Convention Store

The Convention Store (Con Store) organizes merchandise throughout the year and runs a Dealer's Den table at the convention. This includes new merchandise each year, plus organizing the t-shirt orders for the convention

Information

Branch	Business
Lead	None
Second	None
Email	[email protected]

Yearly Responsibilities

• Host a storefront to sell VancouFur branded merchandise
• Make a profit for the benefit of the con
• Work with the Art Lead (Who will be in touch with the Guests of Honor) to coordinate in-theme logo items
• Work with registrations to order and provide t-shirts
• Ensure the store has additional t-shirts at-con
• Order other products to sell for convention profit
• Sell leftover stock from previous years
• Keep track of all con store items and inventory
• Work within the budget of the convention

Your Department on the Website/in the Conbook

• Ensure that the con store is mentioned on the Dealer's Den page of the website and conbook
• Consider a half-page of info on con store wares for the year (For the conbook and dealers page.)

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

• Determine a delivery date with the Guest of Honor liaison for themed branding

• The Artist GOH often does a few images for branding and marketing
• Determine, with the GOH Liaison, when this will get completed and chair approved

• Determine some possible items to order and begin looking for vendors
• At Con Signage

• Sign shop will be able to help you with any themed signage you may want
• Art Lead can help with any generic signage (non themed) that you need, including a con store vinyl/poster or sign stand if you do not already have them!
• Make sure if you are getting official signage from the Art Lead, that you both propose a budget to the chairs ASAP to get them made and ordered. Should look into getting ONE for future years.

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

• Have estimates from vendors for orders

• Get estimates from more than one vendor

• Determine a possible budget for sale items
• GOH art should be in progress

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

• GOH art should be completed
• Submit budget, items and vendor estimates to chair for approval
• Once approved, make orders on non-t-shirt items

• T-shirts need to wait for pre-reg to close
• 60%-70% of all t-shirts are pre-ordered

• Order t-shirts for the convention and bag stuffing

• Easier than two orders
• Ordered after pre-reg closes
• Must arrive before bag stuffing for pre-orders

• You should start building a schedule for your team. (Use the Master Schedule for the year! Programming lead sets this up every year and it houses our event schedule as well as the work/team schedules for at con departments.)

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

• Ensure the location of all items

• Logistics needs to bring all sale items, signs, previous stock, etc
• Ensure they know where to get them all, and that all items go to storage after

• Setup at-con signs for sale items, pricing, and showing what sizes are available
• Do an inventory of all items ordered this year
• Ensure the POS system is up-to-date with accurate inventories and prices

After the Convention/Before the Firing Party

• Make sure all your volunteers (and yourself) got 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 year's 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 receipts to [email protected] & [email protected] and then fill out [[1]]

Break down of contacts

• Executive: Business Director
• Guest of Honor art goes through the GOH Liaison
• All art, orders and budgets are approved by the con chair
• If the con store is in the dealer's den, communicate with the DD lead

• The con store can act as an in-den base for con communication
• It helps as a central place for dealer's to go
• Can help with wifi code distribution
• Can help with dealer's den food orders when working with the hotel restaurant
• Food orders are up to the DD lead to organize, but can be collected at the con store

At Con Duties

Setup

• Set up shelves
• Do an inventory of all items for retail
• Ensure that all items were delivered to the con store
• Setup signage, etc
• Ensure that IT sets up a PC with POS access
• Get all store volunteers to show up for POS training

Daily

• Get a cash box

• See the RF Cashbox Procedures

• Check inventory prior to store open
• Do any last-minute POS training as necessary
• Make sales, and always update the POS system
• Do inventory to double check counts

• Record any missing items

• Return the cash box

• See the RF Cashbox Procedures

Tear-Down

• Do a final inventory
• Ensure the POS is up-to-date before shutting down
• Pack and label ALL boxes
• Ensure all items are on the truck to storage

Department Inventory and Ordering Resources

• T-shirts

• 60%-70% pre-order
• Order them after pre-reg closes
• Estimate 15% growth in most sizes
• Small, Medium and Large are most sought after sizes
• 3XL and larger are pre-order only

• [[2]] is suggested for glassware
• [[3]] For t-shirts
• All items from previous years are fair game for "free profit”

• Sell them at a discount
• Cost was handled in the last year

Do's and Don'ts of the Department

• Inventory is king

• Keep a close eye on counts
• Count twice
• Ensure numbers are recorded and easily accessed

• Consider new items each year

• If unsure of an item selling, make it generic branded for year-to-year sales

• Use previous year sales numbers to estimate new sales
• Do NOT try to sell food items it is against your hotel vendor contracts.

• When the store is in the Dealer's Den

• Aid the dealer's den lead, and the dealers, as acting as an in-den contact point
• Keep and distribute Wifi codes
• Help with hotel restaurant food orders