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Main event preparation

Children's bags

One of the special touches that helps make Flip the Fair exciting for elementary school visitors is a take-home tote bag filled with fun and useful items. The tote bags are typically provided by the host library or partner organization with contents provided by sponsors.

  • Bag contents may include university-branded swag, age-appropriate books, and other small items — you’ll be responsible for coordinating the university items.
  • Plan a “bag stuffing party” organized by the library or student organizers, where volunteers help assemble and sort the bags by school.
  • If you can’t attend, be sure to get your materials to the organizers ahead of time and confirm they have everything they need.
People in bright orange t-shirts hover two folding tables. Boxes sit below and drawstring bags of different bright red, green, and blue bags with a "Flip the Fair" logo sit atop the table.
2023 Flip the Fair leaders and volunteers prepare gift bags for Roanoke City Public Schools 5th grade judges. Photo by Carrie Kroehler for Virginia Tech.

Sorting the bags by school during the prep session helps ensure smooth distribution on the day of the event.

Venue and judging logistics

 

Venue setup

The host venue — a public library or community center, for example — will typically take the lead in setting up tables for the graduate student presenters.

  • Tables are labeled in advance, and a map of the layout (including table numbers and presenter names) is shared ahead of the event.

  • If presenters have special needs (e.g., access to an outlet or space for a demonstration), share that information early. In our experience, venue staff have been great about accommodating these requests to ensure everyone is set up for success.

Judges' forms and group flow

Elementary school students judge the presenters using pre-printed scoring forms, which you’ll be responsible for preparing and labeling in advance.

This image shows an example of a judging form that can be used for student judges.
Download, modify, and print a sample scoring form here:
Download
3 children wearing lanyards huddle around. One holds a clip board in hand. They look at the papers on the clipboard while a man in a bright green shirt and glasses observes. There is a colorful orange wall and bookcases filled with books behind them.
Roanoke City Public Schools 5th graders consider scores for a graduate student's poster presentation while a Flip the Fair volunteer observes. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

  • On the day of the event, volunteers guide student groups to their assigned tables.

  • To avoid crowding, each student group should visit a different presenter in each round, with only one group per table at a time.

Pro tip for assigning rotations:

There are multiple ways of planning how groups of judges move from exhibit to exhibit, but one way that we've had success with is to start by sending every group to a table, then add an arbitrary number to each table for 3 rounds.

Start by assigning each group to a different table for Round 1. Then rotate in a consistent pattern for the remaining rounds. For example, with 20 tables and 20 student groups:

  • Round 1: Group 1 → Table 1, Group 2 → Table 2, ..., Group 20 → Table 20

  • Round 2: Each group moves forward by +7 tables (Group 1 → Table 8, etc.)
  • Round 3: Move forward by another +7 tables

This method ensures a randomized, fair rotation and avoids overlap. Adjust the rotation number based on how many tables and groups you have.

 

The image shows a black and white table that contains the judging assignments for each student group.
Download, modify, and print a sample rotation chart here:
Download
A woman in a pony tail wearing a bright bright green t-shirt (woman of color) points at a poster atop a table. Four children stand attentively listen to her.
Hannah Brown presents her poster presentation "Growing Mini Organs to Study Picky Viruses" to a group of engaged 5th grade judges at the 2025 Flip the Fair in Roanoke, VA. Photo by Erin Smith for Virginia Tech.

Emails to volunteers and presenters

Send a reminder email to volunteers and presenters 5-7 days before the event reminding them of the time, date, and location.

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