Hello!

We've received a decent response to our informal requests for assistance for Conifur 2005. We do indeed need help for we've had several retirements in our staff and need new blood, new ideas, new strong backs to help shoulder the burdens. While we always need generalized help during the event, we especially need help in Registration (Registration Lead, staffers, etc), Events (organizing events to fill space available), Dance, Charity Auction/Fundraiser, Security, Gaming and more. If you want to update your job resume, participating in a nonprofit organization like Conifur can really help out for it shows outside activities that deal with managing a trade show environment. Job skills learned in helping to run a convention can and do apply directly to many jobs in the real world. Here's a break down:
Registration: Registration Lead would take care of At The Con Registration. This means we do all the pre-reg in Seattle, but we'll work with you to help take those pre-reg memberships and get them out to people at the door, as well as selling/registering people at the door. The system is very easy and Sheryl Schopfer will be helping that person in learning our system, how to handle the process, and training others. That person will need to draft their own staff suitable enough to man Registration at the convention itself for four days- Thursday night through Sunday. You don't need much, but you do need warm bodies, especially on Thursday night and Friday morning, the busiest times. Our convention brings in between 450-500 people so if you like to see everyone who goes to a con, you can't miss them if they have to come to you for a name badge. It's a pretty easy job, and we need to find someone dedicated to handling this process.

Events Coordinator: We have three clinic rooms and the Event Theatre. Your job as Events Coordinator is to fill those rooms with programming / clinics that are interesting to a wide variety of people. Find people to run those clinics and make sure they show up on time. It's a lot of footwork before the con trying to persuade various artists and such to put on a clinic, and even more so at the convention itself to keep reminding those people they have a clinic. Having your schedule of all the rooms done in advance helps out greatly, and if you can make up a personal schedule reminder for each presenter, you can put that with their materials at Registration to make sure they have what they need at the time they pick up their name badge. Interactive clinics are especially popular, as are debating panels. Is the fanzine dead? Has the Internet helped or hurt the genre? What happened to pulp comics of the 90's? Is it art or is it porn? People will go to these, if only to argue this point or another and that generates interest. The Events Coordinator will also work closely with Costuming as they have their own separate room and will be putting on interactive events for making fursuits, presentation, etc. There will be a Conifur Cup event on Saturday as well as the Masquerade on Saturday night. The Events Coordinator will need to work with Costuming and James Birdsall (Tibo) to make sure the Event Theatre is available at the times needed for rehearsals and such. Communication with the various groups will be needed so if you spend a lot of time online and use email or mucks to talk to others, this could be a good opportunity for you.

Dance: We need DJ's! We need dances for Friday and Saturday night. We provide the equipment- you bring the tunes! Remember that nobody likes all types of music so no doubt you will get yelled at for your choices in music, but you'll also get a lot of happy people (and fursuits!) grooving to your beat as you lay down the tunes. Try different things, experiment. Be flexible. We have two dances to fill so try out today. A laptop, iPod, or other MP3 player with your MP3's all set up by track or playlist makes it really easy to plug into the system and rock out.

Charity Auction: We're still hunting for an animal charity to work with. In years past we have had the Washington State Ferret Rescue Shelter and they have really come along. Now it's time to see if there is another group out there that Conifur can help out. The Charity Auction organizer would work with that charity and try to solicit donations from fans, dealers, anywhere you find to bring materials together for display on Friday and Saturday with the Charity Auction held on Saturday itself. Soliciting donations before the convention really helps out.

Security: Security need not be big beefy guys in muscle T shirts and semi-automatic rifles strapped to their shoulders. Security is about being seen. You are representing the convention. It's not so much about policing the halls as being there for answering questions, getting in contact with the different departments and just being there for people. You are the eyes and ears of the con after hours too. We need volunteers who are eager to help out the convention and our membership. It means walking the hallways, events, and all function space to see what's going on and report if there are any situations that merit the staff's attention. Reporting in regularly and being available is critical. We need a Security Lead and they then need to recruit their own staff of 2-4 (or more!) people. We'll give them bright yellow shirts (no red shirts!) for visability. Radios are far more effective than any show of strength. If you like to know what's going on all around the convention at all times, Security is one area you'll really enjoy then.

Gaming: Shaterri (Steve Stadnacki) will be handling our game room this year, but he's going to need help. It will be several tables set up with various console games, but we need someone to bring in those consoles and TV's to play as well as staff the area for helping attendees. You might even want to set up a tournament. DDR, Bloody Roar, etc. Shaterri will be dealing with RPG's, but I'm sure he would appreciate a helping hand if someone wishes to offer it. Volunteer should be local to the Seattle area for the logistics issue of moving equipment around.

Did you see something you're interested in above? Think you might fit someplace else in Convention Operations, Gofurs, Dealer's Den, Art Show or elsewhere? Email us!

In order to determine where you best fit, we ask that you fill out this form and send it back to : [email protected]

Scale of 1 (low/poor) to 5 (high)/great), how do you rate yourself in the following?

1) Availability: Will you be actually going to Conifur 2005, October 21st-23rd?

2) Communications: We communicate primarily through email, but we also use our characters on the various mucks. How quickly can we get a hold of you?

3) Public Relations: Staff are the forefront of the convention. They need to interact with convention members, hotel staff, and facilities management. How are you at working with non-staffers?

4) Coworkers: We are a loose organization of many different people with different attitudes and experiences. How are you at leaving your personal feelings behind and functioning as a part of the group?

5) Leadership: Some staff positions require someone to take charge and recruit their own staff. That means being responsible for them as well and making sure your department has the needed people for the job. Working with the other department leads to ensure you have the resources you need and working as a team. Can you work independantly and get things done or will you feel more comfortable following someone else's lead?

6) Reliability: Once you've agreed to do a job, can we walk away knowing you'll take care of it? Will you 'flake' on us? It's a tough question to ask, but it is a very important one. We can't have people agreeing to do something and then disappear on us later.

7) Tell us why you would like to volunteer. What qualities/experiences/skills do you have that would benefit the convention and its members?

I want to thank everyone who has offered their help so far and encourage more to join the team. It's a real blast being part of the convention and once you've stepped over that line from attendee to staff, you probably won't go back. It's highly addictive and quite a bit of fun. Join us today!

Dan Canaan / Flinthoof
ConiFur NorthWest Director

[email protected]