Echew Pre-registration

[genman]

I'm not sure I ever understood the idea of making preregistration people stand in line for badges.  Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) does it right by simply mailing badges to people ahead of time.

Likewise, the Department of Motor Vehicles and Passport Agency mail identification to me.

Apparently, the staff of Kumoricon failed arithmetic, as even if you had 3 staff serving 1000 attendees at 30 seconds per badge (one badge every 10 seconds), the queue would be processed in a little under 3 hours.  Around 20 staff would have been a reasonable start.

A staff suggested to me that "you should have come the previous night."  Unfortunately, Amtrak Cascades train service from Seattle arrived in Portland at 9:30PM, which was the end of Friday pre-registration. Obviously, there's no love for people living out of area.  Anime Expo always ran theirs later at night back in 1997.

[SephiChan]

I'm not sure I ever understood the idea of making preregistration people stand in line for badges.  Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) does it right by simply mailing badges to people ahead of time.

Likewise, the Department of Motor Vehicles and Passport Agency mail identification to me.

Apparently, the staff of Kumoricon failed arithmetic, as even if you had 3 staff serving 1000 attendees at 30 seconds per badge (one badge every 10 seconds), the queue would be processed in a little under 3 hours.  Around 20 staff would have been a reasonable start.

A staff suggested to me that "you should have come the previous night."  Unfortunately, Amtrak Cascades train service from Seattle arrived in Portland at 9:30PM, which was the end of Friday pre-registration. Obviously, there's no love for people living out of area.  Anime Expo always ran theirs later at night back in 1997.

Actually, I came in on Amtrak Cascades from Seattle, and arrived just after 6PM Friday night. So I managed to make prereg Friday night, but I'm sorry you feel that way.

[valliegirl]

Apparently, the staff of Kumoricon failed arithmetic, as even if you had 3 staff serving 1000 attendees at 30 seconds per badge (one badge every 10 seconds), the queue would be processed in a little under 3 hours.  Around 20 staff would have been a reasonable start.

I'm going to beat this horse to death, I'm certain, but I'll say it again...

At max on Saturday, we had maybe 4 people working at the pre-reg desk at a time trying to get people in some sembelance of alphabetical order...

If you believe that we had 16 other people we could have spared to help out with the process, then you grossly misunderestimate our staffing resources.  

4 people wasn't enough, certainly.  But if you want to see things change then get involved with the con.  We can only utilize the amount of staff and volunteers that we have at any given time.  There were parents that actually came up to us and asked us if they could help and we put them to work, and that's the only reason we HAD more than two people working prereg at any given time.

If you want more staff get involved and get your friends involved.  If you want more organization, come to meetings and become a part of the OPS staff.  We need you.

Desperately.

[Kimiski]

Apparently, the staff of Kumoricon failed arithmetic, as even if you had 3 staff serving 1000 attendees at 30 seconds per badge (one badge every 10 seconds), the queue would be processed in a little under 3 hours.  Around 20 staff would have been a reasonable start.

I'm going to beat this horse to death, I'm certain, but I'll say it again...

At max on Saturday, we had maybe 4 people working at the pre-reg desk at a time trying to get people in some sembelance of alphabetical order...

If you believe that we had 16 other people we could have spared to help out with the process, then you grossly misunderestimate our staffing resources.  

4 people wasn't enough, certainly.  But if you want to see things change then get involved with the con.  We can only utilize the amount of staff and volunteers that we have at any given time.  There were parents that actually came up to us and asked us if they could help and we put them to work, and that's the only reason we HAD more than two people working prereg at any given time.

If you want more staff get involved and get your friends involved.  If you want more organization, come to meetings and become a part of the OPS staff.  We need you.

Desperately.

This has alreay been pointed out somewhere else.....
But serously, five-six people running up and down the hall screaming "GET TO THE SIDE OF THE WALL" would be more effiecent handing out badges.
And I cant work on staff "Im too young"

[valliegirl]

This has alreay been pointed out somewhere else.....
But serously, five-six people running up and down the hall screaming "GET TO THE SIDE OF THE WALL" would be more effiecent handing out badges.
And I cant work on staff "Im too young"

I agree, there's more efficient ways to do it, for example someone had a theory of having like dividers with ropes or something...  which is a great idea and would probably work a lot better in the hall ways.  Problem is we didn't have something like that this year, so we had to go with Yojimbo.

The reason they scream is because people in the hallway are excited and noisy.  We don't expect for people to be quiet, but we need for people to hear us, and so yelling, while not pleasent, is about effective as we had.  And we needed about 4 or 5 people yelling because we had about 1000 people in line.

Not going to say that it's the BEST way, but we were working with the resources we had.

BTW, while you're too young to be staff, you can still volunteer.  You can be underage and be a gopher or watch a video room for a couple hours.  

Volunteers work less hours (unless they're workaholics), and do the lighter work so that the of age staffers can take care of the bigger jobs.

Definitely think about it for next year, hun.  ^_^

[stark]

It was mentioned at Rant n' Rave to mail out badges.  I honestly think that's a good idea and I would like to see it looked into.

On the note of volunteers.  Its something we need to work on.  So does every con.  The ideal situation would be an easy way to sign up for it ahead of time AND at the con.  A supervisor staff that only does that and doesn't try to be a volunteer themselves .  And a system for people to quickly request need.  All cons have parts of that, it's just a matter of improving it.

That and as we grow, we need to move away from the 5 hardcore guys with bleeding eyes at 5am and move to 30 people who are only helping for an hour coz their friends won't show up until noon.

[valliegirl]

Amen, Stark.  Amen

[superjaz]

hai, i felt bad for my brother who was there for hours

[genman]

I'm going to beat this horse to death, I'm certain, but I'll say it again...

At max on Saturday, we had maybe 4 people working at the pre-reg desk at a time trying to get people in some sembelance of alphabetical order...

I guess I don't get how this is a difficult process, as it's done year after year at other conventions.

If the primary problem is people, you can always borrow staff from other departments temporarily.  Asking for volunteers from a line of 1000 wouldn't be too hard also, especially if you offered air conditioning in return.  I didn't see any staff fishing for volunteers, though!

Next year, I would happily have been a volunteer for 2-3 hours on Saturday but it's sort of a chicken-and-egg problem.  How do I volunteer when I'm not registered?

I think the fundamental problem is that you pre-print the badges, so it becomes a problem of finding people's names in a stack.  And that stack is being accessed by multiple people at the same time.  And directing people to the correct stack is hard.

One way that might have worked with pre-printing would have been to have N tables set up with the badges in order for people to self-serve.  Obviously, you'd have to monitor things and control flow.  But then, they would go to somebody to match their badge to their ID.  The number off the badge would be crossed off a list and they would get a holder.  Probably it would work better to have one person manage the list and the person doing the checking would simply tell that one person which numbers to check off.

In the worst case scenario (somebody steals a badge), you have the master list.

As another suggestion, Anime Boston uses an off-the-shelf solution that's used at countless conventions, for the very purpose of printing badges on demand.  I'm sure it's not cheap, but should be rentable.

By the way:  Queue and data processing is actually what I do for a living.  Though what I usually deal with are computer messages, I'm a systems "architect" for maximizing performance design.  Most throughput problems are due to accessing identical bits of data from multiple processes, it's called mutual exclusion.  Here's some light reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amdahl's_law

[numair42]

I was actually worked crowd control on the registration lines for both Friday and Saturday so I saw a lot of what was going on. Heck I was the guy who was going through the line pulling pre-registered people up to the front of the line.

We really needed faster people working the registration table. As some people may remember, the m-z line was moving much faster. I think that happened for two reasons; one, the person was wicked fast, and two, they didn't have as many problems on that line. I think that we need a SNAFU line for people who have "special needs". That way, a single mishap doesn't slow down everyone else.

One of the disadvantages of the hotel was table placement, there was not enough space. I think we will be fighting this issue as long as we are at that hotel. Even if we had 100 people to work registrations, we wouldn't have space for everyone to work. That is the nature of the beast that we deal with.

We need to start sooner on Friday for pre-registrations. We had a large number of people that we couldn't finish registration for because we didn't have enough time.

Finally, all the attendees need to realize that they really need STATE ISSUE PHOTO ID to get in. I heard many complains from the registration staff that people were without photo ID. There were also numerous times that the registration papers were filled out incorrectly or people forgot parental permission slips. So we need the con members to help us out as well, do your part and we can get everyone through faster.

We are all in this together.

[EcchiSpice]

I guess I don't get how this is a difficult process, as it's done year after year at other conventions.

Join the staff, and I bet you'll figure it out fast.

If the primary problem is people, you can always borrow staff from other departments temporarily.

THERE WAS NO STAFF IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO SPARE. I DO NOT KNOW HOW ELSE TO EMPHASIZE THIS POINT. WE WOULD HAVE SENT THEM OTHERWISE. WE NEED STAFF. edit **Bolded for emphasis, not to yell. I love you all!!!**

All other staff were setting up rooms, picking up guests, helping the vendors, and other tasks that had to be done in order to have the con actually running when people finally got through the pre-reg line. Can you imagine how weird it would have been to get your badge and not be able to do anything until the whole line was complete, because all the people who should be running the show were working the reg line? Think about it.

Asking for volunteers from a line of 1000 wouldn't be too hard also, especially if you offered air conditioning in return.  I didn't see any staff fishing for volunteers, though!

They were kind of busy checking people in and keeping the halls clear. Registration is not the kind of thing you want any Tom, Dick, or Harry handling. The people at the table and controlling the line had to have a working knowledge of our policies in order to check people in properly. It's not just handing someone a badge, even in the pre-reg line.

Next year, I would happily have been a volunteer for 2-3 hours on Saturday but it's sort of a chicken-and-egg problem.  How do I volunteer when I'm not registered?

You ask. Please? (Sorry if I sounded harsh at first.)

[stark]

THERE WAS NO STAFF IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO SPARE. I DO NOT KNOW HOW ELSE TO EMPHASIZE THIS POINT. WE WOULD HAVE SENT THEM OTHERWISE. WE NEED STAFF.

So besides yelling at potential helpers.  What are you doing to attract more staff?

edit
Ok, that was a bit quick on my part as well.  As Joanna just said, "It's like yelling at someone for yelling at someone", what's the point.

Honestly, I think if you come into a conversation like this 'yelling' (bold, caps, blinking text, etc) that usually means that you're frustrated that your point isn't getting across.  

So step back and look at what's going on.  A lot of people, staff included, have agreed there were some identifiable problems this year.  That's not a bad thing, it's only natural.  But yelling at them, when their only crime is b*tching in the 'designated b*tching area' doesn't help.

Lets go the proactive route.  Lets show the congoers that we DO know what happened.  List the problem, list the reason (or excuses), list what we could have done better, list what we plan to do.  I won't be surprised if a lot of those are hard answers, or a lot of them are 'we need more staff.'

If we need more staff, then lwe need to make that a much higher priority.  We need to do drives for it.  We need to not muscle people in.  Not confront them when they complain, but compliment them and bring them in to the fold.  It's not easy and we'll never win every fight.   But it's worth it.

[kylite]

were not meaning to yell stark, but you have to realize we did everything we could to make this a great convention for everyone regardless of the hotel changing plans on us, forcing us to move rooms around, layout delaying registration, and of course being low on staff.  

If you would like to help us then please do so. but please dont go on the offensive against the con and the staff.

[EcchiSpice]

Psst... Stark helped at Cosplay this year.

@Stark - edited per your suggestion. (I was meaning emphasis. Wow, I just posted that....)

@Kylite - Thank you!!

[Nekochi]

You know I was watching the news a few days before Kumoricon and they had that "Give 8" thing on channel 8 and it was talking about places where you could volunteer. Would it be out of Kumoricon's buget to do something of the sort? (Though... If any normal people came they would have no idea what they were getting themselves into. XD)

[stark]

If you would like to help us then please do so.

That's why I did help.   :oops:

I'd like to work with Brenda to do my part on the 'post mortem' processes.  I did this at Sakuracon 06 and handed it off to my boss and my successor.  

I'm sorry I made the quick post and the long edit, but I hope I made my point more clear.  

[stark]

You know I was watching the news a few days before Kumoricon and they had that "Give 8" thing on channel 8 and it was talking about places where you could volunteer. Would it be out of Kumoricon's buget to do something of the sort? (Though... If any normal people came they would have no idea what they were getting themselves into. XD)

Oh, that's a neat idea.  Looking at it I think it's for more worthy causes then us.  However, it's the right style of thinking!    http://www.kgw.com/public_service/give8.html

[EcchiSpice]

Yeahs! That is very helpful! I will look into the Channel 8 thing. It may not actually cost anything, though it could be worth the expense.

I don't want to sound angry or beligerant myself, I'm just a little over-protective of my staff. They work SO HARD, and simply for the love of the con. I know that the people who complain also love the con, and would love to see it be better. That's why they post. I can't state it enough, that if you want to see a change, get involved and do it.  

Change starts with those who want to see a difference. I was one to start. I wanted to see a better karaoke plan. When I chose to run it, I learned just how hard it was. That is what I wish everyone could know.  

I would just like it very much if the people who post would consider that there are real human beings on the other side of their text, who have put their hearts and souls into improving this con. In so many ways we were better than last year. It's very unfortunate that one screw up could so completely eliminate the efforts of so many dedicated individuals. It really hurts.

[Trumby]

Psst... Stark helped at Cosplay this year.

Aye, I was one of the three Yojimbo inside cosplay assigned to do Stark's bidding this year and I'm sure he was glad of it (as were the cosplayers for the water we got them!)

[NightBlade]

I tried my best to be pleasant to people, dispite my nature of being antisocail.

 This was my first con EVER people and my first time doing crowd control and so on.

 For those of you I might have offended I am sorry.

But, dispite what you think, I could not help with Registration because I was not trianed nor was I familar with it. As Con Chair stated not every Tom Dick or Jane can do it.

Plus, we  had to keep the pathways clear, even if you did not see any reason to.

[Nekochi]

Yeahs! That is very helpful! I will look into the Channel 8 thing. It may not actually cost anything, though it could be worth the expense.

Glad that I could help.

I really don't know why people are complaining so much though. I didn't mind the line all that much. I had friends with me so we just talked pretty much the whole time. Also we had my friend's dad hold our place and we went to look through the line at all the pretty costumes. <3 I'm not going to say I wasn't hot or annoyed or that the time flew but it really doesn't seem half as bad as people make it out to be.

Plus if you ask me the wait was totally worth it. I had a blast this year. There were so many more people than last year and if you ask me that is what made it so much fun. Just talking to all the random people who share your same intrests. Frankly most of my time was spent talking with all the new friends I made.

Also as an idea for the cost of shipping the pre-registration badges, you could always make them cost a few bucks more. I think it would be worth it if you got to spend two and a half more hours at the con instead of in line. Also you could always have an option to pay more for shipping or to not pay a few extra bucks and just get your badge when you get there.

[Lin]

Argh! It makes my head hurt! I volunteer right now to help at pre-reg fro next year!

[RoamingGnome]

Yeahs! That is very helpful! I will look into the Channel 8 thing. It may not actually cost anything, though it could be worth the expense.

Glad that I could help.

I really don't know why people are complaining so much though. I didn't mind the line all that much. I had friends with me so we just talked pretty much the whole time. Also we had my friend's dad hold our place and we went to look through the line at all the pretty costumes. <3 I'm not going to say I wasn't hot or annoyed or that the time flew but it really doesn't seem half as bad as people make it out to be.

Plus if you ask me the wait was totally worth it. I had a blast this year. There were so many more people than last year and if you ask me that is what made it so much fun. Just talking to all the random people who share your same intrests. Frankly most of my time was spent talking with all the new friends I made.

Also as an idea for the cost of shipping the pre-registration badges, you could always make them cost a few bucks more. I think it would be worth it if you got to spend two and a half more hours at the con instead of in line. Also you could always have an option to pay more for shipping or to not pay a few extra bucks and just get your badge when you get there.

I think that is a great idea!! Just make it so those who want their badge shipped to them pay a little extra to cover the cost of shipping.

I think the only thing that bothered me about the wait in line was the feeling I was missing something  :?

[guspasho]

Argh! It makes my head hurt! I volunteer right now to help at pre-reg fro next year!

Yays! Thank you! I'm adding you to our volunteer group, you'll have access to our volunteer forum, and whenever we get a coordinator (probably not before elections) you will be working under them.

[Lin]

Argh! It makes my head hurt! I volunteer right now to help at pre-reg fro next year!

Yays! Thank you! I'm adding you to our volunteer group, you'll have access to our volunteer forum, and whenever we get a coordinator (probably not before elections) you will be working under them.

Aye aye cap'n! I want to make my second con a happy one!

[Nekochi]

Yeahs! That is very helpful! I will look into the Channel 8 thing. It may not actually cost anything, though it could be worth the expense.

Glad that I could help.

I really don't know why people are complaining so much though. I didn't mind the line all that much. I had friends with me so we just talked pretty much the whole time. Also we had my friend's dad hold our place and we went to look through the line at all the pretty costumes. <3 I'm not going to say I wasn't hot or annoyed or that the time flew but it really doesn't seem half as bad as people make it out to be.

Plus if you ask me the wait was totally worth it. I had a blast this year. There were so many more people than last year and if you ask me that is what made it so much fun. Just talking to all the random people who share your same intrests. Frankly most of my time was spent talking with all the new friends I made.

Also as an idea for the cost of shipping the pre-registration badges, you could always make them cost a few bucks more. I think it would be worth it if you got to spend two and a half more hours at the con instead of in line. Also you could always have an option to pay more for shipping or to not pay a few extra bucks and just get your badge when you get there.

I think that is a great idea!! Just make it so those who want their badge shipped to them pay a little extra to cover the cost of shipping.

I think the only thing that bothered me about the wait in line was the feeling I was missing something  :?

Thank you. I seem to be better at the idea part than the actual leg work huh? Well I suppose you need lots of different members to make a team. :3