Volunteering at Visions

If you want to volunteer during Visions, listed below are a number of areas you may wish to consider, their tentative hours of operation, and experience recommended/required.

Glossary

Committee Member: Someone who has primary responsibility of one or more areas during Visions. They not only give up virutally their whole weekend, they also meet many times throughout the year, with the rest of the committee. They wear a gold badge.
Lieutenants: Defined as "persons who work in a capacity to assist a Committee Member perform his or her duties during the convention. In order to qualify as a Lieutenant, a person must work at least half of the time that the convention is open for business (typically at least 18 hours). Lieutenants are rewarded for their work by being permitted to purchase full memberships at the lowest three day price offered during the year, regardless of when that membership is actually purchased. They will also receive a complementary seat at the Variety Show and any other benefits accorded to all other Volunteers (see below). Lieutenants typically wear the ribbon of their department (i.e. red for Security, blue for Gophers) as well as a silver ribbon.
Volunteer:A volunteer is anyone who helps make the convention run more smoothly by assisting in any of the departments listed below. Gophers tyically wear the ribbon of their department (i.e. red for Security, blue for Gophers).

Benefits of volunteering

Aside from the generally good feeling you get by helping others, if you work at least 12 hours, you'll be allowed into a post-con party (aka dead-dog pizza party). The -pizza- is not a given, but as far as I know, it's always been there, as well as fruit punch. Although some guests fly out Sunday evening, those that don't are encouraged to attend the party. Also, in the last few years, everyone has also received a fully autographed picture of all the guests (well, all the guests that are available Friday night, when the picture is taken). Here are some photos from the last few years. NOTE: The picture is not guaranteed, and depends on many factors, not the least of which is the willingness of all of the guests to cooperate in getting enough signed.

Visions mailing address is:

Her Majesty's Entertainment
P.O. Box 1202
Highland Park, IL 60035-1202

Departments

Dept.	Experience/prerequisites	Hours of Operation	Contact
Guest Escort	3 years escort experience or under certain circumstances if well known to Convention Committee/Head of Escorts	Hours of convention	Ruth Ann Stern (please write to her via Visions P.O. Box above)
Security	18 years of age for overnight, else 15 years of age for daytime work; 1 year Visions Volunteer experience in any other dept w/recommendation from that department's Head, or recommendation from experienced (prior Visions) security person	Wednesday through Sunday evening, 24 hours/day	Mark Rotsch
Gopher	no known age limit, however, should be able to handle basic tasks such as badge watching etc...	Hours of convention	Patti McLaughlin
Services for those with special needs	18 years of age recommended. Volunteers will assist members with physical disabilities. May require pushing a wheelchair, or signing for the hearing impaired.	Hours of convention	Patti McLaughlin
Registration	unknown - may draw from Gopher volunteers	Thursday evening, Fri 8-5, Sat 8-5, Sun 9-2	Anne Macko
Gaming	unknown - may draw from Gopher volunteers	Hours of convention	Jackie Leeper (please write to her via Visions P.O. Box above)
Autographs	unknown - may draw from Gopher volunteers	Hours of convention	Linda Swiebocki
Photographs	unknown - may draw from Gopher volunteers	Hours of convention	Linda Swiebocki
Operations	Operations is Gopher Headquarters. Working Ops involves working behind the desk, answering questions, and answering the phone (usually people trying to figure out how to get to Visions)	Hours of convention	Patti McLaughlin
A/V	experience with A/V equipment	Hours of Main Panel room activities	Lisa Albergo
Art Rooms	unknown - may draw from Gopher and Security volunteers	Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning	Jacki Paciello

And because there is always fine print:

Sorry, no subsidized accomodations are available.

Volunteers must pay for a full membership to attend the convention.

NOTE: All Lieutenants and Volunteers will be required to fill out a Liability Release, as well as a time card, initialed by a Lieutenant in the case of Volunteers, and by a Committee Member in the case of Lieutenants. Minors must have their parent or legal guardian provide a signed Liability Release.

Additional information on Security
Security involves maintaining orderly conduct in areas that might otherwise cause problems for VIPs, hotel guests, convention staff, and convention attendees.

Areas covered include Green Room, Guest Floor, "overnight" in Dealers Rooms, daytime sweeps of Dealers Rooms (shoplifting, bootleg tapes...), Contributors Party, Luncheon, Variety Show, Press Conferences, line watching, and general crowd watching. Escorts for the guests of Visions are handled under the Department of Escorts. For legal reasons, Security is primarily 'hands off' in operation. In the unlikely event of an emergency, Hyatt Security, and if necessary, Rosemont Police, should be called to handle serious situations. Any need to contact Hyatt Security or Rosemont Police should be done through the Head of Security unless an immediate life-threatening situation exists, in which case, the Head of Security must be contacted as soon as possible thereafter. The Head of Security will contact the Convention Chair and any other committee members related to the emergency (i.e. for any Guest related emergencies, Head of Escorts will be contacted). Head of Security, all security lieutenants, many committee members, and selected "work stations" (e.g. Green Room, Guest Floor) shall have two-way radios for instant communications.

This page is Copyright © 1998 by John Golkosky