Site Office - Enter the Hub

Why have a site office?
When events reach a certain size, separation of function needs to occur.
By site office we do not mean first aid tent, a welcome desk, nor trauma support. Unlike those areas, a site office can be staffed for "business hours" only, and depending on the nature of your event, it could incorporate a tool store, an information desk, a communication hub or just a message book hanging in an empty tent. If widely-known about, and accessible to co-organisers and event-visitors though, it could be a key part of a well oiled machine.

Location
Close to the entrance, near a vehicle access point, next to storage area for incoming goods and recycling. It makes sense to have a source of power and water nearby, and be near an internet connection for looking up information, emailing orders of materials etc.

Purpose
What will the site office do? The business of a site office needs defining from the start - do queries and information about electrics, plumbing, access, council-liaison, etc. all come to the site office, or do some of those details have their own co-ordination spaces?
One site office can only do so much. Here are some features to chose from, and how they might work.

Receptionist
This is the friendly, sorted person at the front (or rather bunch of people) who people first contact when coming to the site office. They cover the chaos that might be going on in the background. It's a vital function for bigger events, and a life saver for the people working on site set-up and maintenance. It also means there's someone left at the desk when all other site workers are out building or fixing things. This job could include checking tools out and back in, giving people quick answers to their requests if possible, connecting them to a specialist if that's required, directing them to the welcome/ action support/ workshop/ ... tent if that's what it turns out they're after, and fobbing them off in the nicest possible way if they're just wasting time. Goods deliveries might be handled through the site office. People bringing deliveries may turn up and need directing to the person who is in charge of receiving it. The great thing about being a receptionist is, everybody at the site office will love you for keeping their backs free. But it's definitely a rota job, as you can only do so many hours of answering the same questions over and over again.

Tool store
Where set-up involves non-specific volunteers as well as self-tooled-up craftsfolk, a big supply of tools, a warm but eagle eyed office-sitter and a signing in and out book can facilitate everyone's will to help construct and embellish a camp.

At the 2007 climate camp many tooled up attendees lent their tools for the duration of the event, on the understanding that they would not be lost. To this end we catalogued and labelled (in permanent marker, not a removable sticker) all the tools and electrical kit that came in, so it was clear in the tool-signing-in-and-out book exactly what had gone where with whom. At Climate camp, we took people's names and neighbourhoods, but perhaps mobile phone numbers or a ransom item (phone, bank card, passport) could be used at a less trusting event! Some expensive or precious items were stored separately and only lent out to named trusted individuals. This increased security is something that the person lending the tool to the site office can request.

(In practice in 2007, just a very few items were damaged or pinched, and a great many items were never picked up again by the lenders! That wasn't a problem for us, because we had somewhere for them to go - into the pooled resources for this co-op, but it might be important for your event to have nothing left over, and a heavier push on lenders to come and collect their items at the end.)

The tools are best organised clearly behind the receptionist, but consumable items like nails and screws can be positioned in a more accessible part of the space. While gaffer tape and paint are technically consumer products, we'd advise numbering each roll, tin or tub to encourage bring-back. The empty roll returning is better than a dozen half-used rolls left lying all over the site.

Power tools are a sneaky resource, which create demand for themselves, and bottleneck procedures; structures put up with cordless drills need drills to take them apart again neatly. Expensive models are exactly that, and cheap ones may not last the distance. Hammer and nails are good enough when used correctly, power drilling is a luxury you won't necessarily be able to rely on.

Electrics workshop
This could be some sort of help desk, with a skilled person available or on call, or a kind of back-room industry operating out of the back of the tent, almost by coincidence. Will phone-charging be offered, or can that happen in the Communications tent? Or electric rings?

Checking in and out of Deliveries
A similar issue to tool sign-in/out but on a much larger scale. Links with the site gates and outposts, by radio, phone or runners would be key. Again the factors of hours of business, and a "responsible person" suggest using a rota.

Volunteer + job co-ordination
With paper on the tabletop, and lots of information coming in and out this depends, like many things, on how well it's used by volunteers and job-spotters. One role of the receptionist is to spot serial volunteers, asking for their contact details and whether they want to become part of future events.

Transport/ liftshare co-ordination
As above, if people will use it, it could be great. People transport might be better sited at the welcome or information desks though, and the site office could concentrate on the transportation of tools, infrastructure, wheelie bins full of poo etc.

Trouble-shooting report zone
If a site office is not going to be a hang out for specialists in site work like pipes and structures, then the person staffing it does need a comprehensive list of phone numbers for specialists, or radio confidence.

Site specialist comfy zone
A table with tea & coffee facilities away from the front desk make the office that much nicer to be in. Make sure to have a ready supply of biscuits for workers in need of a sugar rush. On the downside, this zone can get a bit scruffy and unhelpful if no one's looking after it. Sleeping space of some description is useful for site team members who need a quick nap and essential if there is a need for night-time security sleepovers. Will the space welcome all friendly useful people, or crack down on overcrowding? Is someone "in charge" of the space at all times?

Information point
It's nice to start with a neat folder, although you may soon find yourself surrounded by sheets of flipchart paper with names and numbers on them. Useful Information to have written down:

Receptionist rota
Deliveries needed/ arranged/ expected/ arrived
Drivers on standby/ out on missions
Vehicles on standby/ out on missions
Contacts for Volunteers for specific tasks or odd jobs
Contacts for site specialists, esp. power/electrics, plumbing and structures
Contacts for police liaison
Information sheets for volunteer tasks