Volunteer Requirements  ◊  Volunteer Application Form

Teams and Departments  ◊  Administration/Facility Liaison  ◊  Convention Operations/Hyatt Liaison  ◊  Finance/Marriott Liaison  ◊  Gaming Division  ◊  Guest/Hospitality Division  ◊  Program Operations  ◊  Programming  ◊  Fan Track Operations  ◊  Publications & Public Relations Division

Teams and Departments

Dragon*Con's departments are broken into groups known as teams. Each team has a designated Senior Director who oversees operations within their team of Directors who oversee their specific area.

Administration/Facility Liaison

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Convention Operations/Hyatt Liaison 

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Finance/Marriott Liaison 

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Gaming Division 

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Guest/Hospitality Division

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Program Operations 

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Programming 

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Fan Track Operations

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Publications & Public Relations Division

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Volunteer Staff Information

Thank you for your interest in working as staff at Dragon*Con, one of the world's largest mixed-genre conventions! Working on staff can involve hard work and require patience, but it's also a great way to make new friends and enjoy the convention with a certain added sense of camaraderie. It's also a lot of fun. Some of our staffers have been volunteering their time and skills for over fifteen years!

If you are interested in getting on staff, please review the "What Does Working On Staff Entail?" section below. After that if you still wish to be on staff (and we hope you do) then you should decide which section of staff you want to be on, and contact the director for that section directly using the Email Web Form Section of our "Contact Us" page. If the section you want no longer has an opening on their staff, they will inform you of such when you email them and you will have to contact the director of another section. When in doubt, Registration, Security, and Tech Services always seem to have openings. Or you can come see everyone in person at one of our pre-con staff meetings which can help you decide which section of Dragon*Con staff you'd like to work in.

If you have recently joined staff and are still a little uncertain about what to do, see the New Staff FAQ section below.

Please keep in mind that the individual directors have much more input into who gets on staff than either the Dragon*Con office or the director of Volunteers. Emailing the office or the Volunteers director may get you on staff, but emailing the director of the specific section of staff where you want to work is a LOT MORE LIKELY to get you on staff. That is why we recommend that particular course of action.

Again, Thank you for your interest in working as staff at Dragon*Con. Everyone has a better time when the convention is properly staffed. And we appreciate your effort to help us make that an on-going reality.

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What Does Working On Staff Entail?

Good question! Here's a few things to keep in mind:

• Continuing Dragon*Con Volunteer Staff Members receive a complimentary membership to the convention. First-time staff are generally required to pay a one-time-only fee of $20. This fee can only be waived in certain special circumstances.

• As a Volunteer Staff Member you'll be expected to work twenty hours during the Convention, generally in four-hour shifts. You can request certain times to work and certain times to be available (to attend panels, performances, etc.). Your area director will make every effort to grant your requested schedule, but nothing is guaranteed. Your director will provide you with a timesheet or area log-sheet so your hours can be recorded. In some sections, it may be possible to work part of your twenty hour obligation prior to the convention.

• Because Dragon*Con is a membership organization, it is required by law to maintain certain minimal demographic information on all of its members, including staff. This information includes
  *Name
  *Mailing Address
  *Date of Birth (May be provided at a later date)
  *Phone Number
  *Email Address
  

  as well as a handful of other optional items such as
  -CPR certification expiration date
  -First Aid certification expiration date
  -T-Shirt size
  -Name you want printed on your badge (if different from your real name)
  -Emergency contact information
  -Special Medical needs
  

  PLEASE NOTE: The convention does NOT share this information with ANY other organization. As a staff member you will need to provide this information to your director and it is in your best interest to keep this information up-to-date.
  Please also remember that e-mail is not a secure form of communication. If you are uncomfortable sending your mailing address and DOB in email, we can collect it at a later time in a more secure fashion.

• Volunteer Staff Members who work 25 hours during the con are:
  • Automatically eligible to attend the traditional post-con "Dead Dog Party" in the evening after the con closes, held at a restaurant or facility within walking distance of the convention. "Solid" food and munchies are provided at Dragon*Con's expense.
  • Working 25 hours -- and your Director's certification that your work was satisfactory -- earns you a spot on staff for the following year's Dragon*Con.
  • Staff members who attend and sign-in at two of the three pre-con meetings receive a complimentary convention T-shirt. So if you make the effort to attend the meeting, please also make the effort to sign-in at that meeting. Nothing is more frustrating than attending two meetings and NOT getting a t-shirt because you forgot to sign in. Out-of-town staff who have an accurate address on file with the convention and who are unable to attend the meetings can purchase a T-shirt at the con for half the retail price.

• You'll be expected to adhere to a few "common sense" policies:
  • Dress Code: we don't enforce any formal dress code, but we ask that you not wear offensive t-shirts, or clothing that might offend guests or convention members. Some areas, like Guest Services, have higher requirements.
  • No drinking or use of controlled substances: if you become intoxicated while on duty or report for work while intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance, you will be removed from staff, ejected from the convention and barred from staff for two years.
  • Try to be helpful and polite: the attendees around you have paid to enjoy the con, whereas you might not have. It is far less expensive (and better for public relations) to remove you from staff, than to have ten or fifteen people angry enough that they don't return. Try to acquaint yourself with as much of the convention as possible, where things are, etc. If you don't know the answer to a question, instead of saying "I don't know," say "I'll find out!" -- or direct the person to the area that he/she needs. If all else fails, the Information Desk (or at night, Ops) will have the answer, or they'll be able to make a referral.
  • Try to show up a little early for your shift, for two reasons: it allows time if you have to be briefed, and it's a lot less nerve-wracking to the person who's waiting for you to show up. Just keep in mind that you'll be in the same anxious shoes near the end of your shift! :)
  • Unless your director informs you otherwise, your badge will be held at the volunteer registration booth in the Grand Hall at the Hyatt Regency Hotel for you to pick up. The volunteer registration booth is open from 2:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. on the Thursday prior to the convention, and is also open during regular convention registration hours (approx. 10am-8pm Fri-Sun, 10am-1pm Mon). If you will be arriving at a time when the volunteer registration booth will not be open, then you will need to make arrangements with your director to pick up your badge, or wait until such time as the volunteer registration booth is open to pick it up.
    DON'T LOSE YOUR BADGE; if you do, you're gone, history! Fairly often, badges are recovered and returned to Ops or the hotel's Lost and Found, but you dare not depend on that.
  • While you're volunteering at the con, you do not have special privileges, you do not get priority access in autograph lines, etc. If you are not on duty, you have exactly the same privileges as any other convention attendee.
  • Try to get enough to eat, and enough sleep. Taking a shower and changing into fresh clothes once a day is also a Good Idea. Yes, we know this can be hard, especially when you just KNOW if you fall asleep you'll Miss Something Interesting. We need reasonably alert people, not zombies. :) And finally...
  • Don't let all that stuff above freak you out! Working staff at Dragon*Con -- or at any SF/fantasy/gaming convention -- can be an incredibly rewarding experience; that warm glow of teamwork and accomplishment that comes with a successful year will last long after the convention ends. And end it must....but you'll be richer and wiser for it.

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New Staff Frequently Asked Questions

This is my first year on staff, so how do I pay the $20 staff fee ?

You can pay your staff fee in one of the following ways.

• Mail a check to the Dragon*Con office. The address is on the "Contact Us" page. Your check must be received BEFORE the Friday that occurs 17 days before Labor Day, so it is best to mail it before August even begins.
• Pay your staff fee by credit card over the phone by calling the Dragon*Con office during regular office hours EST/EDT. The phone number is also on the "Contact Us" page. Again, payment via this method must be received BEFORE the Friday that occurs 17 days before Labor Day.
• You can pay the staff fee at one of the staff meetings (mentioned elsewhere on this page). At the staff meetings we can only accept cash or checks.
• You can pay the staff fee at the Volunteer Staff desk at the convention, which is located in the same area as regular convention registration. At the convention we can only take cash or checks. And your badge will NOT be printed ahead of time, which means you will have to wait for it. Please allow time about 45 minutes for this process in total.

The good news is that once you have paid this fee, you should never have to pay it again, even if you take a 10 year sabbatical from Dragon*Con staff.

What do I do if I want to be on Staff but have already purchased a membership?

If you have already purchased a membership you have three options for being on staff:

1. Use the purchased membership to cover your staff fee. This is permissible.
2. Transfer the membership to someone else (they pay you, and you pay Dragon*Con a $20 transfer fee) and you still have to pay a $20 staff fee. If the person buying your membership is paying more than $40 for it, you can save some money.
3. Meet the criteria for having the staff fee waived.

What are the criteria for having the staff fee waived?

There are several ways to qualify for the waiver of the staff fee.

• The person must possess a skill or training or value that cannot be obtained in the regular staff pool. Also, the person must be in a section of staff where that asset is going to be used. Further, there must be a shortage of that skill-set in the current staff of that section that the director of that section is activley trying to fill. And the director must be aware that the person possesses the desired skill-set. Some examples that have qualified in the past (but may or may not qualify currently, depending on need) are: Off-duty policeman in Security, or wiring technician in Tech Ops, computer store owner in computer gaming, auctioneer in the charity auction, etc.
• OR the person must have been actively recruited by their director to fill a specific need, that is a legitimate need in that staff section, again that our regular staff pool cannot fill
• OR the person must have proof (either a timesheet or testimonial from a _current_ Dragon*Con director) that they have worked 20+ hours at a single prior convention (not 10 hours each at 3 different Dragon*Cons, but at least 20 hours at a single Dragon*Con).

If you meet at least one of the above criteria, then the staff fee waiver must be approved by the senior director of the section in which you are to work. Even if a person meets one of the above criteria, it is possible, albeit unlikely, that the person's fee may not be waived. As soon as your fee waiver is approved, your director will be notified and will let you know.

Now that I'm on staff, where do I pick up my badge?

Staff badges are generally not available until after 2pm on the Thursday prior to the convention. By default they are available at the Volunteer Desk which will be in the Grand Exhibit Hall of the Hyatt at this year's convention. However, many directors choose to pass out staff badges on their own, and will set up a specific time and place to meet with you and give you your badge. Directors who choose this option effectively prevent the Volunteer Desk from being able to pass out badges to their staff, so it is important that you are aware of your director's preference.

IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST YEAR ON STAFF AND YOU STILL OWE THE $20 STAFF FEE WHEN THE CONVENTION STARTS then you will have to bring the fee (in check or cash only) directly to the Volunteer Staff Desk (in the Registration area of the convention) and wait for your badge to be printed (allow 45 minutes for the process in total). Your director will NOT be able to give you your badge.

Where do I get my free (or 1/2 price) t-shirt?

You will receive a coupon inside your staff badge packet with a voucher for either a free or 1/2 price convention t-shirt (if you have qualified for such by location or meeting attendance). The voucher is redeemable at the Dragon*Con Store, only during the convention. Supplies are limited, so the earlier you cash in your voucher, the better chance you have of getting a t-shirt that fits.

How do I get into the Dead Dog party?

If you have worked the requisite hours (20 in most instances) You will receive a ticket to the dead dog party from your director sometime on Monday afternoon at the convention. They are not available prior to that time, so please plan on meeting with your director in that time frame if you are planning on attending the dead dog party. Hope to see you there!

What is a timesheet and what do I do with it?

The timesheet is a piece of paper in your staff packet that you will use to log the hours you have worked for the convention. You will turn it into the director of the department to which you are officially assigned (ie the one on your badge). You can turn it in upon completing that last shift, or when you meet up with your director to receive your dead dog party ticket, or any other time that you and your director agree upon. In a pinch you can also return your timesheet to the Staff Volunteer Registration desk in the Grand Exhibit Hall West of the Hyatt, but this option must be exercised BEFORE 5pm on Labor Day.

What about crash space/hotel rooms?

The convention does not provide crash space for staff. But your director might. Ask them. If not, you should get in contact with other friends attending the convention and make arrangements. Or other staffers, whose contact information your director will have. Or you can send email to the staff list on yahoo looking for room-mates.

Where do I park?

There are plenty of lots around the convention hotels for about $5.00 per day, although these fill up when the convention gets into the weekend. And if you park in a daily pay lot, please "feed the meter". Having your car booted just sucks. The hotels all have valet, as well, and while they are secure, you pay a premium for it. And with the hotels being full, waiting on the valet can be time-consuming. Of course, you don't really need your car during the convention if you're staying in one of the convention hotels. Atlanta also has a rapid transit system and buses, and the convention hotels are at a metro stop and along many bus routes. Check out the Location/Travel page on this web-site for more information.

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Volunteer Application Form

Volunteer Application Forms are available at all of our staff meetings, or for download at Volunteer Application Form. Once you have completed the form, please mail it to:

Dragon*Con
Attention: Volunteers
PO Box 16459
Atlanta, GA 30321-0459

Or fax your form to 770-909-0112.

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