How to Host a Essay Writing Contest (8 Steps)

Decide on your topic. Your entrants need to know specifically what topic they should be writing on. Topics are directly related to the organization running the contest. For example, The Ayn Rand Institute sponsors several annual contests for essays about her novels.
Budget your time. Essays take time to write, read, and evaluate; therefore, you have to make sure you leave enough time to cover those three stages. The Anthem essay contest runs yearly with a submission deadline in March and a notification of winners in July. This means those participating can have up to a year to write their essay, but the judges have three months to read and evaluate the entries. Keeping in mind this is a well-publicized contest, you may not need as much time, but it is better to have more time rather than less.
Set the rules. The rules set the expectations for your entrants. First and foremost, you want to ensure you have set minimum and maximum word counts for the submitted essay. This is also where you decide if you will take multiple submissions from entrants, what the manuscripts should look like, who can or cannot participate. Most contests will not allow anyone directly affiliated with the organization running the contest to participate. Also determine if you are going to keep all submissions or return them.
Select the judges and request their participation.
Choose your submission method. Unless you wish to get a lot of mail, it is simpler these days to have essays turned in by email. However, you must keep in mind using a solely electronic method may limit your pool of entrants. Therefore, most essay contests have both an electronic submission method and a physical mailing method available.
Consider prizes. There is no bigger draw for a contest than getting something out of it. If you are not a very large organization, you may wish to offer exposure as an incentive instead of a monetary prize. Some contests make money to offer cash prizes through requiring entry fees. Entry fees can be a good or bad thing in that there will be a number of people who do not enter because of them, though it can bring in capital for those hosting the contest.
Advertise your contest. Consider using message board related to your topic or organization for advertising. If you have a mailing list, utilize it to get the word out for your contest.
Notify your winners on time and make sure you come through with your prizes. One quick way to ruin your reputation as a contest is not to follow through on your promises.
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How to Organize a Seasonal Consignment Sale

Determine the sales categories. While you can host a general sale, focusing your event around items for children, furniture, women's clothing or toys provides a marketing edge to your sale. Selecting specific categories also helps with on-location organization.
Establish a date and location for your event. Scout out facilities that feature sufficient parking, an enclosed or covered location and large open spaces to house the consignment goods. You can select a weekend sale, a sale that runs for a week, or multiple dates during a season.
Rent or purchase display racks and tables. Ensure the types of items you plan to feature at your sale will be displayed for easy viewing by customers.
Set the rules for your consignment sale. Determine the percentage return the consignee can receive for their goods, who prices items and how to handle items that are not purchased. Create specific times and requirements for the delivery of consignment goods to prevent confusion and streamline the pricing and organization of goods.
Create an organizational system for tracking goods and sales. You can opt to purchase software specifically designed for seasonal consignment sales, use standard productivity software or use a manual system. The system must have a coding system for tracking goods, physical tags and an easy way to calculate the amount of money owed to each consignee.
Market your event. Use a variety of marketing channels to reach potential consignees and customers. Options include a website, print media, social media marketing, online consignment sale listings and physical flyers. If you plan to have recurring seasonal sales, offer an e-mail sign up list to attendees to make marketing easier for your next event.
Set up employee schedules. You will need individuals to help price goods, organize the facility, assist customers the day of the sale and clean up after the event.
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How to Plan an In

Be creative with your invitations. Choose ones which incorporate the theme of your party through pictures of slot machines or poker tables.
Invite guests who will be compatible. You may not want to invite your bowling team the same night as you plan to invite the museum board. You want all your guests to feel comfortable.
Ask guests to wear costumes. This is always a great ice-breaker and makes the party even more interesting.
Notify your close neighbors that you are having an in-home casino night and you can even invite them if you are on friendly terms. This may cut down on complaints if the party runs long.
Hire an experienced bartender. Not only will you free up your time, but you can also control the amount of alcohol being served.
Plan to serve dinner buffet-style. Guests can choose what and when they want to eat. Just make sure your buffet is well-stocked throughout the night.
Prepare gift bags with small items to remind your guests of casino night. There are many online vendors, such as Oriental Trading Company, that offer casino-themed novelties.
Think about hiring a valet service if your neighborhood is short of parking. Your guests will appreciate this kind gesture and it will reduce the amount of noise in the neighborhood as guests retrieve their cars.
Create a playlist of suitable music for the occasion. You want to keep the music upbeat, but not overpowering. If you will have dancing later on, bring in a DJ who can keep the momentum going.
Pick the appropriate casino games for your guests and your space. Large blackjack tables may not be a good fit for an intimate party held in a studio apartment. Likewise, a few slot machines may look out of place in a palatial game room or large backyard.
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How to Make My Own Web Video Streaming Service

Select your media. Deciding what you want to stream is important because it allows you to estimate the average file size and the number of files you’ll be able to stream simultaneously. Try selecting 20 videos with an average size of 20MB to start.
Build a streaming server rather than subscribe to a hosted service. You can use a second-hand PC with at least 4GB of RAM and a 2 GHz processor at minimum. Install a hard drive that runs at 7,200 rpm and offers at least 100GB of free space.
Install Windows Media Server on your streaming media server. You can download a free trial version and use it for up to six months. By that time, you should know whether you want to purchase streaming media software or go with a streaming service.
Upload your video files to your streaming server. Verify that the streaming media option for each video is enabled. Note all filenames and addresses for future website linkage. You’ll need to create a simple network to include your streaming file server and administrative PC. Remember to use a unique drive letter when naming your streaming drive.
Create your website or modify your existing site using thumbnail images for each video. Then link the thumbnails to the appropriate selections in your streaming video file bank on your server. Always use the complete network address in your links.
Upload your new or modified website to your Web hosting service and then test your streaming video service on a remote computer. You should be able to click on a thumbnail and see the linked video begin to stream across your screen in a few seconds.
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