Navy unprepared. Just as when a ship is replenishing at sea or an amphibious force is assaulting a beach, every detail  should  be  thought  of  and  every  contingency provided  for  in  advance. When  you  have  effectively  planned  and  organized your  special  event  well,  it  will  easily  match  the definition described at the beginning of this section. In special  events,  special  arrangements  will  help  you  drive home your message. Devices are especially important on guest cruises and  similar  orientation  visits.  They  include  such particulars as special name tags, place cards, identifying caps  or  pins,  booklets,  wallet  cards,  humorous  awards and other souvenirs. Their value is threefold: l l l They represent that added touch that shows the Navy wants to be more than a good host. They often contain, in capsule form, the message the event is designed to get across. They  serve  to  remind  the  Navy  guest  of  his pleasant  and  usually  very  educational  experience with the Navy. Identification Tags When guests come aboard a ship or station, it is always  a  problem  to  identify  individuals  and  to  make sure  that  people,  baggage  and  transportation  are  routed to the right places at the right time. This problem can be overcome if a guest list is compiled well in advance and if billeting and transportation arrangements are made before  the  guests  arrive. A color scheme can be followed in making out lapel identification  tags,  place  cards,  identification  signs  for buses,  boats  and  aircraft  or  any  other  types  of identification or direction devices you may use. Encourage guests to wear lapel tags. These should be large enough so they can be read at a distance of about 10 feet. Include each guest’s profession or business and hometown  as  well  as  his  name  on  these  tags.  Suggest that the guests wear them on their right lapel. This way the tags can be read easily when the guests are shaking hands. Tags on the left lapel are nearly invisible in this position. Billeting If the group is small and will not be broken into other groups, billeting is less of a problem. Be sure a list of names or room numbers is furnished to the quarterdeck wardroom attendant, CO, XO and others who should have the information. If guests will be billeted with the ship’s officers, try to get some information on each guest to  the  officers  concerned.  A  guest  will  feel  more welcome  if  his  roommate  knows  he  is  coming. Baggage If guests’ baggage will be moved any distance by a working party, have baggage tags already made out with each individual’s name and billet number. Anyone who has traveled any distance will appreciate having his baggage delivered to his room promptly so he can clean up before beginning the strenuous orientation program the command may have laid out for him. If your group is large and you want to break the guests  into  several  subgroups,  use  different  colors  for each group’s baggage tags. Pamphlets  and  Programs People coming aboard ship for a guest cruise or even for  a  simple  public  visitation  like  to  know  what  is happening and to have something to take away with them. For this reason, no event of this type is complete without  a  pamphlet. The easiest type of program to prepare for public visitation  is  a  special  edition  of  the  ship  or  station newspaper. Devote most of the front page to the event and  print  a  program  there  or  on  the  back  page.  If appropriate, print a map on the back page showing the location of major points of interest and routes to follow. The remainder of the issue can be devoted to the usual content  of  the  paper. For  small  groups,  one  simple  program  should contain only the information a guest needs without snowing  him  under  a  mountain  of  superfluous information.  By  printing  successive  sections  on different size pages and indexing each section at the bottom of its first page, the command has prepared an attractive book with a lot of useful information arranged for ready reference. Photo Brochures Some   commands   compile   attractive   photo brochures for VIP groups that serve both to emphasize the objectives of the cruise or orientation visit and as a souvenir   of   the   event.   Photographic   coverage   is carefully  planned  and  the  best  shots  are  selected  and printed  in  the  finished  book.  Sufficient  margin  should be left on the left side of the photos for binding. Captions emphasizing  the  message  the  command are  prepared  to  accompany  the  photos. wants to plug 5-24