Playa del Fuego

Planning Committee Overview and Guidelines

General Overview:

 Playa del Fuego is planned by an open membership planning committee. Currently the planning meetings can either be attended in person or by use of a conference call. Any person who is present in person or by phone gets a voice and vote. There are no requirements for participation other then attendance.

Committee Responsibilities

 The Planning Committee is responsible for almost all of the event planning, including event policies, ticket sales, budgets and infrastructure. The Planning Committee is not responsible for legal and liability issues, art grants, and long term organizational planning. These responsibilities are left to the Board of Directors of Playa del Fuego Inc., with the exception of art grants. Art grants are managed by the Art Grants Committee with oversight by the Board of Directors.

Schedule:

 There are four to five meetings for each "burn cycle." Each cycle is the planning season for one event, spring or fall. Typically the spring cycle has five meetings and the fall cycle has four due to the shorter period of time before fall. Each meeting has a general purpose that is automatically on the agenda, but other agenda items can be considered at any meeting.

The order of meetings is:

1. After-burn meeting. At this meeting a general overview of the previous burn is given and each department submits their post burn reports.

2. Budget proposals and ticket sale dates and prices.*

3. Budget approvals

4. Last minute/emergency items.

* During the spring planning session, this meeting may be split into two meetings.

Planning Committee Communication and Announcements

 The planning committee uses an email list, Burningass, to communicate outside of meetings. Agendas, meeting details and minutes are also posted to Burningass. If you want to get involved in planning Playa del Fuego that is where should start. You can find subscription information on the Playa del Fuego website under the "Mailing Lists" link on the left side-bar. You do not need to attend planning meetings to be a member of the planning email list, but you will only get to vote if you attend the meetings. If you want to participate in the planning committee it is highly recommended you subscribe to Burningass because that is where the announcements, minutes and agendas are posted.

Planning Committee Procedures

There is a process for submitting items for votes.

1. Issues for discussion or proposal should be submitted to the planning email list for discussion. This should preferably happen two weeks before the next meeting. Proposals should be detailed. It should contain what you think needs to be done and a plan for doing it.

2. At the meeting following the item’s submission to the list, it will be announced on the agenda and discussed at the meeting. No votes will be taken on the issue.[1] The minutes of the discussion will be posted to the planning list. 

3. If people have more to discuss, the discussion will continue through email until the next meeting. Proposals may be altered in consideration of the discussion.

4. At the next meeting a brief discussion period will be allowed and then a vote will be taken, recorded, and posted in the minutes.

 This can be a slow and sometimes frustrating process. However, it helps to ensure that issues are thoroughly discussed and the most informed decisions possible are made. Through active and open discussion we are able to better reach consensus and compromise. 

 Each meeting is chaired by one person. This will be someone who has experience at planning meetings, and will be whoever volunteers. It is their job to order the agenda and moderate time limits on discussions. In addition one person will take the minutes and a third will run the stack. The stack is simply a list of people who wish to speak and what order they will speak in. To stack you simply raise your hand if at the meeting or say “stack” and your name if on the phone. The stacker will put your name at the bottom of the list and call you when it is your turn. Stacking and time limits are used as needed based on meeting size and how controversial the issues on the agenda are. Stacking is often needed, time limits are rarely needed.

 It is expected that participants will show respect to the other participants in the planning process. While you are free to disagree, personal attacks and insults are not tolerated. Participants should also respect the planning process and not attempt to exploit it in anyway or use it unfairly.