Anime Boston - The Northeast's Largest Anime Convention

Volunteering Info

'Ello there! Steve here, inviting you to become a big part of what has so far been a historical and record-breaking event year after year! Each year volunteers are a crucial part to the success of Anime Boston. By volunteering, not only would you be helping with the convention's operation, but you'd get special perks and sneak peeks behind the scenes at what really goes on when the curtains are closed and iron doors are locked (plus without your help and support, well.. we would go insane). And should you decide that you like the atmosphere that Anime Boston brings and would like to further get involved, by volunteering you'd have learned enough of the different positions, roles, and responsibilities to have a big foot in the door in becoming a staffer next year! Volunteering is a lot of fun here at Anime Boston and volunteers come back year after year despite the hard work just to have a good time and be part of the "family" again. So, without further adoodoo, here's the lowdown on volunteering...

How to Volunteer for Anime Boston

Sign up as a volunteer through our volunteer sign-up form online or at the convention at the Volunteers Headquarters (VHQ). Please make sure you fill the form in its entirety.
- Make sure you have a valid mailing address for reimbursement purposes.
- When you sign up, please indicate whether you're an AC (All-Con Volunteer, volunteering throughout the convention) or an OD (One-Day, volunteering for only one day). Volunteers who are at the ages of 15-17 at the time of the convention must sign up as a minor.
If you apply online and your application is accepted, you will get a confirmation e-mail from the Volunteers Manager (that's me) as Anime Boston draws near. Don't worry if you don't get an e-mail from me right away or in a matter of weeks. I look at every single application so it could take a bit of time.
When you arrive at the convention, go straight to the VHQ to check-in. If you're signing up as an AC volunteer, remember to bring a valid photo ID that has your name and birthdate on it - no exceptions will be made of this. You will be filled in on anything and everything you need to know as a volunteer as well as given everything you need to get started. Off you go!
When you are done with your assignment/shift, come right back to the VHQ to check back in. You will be signed off by me or one of my staff. You can then take a break or go on to your next assignment. Lather, rinse, repeat!

What Do Volunteers Do?

Volunteers do whatever is needed and necessary to keep the convention gears well-oiled and cranking. Here are some (but nowhere limited) of the duties we are responsible for:

Have fast hands? You can assist Registration in bagging, ID assembly, and managing the attendees!
Have eyes of a hawk? Help check badges at various panels and events!
Have tech. know-how? Help the Tech. Dept. in making things work!
Always been told you can't sit still by your teachers? Use that energy, and become a runner/gopher for supplies needed by the staff!
Always wanted to become a super hero? Well now you can in the eyes of the staffers here at the convention! When you have over 10,000 people to manage, any extra help you give, no matter how small, makes you a hero here at Anime Boston!

Volunteer Types

Here are the different types of volunteers you can become or qualify for:

AC (ALL-CON VOLUNTEERS)

You must be 18+ at the time of the convention.
You must have pre-registered for Anime Boston for the whole convention (3-days).
You must pick your badge up at Registration before checking in at the VHQ.
You must complete at least 14 hours of volunteering to qualify for reimbursement. Refunds will be sent to the mailing address you provided when you signed up for volunteering.
You are entitled to food and beverages at the VHQ during the entire duration of the convention.
You are entitled to crash space pending open slots. It's "first come, first serve", so if you want crash space, apply soon! Should you become eligible for crash space and accept, you must volunteer at least 14 hours.

OD (ONE-DAY VOLUNTEERS)

You must be 18+ at the time of the convention.
You do not need to be pre-registered as an attendee at Anime Boston. Come straight to the VHQ upon entry. You will pay a deposit in the same amount as a One-Day Pass in which it will be fully refunded upon completion of 4 volunteering hours.
You must complete at least 4 hours of volunteering to qualify for a One-Day Pass at the convention. Until you complete your 4 hours and receive your One-Day Pass, you will not be able to explore the convention as an attendee.
You are entitled to beverages at the VHQ for the day you are volunteering.

MINOR VOLUNTEERS

Minors at the age of 15-17 can volunteer as a M-AC or M-OD with the same rules applying along with a few additional rules.

You are a considered a Minor Volunteer if you are at the age of 15-17 at the time of the convention. Unfortunately we can not take anyone under 15 as a volunteer due to Massachusetts child labor laws.
When you check in, you must have your parent(s) or legal guardian with you to sign a volunteer waiver. This must be signed at the time of check-in.
You can only volunteer for a max of 8 hours a day. Minimum hour requirements for reimbursement still apply.

Other Things You as a Volunteer Should Know

Volunteers have its own headquarters, cleverly dubbed the VHQ, or Volunteers Headquarters. The VHQ is where all volunteer operations are managed and will act as your home away from home while you're a volunteer. This is where all our meetings are held, where you check in and out shifts, relax, munch on food, watch some DVDs, and chat with your volunteer buddies.
Volunteer shifts can range from 15 min. to 2 hours - 2 hours is the max at which a shift can be assigned. This way your work load can be paced so you will have time to rest, eat, and hydrate.
Crash Space - Crash space at the hotel is only available for AC (All-Con) volunteers and is very limited, so the sooner you sign up the better. Remember that regardless of when you sign up there are no guarantees that you will get a spot. A few other notes about crash space:
- Crash space is literally "crash space". You may find yourself sharing a bed or sleeping on the hotel room floor. I recommend you bring a sleeping bag if you have one to guarantee that you'll stay warm and comfortable.
- You must be 18+ to be eligible for crash space.
- Should you become eligible for crash space and accept the offer, you must volunteer for at least 14 hours to avoid being penalized. Should you fail to meet the minimum 14 hours, you will not be eligible for a reimbursement, t-shirts, pins, or prizes of any sort and could be further penalized by Anime Boston.
Other rules will be posted and explained in the VHQ and at the hotel rooms.
Meetings - All meetings are mandatory and are held in the VHQ.
- Orientation meeting. There are two available times in which you can attend the orientation meeting: Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 7PM or Friday, May 22, 2009 at 9AM. If you can't make it to either of these meetings, please let me know when you first check in and either I or one of my staff will brief you on what the meeting covered.
- Event/Random meetings. The exact times of these are pretty last minute and are announced and posted in the VHQ during the convention. Please keep your ears and eyes open for such meeting announcements while volunteering.
Gifts and Prizes - Good deeds never go unrewarded, and here in Volunteers we make sure you get shinies for your hard work. Every 4 hours you volunteer you get a gift (4, 8, and 12-hour mark). An exclusive Anime Boston 2009 t-shirt is rewarded when you volunteer 12 hours. It is also a tradition here in Volunteers that we give prizes to those that went above and beyond the call of duty as a volunteer. How these prizes are won are kept secret and are revealed only during the convention ;).

FAQs

*updated frequently without notice

Q. How will I get my reimbursement?
A. Should you meet the minimum requirements, your reimbursement will come in the form of a check in the mail. These will be mailed anywhere from 1-3 months after the convention, but could take longer. I will be working closely with the Anime Boston Treasury and you to make sure you will receive your reimbursement.

Q. Is crash space available Thurs. night?
A. As of this moment, crash space is not available for Thurs. night. This can change as I work things out, so check back to this page often.

Q. Do we get free food or are we left scrounging for Pocky crumbs on the arcade floor?
A. As much as I love Pocky, I would hate to see you guys scrounge for them on the floor. They taste better in a box anyways. There will be breakfast/donuts, lunch, and dinner as well as beverages catered to all AC volunteers Friday to Sunday (only breakfast on Sunday). OD volunteers are entitled to drinks at anytime they are volunteering.

Q. Can I choose my roommates for crash space?
A. Yes you can. Volunteers are randomly assigned to rooms by me. You can request who you want for roommates, assuming they are AC volunteers also, when you check in at the VHQ. Usually there are no problems with such requests, but there are no guarantees however, and I hold the right to deny any requests for any reason (you can bribe me with cake tho').

Q. It would be really cool to volunteer at Anime Boston, but what if I miss all of the stuff I want to do/see?
A. Our priority here is to make sure you have fun at Anime Boston even while you're a volunteer. You should not have to miss out on any event you want see or do anything you don't want to do, nor will I or my staff force you to miss out on anything due to volunteer work - you are left to your own devices while you're an attendee at the convention (we may annoyingly beg you to help us out on certain things tho'). That being said, keep in mind that there are minimum hours of volunteering you must meet to qualify for reimbursements, prizes, and if you're an AC volunteer who got crash space, compensation for crash space. It's up to you to make sure you meet your required minimum hours.

Q. What's the difference between volunteering and staffing?
A. Aside from the staff having bold colorful shirts, there's a different level of commitment and responsibility between volunteering and staffing. I'm not going to shpeel a whole comparison chart here, as there's a better place and time for such a thing. If you are further interested in this topic, please feel free to contact me using the link below or just poke me at the convention and I'll be glad to answer any questions.

Q. Oh oh, I heard from a little bird that volunteers get escorted to the head of the reg. line and avoid the long and infamous wait times that everyone else has to go through. If this is true, count me in!
A. Whoa there Timmy. Before you sign your life away, you should know that this special "privilege" has changed with certain restrictions. In the past, we had more than a few volunteers sign up to be a volunteer, go through the "fast lane", then contribute very little to no hours of their time in return. This is very unfair to the rest of the volunteers who respect this privilege given to them and volunteer their time to help us out. To combat this, any volunteer who rides the registration "fast lane" via staff escort must volunteer at least 4 hours of their time upon receiving their badge - there will be no exceptions to this. We will also use the "fast lane" card ONLY if we need volunteers. In short, if you want to get your shiny badge ahead of everyone else, be ready to work for it.

So Are You Ready?

That should about cover it. Additional information will be available during our orientation meetings and anytime at the VHQ. This page will be constantly updated so check back often. If you have any questions, please contact me at anytime. If you're ready to take your first step and climb aboard, apply here!

Good luck and I hope to see you at the con!

Regards,

Steven "Commando Billy" Wong
Volunteers Manager