Sorry for the wait, everyone. I was emailing various directors to check some details before I responded
What do you envision in terms of the move to the two hotels, in terms of prioritizing allocation of space?
Usually, this is something handled by the Programming Director. However, this year some input from Relations would be a good idea. The main concern here is Dealer's Hall. There is more than one possible location for it, and I am actually in favor of not putting it in the garage space. Some vendors never returned to Kumoricon after that year. Neko Pan had items literally melt. Until we see first hand that the HVAC down there can actually handle dealer's hall, I think putting vendors there is a risky move. Also, considering the way dealer's hall gets 'pipe and drape' (the curtains around each stall and the backdrops) large air movers would turn the area into a mess.
For 2011, I think we should put something else in that area and see how well that does. In 2007 we were the first group to ever use the garage and the hotel claims to have used the area since with no problems. However, since we have been told that many vendors simply will not return if they are put in that garage again, we need to give more in the way of assurances than "The hotel says it's fine!" However, if we get a chance to see it used as a dealer's hall by another group before booths go on sale, perhaps I could persuade dealers to return. I insist on seeing the space 'in use' before I am comfortable with it, though.
Are there any niches of con work, before, during, or after the actual con, that are not presently staff positions under Relations (or perhaps not staff positions presently at all), that you feel it would help Relations to adopt as new staff positions?
Right now I am mostly concerned with filling existing positions and management positions -- particularly, a dedicated person to answer vendor emails and ideally 2-3 people to take sections of industry. Relations staff roughly doubled in 2010, which was great! Still, the department is painfully understaffed. The convention can get much more swag, industry support, better vendors, and more product from vendors if we can find a way to get people to help out in these areas.
People skills are absolutely essential in this department. What experiences do you have in this area? What have you noticed to be your own strengths and weaknesses in this area?
I have been the Assistant Director of Programming for the past two years and specifically, my job at con has been running the Programming office. To do this well requires interacting and communicating with many different people and departments who come to me (often upset and frustrated) to solve problems quickly and efficiently. Excellent people skills are absolutely essential to run this office well. That experience, coupled with the before-con coordination I assist Jaki with, outlines my abilities effectively.
As for my strengths and weaknesses: I’m efficient (though sometime ruthlessly so), I get things done on time, I am well organized and I have lots of experience in many different parts of the convention. Sometimes, I do have a hard time remembering names.
How important is it for a Director to get to know each of her or his staff, at least top staff? If not personally, at least by face or name? What are some ways you would endeavor to get to know your staff?
Staff meetings and specialized training would be great and help a lot. I think that many people find Relations a bewildering and bizarre world and don’t quite know how they can help. I helped Dawn a great deal before con this year, basically job shadowed her for a while. I know that many new staff are going to need a good deal of training.
How would your work in this area differ from work you are used to doing, both inside and outside of KC?
When I worked as the Manga Library Coordinator and, more recently, when I helped Dawn this year, I communicated with industry in order to get donations for the manga library, charity auction, and our attendee swag bags. So I have some experience in that area. Also, Programming works very closely with Relations for scheduling GoH content. That said, there are many responsibilities under Relations that will be new to me, but I am confident that I can rely on the experience of previous Relations staff (and Directors!) to help better familiarize myself with the needs of the position.
(This question assumes that the space chosen is the Parking Level)
1. In terms of history with the Vancouver Hilton & our Dealers, how prepared are you to combat some of the issues that were present in 2007 in regards to our Dealer Hall. Namely; how do you plan to market this space to Dealer's whose experience in that space was either negative or less than stellar?
OR: Do you have alternative options in mind to negate this issue?
I think I answered that above. The short version is: if I need to assure vendors that the parking garage can work, I need to see it working first hand. But I still think that an alternate location would be best.
2. Guest of Honor preparations require a LOT of communication with many different people in order to work out costs, travel, and accommodations before a contract can even be looked at, let alone signed. With complete honesty how reliable can you say your communication with Professionals and Handlers or similar working officials who deal with Celebrities and/or VIP's is? Do you have precedent to back up your skills at sticking with and staying on a line of communication?
Ideally, I would have this handled by Debra Stansbury who has done this sort of work for Orycon and Kumoricon before. If she cruelly abandons me, then, yes, I will make sure that Guests and all their various details are well handled before, during and after con. Programming has to deal with logistics too, and while I acknowledge Guest coordination is different, the basic skills of organization and timeliness are still that same.
What's your favorite flavor of Pocky.
Coconut! But I really like the Almond Pocky too
Just not dark chocolate, bleh!
(1) What do *you* consider to be the most important qualities in someone working either directly with Guests of Honor, as a Liason, or indirectly, with their management, in negotiating contracts?
A sense of friendly professionalism and timely replies. Negotiating with guests can be a delicate matter, but I think being very upfront about what Kumoricon can and cannot offer a guest can help a good deal.
(2) Have you attended any of the Guest of Honor events? How much do you consider them the sine qua non of Programming, or how much do you consider them just one of many draws?
I attended the Guest Dinner the past two years as Jaki's +1. Outside of that, I am typically too busy to attend most events.
Sine qua non of Programming? Not at all. Kumoricon has much, much more to offer than just Guest Events. Kumoricon has also tried to keep a focus on having guests who can do demo panels and talk about the industry in more of a 'how to' way.
To be very frank, Kumoricon has yet to get a Japanese guest and many of our attendees are simply not interested in American VAs and artists. Guests should be one of our many draws, an awesome and well balanced addition to Kumoricon Programming.
(3) Do there happen to be any areas of Relations that might tend to go overlooked or understaffed if a focus is on Guests of Honor, akin to how, in years past, people pointed out a disproportionate amount of Ops's attention being focused just on Yojis? If not presently, how can you keep that balance? If there are, how can you facilitate an approach to the department that covers a wider variety of areas?
Every section of Relations is understaffed, guest relations included. Last year the main focus in Relations was trying to get more people to work on Dealers and Industry. Kumoricon has a problem across the board in finding people who want to do certain types of coordination work: research, answering emails, sending cold emails, keeping track of details, etc. Much of this falls upward to the director and it can quickly become overwhelming, so that some areas end up getting more attention then others. Keeping responsible staff in positions that they are good at (i.e. staff retention) is most likely the key for solving this issue.
What could you, as Relations Director, do to help make the historically under-staffed areas of your department feel more accessible and comfortable?
The key may lay in not overworking the current staff. The con as a whole has a staff retention problem. Even if it means even more work for me, I need to make sure that new staff and established staff both don't wind up working ridiculous hours or being tossed into situations for which they are not prepared for. It is easier to recruit when I have, for example, dealer's staff saying "I do this, and it is rewarding" than if it's just me going "No one will do this! Please help!" Nothing is a better recruitment tool than staff who want to come back. Maybe this is a bit of a multi-year approach to growing staff, but keeping experienced staff is every bit as critical as finding more staff.
My question for the candidates, (I believe correct me if I am wrong ) the board, at times meets weekly, are you able to make it to those meetings and the monthly meetings out of town?
There is the monthly exec meeting and the monthly general meeting. Closer to con we meet more frequently, both officially and in unofficial work parties to get stuff done. As an assistant, I already attend many of these and am confident that I can attend virtually all of them.
What kind of things are likely to arise that may interfere? (Deaths in the family are, of course, impossible to anticipate.)
I am a full time student and do sometimes have conflicts for Sunday meetings. That said, I have a good record for being able to make most Kumoricon events.
