Going Behind the Scenes at a Convention

Written by Shae

I meant to do this for everyone sooner, but life happens sometimes. Seriously, I feel we should all be billionaires and never work again. Of course, not all work is terrible! Recently, Girls of Geek was fortunate to be a part of the Silver Steam Film Festival. John, our fearless leader, ran the event, while we got the chance to watch some amazing movies and argue over who should win. It's probably one of the hardest choices I've ever had to make, personally. We all know first hand, just how much effort goes in to making a movie. Be it from the production standpoint, to the directing, and of course the writing aspect, we all were tasked with picking one film that we liked just slightly more.  During this process, I had an opportunity to really see behind the scenes of a con. While I've seen it from many perspectives prior, I've never seen it from the volunteer aspect before. I'm not going to lie, volunteering is so much more work than what I thought, and it isn't something for everyone. The hard work, however, doesn't go unnoticed.

Volunteering is a wide array of things. It doesn't limit you to just one job, but several, possibly, and it means you have to love what you're doing. I saw so many amazing volunteers and I couldn't believe how wonderful each and every one of them I came across. Volunteering at a convention is something I never really gave thought to until I became more involved in the convention community. There's a sense of family between the many volunteers, and they're all supportive of one another. While at Anomaly Con I had the opportunity to chat up one of the volunteers. She was checking badges at the entrance, and I was in costume. I'd lost one of my snow flake hair pins, and she gave it back to me. Which, I know isn't a big deal, but blew me away. So we started talking. She'd volunteered a few times and was happy to help out once again. As the con went on, I spoke with a artists, merchants, and random people. Without volunteers, many of the conventions we love wouldn't even be able to happen.

Granted, you are donating your free time to work for no money, but it's not about the money! Volunteering at a convention gives you so many perks. A free days admission for a certain number of hours worked, the experience of meeting and helping many different people; learning new things, especially about the con business, and so much more. I can honestly say I've been blown away by how many people volunteer at conventions regularly. Most of which do it just because they love helping out. I've never thought of that side of things, but getting a glimpse of it myself, was something i want more of. It's not work when it's something you love doing, or maybe it doesn't feel like work. 

The fun experience of being able to help bring joy to people is self satisfying. Cons, in general, wouldn't work without volunteers. It's the people out there donating their time and energy that make the conventions we love happen. Without them, there wouldn't be a convention to begin with. From running and moderating panels, to helping celebrities, making sure people have a badge, and of course, the ever important con registration booth; volunteers are an essential part to any convention.

If you're interested in trying your hand out at volunteering for a con you love, Denver Comic Con is a great place to get your foot in the door. They're currently looking for volunteers, and there's a wide array of positions available still! For more information check out their website! 

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