Planning Your Tournament

Hosting a debate tournament is a rewarding but complex undertaking. Whether you are organising a small internal club competition or a regional intervarsity event, careful planning is the key to a smooth experience for participants, judges, and organisers alike.

Timeline and Milestones

Start planning at least 2–3 months before the tournament date. Here is a recommended timeline:

3 Months Before

  • Fix the date and debate format (BP, Australs, WSDC)
  • Book the venue — ensure enough rooms for all debates plus a common area
  • Assemble your organising committee: tournament director, chief adjudicator, tab director, logistics lead
  • Set a budget covering venue, food, prizes, printing, and any travel subsidies
  • Open registration — create a form collecting team names, speaker names, institution, and dietary requirements

1–2 Months Before

  • Confirm the chief adjudicator and begin motion-setting
  • Recruit independent adjudicators — aim for at least 1 judge per 2 teams
  • Set up NekoTab: create your tournament, configure the format preset, and import participants
  • Plan the schedule: registration time, number of preliminary rounds, break format, and final
  • Organise catering, signage, and any social events

1 Week Before

  • Finalise motions and prepare infoslides
  • Enter all teams, speakers, adjudicators, and venues into NekoTab
  • Configure institutional conflicts, adjudicator scores, and feedback forms
  • Prepare printed materials: venue maps, schedules, feedback ballots (if using paper)
  • Brief your team on day-of logistics: who runs registration, who manages timekeeping, who handles tech

Day-of Operations

The tournament day is about execution. Here is a round-by-round workflow:

Registration

Allow 30–60 minutes for check-in. Confirm team rosters, distribute venue maps, and brief participants on the schedule and rules. Use NekoTab's check-in feature to track who has arrived.

Each Round

  1. Generate the draw: Use NekoTab to auto-generate the draw with power-pairing (after Round 1, which uses random allocation).
  2. Allocate judges: Use NekoTab's allocation tools to assign panels based on judge scores and conflicts.
  3. Release the draw: Publish to the public site or display in the common area.
  4. Motion release: Announce the motion according to your format's procedure.
  5. Prep time: Allow the standard preparation time (15 minutes for BP, 30 minutes for impromptu WSDC).
  6. Debates: Ensure timekeepers are in each room. Monitor for any issues.
  7. Ballot collection: Collect digital or paper ballots. Enter results into NekoTab.
  8. Feedback: Collect adjudicator feedback after each round.

Break and Finals

After all preliminary rounds:

  • Generate the break using NekoTab's break calculation tools
  • Announce the break publicly
  • Generate elimination round draws
  • Adjudicate finals with your strongest panel

Closing Ceremony

Announce all results: team rankings, speaker prizes, best adjudicator, and any special awards. Publish final results to the NekoTab public site for permanent archival.

Budgeting

Common tournament expenses include:

  • Venue hire: Often the largest cost, unless your institution provides rooms for free
  • Catering: Budget for at least lunch and refreshments; multi-day tournaments need dinner too
  • Prizes: Trophies, certificates, or other awards
  • Printing: If using paper ballots, schedules, or name tags
  • Judge travel: If bringing external chief adjudicators or independent judges

Registration fees from participating teams typically cover most or all of these costs.

Using NekoTab for Your Tournament

NekoTab simplifies tournament administration significantly:

  • Create a tournament in under 2 minutes with format presets
  • Import teams, speakers, and judges via CSV
  • Auto-generate power-paired draws with side balancing
  • Manage judge allocations with conflict detection
  • Collect digital ballots with validation
  • Publish results, draws, and motions on a public site
  • Generate breaks and elimination rounds automatically

Read the documentation for a complete guide to NekoTab's features.