Event plotting: I think an ooc post that goes up even a couple of days before the event starts is a good idea! It would be good to be able to have questions answered before the event log goes up so that people are sure of what they're able to do and can plan top levels accordingly.

Pace: I think the pace is okay. I think it might be helpful to have a bit more information on what's happening outside of events. There haven't been a great number of posts made this month, and I'll admit I was a bit worried about making AC because of that (and for the same reason, I'm worried about the requirement for AC to always be with different characters). I'm not sure what the mods could do about it really - everyone is obviously new to the game and finding their way. Maybe having more of a sense of what life is like for characters day to day would help?

I'll also second what Jay said about breaking up larger events, though I realise that would mean more work for you guys.

Test Drive: I would favour a new test drive before each app round, personally! Do test drive threads count for AC?