Sign Shop

Basic Department Description

What do you do for the convention/What is your purpose?

• You are the sign maker. Your job is to make all the hard to find or main places people want to be, clearly marked and visible.

What skills are handy for those in this position?

• Digital graphic skills
• Art programs
• DO NOT FLATTEN YOUR ART FILES! Make sure that the text and background elements are SEPARATE. (This is so that you can provide background files and the font used, to operations, at con, if something happens and they need to make or replace a sign, they CAN.) If you are doing the artwork traditionally, please do the letters separate from the background (do the text digitally, with the same font so they are uniform.)
• Printing knowledge. You will need to understand how to prep files for print and be able to get the files printed.

• Please start your digital canvas at 8.5x11 inches! This is the most standard printing size for our needs. Do not go any smaller unless you are asked to! The bigger you start, the better it will print!

What is your staff email?

• You will use your personal VF email as you aren’t a forward facing job. You deal pretty much exclusively with just internal staff.

• Be sure to follow the yearly art guide/bible to stay in tune with theme!
• If you need help, talk to the Art Lead and your Executive as they might be able to help or know someone who can.

Yearly Responsibilities

What signage do you need to complete during the year?

• Hotel Map
• Needs to have update room names for the year (stuff moves)
• Make sure to include a clearly marked Charity table
• (We have our own map, made by Ro3, so you will just need to edit it if there is no map person to do so.)

• Nearby Restaurant/Locations Map (Dinning guide lead will be responsible for this!)

• Include restaurants/Fast Food/Ceili’s Pub
• Nearby Malls or attractions
• Transportation (skytrain, the major bus station by the skytrain, etc)

• Include a url for trains/bus/taxi info and phone #’s!)

• Table placements for DD/AA

• Work with Dealers Den and Artist Alley Leads to complete this!
• Both maps will need table numbers
• Clearly label the check in desks (if applicable) and Con Store
• Clearly label the Charity tables if they are inside any of these spaces

• Directional signage to different rooms in obscure locations (reg, dd, etc)

• Once the hotel map this will be easy to work on
• Main places you should have arrows pointing to:

• Registration (SUPER IMPORTANT)
• Operations
• Dealers Den (SUPER IMPORTANT)
• Artist Alley
• Art Show (SUPER IMPORTANT)
• Panel rooms or hang out space especially if they are on a different floor or in a far space in the hotel.
• Theater/Dance (SUPER IMPORTANT)
• The ATM in the hotel

• You can find examples of our 2017 directional signage HERE

• Door signage for each room

• Each function space that we have, that is in a room, has a wall/door panel to put signage on what room it is.
• Hotel has specifications about how to use these and how to use signage.

• Must be professional looking! Clean, and Clear! (They may require their signage for the room/door panels. Ask the hotel lead!)
• If you have to tape to a wall, Put the tape on the back. (roll it and stick it between the paper and the wall!)
• MUST be the green/blue PAINTERS tape that Operations will provide you! It’s a special non-residue tape that also doesn’t ruin their paint job! DO NOT EVER USE A DIFFERENT KIND OF TAPE!

What staff will you be working with AT CON?

• Operations will be the big one. They will direct you on what tape to use.
• Hotel Lead will be there to clear up any information for you if you aren't sure where you are allowed to put something. (be sure to ask before the event though!)

Your Department on the Website/in the Conbook

• Your complete hotel, dealers den, artist alley and nearby locations maps will need to be forwarded to the website and conbook!
• Forward the Vendors space maps to Social Media as well so that when the lists get updated on the website, they can advertize for our artists.
• Make sure to have someone look over the information before sending it to the respective lead.
• Send it to the respective lead.
• Make sure to test the contact page (website) that the form sends an email to you.
• Make sure that your email is listed on the contact page (website) outside of the form.
• If you have any future updates, make sure to send them to the Web Lead!
• If you spot any mistakes in your blurb for the conbook, make sure to contact them ASAP about it!

6 Months before con, what do you need to have done?

• Make sure you have your basic needs being worked on (listed above)
• Make sure you have asked any Leads that have rooms, if they need/want any specific signage.
• Make sure to communicate with the Art Lead and the Theming team to ensure you are on target for the theme.
• Contact the Art Lead if you need any specific art assets from the Guests or any help with signage.
• Some departments may need NON THEMED signs! Please send them to the Art Lead to have those done as they have all of the yearly branding assets that Sign Shop will not need. Your focus is the themed signage for the year!
• Create a map of where directional or free standing signs need to go so that your team knows what is going on and anyone who needs it can ensure signs are where they sholud be or be able to replace missing signs.

3 Months before con, what do you need to have done?

• Make sure you have talked to the Hotel lead and asked if there are any restrictions for signage this year.
• Make yourself a map of where you plan to put signs (using the map you have/made of the hotel) - Get this approved by your Executive and the Hotel Lead.
• Give the approved map of placement to the operations team and have it in the Gdocs as well so that staff will be able to notice if signage are missing and can replace them.
• Make sure you are close to finishing up all your signage needs
• Make sure you have double checked with staff on any signage needs for their departments/rooms.
• Add in items your department should have completed by this time and items to finish ASAP.
• Make sure you are scheduling for people to put the signs up on the first day available, have digital copies available to ops so that they can reprint stuff when needed or contact you to come do it. Provide them the map you created to show where stuff goes.

1 Month before con, what do you need to have done?

• Make SURE that conbook as all of your map assets. Just incase!
• Add in anything else your department needs!

After the Convention/Before the Firing Party

• Make sure all your volunteers (and yourself) get inputted into the system for their hours.
• Update your guide with any new/relevant information/changes.
• A staff feedback survey will be emailed out and sent into the staff chats. Please fill this out ASAP!
• Make any staffing suggestions to the next years’ chair. (If you want to work again, staff who excelled and where, etc.)
• If VancouFur owes you money for department spending, PLEASE PLEASE send your reciepts to [email protected] & [email protected] and then fill out the form provided by execs/chairs.

Break down of contacts

Who on staff do you need to be in contact with regularly for your department to function?

• Art Lead
• Hotel Lead
• Conbook

Who is your executive contact?

• Media Executive

Department Inventory and Ordering Resources

• If you cannot print the signage on your own, please be sure to contact your executive as there might be someone on staff who can print them out much cheaper then a commercial business.
• If you NEED to print things out using a commercial business, mom’n’pop businesses are usually the best to go to BUT if you cannot find anything decent and you need a last resort, Staples usually works fine. (Many on staff can print things out though, so ask them first.)
• Your signs MAY get auctioned off at the end of the year since they usually will not get reused. If you have an issue with this make sure to talk to your Executive. Otherwise, the funds will all go to the charity and someone will get a cool souvenir of the event.
• List possible ordering alternatives for future years if any.

• (Greysons Contact.)
• Staples
• Staff
• Vista Print (better for mass printing if you need a lot of one kind of thing. Great sales though.)

• General feedback/tips for future staff when ordering products (sizing, how much the order vs how many expected attendees, etc)

• Unless you are making a LARGE sign, most signs are printed out at 8.5x11 and are just with regular printer paper.
• Large signage can be done through a business using poster paper so they are a bit more sturdy.
• If you are needing some kind of hanging signage, contact your executive to make sure we have the ability to hang it, or the budget to get a stand.

Do's and Don'ts of the Department

What worked well/Would suggest doing again?

• Having templates available for ops incase they have a need.
• Lighten up the files before printing as they will print much darker usually.

What didn't work/would suggest to avoid?

• Dont leave it to the last minute
• Hound people for information if you arent getting any that you need.

PLEASE REMEMBER

• Always respond to emails/contacts, even if it is just to say “I recieved your email and will get back to you soon!” / “I don't know the answer but I am looking into it for you!”
• Be sure to contact the Chairs or Admin to make sure you have access to the materials you will need for the year like your Staff Email, Access to any folders/sites with materials, etc. (Be on the lookout for invites or emails to these things and check your junk mail too!)
• Make sure you TEST your new staff email (if any) and report problems immediately to the Chairs! (if you haven't gotten any emails in a while, do another test!)
• Make sure you keep all of your information up to date with the convention staff! Contact the volunteers lead to update your information if the volunteers spreadsheet is not available for direct editing!
• Do not WAIT for someone to contact you. If you have a moment to reach out, do so! Depending on who you are working with, the communication road may not be a 2 way street and you will have to do a lot of poking. Please be proactive!
• Do not edit any staff members’ documentation without permission!
• Keep all VancouFur related documents INSIDE the VancouFur Materials folders. Keeping things on your own gdocs and not inside the VancouFur specific folders makes it incredibly difficult to find needed information for all parties without hassling a lot of staff.
• If you need to make something private in the materials folder (Googledocs or wherever it moves to in the future) Make sure that the Chairs, Admin and Executives CAN STILL SEE IT. We need to know where you are and if your files are all hidden we cannot proactively offer help, guidance, or corrections. Otherwise, just keep things public/view only to prevent people from messing with your info.

• Make sure you know who your Executive is! They are there to help you and oversee the branch of departments you are in. Contact [email protected] / [email protected] to check or check the contact page on the website! You can also use the contact sheet for the year