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[eralston]

sure there's a few staffers that come in and read this thread..

me... O:-)

and me... O:-)

[ewu]

and me... O:-)

Now all I need to do is drop some mad CA$$$$H on the auction....

[Dany]

To close, PLEASE STAFF! – I do not tell people to staff because I want them to prove they can do better, but because we genuinely need staff. Some of the reg staff put in somewhere around 48 hours....of a 96 hour con.....It made me sad that we had to feed the reg staffers because reg staffers would not leave reg to eat. Some would even need to be persuaded to leave their post to go pee because they had been sitting there for 6 hours. With adequate staff, it will resolve one critical limiting factor and help us make reg successful again.

Out of curiosity, how many people staff registration now (including an estimate for any on the spot volunteers), and how many more people does registration feels is needed in order to have adequate staffing? 

With that said, willing bodies moving towards the fire is all well and good, but they need to be armed with water and gear, or the fire still burns.  More volunteers would certainly help matters, but if those volunteers are not properly utilized and not equipped with a process that will support them, you're going to come back to the same problem, which is staff working stupidly ridiculous hours and unhappy attendees in line for hours on end.

[Dracil]

Does registration staff need to be specifically staff, or can volunteers actually help in any meaningful way?  If I actually went on Day 0, I probably wouldn't mind helping after getting the badge, and others may feel the same way.  But the mandatory staff meetings to be on staff is basically the dealbreaker for me as someone who doesn't live in San Jose and doesn't have a car.

[renalcul]

Eric, thank you for posting the explanation and reasons.  I'm still not convinced that this snafu wasn't preventable, but it's a great step that staff is responding to our concerns.

If only minors would be required to reg on site, would it not be awesome motivation for them to lie? but yah, we need info for everyone, not just minors. The number of minors was the impetus for such a requirement, but not the only group required to verify ID. I also think tracking is a great idea. I'm not sure how it would scale to a few thousand badges but it will surely be something we will look into if we mail.

If they lied wouldn't you guys not be held legally responsible?

[ewu]

Out of curiosity, how many people staff registration now (including an estimate for any on the spot volunteers), and how many more people does registration feels is needed in order to have adequate staffing? 

With that said, willing bodies moving towards the fire is all well and good, but they need to be armed with water and gear, or the fire still burns.  More volunteers would certainly help matters, but if those volunteers are not properly utilized and not equipped with a process that will support them, you're going to come back to the same problem, which is staff working stupidly ridiculous hours and unhappy attendees in line for hours on end.

Over the weekend we have about 50-60 dedicated staff and of those, 20 that likely are too devoted and should be relieved more often. Volunteers we have about 40-50 that pass through, but they work mainly on aspects that require less training like bag stuffing, badge printing, and line control. We need more volunteers, but also without more staff we are not able to man more data entry stations and payment booths.

Volunteers do meaningfully help.

If they lied wouldn't you guys not be held legally responsible?

Depending on the situation we could, but more importantly, we want to be a responsible con and be able to contact a family member if they run into trouble like dislocate a knee while dancing energetically, or are drinking on the concourse, underage or not.

[GokuMew2]

But the mandatory staff meetings to be on staff is basically the dealbreaker for me as someone who doesn't live in San Jose and doesn't have a car.

Don't let that keep you from staffing! While there are some meetings that are mandatory, if you live very far away I believe you can be exempt from them.

[ewu]

But the mandatory staff meetings to be on staff is basically the dealbreaker for me as someone who doesn't live in San Jose and doesn't have a car.

Actually, heads sometimes make special dispensation, and if you can go to at least one meeting, they may be able to deem that acceptable. Most important is that you get the critical information at the last meeting, but there is usually a webcast of that.

[Kuudere]

But the mandatory staff meetings to be on staff is basically the dealbreaker for me as someone who doesn't live in San Jose and doesn't have a car.

Actually, heads sometimes make special dispensation, and if you can go to at least one meeting, they may be able to deem that acceptable. Most important is that you get the critical information at the last meeting, but there is usually a webcast of that.

Wow, really?? Distance is honestly the only thing that has stopped me from staffing (as I live close to 4 hours away from the convention, but I have attended for 10 years now and have really wanted to contribute something more extensive than line monitoring back). If this is an option, I think you may want to promote it because there are probably others like me who would be interested, but can't help out because of the travel.

[ewu]

Wow, really?? Distance is honestly the only thing that has stopped me from staffing (as I live close to 4 hours away from the convention, but I have attended for 10 years now and have really wanted to contribute something more extensive than line monitoring back). If this is an option, I think you may want to promote it because there are probably others like me who would be interested, but can't help out because of the travel.

It's a BIG case by case issue. Contact the head for details...

[Kuudere]

Wow, really?? Distance is honestly the only thing that has stopped me from staffing (as I live close to 4 hours away from the convention, but I have attended for 10 years now and have really wanted to contribute something more extensive than line monitoring back). If this is an option, I think you may want to promote it because there are probably others like me who would be interested, but can't help out because of the travel.

It's a BIG case by case issue. Contact the head for details...

I figured... but it's a much better chance than I had initially thought, which was zero. 

I'll look into it anyway and cross my fingers.

[Empathy]

sure there's a few staffers that come in and read this thread..

me... O:-)

and me... O:-)

and me :3 but i avoid registration as much as possible tehe

[SquallLHeart]

i've been staffing in Rovers for... umm... i can definitely say longer than anyone else. lol.. so me too.

so.. yea.. as far as distance is concerned, it is a case by case thing. I know a few rovers that staffed this year are from far away, a few from socal... a few even further. so it's not impossible to staff if you can't make it to the meetings.

contact the dept. head you want to work for.. and they can work something out.

and you can certainly feel free to send as many forms for feedback.. *hint hint* lol. 

[CeruleanRogue]

On the topic of staffing, I would love to help out with Registration.  I've done similar work for seminars my dad has attended in the past.  While they drew nowhere near the crowd Fanime draws, they were still a respectable size that needed to be moved quickly.

BUT!!!  I have two conflicts with Staffing.  First, as is the case with others, I live super far from San Jose and don't have a vehicle.  My boyfriend is Staff, so I *could* arrange to travel with him if I needed to attend certain Staff meetings.  But that leads me to my second issue...

My second issue with Staffing would be Cosplay Spectacular.  Obviously, I do want to participate; however, I do know staff members generally are not permitted to do so.  If there was a way around that (ie, only staff for Night Zero, be regular attendee the rest of the con) I would be more than happy to do so if it meant I could do the CS.  Any advice here?

[Enkai]

My second issue with Staffing would be Cosplay Spectacular.  Obviously, I do want to participate; however, I do know staff members generally are not permitted to do so.  If there was a way around that (ie, only staff for Night Zero, be regular attendee the rest of the con) I would be more than happy to do so if it meant I could do the CS.  Any advice here?

I think this depends on the department, actually.  I did CS last year, and at least one of our members was staff, working content, I believe (I'd have to check with her).  Our group meetings plotting what we were going to do generally were right after Fanime staff meetings, since most of us were closer to San Jose, and this group member was about an hour away.  I don't know if reg is a department that disqualifies you.

[keitoghostie]

All of this has actually really convinced me to volunteer for registration, hey!

I'd staff but I don't think I can commit the full 24 hours but I'd love to do day zero for sure!

[SquallLHeart]

24 hrs for the entire weekend is nothing..  it'll fly by quicker than you think. lol.

but it's awesome just to see more victims.. *cough*.. volunteers willing to help the con! 

[kookiekween99]

All of this has actually really convinced me to volunteer for registration, hey!

I'd staff but I don't think I can commit the full 24 hours but I'd love to do day zero for sure!

Same here. The rest of con, I'm busy actually enjoying it. But I'd be willing to pay the full price for my badge and just help out with Reg on Thursday. Keeping busy like that would actually be preferable to waiting in line.

[AngelWings]

Hi! I'm so happy to see prospective vic-volunteers for next year! If you would like to volunteer day zero -and of course the rest of the convention with registration that is certainly possible and useful! I was vols lead with registration this year and would like to emphasize as much as possible that we can use you! The most sure fire way to volunteer day zero is to walk up to a staff member and tell them you want to. Closer to next year I will put up a post with a more efficient method of making sure you find me so I can put you to work!

-Arianna G.

[Baconshinobi]

This may seem like I'm jumping the gun a bit, as the convention has just ended, but believe it or not conventions do exist which offer registration for the next con directly after closing. It's safe to say that the likelihood of all of us having problems with this year's various registrations is pretty high, and I do not feel remiss in thinking that we should get a jump on next year.

Fanimecon is an annual convention: it is large, we know that it gets bigger every year, it always happens on the same days, and we are always guaranteed the space. So why was it such a mess this year? It's not as if the construction was a surprise, nor the MASSIVE amount of people trying to get their badges.

Artist Alley was a little more understandable with the new venue and having an unknown number of tables, etc., but registration for that didn't even open up until a month before the convention. Cosplayers will understand the high stress of being in limbo about the need to make things early without having the money or reassurance that you will have had cause to do so.

I know that the staff is volunteer-based, and they really put huge amounts of effort into making things happen. For what did work, they seriously pulled off a bang-up job. Fanime outdid itself this year, and they added a ton of awesome new things for us. Their roaming info people were encyclopedic in con knowledge and they were also just really nice! They were quick on their feet--which they were on all day--and provided such a breath of fresh air during a time of stress. Fanime did think about the crazy attendance, and one of the reasons they left the old 1st Hall open was for crowd control. They added some sweet chill zones, and I heard wonderful things about a glorious cosplayer mecca with sewing machines and no-photo zones. Brilliance.

Fanime has problems every year. We know this. Nothing can truly run without a hitch, and that is part of its charm. That said, the problems that we had this year were both glaring and preventable. I can understand the desire to even the playing field by having everyone register at once instead of giving first refusal to con-veterans, but that can be set up earlier in the year without much trouble and achieve the same result. Fanime is the same time every year, the same place every year, and many of the volunteers are known to volunteer every year. We have the ability to get things done earlier next year, and it will definitely be a lot less stress for admins and attendants alike.

And so I ask: when is the soonest we can sign up for Fanime 2014?