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/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

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6702766 No.6702766 [Reply] [Original]

I just got an email confirming that I've been picked as a volunteer at a local anime convention. What's it like volunteering for a convention in general? It's a fairly small convention as well.

Any stories or tips for a first timer? Pic unrelated,

>> No.6702785

>>6702766
Depends on the con. Know who your bosses are and when your shifts are, if you have concrete shifts. Ask if there's a staff lounge with provided meals, and if those meals are at certain times. Since you're staffing a small con, it may be beneficial to get a general idea of who is in charge of what, knowing the face of the con chair and other people in charge, etc, in case something goes wrong and you need help fixing it.

Things that are useful, but not necessary: know the times for major things such as dealers hall hours, major events, dances, etc. Try to know the locations for such things, or know where you can point people to find them if you can't (info desk, etc)

>> No.6702790

Don't get over your head about it when you do volunteer. Just because you volunteered doesn't make you a VIP.

If you're dickwagging and not being respectful, we can get rid of you. There are plenty of other people that can volunteer in your place too.

I get enough kids at the con I work at who get over their heads about the blue volunteer badge and think they can boss anyone around.

>> No.6702794

>>6702790
And to add onto that, don't be late for your shifts. Ten minutes is ok, but don't show up half an hour late every day you're working. Last year I worked from 6 AM to 12P and the guy I was staffing with showed up there every morning at 7:00-7:30 with breakfast and girlfriend in hand.

>> No.6703023

am I the only person who wants to know why it's the Chief in OP's pic?

>> No.6703276

>>6703023
They said pic unrelated? Well, at least you saged.

>> No.6703371

>>6702794
>And to add onto that, don't be late for your shifts. Ten minutes is ok, but don't show up half an hour late every day you're working
>Ten minutes is ok.
>Ten minutes
>ok.

In my opinion, ten minutes is not O.K unless you have some excuse like you missed your bus.

To OP:
Granted this is being a volunteer, but treat it as an actual job - except getting paid.

Unless of course you have terrible working morale, that should make you one of the better volunteers. If you don't have any idea what having a job is like, try to research on how to be a good employee.

Which can be summarised as this:
>Arrive early, leave late. If your 'shift' is from 9.00 to 3.00, you arrive at 8.55 and leave at 3.05.
>Do what you are told, and do it as fast as you can.
>Don't treat other co-volunteers like shit.

Or as Sniper from Team Fortress 2 put it:
>Be polite, be efficient and have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

>> No.6703394

I've wanted to volunteer at a convention for a while but the only ones I'm close to are either Anime Boston, which is known for its hordes of teenage attendees, or Connecticon, which has become rather infamous online for having really rude staff.

>> No.6703424

Totally depends on the con. Their attendees may be a nightmare or be relatively easy to deal with (haha just kidding its an Anime con, they're never easy to deal with). But no really, I think a big thing that determines what volunteering is like is the staff running it and their organization. I'd say also the genre of con, but you mentioned Anime con so I won't delve much further into that.

As an Anime Con, there's no way to escape the main basis of the folks you're dealing with being teenagers. So brace yourself for teens weebing out to all hell.

I've only volunteered anime-con wise at Anime Boston and I've gotta say I freaking loved it. The staff and other workers have never been anything but respectful to me, they're friendly and personable, and the demands of the job (14 hours for full weekend, including working the pre-reg lines on thursday) are nothing compared to some others I've been to. Great crowd to work with, and they usually provide crash space to those who ask for it with other volunteers (though not this year). I digress though.

My BEST advice for you would be:
1) Just be nice to everyone you meet there at the con. When you're volunteering you are representing the convention. If you wanna cuss out some Bleach cosplaying asshole with a shit-ass wig save it for when you're not volunteering because that will only make things worse.

2) Enforce the rules that are in place, but do so politely. Example, at AB there's no chains connecting two people allowed at all. If you see someone connected by chains and its against the rules, politely inform them it is against the rules. If they give you a hard time, or decide to ignore you, go to a SECURITY staff. That is their job, you're just helping.

Continuing in another post, hold on.

>> No.6703432

>>6703424
3) MOST IMPORTANT, choose volunteering things that suit YOU best! If you get a choice as to where you volunteer, try picking one that you know you can do well. Great at repairing cosplays? Cosplay repair station. Not very good at socializing? Work the Registration room packing swag bags. Personally, I like socializing and being cheerful, and also am decent at commanding large throngs of people at a time, so my favorite thing to do is work the event lines, making sure everyone stays in line. While I do, I like complimenting cosplays/t-shirts/whatever so people feel good but thats just me. Choose something to suit you, but that being said...

4) If you have a goal to reach hours-wise don't dick around. If you have 14 hours you HAVE to work to get this, this, and that get as much as you can done at a great pace. I highly recommend working Pre-Reg lines because its a great way to get that crap out of your hair.

5) Don't do shit you wouldn't do at your real paid job. I'm serious as all hell. Don't drink while on duty, don't hit on people while on duty, just...don't do that shit okay I shouldn't have to say that but I will just in case.

6) Really pay attention to time deadlines. Invest in a watch or at least have your cell on you at all times. When it comes to arriving/leaving, each con has their own policies so pay attention to that.

7) If your anime con lets you cosplay while on duty, make sure you wear a cosplay that you can maneuver in AND most importantly can wear the staff shirt over easily. Most of the time if you're volunteering they'll have you wear a vest or even a T-Shirt while you're on duty, so you don't want to dress like LeBlanc from FF X-2 or some shit like that.

I hope this is useful, sorry for being really chatty about this, I just hope this helps you out a bit. Good luck working there!

>> No.6703467

>>6703432
Also when you're off duty, you should still act responsibly. You are still representing the convention when you're not working. If you decide to drink, turn your badge around and be conscious of the people around you. In other words, drink and have fun, but don't get shitfaced. Many attendees in general, especially younger ones and their parents really frown upon drinking. Keep this in mind.

Get to know your Department Head or anyone specifically in charge of the department you're working. Some will be lax, others will not be. I'm usually really lax with my staffers, but I expect them to show up on time and do their job well. I like my staffers to have fun and enjoy themselves but they have a job to do in the process.

Also even if you don't like how your DH does things, don't be an asshole to them. It's a sure-fire way to lose any chance of staffing that convention again. If you have beef with how they are doing something, pull them aside and give a kind suggestion. Chances are, they will take it into consideration. Maybe not this year, but the following year. Don't storm off cursing (in front of attendees)

>> No.6703971

>>6703424
>>6703432
>>6703467
This is insane. Why would you put yourself through this and try to put some positive spin on it like a retard on happy pills?

Granted I am not a cosplayer nor do I attend cons but why would anyone submit themselves to something like this for absolutely no compensation of any kind (be it monetary or otherwise)?

I understand not wanting to let anyone down, but this isn't volunteering, this is slave labor. 14 hour shifts, no drinking, no interacting with people except in official capacity (such as it is) - on or off duty, NO FUN ALLOWED.

You are not volunteering, you are being taken advantage of. You can't sugar coat that.

>> No.6704060

>>6703971
There is compensation

- Discounted/free con badge
- Discounted/free room (depends on the con)
- First dibs for swag and dealer's room
- More face time with guests
- Food provided by con

>> No.6704066

>>6704060
Also add in

- Easier to network with con staff at con and other events to get staff positions

It's how you're able to become hosts for major events or have a larger say on what goes on

>> No.6704355

>>6703971

Because

A. Some people do shit they benefit from...

...Wait! No they don't!

So really, there are the benefits as well. Like >>6704060 and >>6704066 said.

You go to a con for free, you get some good work place practise that will look good on a resume, you make connections, you exercise a bit of authority and to top it all off, you get a bit of input into how the Con is being run.

>> No.6704493

>>6703394

connecticon is run entirely volunteer, they don't have a real year to year staff which is why the people running it are always stressed out, uninformed and rude

AB isn't bad but if you can swing a staff position it's way better than volunteering. you can app for staff without volunteer experience