Volunteering Info

Do you know the difference between Volunteers and Staff?

• Volunteers work very flexible hours. As a volunteer, you can commit to work as little as 4 hours (One-Day volunteers) or sign up to work 22 hours across all four days of the convention (All-Con volunteers). Volunteering is the best way to get benefits while still making sure you have lots of free time to enjoy the convention.
• Staffers work a minimum of eight hours per day but receive many more benefits in return. What you get each year varies but past examples have included staff exclusive gear such as T-shirts, polos, pins, vinyls, and water bottles. Moreover there are several staff-only events and raffles. Staffing is the way to go if you’re looking for a larger role in running the convention.

If Volunteering sounds good to you, just keep on reading! If you would like more information on Staffing, you can find it here.

Welcome!

To people of all ages, gender, and alien races!

The Anime Expo® Volunteers program is less demanding than our regular staffing positions but still provides lots of benefits. Volunteering is a great way to see the convention and get a small glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes. The duties are very easy and the people you meet could become your friends for life. Hop to the Volunteer Registration page to sign up or continue reading to find out more information about the program.

Volunteer FAQ’S

Volunteers work in all areas of the convention. Volunteers assist Anime Expo® staff in these areas:

• Packet stuffing
• Line/crowd control
• Entry/exit monitoring (badge check)
• Gophering
• Special assignments

Minor volunteers will be assigned to work only in areas with constant adult supervision.

So how do I sign up?

There are three distinct programs available to people interested in volunteering during Anime Expo®. The sign-up procedures for each program are slightly different. Select the program that best matches your level of commitment.

• All Convention
• One-Day Adult
• Minor Volunteer

Other essential information:

• Waiver Forms
• Obtaining Refunds
• Crash Space
• Work Shifts
• Pre-con Shifts

Tell Me About being an All-Con (All Convention) Volunteer

ALL-CON volunteers are (pre)registered attendees who pledge to work 22 hours over the course of four days. If, by the end of the convention, all 22 hours have been completed, the volunteer will get a refund of their registration fees. In order to qualify for this program, you must be 18 years or older by 11:59PM of June 30th, 2009

In addition, ALL-CON volunteers receive two meals (lunch and dinner) per day on the 1st through 3rd day of the convention. On the 4th day, lunch will be provided. Lastly, ALL-CONs are eligible for LIMITED crash space slots. Crash space is a scarce commodity and is never guaranteed. Please make alternative (back-up) arrangements.

Before the convention:

• Register online as an attendee. Purchase a full convention pass (membership pass). Register here.
• Sign-up online to become an All-Con volunteer, here. You will need to provide your membership ID as proof of registration.
• Make arrangements to attend the MANDATORY volunteer orientation, held in the Volunteer Headquarters at 8 pm, July 1, 2009.
• If you cannot attend the MANDATORY orientation, you must let the volunteer managers know in advance. Alternative accommodations cannot be made for you unless prior notice is given.

Upon your arrival to the convention:

• Bring a photo ID with date-of-birth to the Volunteer Headquarters.
• A Volunteer Dept. staff member will exchange your attendee pass for an All-Con volunteer pass or walk you through the express lane of Registration to process your attendee badge.
• While you are working towards the completion of the 22 hours, your regular attendee pass will be held by the department and exchanged for an ALL-CON volunteer badge. The attendee pass will be returned to you with your refund. No one may have an attendee pass AND an ALL-CON pass simultaneously.

Tell me about being a One-Day volunteer

One-Day Adult volunteers earn a single day pass for every 4 hours of completed work. Before you can begin to accumulate hours, you will need to leave a $35 deposit with the Volunteer Department. Upon the completion of each 4 hour block, you will earn a single day pass to the convention.

Single day passes are date specific. A Friday pass will not work on Saturday. You will be able to choose which day of the convention you would like to attend. Hours are also stackable, but not transferable to someone else.

• Choose your day (example): Work 4 hours on Friday, select a day pass for Saturday.
• Stack your hours (example): Work 8 hours on Friday, select a day pass for Friday and Saturday (or any combination of days).
• Non-transferable hours (example): Work 8 hours on Friday, select 2 passes for Friday-One person does not need 2 passes for the same day. Each redeemed day pass must be earned by the person who receives it and cannot be transferred to a friend.

Once all of your total desired hours are completed (minimum 4 hours, maximum 16 hours), you will have your deposit returned to you. To qualify for this program, you must be 18 years or older by 11:59PM, June 30th, 2009.

Before the convention:

• DO NOT register online as an attendee. Bypass the registration system (and the lines) entirely and bring your $35 deposit directly to the Volunteer Headquarters.
• Sign-up online to become a One-Day Adult volunteer. Entering your information early will expedite the check-in process at Headquarters when you arrive.
• There is no need for One-Day Adult volunteers to attend the volunteer orientation.

Upon your arrival to the convention:

• Bring a photo ID with date-of-birth to the Volunteer Headquarters
• Leave a $35 security deposit with the Volunteer staff. Checks are most preferred, but EXACT cash is also acceptable. Credit cards cannot be held as a deposit, nor driver’s licenses or anything else of equivalent value. Please bring checks or exact cash.
• If you did not enter your information online, enter your information at one of the computers in Headquarters.
• A staff member will provide you with a temporary volunteer badge. When you redeem your day pass(es) or at the end of the day, your temporary badge will be confiscated. No one may possess a temporary volunteer badge when not working.
• One-Day adults do not get meals and are NOT ELIGIBLE for crash space.

Tell me about being a Minor volunteer

The Minor volunteer program is similar to the One-Day Adult program, except that minor volunteers must be at least 16 years old as of 11:59PM, June 30th, 2009 but not yet 18 years old or older. Minor volunteers earn a single day pass for every 4 hours of completed work. Upon the completion of each 4 hour block, you will earn a single day pass to the convention.

Minor volunteers may only work in areas with constant supervision and staff monitoring

• Packet stuffing
• Art show
• Minor volunteers may not work more than 8 total hours in a single day.
• Minor volunteers do not get meals and are NOT ELIGIBLE for crash space.
• Before you can begin, we must verify that a parent or legal guardian has authorized you to work at Anime Expo®

Before the convention:

• Do NOT register online as an attendee. Bypass the registration system (and the lines) entirely and come directly to the Volunteer Headquarters.
• Sign-up online to become a Minor volunteer. Entering your information early will expedite the check-in process at Headquarters when you arrive.
• Make arrangements to bring a parent or legal guardian with you to the Volunteer Headquarters for initial check-in. (Detailed information about legal guardians can be found further down the FAQs sheet.)
• There is no need for Minor volunteers to attend the volunteer orientation.

Upon your arrival to the convention:

• Escort a parent or legal guardian to the Volunteer Headquarters.
• Both your parent/legal guardian and you must have a photo ID.
• Your photo ID must show date-of-birth. Current school IDs are acceptable equivalents.
• If you did not enter your information online, enter your information at one of the computers in Headquarters.
• A staff member will provide you with a temporary volunteer badge. When you redeem your day pass(es) or at the end of the day, your temporary badge will be confiscated. No one may possess a temporary volunteer badge when not working.
• Minor volunteers do not get meals from the department and are NOT ELIGIBLE for crash space.

If your parent or legal guardian cannot make it to Anime Expo® in person, they can authorize another adult to sign the medical release and waiver in their place:

• The authorized adult must be 25 years old or older.
• A parent’s signature must be on the appropriate portions of the waiver form.
• One authorized adult can sign the waiver for up to 4 Minors.
• Authorized adults must bring valid photo ID.

Example: I want to be a Minor volunteer with three of my friends. We live far away and our parents cannot come to AX. My older brother is 25 years old. He will drop us off and sign the waivers in place of our parents. We will bring signed waiver forms showing that our parents have authorized my brother to represent them.

A reminder to minor volunteers: Your parents/guardians MUST BE present at the convention in order to complete the registration process for the volunteer program. The following waiver must be brought with you along with some form of identification.

The parental authorization forms are available: here

All volunteers need to sign a waiver or have their parent/guardian sign one.

All-Con and One-Day volunteers can register and sign their waiver online here
If you’d like to read the waiver, a copy of it can be obtained here.

Minors can register online here.

• If your parent WILL be coming to con, he/she should sign the top half of the first page and bring the second page to sign at con (remember that both of you need valid photo IDs).
• If your parent WILL NOT be coming to con, he/she should fill out the first page. The authorized adult should bring the first page (already completed) and the second page to sign at con (remember that you both need valid photo IDs).

Minor forms can be obtained here.

Obtaining refunds: Procedure

This is the refund procedure for All-Con Volunteers:

Refunds will be distributed in the Volunteer Headquarters at 10 am, 1 pm and 4 pm on the last day of the convention (July 5, 2009). Anyone who has completed their hours by those times should stop by to pick up their refunds.

If you are unable to stay until the last day of the convention, but have earned a refund, please meet with one of the Volunteer Department Managers. Anyone needing an early refund will be escorted to the Finance office to process their refund.

Every effort will be made to provide you with a refund before you depart. If you leave the convention without obtaining your refund, a refund check will be mailed to the address provided on the Registration form.

An overview of Crash Space

Crash space is an EXTREMELY LIMITED commodity. We are not able to accommodate everyone, so please make back-up plans. Anyone expecting to receive crash space should bring their own sleeping bag and pillow.

Crash space will be distributed on a FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED basis. Men and women have separate crash space rooms and separate queues for any available slots.

Crash space slots will be given out based on the order in which you sign-up to volunteer online. (If you are the first All-Con volunteer to request crash space online, odds are good that you will receive crash space. If you are the 100th All-Con volunteer to request crash space, odds are NOT good that you will receive crash space.)

When you sign-up to volunteer online and request crash space, you are holding a reservation. You must come to the mandatory orientation session to claim your reservation.

• If you are not present to claim your reservation, we will give your slot to the next person.
• If you know in advance that you are unable to attend the orientation session, contact a Volunteer Manager. Only then will we hold your reservation.
• You MUST attend the crash space roll-call or you will lose your place in the line.

After all the slots are given out, if you are still in need of crash space, check with the Volunteer Managers every night to see if any new rooms or slots open up. Available slots will be given out based on an individual’s place on the list.

Crash space is ONLY for VOLUNTEERS. Anyone who invites their friends or family to stay in crash space will forfeit their slot.

Obtaining shifts

A typical shift lasts 2 hours. Start times are staggered to begin throughout the day, almost every hour. In the Volunteer Headquarters, a shift schedule will show all known openings for the day. Some assignments generate greater interest than others. To make shift distribution fair for all, shifts are never assigned sooner than 15 minutes prior to the start time.

Volunteers are welcome to hang-out in headquarters to wait for a desired shift to open up. There will be a TV and a console game machine in headquarters to entertain volunteers and their friends.

Volunteer Headquarters will be open to the public during these hours:

• Wednesday, July 1nd (Day Zero) — hours TBD
• Thursday, July 2rd (Day One) — 7:30 am to 10:00 pm
• Friday, July 3th (Day Two) — 7:30 am to 10:00 pm
• Saturday, July 4th (Day Three) — 7:30 am to 10:00 pm
• Sunday, July 5th (Day Four) — 7:30 am to 4:30 pm

Minors and One-Day Adult volunteers must complete a minimum of 4 hours before they will receive an attendee pass. Without an attendee pass, they will not gain entry into any Anime Expo® programming venues. Therefore, most Minors and One-Day Adults choose to work two shifts back-to-back. However, working 4 hours straight is not a requirement.

Availability of Pre-Con Shifts

There is a limit on the number of volunteers invited to work on the day before the convention (Day Zero). If you are interested in working on Day Zero, please contact a Volunteers Department manager through volunteers@anime-expo.org.

Please look out for periodic updates from the Volunteer Department to keep you updated on the latest news about the convention.

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For Volunteer Inquiries, please contact .