Please remember this was the original bid and much changed as we worked to put on the event so some of the information here does not match what finally happened at KWAR. However, looking back at this I realize a surprising amount of it DID happen the way we planned in this bid.



Known World Academy of the Rapier

KWAR 2004 Bid

Bryn Gwlad, Ansteorra (Austin, Texas)



Sponsoring SCA Group

Barony of Bryn Gwlad, Kingdom of Ansteorra (Austin, Texas)


Available Weekends

October 7-10


Unfortunately, only this one weekend is available, due to conflicts with local events, with our Crown Tournament (date reserved by kingdom law) or conflicts at the hotel. The good news is that the weather in Texas should be quite mild at that time of year.


Fees

Thursday: $15 (registration and money for Thursday only goes to ECW, not SCA!)

Friday, Saturday & Sunday: Pre-register - $25 At the Gate - $30

Discount for instructors: $5

Merchant Fee: $20/table. No charge to merchant on Thursday & Friday.


These are estimates that will depend on the final budget.

Thursday and Friday boxed lunches will cost extra. (we are getting bids).


Hotel Room Price

$79 + tax Single/Double Occupancy

Block of 50 rooms reserved


Staff


Steward: Baron Christian Doré, WSA


Site Steward (Hotel Liason): Baroness Claire Shayhan

Site Steward (Boat & Bailey): Open

Site Steward (Ranch): John Hidlago, Local director of the English Civil War Society of America (ECWSA)


Class Coordinator: Mistress Gwenneth of Glamorgan, WSA


Publisher: Mistress Æthylen Moondragon


Marshal in Charge: Don Iago Cabrera de Cadiz (currently Ansteorran KMoF)


Registration/Gate: Open


Merchant Coordinator: Open


Web Site: Baroness Claire Shayhan


Site

Our site would be the Omni South at the corner of I35 and US71 in Austin Texas. This site is vary easy for anyone driving to locate and it offers free shuttle service to the nearby airport. The address is:

Omni Austin Hotel South Park

4140 Governor's Row

Austin, TX 78744

(512) 448-2222


Here are some features of the Omni Hotel:

- 6 miles from the Airport on the same highway (far enough to be quiet but still a short trip)

- Free shuttle service to and from Airport.

- Easy to locate – in the southeast corner at the intersection of I35 and US 71. Since these are the two routes most people use to get to Austin, it is easy to find for those who are driving.

- Plenty of free parking

- Good hotel restaurant “ The Onion Creek Grill“ (I eat lunch there sometimes). Some inexpensive restaurants within walking distance. Many restaurants of various kinds within a short drive. Other hotel facilities include a morning coffee bar in the lobby, an interesting sunken bar in the lobby and the “Sweetwater Bar” in the evenings.

- Rooms are upscale, very nice. They include minibar, wireless internet connections (PCMCIA cards available at the front desk), customizable voicemail, web TV, guest robes, more.


The facilities we would be using would be located close together so going from class to class would be simple and quick. We would also be next to restrooms and the hotel restaurant. All the classrooms (with one possible exception) would be on the same floor. There is a grassy outdoor area as well.


We plan to have the following spaces (ceilings in all fighting rooms are 12'):

Oaks Room: Huge Oval room 59'x43' (1950sq.ft.) - fighting classes, Saturday night party

Omni E: 30'x31' (930sq.ft.) - fighting classes

Omni F: 30'x31' (930sq.ft.)(fighting classes)

note: Omni E & F can be combined into one room of 31'x60' (1860sq.ft.)

Southpark A: 30'x21' (635sq.ft.) - lecture/discussion classes

Southpark B: 30'x21' (635sq.ft.) - lecture/discussion classes

note: Southpark A & B can be combined into one room of 30x42 (1260sq.ft.) – large enough for fighting classes.

Rm 102: 26'x19' (494sq.ft.) - discussion classes

Rm 104: 26'x19' (494sq.ft.) - discussion classes

Governor's Suite: 25x20 (500sq.ft.) - Room contains a conference table, couches and other amenities. To be used for marshalate meeting and small discussion classes. Friday night hospitality suite.

Outdoor Grassy area: 50'x60' (3000sq.ft.) – can be covered in inclement weather (fighting classes or open fighting)

Outdoor Cement area (lighted) 40'x50' (2000sq.ft.) – will be roped off. Cannot be covered in bad weather. (overflow, weather permitting. Also, night fighting )

Lobby space - registration and merchants (the hotel actually suggested this).


Notes:


1. We will be looking at the popularity of various classes to determine where each class will be. The most popular fighting classes will get the largest spaces. The smallest lecture classes would get the smallest space. As needed we can convert Omni E & F into 1 large or 2 small fighting rooms and Southpark A & B into 1 medium sized fighting room or 2 large classrooms. The hotel has offered to open and close dividers and move furniture about during the day to accommodate us. Given this plan we feel our indoor facilities alone are sufficient for our classes. Adding the outdoor areas gives us a generous amount of space.


2. The merchant area would be all indoors (unless they chose to attend on Thursday or Friday as well) and is only a few steps from the classrooms and registration.


3. The Governor's Suite is the only room that is not close to the others as it is on the 14th floor. Even so it is less than 3 minutes walk & elevator ride.


Activities

We have some very unique activities planned at and around KWAR 2004. This is what we feel makes our bid special. Here is a brief summary:


Thursday -- A day at Sycamore Creek Ranch as guests of the English Civil War Society. This will include training to load, fire and clean matchlock muskets and cannon; training to use pikes; a blacksmith demo; maybe fencing or other stuff. This will be an official ECW event, not SCA so no rules are violated. Transport would be provided from the hotel to the site and back. A box lunch will be available for a small fee. The Fee for Thursday would be paid to the ECW, not SCA.


Friday -- A day of melee classes and practices at "The Boat & Bailey", a property on Lake Austin with a castle structure like that used at Gulf War, and a “ship” built along similar lines, all shaded by giant pecan trees. We will fight melees in the field, in the castle and on the ship. Transportation would be provided from the hotel to the site and back. A box lunch will be available for a small fee. This is an official SCA activity.


Friday Night – Meet-N-Greet reception and check-in at hotel. Snacks and old friends in the hospitality room (Governor's Suite).


Saturday & Sunday -- KWAR classes from 9:00am to 5pm Saturday and 9:00am to 2:00pm Sunday. These classes will focus on period fighting forms, advanced techniques and participatory panel discussions.


Saturday Night -- Choice of 2 activities.

1. Sir Gideon has volunteered to put together a pub crawl to the various Celtic/Irish pubs in Austin (non-SCA activity).


2. For those who are less into chewy beer and smoke we will run a social get together in the hotel with period games (and a few non-period games like Piet's Rapier Circle) and some of Bryn Gwlad's wonderful musicians. Probably some country dances but nothing so formal as a "Grand Ball". Drinks can be had at the hotel lobby bar (just a few steps from where we will be). We will be providing a coffee and beverage service at the party. If it is within our budget we will provide snacks as well.


This KWAR will give the attendees experiences that are not available anywhere else in the Known World. With the Sycamore Creek Ranch activities, the facilities at the Boat & Bailey and the many “old timers” we will have available to us, the experience will be interesting, educational and unique.


Publications

We will produce a CD of the proceedings of KWAR and any additional materials deemed appropriate for inclusion. The CD will be included at no additional cost. A printed copy of the book will also be available and according to our budget and the printing costs will either be included or will be available for a small extra charge (~$5).


Classes

Classes will concentrate where possible on period fighting forms, advanced techniques and participatory panel discussions. We can run 4 fighting classes and 3 discussion classes plus free fighting space but our space is flexible enough that we could convert 2 classrooms into another fighting space, convert 2 smaller fighting spaces into a very large space or make other trade offs. The hotel has offered to make changes throughout that day, so long as we let them know ahead of time.


Along with the other classes we would like to hold a panel discussion on "True Rapier Stories From the Early Days", complete with a bit of film, video tape and a some photos. We even have the film that was originally shown to the BoD to explain what rapier fighting was. A sample of the Don Trading Cards would be there along with some other memorabilia. The panel would include many of the people who were involved in the earliest stirrings of rapier in the SCA.


Marshalate Considerations

Our marshal in charge will be Iago Cabrera de Cadiz, currently Ansteorran KMoF/KRM. Ansteorra's rules permit the use of all legal SCA blades, side sword, and we extend a courtesy authorization to any fighter authorized in another SCA kingdom. We do not anticipate any problems granting permission for KWAR fighters to use any techniques legal in any other SCA kingdom. Because of our participation in Gulf War our marshalate is experienced in dealing with fighters from a variety of kingdoms. We will expect all participants to comply with the SCA corporate rules at a minimum.

Feast

No feast is planned. We will provide a list of restaurants that are nearby, including a map and noting which are within walking distance. The hotel restaurant is also quite good (I sometimes go there for lunch) and only a little pricey. They are known for their made-while-you-watch pasta bar for lunch($10).


Budget

Summary

The barony of Bryn Gwlad will be hosting this event. We have plenty of funds to cover all the costs associated with KWAR so we will not be looking for any additional funding. We estimate that attendance will be around 200 guests. Based on our current budget our break even point will be about 160 guests. We have studied past KWARs and we believe we will avoid operating this one at a loss, in spite of the extra activities. We have drawn up a more detailed budget that we can send you upon request.


Expenses

Final numbers will vary.


Room Rentals & Catering: 3,474.00

CD Expenses: 250.00

Porta-Potties: 150.00

Van Rentals (for Friday): 300.00

Total costs: $3,808.00


Liability to the hotel if KWAR is Canceled: $3,318

May be mitigated if the hotel can rent out the space.


Cost of Publications

We will produce a CD with instructional materials from the KWAR. Costs for that should not exceed $250. We would like to produce this in book form as well. Our current plan is to provide a printed book for the cost of producing it (~$5) only for those who pay for it ahead. That should make the book a wash budget wise. We have had some offers to explore the idea of printing the book free or at very low cost which would give us the option of giving it free to participants.


Hotel Costs, Catering, Deposits and Cancellation Fee

The hotel has estimated a cost of $3,474 for rentals of space and catering. Although catering costs $2576.00, we CANNOT save all that money by simply not having the catering. In exchange for using their catering services, the hotel is giving us rental fees on the event space of only $898.00. If we do not use their catering at all the rental cost increases to $3018.00. So the bottom line is that the catering effectively costs us only $456.00.


We only need to put down a $500.00 deposit fee and sign a contract to reserve our facilities but they will expect the balance of the estimated bill ($2500.00) at least 10 days before the event. We expect much of that money to come from pre-paid reservations; typically about 50% of KWAR participants pre-pay. If that holds true for us the barony's total out of pocket cost would be about $2,000.00.


As soon as we sign a contract with the hotel we would also be OBLIGATED for the rental of 42 room-nights (1 room-night = 1 room rented for one night) at a total cost of $3,318.00. If we cancel, we will owe them that money. When we hold KWAR those reserved rooms would be rented by the guests who come to KWAR so the barony would not actually pay for them at all. Past KWARs have generated 65+ room-nights so it should be no problem for these 42 to be filled.


We would need to sign a contract with the Omni soon after hearing if we have the bid. They are only willing to reserve our space for a short time without a contract.


Conclusion

We have attempted to estimate costs high and income low. Given the budget above I believe we can put on a great KWAR and avoid operating at a loss.



Photos and additional Information can be found at

http://


Note: The original link is gone but you can see the map and pictures at these links:


http://kwar2004.swordworks.org/OmniLayout.shtml


http://kwar2004.swordworks.org/melee.shtml