Don't wait for someone to throw a Burner event near you, throw your own!

The basic steps at right have proven to be a winning formula, but please feel free to chuck them out the window and do your own thing.

Don't Wait, Do It Yourself

Burners have a unique way of doing things. We try to describe our culture in the 10 principles found on the Burning Man website and in our Articles of Association. You can use these principles to put a twist on your event and make it more fun. For example, if you're planning to host a pub crawl, is there any way to engage the people in the pub and get them to participate? Burner style pub crawls have included stuff like dressing up as Santas and passing out candy canes to the bar crowd.

The most important thing is to have fun. So don't take things seriously if they don't go completely according to plan. They won't. And that's part of the fun!

Here are a few things to consider while planning your Burner event.

Deciding what you want to do with a group of Burner friends doesn't have to be difficult. Pick what you like to do best (or second best) and think about how this could be experienced as a group. Some of the possibilities might include:

• A day at the local amusement park
• A picnic or BBQ
• Bowling
• Skating
• Spinning poi, juggling, belly dancing
• Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
• House or yard party
• Club hopping / bar crawl
• Sightseeing
• Attending art openings or visiting museums
• Going to a movie or watching movies at home
• Making art for the next Burn event
• Peeting a bit of the ol' Moloko at the Korova Milkbar

For more ideas, check out the Events Calendar to see what other Midwest Burners have done in the past.

Pick a creative, memorable name for your event. Good event names stay in people's minds and it makes them more inclined to attend ("We're Going To Jaws XXIV" isn't exactly inspiring). Here are some interesting Burner event names used in the past:

• Maev's Stitch & Bitch Party
• Burners At The Edge Of Hell
• Roller Skatin' Good Time
• Shipwrecked
• Kamikaze Slam
• Work/Play Weekend Extravaganza
• Castaway

If you get stuck, try looking up word alternatives in a thesaurus or a visual thesaurus.

Unless you're showing movies in your basement, picking an event location can be the most difficult part of event planning. Here are some important things to keep in mind:

• If your event will be held at some kind of establishment (restaurant, bar, bowling alley, etc.), things will go much better if you contact the management beforehand and tell them your group will be there at a certain date and time. Arrive a few minutes before your start time and let any greeters know who you are, the name of your event, and where you intend to be. Every attendee coming in the door will ask. Don't leave the greeters clueless.
• If your group will be meeting in the middle of a large indoor crowd (like a crowded bar), make a little table tent or placard with your event name and "Midwest Burners" on it. If people can't find you they can at least find where you're gathering.
• If your group will be meeting in the middle of a large outdoor crowd (like a concert or public park), wear something offbeat so attendees can spot you from a distance: an odd hat, a colored shirt, feathers, a glowstick... whatever will stand out. Plan ahead and mention this in your event announcement.
• If your location is going to be out in the sticks (like a camping area or lake house), make up a sign like a garage sale sign and place it where people can see it from the road. When attendees have been driving for a long time it feels great to see a sign at the destination. Mention the sign in your event announcement.

Picking a good date and time for your Burner event is important. You don't want people to skip your event because you picked Mother's Day and they already have commitments.

• Avoid the major holidays and the weekends that surround them.
• If you're event is in the middle of a big city, avoid event times near rush hour. Many people won't brave the freeway traffic and your attendance will suffer.
• If your event starts late and will run into the early morning hours, pick a Friday or Saturday so people won't have to leave early to get some rest before the next workday.

Fire up your text editor and write your event announcement. Keep it fun, fairly short, descriptive, detailed, and to the point.

Cover what, where, when, what to expect, and maybe what to bring. Example:

Cow, Pig, And Bun: A Burner Bar-B-Que
McMillan Lake Park, Shelter 10
Sedalia, Missouri
Saturday, June 15, 2008
3:00 PM until late

The livestock show is over and we're roasting the losers! The park has plenty of space if you want to spin poi or fly kites. Cow, Pig, And Bun starts at 3:00 PM but we'll probably eat around 3:30.

Show up hungry and bring your lawn chairs. Playa attire is encouraged.

McMillan Lake Park, Shelter 10
1234 Fake St.
Sedalia, Missouri
54321

Organizer: Squid
(optional email address here)
(optional telephone or cell number here)

Save the text file. You'll be using it in the next step.

You can reach the great majority of Midwest Burners by placing your event announcement online:

• Post your Burner event announcement on the Midwest Burners Yahoo Group. Since this is really email, make the subject title sound inviting.
• Post your Burner event announcement on the Midwest Burners Tribe
• Get it listed on the MWB website Events Calendar:
  1. Go to the Submit An Event Listing Request page.
  2. Fill in the form.
  3. Copy your Burner event announcement into the Listing Text field.
  4. Click the Send button at bottom.
• Post your Burner event announcement on the Midwest Burners Yahoo Group Calendar:
  1. Logon to the Midwest Burners Yahoo Group.
  2. Click the Calendar link on the left side of the page.
  3. On the Calendar, choose your event's day then click Add Event.
  4. Fill in the details as required and then copy your Burner event announcement into the Notes field.
  5. Use the Reminders option. Set it to send out a group reminder about 3-5 days before your event.
  6. Click the Save button at bottom.

It's a very good idea to remind people about your event about 3-5 days before it happens. Even if people put your event on their personal calendars they tend to forget.

• Show up early to make sure everything is ready.
• If you're hosting a reoccurring event then plan to be there every time. This means that you may be the only person who shows up some times. The key is to be that person who is consistently there. Don't be discouraged if no one shows up for the first event. Try it a couple more times and experiment. Build it and they will come.
• If you have a cell phone, be prepared with directions when some very lost Burners call.
• We're Burners and we're famous for Leaving No Trace. This practice should extend to wherever we're at. Remind your participants to help you Leave No Trace at the end of your event. Be prepared to do a final MOOP scan & clean up any missed litter yourself though. You don't want to organize a MOOPy gathering!
• Be sure to thank everyone for attending.
• If your venue has management, thank the management personally when you leave.

If the start time for your event arrives and you still find yourself alone, don't panic! Burners are notoriously late. They don't call it "running on playa time" for nothing. Bring a magazine to read and be prepared for this possibility.

It's always good form to send thank you messages to the people who've attended your event. You won't have all their email addresses so it's common to post these on the Yahoo and Tribe groups for all to see.

In your message, tell all about what happened at your event and thank people for coming. In addition to being polite, it encourages people to attend your next extravaganza.

Send a message to Zay or Aldric.