From the accounts of anyone that has participated in a FlashMob, its the actual end of the whole planned act that really leaves the impact on both those involved and those watching. Witnessing 100+ complete strangers suddenly come together and perform a pre-written instruction in itself is impressive enough, but seeing those same people suddenly leave the area in totally random directions acting like nothing actually took place is where the real fun begins.
Here's some basic guidelines for the final act of a planned Flashmob:
- If you are attending a mob with either a partner or a large group of friends, organize to meet at a designated spot after the act has taken place. Preferably this spot should be far enough away so that people who have just witnessed the event don't put 2 and 2 together.
- When the act is over, disperse from the area at the allocated time outlined in the instructions handed to you by the organizer. Choose a direction and leave *alone*. This cannot be stressed enough.
- Try and not converse with anyone when you are leaving the area, fellow mobbers and especially spectators. If someone really wants to ask what happened, shrug and deny any knowledge. What just took place didn't actually take place at all.
- If you're attending the mob with digital equipment and wish to take a shot of the disperse, try and allocate yourself away a bit from the area. Or have a friend organized to take the wanted shots for you so you don't miss out on the fun.
- There has been reports at some mobs that participants have suddenly gone into a round of applause at the end of the act just before the disperse happens. Even if the instructions don't outline this action during the act,
there's nothing actually wrong with doing it. Feel free to share your appreciation with fellow mobbers. But try and disperse as planned as well.
- When the disperse happens, leave the area in a calm and sensible manner. When you have a group of people which could reach over 100 it's never a good idea to
initiate a mass stampede, the threat of injury happening is quite real.
- If there is a presence of authority (police, security etc) and they give out explicit instructions to leave the area, do so. Even if its before the designated disperse time. Having people arrested for taking place in a flashmob is not the kind of attention we are seeking.
- Leave nothing behind but the lasting effect on the minds of your fellow mobbers and the witnessing general public.
By at least attempting to abide by these guidelines your mob experience should be a total success. Also these guidelines should not be seen as appointed by the "head of sydmob" or anything like that, that isn't the intended purpose. These are simply guidelines which have worked well with other organized mobs, and in practice you will understand how and why they work so well.
If you have any thoughts on the guidelines or wish to contribute to it, please feel free to contact SYDMOB.