Staff Reference

How do staff register for the con?

Staff registration includes free premium/platinum weekend admission to the convention. One of your payments for being on staff is this completely free upgraded/special badge which includes entrance to convention events and activities.

Will I get reimbursed if I spend money for the con?

You must get approval, in advance, from a Division Head if you want to be reimbursed for spending money. We will reimburse certain expenses for the convention, like if you buy equipment or supplies, ONLY if you have gotten permission in advance. We do not pay for your personal items or your personal transportation. If you are a DH, you should ask Mission Control or your Division Head. If you're not a DH (Department Head) you should ask your DH to ask them. Why? Imagine for example that you desire to buy snacks for ConSweet. Only Mission Control/Division Heads will know with certainty how much to get and if we don't already have someone out getting it. It also enables us to work on making fewer trips to stores, etc. If you are in the Guest's department, we usually pay for gas for transporting the guests, and we will pay for part of meals if you eat with the guests (this depends on each guest, some like to be left to themselves or only with other guests). Don't expect reimbursement for expenses that have not been properly authorized!

What benefits do staff get?

Being on staff is expected to be its own reward, with awesome new friends and fun experiences... but we have more, depending on what we have available at the convention. Sometimes we have special staff-only T-shirts and gift cards to the dealer's room. Usually we at least have lots of Pizza. You also meet a ton of cool people.

Who should I ask my questions before the con? Who is in charge of what things?

The order goes a bit like this: Regular Staff -> Department Heads and their Assistants -> Division Heads -> The Office of the President. If your DH or the next person up doesn't answer you, keep asking upwards until we get to you. Communication is absolutely a big priority for us, so if you don't hear from someone, we want to fix that ASAP! In the last resort, email Molly who welcomed you to staff. During the con: always ask your DH. Your DH may ask Operations, and will communicate with Operations regularly.

Do staff get hotel rooms?

Many staff members enjoy their privacy, getting their own bed, and having a quiet space to themselves, so those staff members will reserve and pay for hotel rooms at the con on their own. Some folks get together to split the cost of a room by finding each other in the staff Facebook Group. Some staff members also commute from home each day. Lastly, we provide some hotel rooms for some staff members who meet certain minimum qualifications. These qualifications are clear and inflexible. These are the qualifications required:

You must request placement in a staff room at least 40 days prior to the start of the convention. If you signed up for staff later than that, you can ask your department head if space is available, but it may be difficult or impossible. The important thing to understand is that staff rooming must be planned for well in advance.
Each department only has a limited number of room spaces available, based on the convention's total budget and the number of people required for the department. Departments may not have the ability to provide you with a hotel room if those spots are taken by more experienced staff.
We can not accommodate special needs like a private bed for yourself or a private room. Hotel rooms are very expensive, and it is not feasible to provide private rooms or private beds and still be able to hire quality professional programming and events.
Staff rooming is NOT GUARANTEED. Providing hotel room space for staff members is prioritized for returning staff members. We used to be more generous about staff rooming, but we had people take advantage of signing up for staff, getting a room, and then they would no-show at their scheduled shifts. So staff rooming must be requested and approved in advance.
If this is your first time with us, it may be very unlikely that you can be given a room space. We would like to see that you show up and do a good job first.
We also require that staff are 18+, or in some cases 21+, to be in a staff room, due to liability reasons.

What's should I expect in staff hotel rooms?

Staff hotel rooms require you to be 18+. We prefer that you have staffed for at least 1 of our events in the past, and be scheduled for 8+ hours a day at the con. Staff rooms are meant for sleeping and resting in. If you want to stay up late and be loud, we encourage you to reserve and pay for your own room. If you have poor hygiene, we encourage you to reserve and pay for your own room. Sleeping bags and blankets are allowed. Air mattresses must be approved by your department head. No alcohol. No drugs. No parties. For the safety and security of staff, and their belongings, you may NOT bring "friends" or ANYONE into staff rooms. If you bring an unapproved person into a staff room, you will be KICKED OUT OF THE CONVENTION FOREVER.

Do staff get food?

Of course! We order pizza or pasta or sandwiches at 1pm and 7pm every day, however the amount is limited and the priority order goes: people who are on duty all day, people who have been on duty for more than 4 hours already, people who are currently on duty, and lastly any other staff. We usually try really hard to make sure that staff who don't have time to get food on their own get real nourishment; it's much easier to do your job when you're not hungry. :) There is always the ConSweet which has free soda and free ramen, but you are required to eat "real food" at least once a day. If we run out and you're on time to these times, we will order more.

Do staff get special access to the con guests?

We ask that you try not to bother con guests unless they are your assigned responsibility. They have a ton of panels to do, and they may be confused if approached by multiple staff members... they could ask you for sharpies, for example, and the convention will look bad if we don't get it to them. If you're scheduled on duty but you'd like to get an autograph, ask both your department head and the guest's staff member at least a day in advance.

What if we need more chairs or something from the hotel?

Please arrange these questions through Con Ops, and never ask any hotel staff member yourself. If you are running a room, a panel, or something, and you need extra chairs, tables, changed trash, or anything of the sort, use a walkie talkie to ask Con Ops. Never ask anyone who works for the hotel, as they can try to charge the convention $150 every time you talk to them! (Honestly, some hotels are tricky here.)

What if I suddenly can't make it to the convention?

Please just let us know as quick as possible as soon as you find out. The earlier we know, the easier we can find replacements.

What if I want to help in a larger capacity?

We try to give you unlimited ability to get involved further in the conventions - but we're not here to interview you for it. The people who best succeed are the people who "do things," and go out of their way to make the conventions awesome experiences. Strong communication skills, and asking us a lot of questions (you know, insightful ones), are a good start. If you want to be in charge of something or improve the con somewhere, take a note of what at the con seems to be stressing people out the most or what isn't working. Try to volunteer for that area in the future, show up early, communicate (a lot), and help solve problems.

The hardest part is to solve problems without making it cause other people more work. Let's imagine you notice ConSweet runs out of food a lot. You can point this out and complain about it all you want, but if you don't offer to personally go out to get it, then you're probably not helping as much as you think.