Another suggestion:

If your area has no contest experience, you could hold a non-sanctioned introductory race with just a single class (sports) over a long weekend. If you introduce contests in a low-pressure scenario then you can build interest & momentum & volunteer knowledge over 1-2 seasons so that holding a sanctioned contest is not as high of a hurdle in a future season.

I've been helping organize an event in WA called "The Dust Up" every Memorial Day weekend over the last 5 years. Each year we alternate between holding an XC camp (with nightly talks, two-seat 2-3 hr mentorship rides, and some lead-and-follow flying) and holding a mini-contest (the nightly talks then focus on safety and strategy basics). A 3-day contest risks being rained out of course; but on the flip side it's relatively easy to manage with a single class and a small number of "contestants" (say 15-30). 3-4 days is just enough time to show people 1-2 simple TAT tasks and 1 MAT, give them 2-3 nighttime seminars, and hold a couple of good potlucks/BBQs to build camaraderie and get experienced folk mingling with newer folks.

It's been well-received up in our region, and if anyone is interested in hosting a similar event I'm happy to offer tips, advice, share presentation material, etc. You can contact me at noel.wade(at)gmail(dot)com.

Good luck,

--Noel