]

Sounds like it may be a good time. You should check into having the event.

[Joel&Cheri]

Sounds like it may be a good time. You should check into having the event.

How do I check into having an event?

[Mag Magician]

Sounds like it may be a good time. You should check into having the event. Smart Azz!

How do I check into having an event?

 

Just organize a venue, invite some friends to help, get co-ordinates for your venue and post an event cache on Groundspeak. Be prepared to do all the leg work yourself, getting prizes if desired, planting temp caches, if desired, etc. If you post it, they will come.

[+Cpt.Blackbeard]

My high school is holding an ALL class reunion this summer and I thought it would be fun to hold an event. A potluck is difficult because of the distances people will be traveling from. Are there any other ideas out there for a successful event? I've never hosted one so any ideas on what to do or not to do would be helpful!

Never hosted an event but I did go to a reunion in Virginia with a potluck dinner, I solved that problem by stoppiung at the local KFC and loading up.

Judging by the large numbers of KFC containers at the dinner I was not alone in my thinking.

[+bettsbugs]

I have never hosted a geocaching event, but will hopefully do so in the future.

 

I understand having a potluck might be difficult because people are coming long distances, but if you do a themed meal like a barbeque where you provide the grills and ask people to bring things that require little to no preparation, it would work great. Things that people can bring that aren't hard to get: buns, hotdogs, condiments, plates, plastic silverware, chips, drinks, plastic cups, etc. Even onions, tomatoes and lettuce aren't that hard to grab if you have a place set up for people to wash and cut them quickly.

 

It is also nice to have some geocaching games to do after everyone eats and socializes a bit. You could have a cache hidden and give the coordinates to everyone. If you have many muggles, you could make the requirement that every caching group have a muggle tagalong before they are given the coordinates and who knows, you may create new cachers in the process. There are many different games out there and I have only seen a few being fairly new to the sport myself. Perhaps if you make a post asking for game suggestions, you will get some ideas there as well.

 

Kathy of bettsbugs

[+wimseyguy]

Hosting a geocaching event is like hosting any other kind of group get-together except that it is by geocachers and for geocachers. You can reserve the back room at the local micro pub or chain buffet trough restaurant, or a park shelter and simply post the date and time and coordinates of the posted event by filling out the form on the hide and seek a cache page. Just be sure to select event, and it is an event.

 

You can supply as much food and beverage as you like, or people can pay for their own. You can offer as much organized activity as you like, or none at all. You can hide a bunch of new caches near the event, or not.

 

There isn't any one way to host events. I've hosted a celebration event at a local restaurant for a geopal who reached 1K finds, I've hosted a simple beer n wings get together, and I've hosted a Mega event with over 2000 attendees that was more like a weekend festival. They were all very different experiences.

[+Gator Man]

TPTB will not allow a Geocaching Event in conjunction with ANOTHER event. The Geocaching event must be a STAND-ALONE EVENT. Make sure your write-up does not mention high school reunion in any way shape or form.

Edited December 31, 2007 by Gator Man

[+Mopar]

Hosting a geocaching event is like hosting any other kind of group get-together except that it is by geocachers and for geocachers.

 

TPTB will not allow a Geocaching Event in conjunction with ANOTHER event. The Geocaching event must be a STAND-ALONE EVENT. Make sure your write-up does not mention high school reunion in any way shape or form.

Start by reading the guidelines just like you did when you hid your other caches.

http://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx#event

Event caches are gatherings that are open to all geocachers and which are organized by geocachers. While a music concert, a garage sale, an organized sporting event, a ham radio field day or a town’s fireworks display might be of interest to a large percentage of geocachers, such events are not suitable for submission as event caches because the organizers and the primary attendees are not geocachers.

 

Like they say, a geocaching event must be for geocachers, by geocachers and open to all geocachers.

So no, listing your high school reunion as a geocaching event would not be allowed, and I suspect if you follow Gator Man's advice to try and circumvent the guidelines and list it anyway you will run into problems when 50 geocachers who are not on your reunion's guest list show up there anyway.

Now, if you still want to have an event for geocachers that happens to take place during your reunion weekend, go for it. Just make sure it is separate and stands as it's own event. See if you can get a back room of a diner or moderately priced restaurant. This way you don't have to worry about people bringing food long distance, and you don't have to clean up the mess when it's over. If it's only going to be a small group like 10-15-20 people just pick a normally quiet night at your favorite eatery. It's still a good idea to give the location a heads up you are coming in with a large party that night so they can decide if they need extra staff on hand.