Restrictions on Events, timings and distances

[+The Morris]

Have just returned home from the Mega event in Wangaratta.  Lots of good things to say about the weekend but I was really disappointed to hear about the restrictions that have now been placed on events, CITOS and CCEs, their proximity and their timings.  Like many people we drove a long way and wanted to catch up with people at a variety of different events.  

 

I don't really understand how having several events in a day can be anything other than a fun thing to do - I really don't want large groups of people driving distances (and parking!) in order to meet guidelines that don't seem to make any real sense.  

Can anyone explain the logic for these restrictions and point me to the guidelines that explains what they are?

[Keystone]

The "Event Stacking" guideline has been in place for many years.  Perhaps you only noticed it now because of the impact on the fun Mega you attended.  Guidance on "side events" related to Mega and Giga Events has evolved within the past five years.

 

The primary source of authority can be found in the Event Stacking section of the Geocache Hiding Guidelines.  For additional detail, see the Help Center article on "Side Events" for Mega and Giga Events.  As noted in the article, a high number of Side Events can distract from the experience planned by the official main Event Host, and significant deference is given to "Official" side events (within the stated limits), versus events that are hosted by other geocachers.

 

Finally, the limits on distance and time for events to be considered as "stacked" are left in large part to the discretion of the local Community Volunteer Reviewer teams, under the supervision of Geocaching HQ.  In many cases, the local details are summarized in the Regional Geocaching Policies wiki, such as the very clear guidance provided by the Australian Reviewer team in the Australia section of the wiki.  There is room for variation around the world because of the different sizes of geocaching communities, ease of travel and other considerations. 

[+DARKSIDEDAN]

There was limited Social Distancing at during the Mega event in Wangaratta, loads of people without masks and even Anti Vacs people in attendance. However the organizers did try to limit the potential for exposure as best as they could. For that I say Well Done.