Are you planning to attend Anthrocon?
Do you worry about being bored, or having that awful, unfulfilled feeling that you could be helping out more?
So you want to help keep me from going insane? 🙂
Well, have I got an offer for you! In addition to running Registration for MFF, I’m also running the Artists Alley and Con Store for Anthrocon this year. And I need help!
This year, there’s three areas where I need some help.
1. General assistance. This is going to include helping with sign-ups, dealing with the lottery at the open of Artists Alley, helping set up and break down, and working as a cashier in Artists Alley and/or Con Store. These are the most time-intensive positions. However, this also has the best rewards: A free membership to this year’s Anthrocon, a free T-shirt, registration in Operations (bypass Registration completely!), and a free, delicious staff dinner on Sunday night.
2. Cashiers. This requires less time, and only requires that you work a couple of hours at a time. It’s pretty simple work, and allows you to see a lot of the people at the con since everyone passes through the Alley or the Dealers Room. This requires 10-14 hours of your time over the course of the weekend, and you will get a free T-shirt and a free membership to next year’s Anthrocon.
3. Payout. Over the past few years we have worked up a great system to pay artists quickly in Artists Alley at the end of the day, but the drawback to the system is that it is very labor-intensive. This will only require 3-6 hours over the weekend, and only right when Artists Alley closes each day. I’m afraid there’s no recompense for this except my undying gratitude, but we do have a fun time during payout.
A note about scheduling: Scheduling is pretty rigid due to time needed to count out cash drawers and the necessity of having the correct number of folks on hand at all times. The good news is that you’ll have that schedule in hand at least a week before the con (arranged, as always, to fit around the stuff you want to see and do at the con).
Does this sound good to you? Or do you just want me to owe you my soul in return for volunteering? (the line forms to the left, boys). If you’re interested, let me know in a comment here or an email to alley -at- anthrocon dot org. Please tell me what position you might be interested in and a general idea of when you’ll be arriving and departing (“Friday morning” is as specific as I need right now).
Thanks!
-Tom Brady/Duncan da Husky
Artists Alley/Con Store Manager
Anthrocon 2005
In addition to running Registration for MFF, I’m also running the Artists Alley and Con Store for Anthrocon this year. And I need help!
Yes. Yes you do, Duncan, the kind of help only a licensed psychotherapist can provide.
I…wish I could dispute that.
But hey, some people blow stuff up for fun, some people jump off buildings for fun, some people skip showers and dance around bonfires for fun. I figure that in the grand scheme of things, running conventions for mostly-harmless geeks is pretty normal.
Dude, Survival Research Labs is excellent, glad someone else knew about them.
Robot digression aside, I was just referring to the fact that you take on… astonishing and often thankless workloads. It’s baffling to me 🙂
Wow! Those are some of the wildest activities I’ve seen in a long time!
Thanks for the clickies, Dunc 🙂
Great, I was hoping to do some volunteer work. I’ll need to get back to you once I get a job and once I get to talk to my con-mate. So hopefully within the next week or two.
I’ll need to know by the end of the month, but if you drop me a line at alley-at-anthrocon-dot-org we can get you set up!
Howdy!
Waaay back in April you mentioned the possibility of doing volunteer work for Artists Alley/Con Store at Anthrocon. Are you still interested? If so, please drop me a line at alley-at-anthrocon-dot-org and I can get you set up.
Gods, I’m interested, but my new job won’t even consider vacation time until six months of service. >> That’ll be in November. Sorry. But since I’m saving up all my time for a good vacation next summer, I should be able to help then if I’m going.
No problem, then, I just wanted to touch base and see if you were still interested. Congratulations on your ne job and we’ll see you again next year!
You know I’ll try to be there. I’m presumably working Fursuit Track again (possibly alone again) and don’t intend to try and make serious money on tail sales this year but I’ll be trying to cover my costs for AC, and I intend to try and work Artist’s Alley. As usual it’d be helping open it, explaining, diplomacy, vocal projection as needed etc etc 🙂
Well, we’re going to try to be a little more organized with the opening are the Alley each morning. We’re definitely going with a lottery, and I’ll be needing people to man the sign-up clipboard and answer questions starting at 8 AM each day. I assume you are already putting in your bio and staff information through KP/Programming? If not, let me know.
I’m in the dealer’s room, so there’s not too much I can help with while it’s open. However, if you need help with set-up thursday, tear-down sunday night, or random volunteers in the evenings, I’ll be happy to help out. Particularly thursday, I’ll be there. When should folks who want to help with thursday set-up come in?
Unfortunately, pretty much all of the Alley’s hours directly conflict with the Dealers Room, so I’m afraid there wouldn’t be much for you there. However, on Thursday we’ll probably start setting up sometime in the late afternoon; I’ll know for sure as the con gets closer. Honestly, set up is pretty simple for AA and Con Store takes about a half-hour, but once we’re done there’s always places elsewhere in the con that can use the help!
Drop me an email at alley-at-anthrocon-dot-org so I’ll have your email addy, and I’ll let you know as the con gets closer what the set-up schedule will look like.