Why STaff FurFest?
From our perspective, staffing a convention boils down to two concepts: What am I doing? And what do I get in return? Let’s start with the first question, shall we?
What am I doing?
There are around 30 departments that encompass the responsibilities of Midwest FurFest. Some of them are year-round responsibilities, such as Publications and Theming, or Software Engineering and Infrastructure. Others' responsibilities happen at the convention only, such as Crowd Control or Hospitality. All are equally important.
When you submit a Staff Interest Form, a member of our HR department will be in touch with you within three working days. Typically, this is to determine which departments could best use your talents. This is because when you become a member of Midwest FurFest Staff, you will be assigned to a specific department, with that department’s director being your manager. We want to make sure that when we assign you somewhere that can both use your unique skills and also provide an enjoyable staffing experience for you.
Here are a few things that we would like you to remember:
As a member of staff, you represent the convention. Therefore, it is very important that we stress the importance of following both the Convention Code of Conduct and all Staff Policies (provided during the onboarding process). Always do your best. It will show when your manager does their annual reviews. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up getting promoted!
We do require that our staff work a minimum of 15 hours. Some staff end up putting in a lot more than that.
What do I get in return?
All staff positions for Midwest FurFest, from the lowest positions, all the way up to the Convention Chair and the Board of Directors, are volunteer positions. And while we know that the satisfaction of creating a fantastic convention is a great reward, we also provide some benefits to show the convention’s appreciation for the time and effort provided by our staff.
To begin with, there are intangible benefits. Staffing at Midwest FurFest can provide you with certain soft skills that can be of help to you in your professional career. We have staff members who have been able to successfully include their experience on their resumes. Additionally, staffing is a great way to meet people from all walks of life, both attendees and fellow staffers, who may become friends.
Then there are the more tangible benefits:
As a member of staff, you get to pick up your convention badge at a location separate from Attendee Registration. Not only do you receive a complimentary membership for you, but if you get onboarded before Mid-November, you also get an engraved staff badge custom-made for that year’s convention.
Staff are eligible for the exclusive Staff Hotel Room Lottery, which takes place before the Attendee Lottery. This is an an extra chance to score the room that you always wanted (and if you don’t get the room you wanted, you can always try again in the Attendee Lottery!).
Staff have access to the Staff Lounge, a dedicated area where snacks, drinks, and light hot meals are provided throughout the weekend.
Staffers receive some beautiful and useful Midwest-FurFest branded gifts, which are exclusive to staff.
Staffers may join the Sponsors/Shiny Sponsors entry queues for major events.
Finally, all staffers are invited to join us on Sunday night of the convention for a full buffet dinner provided by the Hyatt Regency O’Hare.
We hope that this has answered all of your questions about staffing with Midwest FurFest. What comes next? Click below for the Staff Interest Form and we’ll get in touch with you!
Questions?
Please email hr@furfest.org.