How would you entertain the people at the VIP dinner if the Relations Director and the Con Chair are busy with some sort of emergency?
Filksing? Describing games of Go I've played move by move?
Um, seriously, probably try to be a good host and keep conversation flowing by introducing interesting topics of conversation when conversation runs out. I'd think that the people who bought VIP badges want a chance to just chat with the guests and that the guests want to relax a bit. I think that is the best way to accomplish it.
Dawn, you have mentioned that you are assembling a "Big Book of Policy". How much detail do you plan to include in this tome? Bylaws and convention policy are obvious, but will you got to the trouble of including contest rules and dress code guidelines?
Hrrmm... I think that contest rules should not be in it. Though, if someone has a contest question it should say who to talk to. Contest logistics might be in flux right until the contest starts, so, trying to get down to that level of fine detail might cause more fuss that it prevents. Though, I would do things like ask Jaki what sort of programming info would be good to have in the book, and what should be left out because it will be too subject to change.
Also, if a contest is confusing people, it's probably best that a person talks directly to the organizer of the contest without someone else trying to step in.
Dress codes both for the con in general and specific events should definitly be in there. Those are things that need to be clearly set before the con starts.
Alot of what I plan to put in there is based on questions and rumours from last year. Last year a couple people told me that staff couldn't cosplay. This turned out to not be the case at all. I like the idea of having a central resource that staff can rely on.