This guide provides advice and helpful hints for planners and controllers when the club runs either multiple events on the same day and/or multiple events over two or more days. This guide is in addition to the tasks that a coordinator would normally do.
There are pros and cons to the order of a sprint and middle event on the same day, this decision/discussion will vary depending on the time of year, travel distances and status/purpose of events.
When there are multiple events in a single day and/or over multiple days, additional planning is required for use/allocation of control stakes and SI boxes and start and finish equipment. The club has the following controls and stakes (see Inventory and List of Sportident control numbers for more details):
Typically the club would hold a sprint and middle on one day and a long on the second day or vice versa. It is preferable to have the sprint as the first event as a sprint is usually over quickly and the likelihood of late/long finishers is lower than for a terrain event.
Prior to the event, all the Controller & Planner teams need to find, collect and distribute all the stakes and SI boxes. This should be done in the weekend prior to the event as being organised at least on the equipment front reduces the potential for any last minute gear crisis which often results in mistakes being made or things overlooked.
The Planners and Controllers need to nominate and publicise amongst the event planning teams 1 person from each event to coordinate the equipment. The names and contact details of these people should be shared with the Coordinators as well. The SportIdent Operator should be part of this planning to arrange the check/sync/clear of the equipment before the events. The Coordinators should be made aware of the final plans so that they are aware of what else is going on with equipment and helpers etc.
Allocation of the course equipment would typically have the events that are on the same day share equipment, with event $A$ using $31\to x$ and event $B$ using $(x+1)\to 129$. Event $C$ on the following day would use $31\to129$ (see List of Sportident control numbers for details). This allocation of equipment means that all events have their "own" unique set of stakes and boxes and stakes can be put out in advance if required/appropriate. Due to the need to wake up the SI boxes on the day of the event, there is little merit in putting out SI boxes in advance.
If events $A \& B$ are using more than a combined total of 97 controls, one event should borrow the required gear from event $C$ with these borrowed control numbers allocated to the white/yellow courses for event $C$ as these stakes/boxes are usually close to the event centre and therefore quicker to put out on the day of the event. If this is the case, then the two controllers need to agree in advance who, how and when the shared equipment will get to their next event. There are also double SI boxes ($[40,54,77,88,100]$, see List of Sportident control numbers ) that could be used if not required for doubles at high traffic control sites.
In addition to the control stakes, a movement plan is required for the SI radio boxes and clear and check boxes etc, especially between events $A\&B$ and $B\&C$. An overall Timing Coordinator should be appointed to manage/oversee the movement of common equipment, i.e. SI clear and check boxes, start and finish punches and stands, start clocks, SI radio boxes and repeaters. Each event team should know where their stakes/flags and SI boxes are coming from and where it is going to after their event.