A thought for 2010: a dedicated Bag Check location

[Meganekko]

I thought I'd post this before I forget to bring it up at a meeting.

Maybe to save the Gaming Staff some trouble we could have another bag check for people who simply want to bag check rather than Having people abandoning their stuff in Gaming.  I think this would help with the congestion around the Gaming area a bit.  And if people check some of their stuff they should be able to move more freely through con spaces and worry less about losing possessions.

I'd be willing to run something like this with some help, and I could figure out a shelving and sorting system.  It's mainly a matter of getting a space for me to do this and some other Bag Booth helpers.

[fleur_fraise]

I like this idea, and my old school's dances had something like this.

They got a huge amount of paper bags and put a person's items in each one. They then wrote a number on the bag, and also on the person's hand. Although maybe for the con, they could write the person's badge number on the bag instead.

[Meganekko]

Yeah,  although since I don't really want to buy so many paper bags plus its a little eco-unfriendly to do so many paper bags I thought I could set up something with tape/clippies that have the badge numbers on them.  Also since its badge numbers rather than the gaming rooms clothes pins system there less chance of somebody getting a different somebody's stuff.

[AllyKat]

As long as we are sure that the items wont be all over eachother and rubbing up against one another (which would cause my idea to be somewhat hazzardous) We could do what many bussiness' in downtown stumptown do;

Have little lamenated cards with clippies attached to them that can attach to the item/bag. However, instead of having a corresponding card to redeem for your badge, simply right down the persons badge number with a dry erase marker and when they return to get there stuff, wipe off the number and the card is ready for a new number!

~Allykat

[Meganekko]

Oooooh, that is an excellent idea!

I think I could rig up some super awesome shelving systems so that we can maximize bag capacity with out having too much piling and laminated bag id's touching each other.

[AllyKat]

Oooooh, that is an excellent idea!

I think I could rig up some super awesome shelving systems so that we can maximize bag capacity with out having too much piling and laminated bag id's touching each other.

I <3 people who are good at creating things like that... Ingenuity goes a long way in my book ^_^

~Allykat

[BigGuy]

We love it when people see a problem and come up with a helpful and creative solution to fix it. We love it even more when people come to general meetings and help us plan and enact these ideas.

[Meganekko]

@BigGuy.  Yeah I started thinking about this a bit during Kumoricon 08, but I forgot and didn't join staff with my friends for 09 but after seeing the Gaming Bag Check I remembered. I thought I'd get this forum up right away so as not to forget again.  I'm actually quite excited about proposing this at a General Meeting, since after talking with my parents, I have a good grasp on how this could be handled.

Do we know when the next GM will be held?  Basically if we are going to do this, it's best for me to know ASAP so I can get started in the wood shop and started with my possible shelving system... I have a basic prototype from when I worked Portland Saturday Market already but there is always room for improvement!

And I am completely willing to run this, with some assistants (I know I have at least one for sure willing to work with me).

[Radien]

I really want to see it happen, but are you just proposing a simple "drop your backpack for a few hours" service, or something capable of holding luggage for everybody who has to check out of their hotel room on Monday morning but can't load their car until later?

[AllyKat]

I really want to see it happen, but are you just proposing a simple "drop your backpack for a few hours" service, or something capable of holding luggage for everybody who has to check out of their hotel room on Monday morning but can't load their car until later?

Oh wow... that'd be a huge undertaking... but also totally awesome... maybe you could merge the two... however I think that'd require us to have a room we could secure and have all to ourselves (speaking in the first person even though I doubt this is where I'd end up... I'm much to spastic to stay in one place long enough to be in charge of anything like a bag check! ^_^) for the bags!

~Ally

[Radien]

Oh wow... that'd be a huge undertaking... but also totally awesome... maybe you could merge the two... however I think that'd require us to have a room we could secure and have all to ourselves (speaking in the first person even though I doubt this is where I'd end up... I'm much to spastic to stay in one place long enough to be in charge of anything like a bag check! ^_^) for the bags!

~Ally

Well, if you have a bag check, people will try to use it for their luggage on Monday, so part of the question is how many bags will you limit each person to. That, of course, logically leads one to ask how big the bag check room will have to be.

The reason I asked is because I already made a private suggestion for a bag check room. But I'm not sure whether it should be run by con staff or by the hotel. At Sakura Con in the past, I've seen the Sheraton set aside an entire ballroom for bag check on the final day. The reason the hotel might be willing to do this is because it smooths out their checkout procedure. The sooner they can get us OUT, the sooner their cleaning staff can prepare rooms for the next wave of reservations. Also, the hotel is more experienced in dealing with liability and lost luggage.

If con staff has to take on the responsibility for it to happen, though, I'm all for it. I might even volunteer to help out, though I'm not an Operations staffer.

[Meganekko]

@Raiden

Yeah that would be a big undertaking. I do not know how able I would be to handle that large of a bag check, mainly since I do not know how large of a bag check space I can get,  how many volunteers I can get, and what else I've got to work with.

Because Monday is a smaller day, I may be able to combine a bag check with a luggage check.  But for the moment, I am going to say it is first come first serve on Monday.

Mainly it depends on how many people I can get to help and what I can work with.

[Jamiche]

Having a space dedicated to bag check would be an awesome idea, and as people have said would be helpful.  But what programming would we want to lose in order to do so?  In order for us to accommodate this, something has to give... we don't have the luxury of a lot of space.

This is something we do think and talk about, but we are limited by the space we have.  Gaming does need and has a bag check, but they can not accommodate everyone that attends the convention.

[AllyKat]

Yah Seriously!

A bag check needs to be in a room at least the size of a hotel room... That way our genius bob-the-builder
can put several make-a-shelves up and organize it thusly. Which means a smaller room like part of one of
the art rooms (don't kill me art people, just using it as an example) would be needed. Did we end up using all the
space over at the hilton exec tower? Can we move something over there and make room on the PL? That might
make it work....

~Allykat

[Meganekko]

Well,
what if bag check had hours of operation?

Those very large white tables for what I assumed to be registration were pretty dead towards mid afternoon and later which is when most of the big draw programing gets in swing....
I was aiming for somewhere sorta open.  Thinking gaming bag check but up on the "3rd floor" (I think) and then behind the table a free standing unit with a series of three shelves for added bag stacking.  Mainly if we could just release a bit of pressure on the gaming bag check, and get some of the larger bags out of the way for the events.

So if bag check was at/behind those tables and ran from 2:30 pm until 3:30 am on Saturday & Sunday and all day Monday, we should be able to cut down bags in events and the choke at the gaming bag check as well as expedite hotel check outs and for the most part not disturb programing or registration.  And maybe if people miss the 3:30 am deadline, their bags could be moved to the gaming bag check where they would have to show their badge number... which isn't too much of a departure since gaming was putting tape on bags with badge numbers anyways this year.

It's just an idea, but could that be a possibility?

I could bring fairly detailed sketches and such to the next meeting.

[Radien]

Having a space dedicated to bag check would be an awesome idea, and as people have said would be helpful.  But what programming would we want to lose in order to do so?  In order for us to accommodate this, something has to give... we don't have the luxury of a lot of space.

This is something we do think and talk about, but we are limited by the space we have.  Gaming does need and has a bag check, but they can not accommodate everyone that attends the convention.

Yeah, true. But I think we should keep all avenues open and consider encouraging the hotel to run a bag check for their own overall benefit. If the benefits are explained to them they might give it a try. After all, this situation is still unusual for them; their facilities are normally enough for regular situations.

Well,
what if bag check had hours of operation?

Excellent idea, particularly if the purpose of the bag check is to facilitate checkout. Personally, if we did it for that purpose, I don't think we'd need to worry about any day but Monday. Which isn't a bad thing, because on Monday there is less programming and more space. I know that Rounds was pretty empty late in the day, for instance.

But again, let's suggest to the hotel that they try a special bag check room just for Monday.

[Meganekko]

Yeah, I would prefer that the hotel run it too, because that would have less "lost luggage" risk and be more efficient!
Also then they have to figure out where to stick stuff. 

Also, I have the "Open Studio: Drawing from Models" workshop/panel idea that I would like to do, and would be pretty impossible if I'm the Bag Check Master or something like that...
but that said, I'm still willing to do the bag check and or get things ready and hand over the job to somebody who wants full control of it so I can do the workshop/panel.

More or less I just really want to see this happen cause it would be rad.

[DancingTofu]

Gaming staff would very much appreciate it if this could happen.  I did throw a similar idea out there last year, but it didn't go anywhere.  It's nice to see it gaining some ground this time around.

Anyway, I have a few suggestions:
1. Set up library-style shelving with boxes to hold bags, and operate under a set size limit. 
2. Have the maximum dimensions figured out in time to have those go in the programming guide, as well as posting them on the site, so that people will bring bags that will fit.
3. Set up a filing system using a spreadsheet so that each page of the document represents a unit of shelving, and each box in the document represents the actual location where one would find the bag.  Then just punch in the badge number for the box where the bag goes into the corresponding box in the spreadsheet.
4. Don't accept anything bigger than 15"x15"x15".  No attendee should be hauling around a package that large.  As for props, I believe that people should be responsible for their own props.
5. The main places where people are going to want to not have their bags are in Panel rooms and Main Events.  The main place where people are going to NEED to not have their bags will be in the Gaming Room.  A lot of thought should go into where this would go; it certainly shouldn't be decided by "whatever's available."

[Meganekko]

My goals were efficiency and convenience for both Bag Checkers and Attendees.

Where to stick the bag check is an issue, really, it needs to be on the same floor as Live Events, because that is where the need is and that is the only floor where there could be a space that a Bag Check would be both Visible and Accessible at all times during its operation...

If it gets a dedicated room, you are going to lose a viewing room.  If it goes by those reg tables that seemed to be vacant, it is going to be smaller.

As for Panels... I have no idea where creation and table top were.  I some how accidentally creation at 3 am on Sunday.  Space in the Executive tower, I have no idea... I never went in there, which was the same story as most of the people I talked.  If people don't see it and know how to get back to it, they won't use it.

[Radien]

As for Panels... I have no idea where creation and table top were.  I some how accidentally creation at 3 am on Sunday.  Space in the Executive tower, I have no idea... I never went in there, which was the same story as most of the people I talked.  If people don't see it and know how to get back to it, they won't use it.

"I accidentally creation at 3 am. Is that bad?"


...Seriously though, I think it'd be worth losing a viewing room or panel room on Monday. Why? Because helping people to check out on Monday helps ensure that those people will be able to stay to enjoy the con's larger events. It really sucks to spend most of Monday figuring out checkout procedure, and it sucks even more to have to leave early because you don't have anywhere safe to put your luggage.

As for the rest of the con, we could make do with a smaller area. Would it even be possible to rope off (or "table" off) an area in one of the halls? Perhaps a corner of the ballroom hallway, much like back at the Doubletree, where we had a bag check in the hall outside the game room?

[Meganekko]

Hahah, I was very lost and confused when I found creation... wasn't really a bad thing, although not much interesting was going on (for me) at that point so I left and couldn't figure out how I got there the next day.

I agree, with the loss of a Viewing room on Monday.  We could keep Live Action Viewing, a single Anime Viewing, and AMV, and then have a the big baggage check in what was Anime Viewing 2....

That said, running "Monday Check-out Baggage Check" seems very daunting for/to me since I have been working on the assumption that the only way this would happen is in a tabled off location.

[Radien]

Well, perhaps we've hit the point where we should be bringing it up at the next meeting and asking higher-up staff what the hotel will allow. Of course, the important part is remembering about this several months before the convention so there's time to make it a reality.

[Meganekko]

Yeah.

At this point I've got my sketches and general operation procedures in progress, so that I have something to make a detailed proposal for my bag check at the next meeting.

Really all I'd like/need now is to know a few more people would be willing to staff it with me.

[legoman60]

of course what would remove a great deal of congestion in the gaming room would be to enforce the "bag check is for those who are in the gaming room only, not for you to leave your stuff and wander the con" rule that was technically in force last year but we had no way to enforce it.

INB4: the bag check is in the gaming room because making people check there bags makes it that much harder to walk out with a game. Outside of that bags are (IMO) an attendee's issue (yes, i have been on both sides of this argument).

[AllyKat]

What room are we thinking the Staff of the hotel is going to put the bags they check, in?
Honestly there is normally no "secret room" for staff to just throw things in. There may be a
storage area behind the front counter but it's probably small and full of... supplies! They may
even be lucky enough to have a break-room but once again it will only fit so much and isn't
designed to hold 500+ rooms of luggage. They would have to rope off a room we are currently
using and make it their baggage check so other than liability (which may deter them too) the
only difference is who is taking your bag from you. Also, what interest does the hotel have to
make sure your bag is not lost or misplaced? What makes their staff so much better at deciphering
my luggage from yours? This would be another situation where we are assuming the hotel staff
has done this before, or understands what we'd be asking of them. And even in a large hotel
like that I assure you they do not. Everytime I have to hold a bag in my hotel, it is a strain.

Just the idea of the hotel holding my bags and 600 other guests makes me cringe. Too much luggage,
not enough people/security to protect and regulate it's return, just seems hazardous.

But then, I'd only use a bag check if I ABSOLUTELY had to carry something, I prefer the old pockets
or badge stuffing myself.

~Allykat

[Radien]

Really all I'd like/need now is to know a few more people would be willing to staff it with me.

Count me in. If I can, next year I'll extend my stay until Tuesday so I don't have to pack up until after the con is over. If so, I can use part of that spare time to volunteer at the bag check and help others enjoy the con too.

of course what would remove a great deal of congestion in the gaming room would be to enforce the "bag check is for those who are in the gaming room only, not for you to leave your stuff and wander the con" rule that was technically in force last year but we had no way to enforce it.

Agreed, there is no good way to enforce it. But if there was a dedicated bag check, we could give attendees an incentive not to use the game room bag check. Namely, the game room could enforce a limit of one bag per person. If attendees want to check more, they could be directed to the larger bag check room. Consequently, it'd be better if we found a way to have them on the same floor, if at all possible.

Also, what interest does the hotel have to
make sure your bag is not lost or misplaced? What makes their staff so much better at deciphering
my luggage from yours?

I admit I've been assuming that the hotel either has insurance for this sort of thing, or liability policies. But you're right, if they have liability policies, it'd merely be a way of protecting themselves. This would be good for con staff, since it'd keep the con from being liable, but if attendees want a solid guarantee, then they're not gonna get it either way.

To tell the truth, I was going to suggest a waiver that the checker would have to sign. Yes, I think it's our responsibility to do our very best to make sure that bags are kept safe, but if we assume open-ended liability, we leave ourselves open to erroneous lost baggage claims. It's a sticky wicket.

[DancingTofu]

The thing about lost bags is that they can't prove that we don't have their bag (which is what a lost bag would entail.  The best we could do is post a notice that the con can't be held responsible for bags checked at bag check, and that the best option is to leave valuables at home when possible. 

While I think it's very important that attendees are able to trust the staff, worrying about liability here is kind of like worrying about your cereal catching on fire.

[Meganekko]

Well, I suppose there should be some signage that says,
"Leave at your own risk"

As for massive luggage exodus... kinda scary, not gonna lie.

[Radien]

The thing about lost bags is that they can't prove that we don't have their bag (which is what a lost bag would entail.  The best we could do is post a notice that the con can't be held responsible for bags checked at bag check, and that the best option is to leave valuables at home when possible.

But that's not the best we could do. We could have them sign waivers.

If you're saying waivers are not worth the bother, though, that's a different story and a different argument.

[DancingTofu]

Here's the loophole with that: someone claims that we lost their bag containing $18,000 worth of solid gold.  They didn't sign a waiver because they didn't turn in such a bag.  The waivers don't do us any good.

Now, a waiver against liability for damage might make sense, but what I'm saying is that lost bags essentially stop existing if they're truly lost.  We can't be held liable because the evidence literally can't be found.

And I'm also saying it's not worth the bother, but more importantly, it's not worth the paper.  Waivers require more funds, more staff, and more effort.  A sign stating that,
"By using this service to store your bag, case, or container, you agree that Alto Nimbus Entertainment (Kumoricon) and its staff, membership, and volunteers will not be held liable for damaged or misplaced bags, or their contents,"
would serve the same legal purpose much more efficiently.

[Radien]

Eh, sounds fine to me. Let's focus our efforts on lessening the likelihood anything will be lost, then.

[Meganekko]

Eh, sounds fine to me. Let's focus our efforts on lessening the likelihood anything will be lost, then.

Agreed!

[DancingTofu]

Totally.  I don't think I've ever had someone come up to Bag Check to pick up a bag, and found that we simply didn't have the bag.  Even in the most disorganized, chaotic situations, I've been able to find the most elusive of bags within 5 or 10 minutes. (granted, it shouldn't take longer than 20 or 30 seconds to locate and retrieve a bag if our system is properly organized.

I haven't seen a lot of people popping up to volunteer for this, so I want to point something out:
Bag check, when properly organized, can be a very redeeming and enjoyable post.  It's an opportunity to provide a greatly appreciated service for the attendees, while also reducing the congestion of the convention.  Personally, I'll probably volunteer some of my free time (something that simply didn't exist last year or the year prior) to helping our here if this happens.  Even if it's just a matter of me walking in and telling someone, "yo, take 2 hours for lunch/powernap/whatever; I've got you covered," every now and then when I have some time off and nothing more exciting to do.  It's a position that puts you face to face with attendees and gives you a chance to provide excellent-quality service.  It's also a subtle position, because while a kind smile from the friendly staffer behind the desk can make someone's bad day a lot better, it's not the kind of thing people get hyped for.

So, summary: if you like making the con a more enjoyable place to be, and want to get all the benefits of being staff on top of that, and your customer service skills are at least decent, please consider helping out with this.  It would make a lot of things a lot of better. ;]

[Slash5150]

I skipped over the second page lol.

But first thing I want to address.  Dry-Erase marker is a bad idea.  A Transparency marker (Vis-a-vis) marker would be a lot better, since dry-erase will quickly..well...erase.

Second thing, if there is a dedicated bag check area, simply state that if your bag is here past X-time, it will be taken to the lost and found office or the yoji office and you will have to show ID and the clip to retrieve it (ID just because it would get annoying and people don't want to get through that. 

Do something like the airlines that says the bag can only be this size or it won't be taken.  And Tofu already addressed the thing about liability and making a statement in conbook and at the table would make things much easier.

[Radien]

You've got me sold, Tofu. Customer service can be tough, but if we're self-aware and don't get stressed we can make it work.

It occurs to me, though: WHY are we talking about limiting dimensions? Is it to prevent too much overall space from being taken up?  If we're providing the bag check as an overflow from concierge for Monday checkout, some people are going to have a lot of stuff. Personally, I have a gi-normous luggage I use for cosplay because it's the most convenient way to haul two dozen loose props and accessories, some of them quite heavy and fragile. The luggage itself is quite sturdy and can be stood up in a corner.

Anyway, if we get a whole room for this, is there any worry about running out of space? Can we play it by ear?  I'm not sure we need to worry about the entire room filling up. What I'd worry more about would be keeping track of loose items.  And I have a suggestion for that, actually: get some big cardboard boxes for people to pile their loose stuff in. Attendees don't get to keep the cardboard boxes, but we use them to separate people's stuff while it's in storage.


Regardless of what's allowed, I think we can expect to get four different types of baggage:

1. Sturdy box luggage, often on wheels.
2. Squishy backpacks, duffel bags, and purses.
3. Loose items, swag bags, and props.
4. Clothing on hangers, which will need a rack.


Naturally, having storage racks for this stuff would increase our capacity by as much as 300%.

Edit: Typo.

[Slash5150]

You've got me sold, Tofu. Customer service can be tough, but if we're self-aware and don't get stressed we can make it work.

It occurs to me, though: WHY are we talking about limiting dimensions? Is it to prevent too much overall space from being taken up?  If we're providing the bag check as an overflow from concierge for Monday checkout, some people are going to have a lot of stuff. Personally, I have a gi-normous luggage I use for cosplay because it's the most convenient way to haul two dozen loose props and accessories, some of them quite heavy and fragile. The luggage itself is quite sturdy and can be stood up in a corner.

Anyway, if we get a whole room for this, is there any worry about running out of space? Can we play it by ear?  I'm not sure we need to worry about the entire room filling up. What I'd worry more about would be keeping track of loose items.  And I have a suggestion for that, actually: get some big cardboard boxes for people to pile their loose stuff in. Attendees don't get to keep the cardboard boxes, but we use them to separate people's stuff while it's in storage.


Regardless of what's allowed, I think we can expect to get four different types of baggage:

1. Sturdy box luggage, often on wheels.
2. Squishy backpacks, duffel bags, and purses.
3. Loose items, swag bags, and props.
4. Clothing on hangers, which will need a rack.


Naturally, having storage racks for this stuff would increase our capacity by as much as 300%.

Edit: Typo.

Mondays, rules can change, but its pretty easy to see people coming in friday (or saturday) with this big luggage thing and expecting us to take care of it, which is not cool at all.

[Meganekko]

I'm sooo excited by the support I'm getting on here! So I'd like to say thanks before I forget to everybody who's been helping me with ideas.

As Tofu said, the bag check is pretty rewarding.  I had three different friends all tell me that, yes there were times when it was hard but they all had lots of fun working in the Gaming Bag-check this year.  So I'm really looking forward to trying to get a bag-check team going.

Now to address some concerns and comments;

@Tofu

I completely agree on the idea of Bag Check having a disclaimer in the con book, clearly stating that con goers are leaving things in our care at their own risk, as well as our hours of operation, location, and any other applicable bag check policies that con goers need to to know.  Also I think there should be a big sign in front of bag check covering all that is stated in the con book.


@Slash

I'm not completely sold on the dry erase either, I want to be sure whether it be a erasable marker, clothes pin,  or low stick painter's tape method of identifying bags that we,
A) do not lose bags due to poor identification
B) damage bags from our marking method
C) cause problems for the bag check team

I don't want to have to worry about somebody saying, "You got marker on my bag" or "There's tape residue that won't come off!".  Perhaps instead of the marker and laminate system we could just write in pen/pencil on a small slip of paper and clothes clip it to the bag then and dispose of it after the bag is picked up.  Not the greenest solution but perhaps a viable option.

Also the be here on time or you have to pick it up from _______ and show your Badge and ID is a good policy.  Also, further theft prevention because somebody can't lift your badge and show up at ______ and claim your bag.

As for Yoji/Lost and Found, we'll have to talk with them about where to put unclaimed bags.

As for check in/check out luggage on Friday/Saturday/Sunday, that is going to be the luggage owners' responsibility.  Which we may have to inform a few con goers, but I think should be a minimal problem.


@Raiden

I believe the size limits would only be applicable to days that we simply do not have a room space; which most likely would be Saturday and Sunday, days that luggage check out is less/not a large issue.

Should our schedule look like: Behind tables Saturday & Sunday.  Monday, behind table bag check and luggage room in what was an anime viewing there is little need to worry about bag size.  Now for you luggage types:

Regardless of what's allowed, I think we can expect to get four different types of baggage:

1. Sturdy box luggage, often on wheels.
2. Squishy backpacks, duffel bags, and purses.
3. Loose items, swag bags, and props.
4. Clothing on hangers, which will need a rack.

Naturally, having storage racks for this stuff would increase our capacity by as much as 300%.

I agree this is what we will see.  Working on the lines that we do have a room for luggage on Monday, 1 & 2 are expected and non-issues.  Loose items bother me, they are hard to tag and keep track off.  Boxes are annoying, expensive, slow to work with and take up a lot of space compared to what is in them, so boxing peoples loose items is not a likely occurrence on our part.  So I am going to say that no loose items like that can be accepted. They need to somehow be pre-contained before arriving at bag check.

Now, for clothing on hangers... Only possible if we have a rack for them, and then we need to be able to zip tie clothing sets belonging to an individual/group together so that we don't have to search the rack for that one piece of cosplay.

[Radien]

@Radien

I believe the size limits would only be applicable to days that we simply do not have a room space; which most likely would be Saturday and Sunday, days that luggage check out is less/not a large issue.

Okay, both you and Slash mentioned this, and it makes sense.  I agree that we shouldn't take big bags and should set a limit of 2-3 bags per person on the first two days of the con.


Now... more ideas!

I agree this is what we will see.  Working on the lines that we do have a room for luggage on Monday, 1 & 2 are expected and non-issues.  Loose items bother me, they are hard to tag and keep track off.  Boxes are annoying, expensive, slow to work with and take up a lot of space compared to what is in them, so boxing peoples loose items is not a likely occurrence on our part.  So I am going to say that no loose items like that can be accepted. They need to somehow be pre-contained before arriving at bag check.

Now, for clothing on hangers... Only possible if we have a rack for them, and then we need to be able to zip tie clothing sets belonging to an individual/group together so that we don't have to search the rack for that one piece of cosplay.

Loose items:

• If we don't want to deal with loose items, we should count each individual loose item as a "bag" and say that the bag limit applies.
• In addition to a maximum size limit, we should have a minimum size for each separate item. Say, nothing smaller than a handbag.
• Nothing extremely fragile or electronic should be allowed loose, like a stereo or a masquerade ball mask.

Clothing on hangers:

• The hotel might have a coat rack we can borrow. Otherwise we can try to scrounge one up.
• Zip ties are a good idea, and Yoji has a lot of them. Or we can get permission to budget our own.
• Garments should be properly buttoned or securely fastened to the hanger. Women's garments with low necklines have a habit of slipping off, if not clipped in place.

Tagging:

• Here's a great suggestion I got from Emily: narrow strips of paper and a stapler. Just loop it around a strap and staple the paper to itself. Mark it with a sharpie beforehand.
• Colored dot stickers. I'm sure we could use these for some kind of categorization. Emily suggested for semi-fragile items. Or it could help narrow down which bags belong to a given person.
• Also a suggestion from Emily: raffle tickets as claim tickets.  Write down the last few digits on the baggage tag, as well as the number of items, and use it for retrieval.

[MichaelEvans]

There's also another consideration for tagging.

The badge number as a unique identity works well; one way of tagging everything is to pre-mark a -LARGE- number of cloths pins.

There would be several sets.  00 to 99, and x00 to x70   Each stored item would require two cloths pins, x70 00 would match badge x7000.

[Kurokaizoku]

I'm just going to let all know. Regarding bag check, Gaming will continue to have bag check even if there is a general bag check. Mostly so when someone shows up to the door we dont have to go "sorry but go back up 3 floors and wait in line at the bag check then come back" It just isn't convenient for the attendee nor useful to keep attendees coming to gaming.

A general check is something that is useful. Although I still dont understand why people need to bring large backpacks and then not want to carry them around. Why did you bring it if you obviously dont need it? Just something that I always think about.



(Restating and agreeing) But as for waivers, basically all you need to do is have something (possibly posted at bag check since not everyone reads the con book) that states by using the service you agree to not hold us liable. Obviously more official and legal sounding. But it works out fine. So far we havent had any problems with that. And we may even have something already in place along those lines just not a bag check specific situation. But I dont know. Looking into/adding never hurts.

[Radien]

There's also another consideration for tagging.

The badge number as a unique identity works well; one way of tagging everything is to pre-mark a -LARGE- number of cloths pins.

There would be several sets.  00 to 99, and x00 to x70   Each stored item would require two cloths pins, x70 00 would match badge x7000.

Heh. That's rather involved, but clever. The only worry is that clothespins can fall off easier than, say, a stapled paper band.

I'm just going to let all know. Regarding bag check, Gaming will continue to have bag check even if there is a general bag check. Mostly so when someone shows up to the door we dont have to go "sorry but go back up 3 floors and wait in line at the bag check then come back" It just isn't convenient for the attendee nor useful to keep attendees coming to gaming.

Personally, I totally expected Gaming to continue their bag check. I'm presuming that our purpose with this proposal is twofold: 1. lighten the load on gaming, and 2. provide a new service to attendees.

I'd like to keep the bag check close to gaming so you can easily direct people to us when they need to use the "bigger" bag check, but depending on how Operations decides to budget the space, that might not be possible.

A general check is something that is useful. Although I still dont understand why people need to bring large backpacks and then not want to carry them around. Why did you bring it if you obviously dont need it? Just something that I always think about.

Well, here's the simplest answer: costumes. At this year's con I was in the men's room when I saw someone bring a backpack in, change out of a costume, and switch it with the regular outfit he was storing in the backpack.  Additionally, some cosplayers want to stash their larger props when they aren't doing a photo shoot.

Another possible reason is to avoid having to carry something large, valuable, or fragile that you won't need for most of day. For instance, a digital camera.  Or for that matter, an arcade stick for a gaming tournament.

Lastly, day trippers and people staying at other hotels may bring along more stuff than people staying at the official hotel, like snacks, etc. Or they may buy something big from the dealers that they don't want to lug around.

Man, I can think of a lot of reasons this service would be useful... and so many of them have absolutely nothing to do with gaming. No wonder Gaming's bag check gets overloaded.

Edit: Typo again...

[Slash5150]

Man, I can think of a lot of reasons this service would be useful... and so many of them have absolutely nothing to do with gaming. No wonder Gaming's bag check gets overloaded.

Actually, gaming bag check was everything from camera bags and purses to backpacks with gear.

[Radien]

Actually, gaming bag check was everything from camera bags and purses to backpacks with gear.

Yeah, but what I meant was that people not participating in Gaming had plenty of motives to use (or abuse) Gaming's bag check. Some gamers will have cameras, but not all people wanting to stash a camera will be gamers, for instance.

[Yugure]

I had talked about this to some other people while at the con and asked the info desk if they had one actually.  I live in Beaverton, so I usually take public transit to the con.  Typically I wear my costume onto max but this year it was raining and I didn't want to get my costume soak and my friend's costume was a near full length white dress.  So we decided to change there, including shoes.  Our bags got really heavy.  I would suggest that if they have a bag check/costume check for the entire con not just gaming that they have no valuables policy, the hotel and/or con would probably not want to be held responsible for lost wallets or cameras.     

[Meganekko]

I had talked about this to some other people while at the con and asked the info desk if they had one actually.  I live in Beaverton, so I usually take public transit to the con.  Typically I wear my costume onto max but this year it was raining and I didn't want to get my costume soak and my friend's costume was a near full length white dress.  So we decided to change there, including shoes.  Our bags got really heavy.  I would suggest that if they have a bag check/costume check for the entire con not just gaming that they have no valuables policy, the hotel and/or con would probably not want to be held responsible for lost wallets or cameras.     

This is exactly one of the many situations that make it necessary for us to have another bag check in addition to the gaming bag check.  I did the same thing this year on Saturday myself.

In a pm Kurokaizuko brought up locations for the bag check: My wish is to have a centrally located bag check so that it is visible and accessible at all hours of it's operation, and that there will be no crowd control blockages.  I came across several people who had left bags in gaming and then had trouble getting back to their bags because of the crowd control measures.  My fear is that should we have a bag check on the ballroom (basement) floor we may have issues with crowd control preventing minors from not getting their bags before curfew.  It could become a nightmare to try and get people to their bags on time, and could be abused as a way to cut lines.

So I am willing to work completely with Operations staff on where the Bag Check needs to be/ is able to be.  That said, it would be more difficult and less useful to have the bag check out of a hotel room due to the inevitable confusion as to where it is as well as the difficulties around using the elevators.  This also is why the 23rd floor is less than optimal.  If we could get bags out of the hands of con goers before the elevators that would be great for elevator crowding issues and long line times.  I don't know about what space we had over in the Executive Tower.

If you have some ideas of where we should locate the bag check, I would love to hear them, mainly anything where we can have some space be it in a hallway or room that would be easy for all con goers to access without elevator or crowd control issues.


Now back to bag check operations...

Loose items:

    * If we don't want to deal with loose items, we should count each individual loose item as a "bag" and say that the bag limit applies.
    * In addition to a maximum size limit, we should have a minimum size for each separate item. Say, nothing smaller than a handbag.
    * Nothing extremely fragile or electronic should be allowed loose, like a stereo or a masquerade ball mask.

These are all great plans.  I think the "fragile items" policy should be along the lines of :

• all electronics must be in a bag, case or container
• bag check must be warned of potentially fragile items otherwise they will be treated as less fragile
• any bag containing glass of anysort is considered fragile

Clothing on hangers:

    * The hotel might have a coat rack we can borrow. Otherwise we can try to scrounge one up.
    * Zip ties are a good idea, and Yoji has a lot of them. Or we can get permission to budget our own.
    * Garments should be properly buttoned or securely fastened to the hanger. Women's garments with low necklines have a habit of slipping off, if not clipped in place.

I may have an old clothing sales rack from a Ross at my disposal for this, if not I can scare something similar up.  We will have to keep some sxra clothes clips around for those low cut and garments that seem quick to slip off the hanger.  Zip ties shouldn't be a problem to find or budget for.

Tagging:

    * Here's a great suggestion I got from Emily: narrow strips of paper and a stapler. Just loop it around a strap and staple the paper to itself. Mark it with a sharpie beforehand.
    * Colored dot stickers. I'm sure we could use these for some kind of categorization. Emily suggested for semi-fragile items. Or it could help narrow down which bags belong to a given person.
    * Also a suggestion from Emily: raffle tickets as claim tickets.  Write down the last few digits on the baggage tag, as well as the number of items, and use it for retrieval.

The strips of paper and stapler idea seem very universal for all bags/props with the least likely hood of bag damage, only issues being having enough staples and reliable staplers (they some how always seem to jam when you are in a hurry).  The colored dots could go onto the paper strips as a way of denoting fragile or non fragile bags among other important information.  I'm not sure I understand the raffle tickets completely, but having to buy raffle tickets and deal with staff and con goers keeping track of them seems possibly problematic, but is still worth further investigation.

[Slash5150]

Tagging:

    * Here's a great suggestion I got from Emily: narrow strips of paper and a stapler. Just loop it around a strap and staple the paper to itself. Mark it with a sharpie beforehand.
    * Colored dot stickers. I'm sure we could use these for some kind of categorization. Emily suggested for semi-fragile items. Or it could help narrow down which bags belong to a given person.
    * Also a suggestion from Emily: raffle tickets as claim tickets.  Write down the last few digits on the baggage tag, as well as the number of items, and use it for retrieval.

The strips of paper and stapler idea seem very universal for all bags/props with the least likely hood of bag damage, only issues being having enough staples and reliable staplers (they some how always seem to jam when you are in a hurry).  The colored dots could go onto the paper strips as a way of denoting fragile or non fragile bags among other important information.  I'm not sure I understand the raffle tickets completely, but having to buy raffle tickets and deal with staff and con goers keeping track of them seems possibly problematic, but is still worth further investigation.

Basically, get the tickets that are the whole "Ticket/Keep this coupon" thing.  Give one ticket to the person, and the other one goes with the bag.  The only problem I see with this, is how does it get attached with the bag. 

[Meganekko]

Tagging:

    * Here's a great suggestion I got from Emily: narrow strips of paper and a stapler. Just loop it around a strap and staple the paper to itself. Mark it with a sharpie beforehand.
    * Colored dot stickers. I'm sure we could use these for some kind of categorization. Emily suggested for semi-fragile items. Or it could help narrow down which bags belong to a given person.
    * Also a suggestion from Emily: raffle tickets as claim tickets.  Write down the last few digits on the baggage tag, as well as the number of items, and use it for retrieval.

The strips of paper and stapler idea seem very universal for all bags/props with the least likely hood of bag damage, only issues being having enough staples and reliable staplers (they some how always seem to jam when you are in a hurry).  The colored dots could go onto the paper strips as a way of denoting fragile or non fragile bags among other important information.  I'm not sure I understand the raffle tickets completely, but having to buy raffle tickets and deal with staff and con goers keeping track of them seems possibly problematic, but is still worth further investigation.

Basically, get the tickets that are the whole "Ticket/Keep this coupon" thing.  Give one ticket to the person, and the other one goes with the bag.  The only problem I see with this, is how does it get attached with the bag. 

That was pretty much my issue, also, people lose tickets.
Gaming saw some of those clips lost (I watched a girl freaking out for 10 minutes outside who had lost her gaming bag check clip)

[Slash5150]

Tagging:

    * Here's a great suggestion I got from Emily: narrow strips of paper and a stapler. Just loop it around a strap and staple the paper to itself. Mark it with a sharpie beforehand.
    * Colored dot stickers. I'm sure we could use these for some kind of categorization. Emily suggested for semi-fragile items. Or it could help narrow down which bags belong to a given person.
    * Also a suggestion from Emily: raffle tickets as claim tickets.  Write down the last few digits on the baggage tag, as well as the number of items, and use it for retrieval.

The strips of paper and stapler idea seem very universal for all bags/props with the least likely hood of bag damage, only issues being having enough staples and reliable staplers (they some how always seem to jam when you are in a hurry).  The colored dots could go onto the paper strips as a way of denoting fragile or non fragile bags among other important information.  I'm not sure I understand the raffle tickets completely, but having to buy raffle tickets and deal with staff and con goers keeping track of them seems possibly problematic, but is still worth further investigation.

Basically, get the tickets that are the whole "Ticket/Keep this coupon" thing.  Give one ticket to the person, and the other one goes with the bag.  The only problem I see with this, is how does it get attached with the bag. 

That was pretty much my issue, also, people lose tickets.
Gaming saw some of those clips lost (I watched a girl freaking out for 10 minutes outside who had lost her gaming bag check clip)

Gaming bag clips.

They either separated, or flat out broke, or they came off of the bag. 

When I was checking bags, I did my best to figure out a way to clip them onto a small string or something but when we ran out of clips, I grabbed some painters tape and used that, and wrote peoples badge numbers, and it worked beautifully.

[Radien]

These are all great plans.  I think the "fragile items" policy should be along the lines of :

• all electronics must be in a bag, case or container
• bag check must be warned of potentially fragile items otherwise they will be treated as less fragile
• any bag containing glass of anysort is considered fragile

<snip>

I may have an old clothing sales rack from a Ross at my disposal for this, if not I can scare something similar up.  We will have to keep some sxra clothes clips around for those low cut and garments that seem quick to slip off the hanger.  Zip ties shouldn't be a problem to find or budget for.

Sounds good. I guess eventually we'll want to boil it all down to the most important points and bullet list them for a posted list of rules.

Having clips for garments might also be a good idea since people are often in a hurry and forget to bring suitable clip hangers.

The strips of paper and stapler idea seem very universal for all bags/props with the least likely hood of bag damage, only issues being having enough staples and reliable staplers (they some how always seem to jam when you are in a hurry).  The colored dots could go onto the paper strips as a way of denoting fragile or non fragile bags among other important information.  I'm not sure I understand the raffle tickets completely, but having to buy raffle tickets and deal with staff and con goers keeping track of them seems possibly problematic, but is still worth further investigation.

Well, in addition to trying to get backup staplers, we could have tape and maybe rubber bands as backup methods for fastening paper tags. (Is it possible to use a rubber band to fasten a tag like that?)

I think we'd better nix the raffle ticket idea. I totally forgot that we can just use badge numbers instead. However, if we use badge numbers, will we have any form of claim ticket to give the attendee?  Claim tickets might help put them at ease, although I'm not sure we really need them...

When I was checking bags, I did my best to figure out a way to clip them onto a small string or something but when we ran out of clips, I grabbed some painters tape and used that, and wrote peoples badge numbers, and it worked beautifully.

Is painter's tape about as adhesive as masking tape?  I know that you can put masking tape on almost anything without worrying about causing damage upon removal.

[Slash5150]

These are all great plans.  I think the "fragile items" policy should be along the lines of :

Well, in addition to trying to get backup staplers, we could have tape and maybe rubber bands as methods of backup for fastening paper tags. (Is it possible to use a rubber band to fasten a tag like that?)

I think we'd better nix the raffle ticket idea. I totally forgot that we can just use badge numbers instead. However, if we use badge numbers, will we have any form of claim ticket to give the attendee?  Claim tickets might help put them at ease, although I'm not sure we really need them...

You can, just thread it through itself, but honestly...paper strips will rip the easiest.  When it gets hectic, people are going to rush.

When I was checking bags, I did my best to figure out a way to clip them onto a small string or something but when we ran out of clips, I grabbed some painters tape and used that, and wrote peoples badge numbers, and it worked beautifully.

Is painter's tape about as adhesive as masking tape?  I know that you can put masking tape on almost anything without worrying about causing damage upon removal.

All we had was painters tape and painters tape is about as adhesive as water.  Masking tape is a better option because have you tried looking at black sharpie on blue tape in a dimly lit room?  Not fun.


Also, advice -- whatever method is chosen, make sure you start ordering things by number. I.E. if theres bag 1053 and 1059, and the next one is 1056, take the time and put it between 1053 and 1059.  It will make your life A LOT easier.