CUCC Expedition Handbook

Expedition Leadership

This is far from a complete checklist, as no recent leaders have stepped forward to write the guide. However, it is a series of notes outlining some expo jobs and giving a vague timetable. It will be as useful if someone says "this is complete tosh" and writes a better one, as if it actually provides some help!

Expo Committee

In order to make sure that various necessary jobs get done, it is always best to assign tasks to specific people, since otherwise everyone thinks that someone else will be doing it. Define responsibilities early!

Leader
Overall coordinator and motivator.
Treasurer
Collects deposits to fund gear-buying. Keep track of accounts and sends out expo bills in the autumn. Provides expo tallies book.
Sponsorship
If you are going to pursue sponsorship, start early (you will be competing with many similar groups and most potential sponsors will be more impressed by an air of efficient organisation than one of last minute desperation).
Equipment
This covers more than just rope and hangers. Will need to liaise closely with sponsorship officer and club Tackle Master.
Transport
The logistics of getting 20 or so cavers and half a tonne of miscellaneous gear out to Austria, on a shoestring budget with a limited number of cars, are daunting. Whoever does this probably ought to be a driver themselves, so they know what's involved.
Project officers
If there is a special project which has its own special needs (radios, aerial photos or whatever), it may be best to have one person specifically responsible.
Consultants
Previous expo members can help a great deal, even if they are not going. Don't be afraid to ask questions, solicit suggestions, or ask for help with equipment or training. Keeping older members involved will also make it more likely that they will return to expo in the future. This is particularly useful in view of the amount of information which is still not written down adequately, like where to find cave XYZ etc.

Vital jobs

Every expedition depends on the work of previous expos. The first priority is to make sure that all the work of last year's expo is finished. This means trips written up in logbook, survey data into the survey book, question mark lists made up (both new questions marks added and ones dealt with removed to the "done" list). Each piece of survey drawing and each missing passage description or rigging guide should be assigned to a specific person so you know whom to hassle. This should be the job of last year's expo committee, of course (especially as this work needs to be started well before the next expo starts to become organised), but the current year's leadership needs to check that everything has been done as soon as they start organising.

Have we finished?

Preparing for the next expo

Once you have an idea of the size and style of expo

Getting people committed

By Easter you should have broken the back of the administration, but you will still be surrounded by people who haven't decided / haven't paid. Organising transport is one of the biggest nightmares and the sooner you know who is going and when, the easier this gets. Getting a second (non- refundable) deposit off people helps to tie them down.

Last minute

There should be nothing left to the last minute (ho ho !). But unless you are an amazing organiser with unbelievably cooperative expo members of exceptional competence and self-reliance, there will be a panic for the last couple of weeks at least.

On Expo

Have fun, don't push so hard that it gets dangerous, the caves will still be there next year.

Before going home

Back in the UK

It's easy to relax when you get home, and then meet up at the BCRA conference in a state of panic because there are no slides, no-one to do the talk, no surveys etc. Timescales are short and expo members are dotted around the country. Not everyone will come to BCRA. But the quality of the talk affects the size of next year's expo grant since the people who administer the cash will all be there and good impressions do count.