Any group in Lochac can bid to host Bal d’Argent. Bids generally open at or after one year’s Bal, and with the winning bid announced early in the new year.

If your group is interested in hosting this event, then you will need to assemble a document containing the following information, and send it to the Guild Secretary:

• Proposed event date: the Bal is usually held in either July or August. This is not mandatory, but is often a more comfortable time of year to dance in garb, which you should take into account. Check the Kingdom Calendar to make sure you are not clashing with any existing major or local event.
• Who are the stewarding team? (at least the core team). You will usually need at least someone to oversee the ‘Front of house’ part of the event, someone to head the catering team, and a different someone to coordinate the dancers and musicians. This can, of course, be varied depending on the strengths and interests of your people.
• Proposed venue: how many people can dance comfortably? is there space for musicians? what sort of seating is provided? what is the floor like? Is the kitchen suitable for catering a ball? What are the toilets like? Are there changing rooms? What is accessibility like? How are the public transport connections and parking?
• Event format: the usual format for the event includes dance (and sometimes music) classes on Saturday afternoon, and the Ball itself on Saturday evening. Some groups have done a feast before the ball, some just do a buffet supper, some hold classes or a tourney on the Sunday as well. Please describe your plan for the weekend. If you will be running classes, please mention where they will be held – is your main venue available for classes as well?
• Competitions: the Bal must include the annual guild competitions (Non-rondel, Group, Silver Serif, Breve ( formerly Silver Semibreve)) – the exact competition dances will be chosen at the previous Bal. You may also add other competitions if you wish: costume competitions are common, or the tassel-kick galliard (Salti del Fiocco).
• Other Guild Activities: At some point, your timetable for the weekend needs to include an hour or so for the Guild of the Silver Rondel to have a meeting and make plans for the year following. You may also wish to provide an opportunity for new members to demonstrate their eligbility to join the Guild.
• Hospitality Plans: Bal d’Argent often gets quite a few wayfarers attending. Please indicate what sort of accommodation is available around your event venue, and how easy it is to get to from major transport hubs. Will your team assist with finding billets? With Transportation?
• Finances: How will you pay for all this? What will you change people, and how many people need to attend for you to break even. How does this number compare with historical attendence for similar events in your area? This should be worked out to the same standard as for any other event: talk to your Seneschal or Reeve for details of what is needed. Remember to take GST, the Kingdom Levy and day memberships into account. Any profit or loss associated with the event stays with the hosting group.
• Sign off from your local Seneschal (and B&B if applicable), to indicate that your own group supports the bid.