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Any time you sign up to staff a con, one of the first things you’re asked is which department you are, or would like to be, a part of. The department you’re with determines what kind of weekend you’re going to have. It tells you who you’ll be seeing on shift and which parts of the convention center you’ll spend your time in. Some departments have intense, demanding schedules while others give you more flexibility with what you’ll be doing throughout the weekend and the times you’ll be expected to work.

The names of these department can vary, and not every con has every department. The inner workings of each department changes from convention to convention, especially when you compare smaller cons to cons that pull from around the country, but at every con I’ve been a part of, the same overall structure is present. I’ve reached out to friends of mine who are members of these departments to get a more insider view of the work entailed. For those I’ve been a part of I shared my own experiences as well.

This article will be split into two posts, with seven departments represented in each post. Below you’ll find, in no particular order, the first seven.

General Staff:

Gen Staff is the typical starting department for staff members. When you’re first brought on staff they have to make sure you’re a good worker before they give you a job with more responsibility. This isn’t to say the job isn’t important. Members of General Staff are usually the badge checkers at almost every part of the con, making sure everyone that enters any area has a badge and permission to be there. While badge checking they often assist attendees with directions and other questions regarding the con. Some conventions have Security fill this position, but most of the ones I’ve been a part of have Gen Staff on it.

As well, Gen Staff members act as runners and frequently aid Con Operations with any errands or tasks they have. They check in on badge checkers and carry general info that needs to be spread face to face rather than by text or other messaging services.

For my friend, it’s a rewarding experience, getting to help with something that she thoroughly enjoys. She likes getting to make new friends that are interested in the same things as her, creating connections which allow her to go to other (bigger) conventions than where she started. Gen Staff is an opportunity to prove yourself and be essentially promoted.

It may seem like a less important job than security or set up, but it is a main principle for keeping the convention running smoothly. It’s pretty much stress free, until the early morning hours arrive, along with the con goers who have been drinking. They can get a little rowdy but other than that, there are little to no problems you have to handle while being on gen staff.

Con Operations:

To my friend’s understanding, Ops is the base of the entire con. Before contacting security or another department people will come to Con Ops to report something wrong. From there she will contact other departments to handle the situation if it’s out of her field. She makes sure that the people attending the con have paid to attend the con and that any suspicious characters are dealt with professionally. Though Con Ops isn’t security, they can address issues regarding convention functionality.

Ops is in charge of restricting access to panels targeted towards people over 18, as well as handing out drinking bands to help servers know who is and isn’t of age. They know where things are placed throughout the convention and are always there to help new con goers enjoy the experience.

For my friend, being part of Con Ops is very fun. She’s sure it would be fun to be part of the other departments, but Ops has so much diverse possibility in what she does. She typically acts as a runner, at the beck and call of the head of Con Ops to run and check on something, handle something, deliver, guard, etc. She has the chance to work with each of the other departments by helping them out with whatever they may need. She’s had the opportunity to help out with autographs. Even after the actors finish their session, she’s had some time to talk and get to know them. So if you have an interest in the other departments, being in con-ops allows you to get some work in and see what you like. You’ll also get to hang out with the other Con Ops workers, working and tending to con-related issues while still managing to joke around and have some great conversations.

Registration:

Reg is usually the first place an attendee interacts with convention staff, if they don’t start at con ops. Registration staff sells badges, checks in pre-registered attendees, sells convention merch, and occasionally answers questions for attendees or points them in the direction of a person who can.

For Reg staff, it’s fun interacting with attendees, but stressful at the same time. This is true especially during the peak times when the majority of attendees arrive as managing the line of attendees waiting to get their badges can be overwhelming. 

Security:

Security members are the enforcers of the conventions. If there’s an issue regarding safety of an attendee, if the halls are too crowded, if they see someone breaking the rules, they usually are the ones that deal with it, either by giving verbal warnings or going as far as confiscating badges and escorting individuals out.

My friend mostly runs the dispatch desk, meaning she makes the schedule for security based on where security personnel are needed and when. She is also the communication line between all of security and consistently updates everyone about any issues, where help is needed with events, etc. She also deals first hand with any and all incident reports. When someone informs her of a issue they are having, she writes out a detailed report about the event, any witnesses, details, people to look out for, etc.

For her, security is like being in a big family. She calls her two primary bosses mom and dad because of how protective and paternal they are of all the security people they hire. They are close knit and hang out with each other a lot both during the conventions and outside of them.F

Tech:

The Tech department is pretty self explanatory, they work with the technical side of the con. Before the convention starts they set up the panel rooms, the speakers, the projectors, projection screens, sound bars, mics, etc. They make sure all the technology works in every panel room, checking that the mics are at a good volume, the projectors all function, and the wiring is all properly taped down.

Once the con starts they wait for the panels to begin to make sure everything works in each room. They communicate with the panelists to make sure they have all the things they need for a smooth show. If there are any technical difficulties, Con Ops is informed and Tech is contacted to troubleshoot the issues.

After the end of the con, Tech plays a large part in tear down around the convention center.

Dealer’s Room:

With Dealer’s Room there is a large amount of planning that has to happen before the con even starts. My friend is the head of the department at several cons, so much of this work falls on him. He has to start by measuring the room chosen for the dealer’s room. Usually he goes by given measurements initially then makes onsite measurements and adjusts as needed. From there he maps out how many tables can fit in the given space then opens up applications to vendors, usually inviting back vendors from previous years.

Once a space is sold, contracts are drawn up for each vendor. Usually the same contract is sent to everyone with minor information changes on each one, and payment is requested with the contract. The last thing he has to do before Day One is write up his staff’s schedules, assigning them their roles for the event.

He arrives on site before the vendors come for set up to double measure the room and adjust the layout as needed. Then he prepares the tables for the vendors. As the vendors arrive he checks their information against records and shows them their assigned space. Throughout the weekend he spends his time making sure the vendors are happy and that the attendees flow smoothly through the room.

Artist’s Alley:

Working in the Artist’s Alley is quite similar to working in the Dealer’s Room, so similar that at many conventions both groups work in the same room. My friend is head of the Artist’s Alley she works with. She sends out emails to coordinate with the artists on when they’ll arrive and where their table will be in the room. She sets up the room before they arrive and places the artists around the space.

Once they have arrived at the convention she shows them to their table and assists them throughout the weekend. She works hard to keep all the artists happy by getting them water, watching their table if they need food or bathroom break, and making sure the room doesn’t get too crowded. The last part is especially important because if it’s too crowded in the room it becomes unsafe for the con attendees, the artists, and the art.

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If there’s anything involved in staffing that you want to know more about, please let me know on the Contact page! Come back next week to read about the other seven departments.