[Deptheads] We need more volunteers
Shane Sauby
ssshanu at verizon.net
Thu Feb 23 23:08:32 PST 2012
This specific point came up multiple times in conversations I had with
gamers in the ball room about why they do and do not volunteer. I know
some of these do cost the con money, or loss of revenue, but these were
some of the suggestions and ideas that were presented:
1. T-Shirts (and other swag) - With the amazingly cool design and art
this con, the t-shirts were a hot commodity (Again, kudos Taralyn =). I
think there were several people who would have been happy to throw in a
couple more hours to get one. And if we were to get hats, mugs, or any
other kind of swag, these would be great incentives to run one more game
for us.
2. Extra Badges - If you want to bring a friend to the con, what better
way than to offer to volunteer so they can go for free? Or how about
bringing the significant other for no extra cost? If 8 hours gets you a
badge, why not 16 getting you two?
3. Parking - Not everyone stays in the hotel. I know the general
desire is for people to stay, but if they commute for whatever reason,
parking can be prohibitive. I had one volunteer who put in close to 24
hours, or may have gone over, who was commuting every day and there was
no way to reward him for his time. If normally he could get a 1/4 room,
which was $91, why not offer to pay his parking, which would only be $88
for all four days? (Or $66 if the volunteer only comes three days)
4. Raffle - Every hour you work gets you a ticket. Monday during the
Auction, or whenever its convenient, we start pulling tickets and
handing out games. This would allow people to feel better about working
10 hours instead of the minimum 8 and might get people to run just their
favorite game for a few hours, knowing they might come away with a new game.
5. Food - Food makes people happy. And free food makes people really
happy. A "Thank You" lunch on Monday for volunteers who put in a
minimum number of hours would not only make them really happy (free
food) but would allow them to mingle with volunteers from other
departments, relax and decompress from the excitement of con, and
discuss good/bad things that they saw during the con.
6. Volunteer Guest of Honor - Having attended science fiction
conventions for several years before even hearing of Strategicons, I saw
that some cons honored their best volunteers by giving them a weekend
off. Also, by making a big deal out of someone who truly gives their
time up for little return, and even less recognition, we would put a
spotlight on what it is to be a volunteer. Give them a badge, maybe a
room, have them go to all the events and talks as our other guests of
honor, and they will tell everyone about the best con they ever had for
the rest of their life.
So, its late and I think that is everything on my list. If I find
something else in my notes, I will add it later.
Shane
On 2/23/2012 10:30 PM, Frank wrote:
> You could add volunteer ranks (sorry my navyness is creeping
> out). People like to feel like they are being recognized. What
> easier way to do it than to put some stripes/stars/swords (with oak
> leaves)/etc on the badge. Its visible and free for the con. You
> could add medals for exceptional volunteers.
>
> Frank V.
>
> On 2/23/2012 10:21 PM, Kryssie wrote:
>> We're gamers. We like badges. We'll display them like boy/girl scouts.
>>
>> Maybe we could do an awards ceremony or some such... I dunno.
>> Logistically, I don't think it would work because there would have
>> to be volunteers/staff *not* there to, ya know, man the stuff for the
>> con. Maybe each department head or "Cat Wrangler" could send
>> personal thank you notes to their volunteers?
>>
>> On Thu, Feb 23, 2012 at 10:13 PM, Eric Burgess <erburgess at gmail.com
>> <mailto:erburgess at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>
>> I love Neil's idea and rewarding them at new levels is a cool
>> notion. How about this, too (with apologies to the lovely Mrs.
>> Fryer, who may start hating me now):
>>
>> Badges denote the number of conventions that a volunteer has
>> worked, years they have worked and maybe come up with some
>> symbols/names for long-standing volunteers. Volunteers with long
>> history with the convention will have the prestige of certain
>> titles, those with unbroken stints as volunteers will have a
>> special symbol, that kind of thing. If people think this is a
>> good idea, I could come up with a system and get my wife to
>> create symbols.
>>
>> We could also give volunteers some preferences on getting into
>> games. Perhaps that annoys the paying audience but it is
>> something to consider.
>>
>> ...ERB
>> www.boardgamebabylon.com <http://www.boardgamebabylon.com>
>> www.strategicon.net <http://www.strategicon.net>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Feb 23, 2012 at 12:28 PM, <shawn350 at gmail.com
>> <mailto:shawn350 at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>
>> Oh see I thought we were full on volunteers. I have 237
>> members in my www.FridayNightDice.com
>> <http://www.FridayNightDice.com> board game meetup. I know I
>> can get some from there for sure. Where do I point them?
>> Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Nekojin <nekojin at gmail.com <mailto:nekojin at gmail.com>>
>> Sender: deptheads-bounces at strategicon.net
>> <mailto:deptheads-bounces at strategicon.net>
>> Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:25:17
>> To: <deptheads at strategicon.net
>> <mailto:deptheads at strategicon.net>>
>> Reply-To: deptheads at strategicon.net
>> <mailto:deptheads at strategicon.net>
>> Subject: Re: [Deptheads] We need more volunteers
>>
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>>
>> --
>> Kryssie Mackey
>> Talent Acquisitions & Marketing
>> 310-766-9954
>> phantom.hopscotch at gmail.com <mailto:phantom.hopscotch at gmail.com>
>> Strategicon Events <http://www.strategicon.net>
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