/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

we had some staffers posting in the immediate period after Fanime.

I heard scuttlebutt recently from my friends over their specific division. It was pretty sad in that it shouldn't have been an issue at all had the person the gossip was about been anywhere near competent.

Kami-Con and M.A.I. Con co ConChair here. What's up?

>>6915509
just interested, I figure some people within /cgl/ must have moved up into some positions of power (slave labor).

I've been volunteering my time with panels for years, how did you get where you are now?

>>6915524
Volunteering for panels is begging for schedule space. Not the same thing as running the con.

I was an Enforcer at PAX East and everything I did amounted to being a go-fer and an extra set of hands, but even that may as well be a different world from being an attendee with a panel, or just being volunteer 'security', like some cons have.

>>6915524
boyfriend (now fiance) started Kami-Con in 2009, we kinda make a team.

Just started M.A.I. con, debuts in september.

>>6915533
certainly not, that was more of a "i've been doing nothing, what can I do to get expirience?" than "i'm such a good con-runner doing panels"

>>6915509
Curious now, how does one help out with particulars of a con? Does starting out as a gofer they way or are there other opportunities?

Also, how are judges chosen for masq and HC?

>>6915543
neat, how did you guys get started?

>>6915533
Pax east is such a unique con, and the enforcers are pretty boss, right on. Is it a tough process to volunteer with them?

out of curiosity, do you feel like most of the volunteers are fans of Penny Arcade? I feel like the attendees have grown past that being a factor at all.

>>6915552
not necessarily. If you have useful front or backend skills and experience they'll slot you to a division that could use you. If you have no applicable skills then you may well end up on "watch this door" or "control this line" duty. If you express a desire to learn more about or work in a particular division it's possible that you can be moved there ahead of time. Since conventions are not actual jobs it's easier to contact certain persons (some post on forums and whatnot) and get in that way by telling them you'd like to learn and why you should be allowed in, etc. Like an interview but less strict. Most divisions will be happy to have an extra pair of hands or have someone promising to build into another useful staffer.

The important thing is to make people know that you want to do more than the run of the mill grunt jobs.

>>6915555
most just like games or helping run things. it can also be used as a resume builder.

>>6915552
well Kami and MAI are staffed by college club members and alumni. The way we work is we have head staff members who come to club meetings and many are division leaders,

and then we have regular staff that get brought in to work different areas such as security, info desk, registration, etc. under the leader.

We use volunteers as gophers.

we do things differently then other cons in the SE (not bragging, a lot of cons here like having conchair meetings and we learned very early that most cons' staff are vertically integrated while we are very much horizontally integrated.)
If you start off as a gopher and do a really great job, you can move up in staffing positions as positions open.

What exactly do you mean by 'particulars'?

for us, judges volunteer. We run with a very small staff, so people only volunteer if they know they can spend 5 or so hours for pre-judging and contest on Sat.

>>6915555
we went to another con that wasn't...as neatly run as it could be. Ray literally said: "I could do a better one...I'm going to make a better one."
and then he did. and now it's a business.

>>6915575
Thanks! I'm certainly wanting to transition into doing other things besides attending the cons. I've been attending cons for way too long, so I figured I might try a hand at helping in one of the departments. That was very helpful.

>>6915579
The particulars as the different sections of security, reg.... Departments would have been a better word to describe it.

Thanks for letting me know how you run your con. It's interesting seeing how some of the behind the scene stuff works. I don't think most con goers really think beyond their entertainment.

>>6915555
The application is pretty lengthy and the best thing you can do is be honest, open, and responsible. By that last part, I mean having a room booked, having a badge already paid for, having reliable means to get to the convention, and being able to plan around PAX whether or not you're going to Enforce.

As for the rest of the folks and their relationship to the actual comic.. Hard to say. No one talks about how much they love Penny Arcade the comic. Everyone is more than willing to gush about how much they love Penny Arcade as an organization that does amazing things for the industry, the community, and the rest of the world. Mike and Jerry are pretty much everyone's bros during the expo, but it's not about them, it's about the games. Liking Penny Arcade is only a small part of it.

>>6915592
ah okay, we have department leaders and they recruit people for their department. In most cases a person can be in multiple departments.
People in guest relations can only be in guest relations since their job id from the time the guests plane arrive until it takes off again.

Sure, no problem!

Director for Comicpalooza here, just lurkin' around.

I'm secretary for a tiny con that probably no one here has ever heard of, but I love working on it just the same.

>>6915967
Hey you going to screw attack gaming convention this weekend?

i've been thinking lately about starting a convention in my town, but i have no clue where to even start. how does one go about creating a convention?

>>6920196
Have a good start up budget. And be prepared to NOT break even. Cons don't make money right out the door, it's takes a bit. Get a good dedicated staff and find a venue that will work with you, not against you. Start with cheaper guests and probably only invite one at first. Think of events and how to make it fun for con goers. Look at other cons and see what they are doing. What do you like,Mehta do you think doesn't work and how do you fix it, etc.

Really can't stress the money thing enough tho. A lot of cons start off thinking, "cons are a great way to make money, and friendship will keep it alive."
Not true. First few years are money black holes and it takes a lot of hard, dedicated work. It's stressful, but it gets better the more experienced you get.

You should try working or volunteering at some cons before jumping right to creating your own so you can get a feel for it.

>>6920196

File a request to the Federal Government a petition to peacibly assemble, make sure you speak to your local communist party spokesperson, sign an affadavit stating you will not discuss politics

>>6920416
I might even suggest against worrying about guests. Having to pay the tab for someone because they did the voice for a cartoon is pretty miserable. Most of them are polite, but you're gushing money out of pocket so they can sign autographs (and then keep all the money for it) and hold panels where they answer "how do I become a voice actor?" over and over and over.

You might be better off investing your time in finding dedicated, intelligent, talented people to run your big sections, like the video game room, your dealer's hall, you viewing rooms, your cosplay contest. Too many cons assume that anyone can do these things and that's not the case.

For everything to run smoothly, you need structure and cooperation, and if any of the people you bring aboard just assume "How hard can it be?" you end up with a clusterfuck like ACen, where certain areas are in complete anarchy, and others are stanky ghettos.

So, yeah.. Look into planning fun events, interesting attractions, (cosplay chess, animu themed party games, dances, funny hentai panels, etc) which is going to be hard to advertise at first, but once people start taking notice, you can build to bigger and better things and worry about getting Vic Mangina or Johnny Yong Bosch after you've got your feet on the ground.

>>6917510
Sadly I won't be going to SGC, was going to hang out with the gang in their lounge but I got work.

Heading to RTX to chill with the Lads n Gents though, Monty can come too.

>>6915967
why is your con so shitty?

>>6920962
For cheap guests don't be afraind to go local. Look at prominante cosplayers and artist in your community and offer them perks that won't drive you bankrupt (free table, badge and feature panels)

>>6920962
I have to slightly disagree.
Yes you need people to run your sections, but from experience I can promise you con-goers care about voice actors. Every year (even with our new con MAI) we get requests where someone will be asking us to bring 5+ voice actors. VA's bring numbers to your con. For first year cons get small VAs, you don't want to be overwhelmed and unable to afford anything because you brought someone huge.

Also, depending on the VA you can make a deal where if they make their appearance fee through autograph signing, you don't have to pay them. They keep all the money they make, and if they dont make enough, you pay the difference.

Also organize. everything. have plans on how to run things smoothly. Registration is super important and I feel like a lot of people don't give a thought to it.

>>6921523
re-read this and thought it seemed kinda negative sounding. Not my intention.
Using Kami-Con as a template, we had Mandy Clarke as out main guests and got 460 people. Mostly from the area. This is what you should shoot for first year. Try to get your area to come (not as easy as it seems).

since first year we've had larger and more guests and see continued growth.

That said, we work crazy hard to bring a great show with many fun events. Really, you need to figure out what your area likes and cater to it.

>>6921099
This. Local guests are great. It exposes the audience to other people besides the headline guests that are seen all the time! And at times you'll discover some amazing talents are in your own backyard!

>>6921523
>>6921548
You did fine explaining your point without being a dick. Don't worry.

I still disagree, though, especially when we're talking about *MAYBE* 500 people on your first year.

In my wide, wide circle of con-going friends the guests at a convention are at the bottom of our priority list. For many more people, con-going is an activity unto itself, rather than a means for meeting people in "THE INDUSTRY"

Extending the offering of free badges, tables, or similar things to local celebrities is a great idea, and putting the same offer out for any voice actors, or whoever, that might want to come set up a table, or who are interested in holding a panel would be nice, but sacrificing any money to them, as if a convention cannot happen without some big guest is pretty silly.

>>6921548
I can't wait to hit up Kami-Con next February! I wanted to go this year, but wasn't able to take the time off work.

>>6920196
This, friends wanna start a convention also...
>>6920416
>>6920962
Will casually repost this to said friends since they don't seem to understand how hard this is gonna be to pull off...

>>6920196
hey anon, let me just tell you, as someone who have been working cons for years, and knows quite a few convention owners, if there is one thing all of then have said its is that if you LIKE attending cons don't start one.

Basically, once you own a con you can never go back to being an attendee. Every convention you go to from that point on will be work. You have to be on good behavior and you have to act like a professional 24/7 at any con.

You also need a lot of money, and probably some business sense. If you are telling yourself you are going to be "by a fan for the fans" you will probably fail. A con is a business, even if a lot of people will condemn that mentality.

If you are ready to never look at conventions the same way again, continue.

>>6922724
I was at a new startup con a few months ago, and there were high-ranking staff members of an older, rival con there.

They were getting drunk off their asses and laughing about how they were at a con but had absolutely no responsibilities for once.

>>6922886
cool? If you think that is some kind of proof that what was said above is false then good luck to you, you will need it.

I think it really depends. Ray and i generally spend almost the entire con running a fan table (which I find a lot of fun), at cons were we don't get a table we hang out with friends, cosplay, meet and talk to ppl, shop, and go to a handful of panels.

I will say we pay more attention to how things are run or handled so we can learn for our own con, but we still enjoy ourselves. If we want to have a few drinks with our friends we do

Also, don't be a dick. There is no reason to try to screw other cons, your guests, or your con goers over.
(Don't be a dick is a staff/club motto for us)

>>6915509
Heyo! I'm trying to get a convention up and running as a senior project at my university. It took forever to hear back with one of the directors of the student center where I want it to take place at. Unfortunately, the latest date I was allowed to book is Jan 18-19, 2914.

I'm having trouble finding people who can help. It sucks that it's summer, so many people are not in town or if they are, they're just too busy with work or whatever they do in the summer. What can I do at this point in time?

Also, how did you manage to get LittleKuriboh?

>>6923444
We ran into him at awa and proclaimed we'd have him at our con eventually, to which he replied "I don't see why I can't just come this year." Then we messages him and flew him in. He's super nice.

Ouch, that's not a lot of time for a starting con. We made a university club for our staff, after you can make a FB page and post fliers around your uni.

Do you have a club day? We're you set up a table do freshmen can sign up for clubs? If so, sign up your club for that table and recruit (I've graduated, but the club is on going and I don cosplays to help draw attention). If your uni has an anime or Japan club, try to recruit there as well

>>6923528

Ideally, my date would be the first weekend of April, but beggars can't be choosers. It seems like people/companies have reserved rooms at least 2 years ahead of time. I wish that they'd just use the damn Marriot con center, which is just two blocks away from campus.

Anyway. What you're implying isn't until August. I'm really frustrated with the lack of communication between the directors at the student center and I, and with the RSO leaders. I've emailed everyone (and on facebook too, in case they don't have an active email account - a LOT were inactive) including:
>Doctor Who Club (I'm very surprised that the president never got back with me when we're friends on facebook)
>LARPing group
>Quidditch Club
>Japanese Club
>MtG group
>Marketing student assoc., graphic designers group, and other useful academic based clubs

What's shitty is that those who did email me back all expect me to come up with everything when what I specifically requested was recruitment of people who are in town for the summer/skype meeting, so we can meet and discuss and plan this shit out.

I've met up with a guy who runs the local table top gaming shop, but I haven't heard anything from him since last month. I need to try my luck with the Acme comics guy in town.

Very few have an active online presence in spite of being fairly active in real life and as a part of a large university. I'm especially surprised by the lack of communication and online presence of the anime club. You'd think that a bunch of neckbeards would have nothing better to do than sit in front of their computer all day.

Last year when I checked their recruitment table, they just had a table and a stack of ads for their club. Pathetic.

>>6923528
>>6923661
BTW, mind if I get your email address so I could ask for any advice in the near future?

>>6923444
Get out of here time traveler fuckhead

>>6915507
Staff was busy with white knighting the controversy over the image of how long the line was. Staff need to stop cutting corners and stop denying problems.

>>6923703
NO YOU.

Actually, I don't care. My original intent was to make a general fandom convention since that's what a lot of anime cons are gearing towards to these days, but it's probably for the best to keep it centered as an anime con for marketing purposes. I figured that I check every geek related RSO in the book for volunteers.

I was watching AnimeTV's "Why Cons Fail" video and now I feel paranoid about homestuck cosplayers. I'm fully aware of the number of them in my town because they have meetups in public spaces (well, a mall is private property, but you know what I mean). I'd hate to be called out for any damages done via unsealed body paint (this is university property that I'm talking about). I just hope that once the rules are laid out that they're enforceable. I have no idea if I'll be allowed to allow 18+ panels.

>>6923888
Oh man, I arrived day 0 around 7pm and saw the line but was part of Artist Alley so our line was inside and only about 20 minutes. My hat off to you guys who were in that long line.

>>6923973
Man. I just got back with the university and it's a no go. Until I get a big kid job outside when I'm done with this place, I suppose I could just make hypothetical plans in case I could get a university space or afford a different space to host this kind of thing.

>>6923973
>I'd hate to be called out for any damages done via unsealed body pain

thats why you get event insurance

>>6915543
How do you guys deal with unruly guests?
We just did our own event and ours just gave us constant crap to our volunteers.
I know we need to bend over backwards for them, but what have you guys had to deal with?
Also, who was easy to work with and hard to work with for KamiCon?

>>6924044
that sucks, I'm sorry man.

>>6925026
We haven't had any unruly guests. What kind of problems did they create?
Our guest relations team works like this: Each guest (or each group/couple when it's married or groups) have a staff member assigned to them. The staff member has their guest's schedules for the weekend and are 'on-call' 24/7. They stay with the guest all day until the guest go to their room for sleep, and are available 'after-hours' by phone call.
We tend to go above and beyond according to most other cons.

the biggest problem we have had has been when a group who was going something involving alcohol had a guest relations girl who was under 21, and therefore could not get them what they needed. We just had to grab another staffer to get it, but I felt so bad. I didn't even think about how some of them might be younger, haha.

>>6925067
Good to know!
What if a guest doesn't want someone assigned to them?
I just want to have a contingency plan for future events.

>>6925691
Just apologize and trade out the staff member with someone else. Most guests are fine with whoever so they won't care if you need to switch them out for some reason.

Happy to help