FAQ
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WHAT IS FeisFWD?
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FeisFWD is an online interface for Irish Dancing events - both in-person and online. You can use this software to:
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- Organize and run an online feis with online entries and secure video judging and results;
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- Organize and run an in-person feis with self-tabulation or an option to hire FeisFWD staff
- Organize and run class feiseanna, or class report card sessions with video judging; and
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- In the near future, FeisFWD will be adding new features supporting event organizers, dancing
teachers, and committees with digital tools.
HOW DID FeisFWD BEGIN?
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- The concept for a new kind of Irish Dance support software was hatched in 2016, and was revitalized in December 2020 and brought to fruition due to the need for increased digital communication and online tools during the COVID-19 interruption;
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- Our mandate is to provide an affordable and easy way for Irish Dance teachers and organizations to connect with their community and provide safe events to keep dancers engaged and progressing; and
- The product was built to service the dance community during the global pandemic, and is also designed to offer affordable services to in-person feiseanna. Members of the community expressed a desire for more options in both of those sectors.
WHAT MAKES FeisFWD SPECIAL?
- FeisFWD’s software is cutting edge and has the highest standard of security and encryption
available in the video interface for data storage, security and privacy;
- FeisFWD was built based on consultation with Irish dancing teachers and feis organizers who were
seeking a product that could be customized to meet their needs in an agile and “forward thinking”
manner – which is the basis for our brand name. FeisFWD is designed to help you move forward into
this new paradigm and to embrace technology in an easy way;
- Anyone can use this software. Even if you are “not good with tech” – we have tried to make this
program user-friendly and simple;
- Feis organizers will have access to a dashboard with live updates about their event, tools for
communicating effectively with the schools and with registrants;
- Feis organizers can create and modify events in our self-serve event creation software. You can
rename, add, delete, split or combine competitions or change age groupings with ease. You can
custom brand your event and set rules and guidelines for dancers specific to your region;
- We will soon have a regional template for each area of the world;
- Transparency in pricing and services – no secrets or hidden charges;
- Contracts and agreements that protect all parties and ensure quality control;
- Friendly and helpful customer service. You will never get a sharp or grumpy e-mail from our team.
You will not be told “No, we can’t do that” (unless your request is totally ridiculous!);
- We are professionals, who really care about this community, and about the successful growth of
Irish Dancing as one of the world’s best art forms;
- We want YOU – the feis organizer, and the schools, to be successful and to have a way to
fundraise for your school, your dancers, or for a charity. That’s why our prices are set at a
reasonable and attainable rate;
- We offer special concessions and discounts for events that are donating a minimum of 50% of net
profit to a registered charity. (Get in touch to discuss and apply!)
HOW DOES AN “ONLINE FEIS” WORK?
The timeline / process for an event looks like this:
- Organizing phase, working with the feis host to set up and test the event. Organizers can send us a
syllabus document, or, build one online and customize all aspects;
- We will advertise the feis once contracted. When the organizer approves a date and time for launch, we send out a
notification and a link to entries;
- Entries open (whether to the public or restricted to a particular school, invitational group or region)
and we accept payments online.
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IN-PERSON FEISEANNA:
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- When entries close we will send you a printable PDF of your judges sheets, sidestage check-in lists, and anything else you need!
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- If your volunteers are doing tabulation for the event we will do a training session as needed,
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- If you want a FeisFWD professional to tabulate your feis and lead a team of your volunteers we can connect you with a person. Fees start at $700 plus travel expenses.
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BUT, IS IT SAFE?
1) HOW IS MY DATA MANAGED?
Our practices and policies are created to meet and exceed the standard of the privacy requirements in North America, the UK, Europe and beyond. Our process checklist and internal policies were drafted by a legal team specialized in Privacy, Intellectual Property and Tech Sector laws. Please view the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for details;
Feis organizers, teachers and event registrants can trust that FeisFWD is protecting their personal information, their privacy, and the intellectual property of teachers as it pertains to choreography. We are committed to safe practices and child protection is our highest priority; We have a channel for queries and questions if you have any concerns. Please reach out and we can assist in explaining or demonstrating how our system protects users.
2) HOW DO PAYMENTS WORK?
We have SSL protected encrypted secure online payments; Credit card information is not stored on our server or database in any way. We use Stripe which has robust protections in place for users. Our user profiles correlate with merchant accounts for the purposes of transactions.
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