Overview of Departments
From VancouFur
This is a comprehensive overview of all departments and the branches they are a part of.
Executive
Highest level of staffers within the convention. Directly responsible for running the convention from a director level, and communicates with the board as well. Handles high-level decisions throughout the year, and is supported by the branch executives.
Administrator
Assistants to the Chair. Offer feedback and executive level advice as necessary.
Chairperson
Acts as the director of the convention, and liaison to the board. Acts with the best interests of the convention in mind.
Treasurer
Handles the convention finances for the year, including accounting and budgeting. Responsible for keeping the books balanced during the year and at the convention.
Vice Chairperson
Right-hand assistant to the Chair and second in command. Provides additional aid to the Chair for executive level decisions.
Business
All departments related to goods, sales, wares and vendors.
Artist Alley
Offer vendor tables. You plan location, rules, and dates. Open applications, accept/deny applications, wait lists. At con, you are checking in your vendors, and selling some at con tables.
Art Show
Organizes the art show items, rooms, and payments. Handles art show submissions during the year and runs the room during the convention. Ensures that vendors are paid once items are sold and treasury is updated.
Charity Liaison
Liaison for the convention's charity. Organizes whatever the charity needs to attend the con. Shares marketing material with info desk and social media to promote the charity. Ensures all donations make it to them.
Convention Store
Organize the convention store and branded items. Orders shirts, items and sometimes patron gifts during the year. Runs the at-con store space.
Dealer's Den
Organizes the Dealer’s Den vendor space. Handles application and selection of vendors. Communicates with them to ensure needs are met before and during the con. Ensures the integrity of the DD space at-con.
Night Market
Offer vendor tables. You plan location, rules, and dates. At con, you are checking in vendors, and giving them a place to sit. (you use Artist Alley’s table layout)
Sign Shop
Designs and creates signage for the convention space. Also designs and creates schedule inserts for function rooms. Coordinates and plans layout of signage. Works with theming for design.
Theming
Designs, coordinates and implements the look and feel of each year's theme. Decorates the at-con space and supports other areas like sign shop, con game, main events, etc.
Events
All departments related to events within the convention space
Art Track
Supports the programming lead with art-related panels and programming items. Works to promote and recruit volunteers to run panels for the convention.
Audio Team
Manages the audio for the main theatre and dances.
Board Game Room
Organizes and runs a board gaming room, including supplies, hardware and volunteers. Often outsourced to local societies by necessity.
Convention Game
Creates an at-con game, or games, that attendees can play. Develops and implements the game throughout the year. Works heavily with theming.
Dead Dog
Coordinates the Sunday night dance and activities, including volunteers and additional logistics. Dead Dog runs past load out, which requires a minimalist approach to organizing.
DJ / Dances
Coordinates the DJs for the nighttime dances. Deals with selecting DJs and coordinating with theater Audio and Tech tracks to run the performances. Audio or DJ experience a plus.
Fursuit
Coordinates the main fursuit events and needs of fursuiters at the convention. This track is responsible for the planning and execution of the fursuit parade, headless lounge, fursuit games, and dance competition. Fursuit track works with the programming team to recruit talented guests and speakers for fursuit related panels.
Works closely with the fursuit track lead to organize the headless lounge for the suiters. Organizes and plans the room. Coordinates volunteers to keep the space clean, safe and running during the convention. Organizes fans and dryers for suiters to use.
Lighting
Manages the lighting for the main theatre and dances.
Main Events
Coordinator for the main events in the theatre. Works with the Theatre lead to direct and handle events such as the opening and closing ceremonies, fursuit parade, variety show, dances, etc.
MLP Track
Supports the programming lead with MLP/Brony related panels and programming items. Works to promote and recruit volunteers to run panels for the convention.
Photoshoot
Coordinates the at-convention photoshoot booth. Works with theming to get props and decorations. Manages the photographer, or does the photo work themselves.
Programming
Coordinates and schedules all panels and tracks at the convention. Works with Theatre and other major departments to determine when major events occur. Works with track leads to ensure track content is scheduled correctly. Organizes the master schedule of events.
Registration
Handles the coordination and updating of the registration system during the year. Deals with registration issues and ensuring people get registered correctly. Organizes the at-convention registration room and volunteers and manages the room during the convention. Works with IT to ensure registration systems are setup. Handles at-con registration issues and woes.
Technical Lead
Technical coordinator for the main event and theatre leads. Ties the audio, video and lighting teams together to get all the technology on track and usable by theatre and events.
Tech Track
Supports the programming lead with technology related panels and programming items. Works to promote and recruit volunteers to run panels for the convention.
Theatre
Manages the main theatre and works with the main events lead to coordinate events. Organizes communication between the theater, tech, lighting, audio and visual departments. Assists with the creation of the opening and closing ceremonies as well as other main stage events. Organizes or works as MC for events as necessary.
Video Game Room
Organizes and runs a video gaming room, including supplies, hardware and volunteers. Often outsourced to local societies by necessity.
Video Team
Handles the recording and video feeds for the main theatre. Works with IT to get video playback of main theatre in the hotel rooms.
Writing Track
Supports the programming lead with writing-related panels and programming items. Works to promote and recruit volunteers to run panels for the convention.
Hotel
A branch and a department in one. Direct point of contact with the hotel and responsible for liaison between the staff and the hotel. Deals with all aspects of the hotel during the year, from initial contract negotiations to at-con issues.
Party Ambassador
Liaison between party hosts and the convention to ensure the best parties, without breaking rules that would cause the convention or hotel issues. Works to provide the best balance between party and responsibility.
Media
All departments related to media networks, including social media and guest of honor relations.
Art Lead
Coordinate, design and manage art needs for the convention. Works closely with GOH relation for key art. Manages getting artwork for convention use from the community and artists, and handles appropriate reimbursement for the work.
Forums
Manages the community forums on BC Furries. Usually handled by one of the BC Furries moderators. Works with the social media manager.
Guest of Honor Liaison
Convention point of contact for the Guests of Honor. Coordinates hotel rooms, travel, and other accommodated expenses. Coordinates artwork and other items from the Guests for convention use, including conbook and t-shirt art, along with other works.
Marketing
Contact other conventions for things such as conbook ad trades, flyer trades, digital ad trades and cross promotions. Contact local conventions to arrange possible table trades to do in person marketing as well. Optional, co-ordinate with social media to create ad campaigns to target new and existing attendees.
Promo Video
Develops and produces the promotional videos for the convention throughout the year. Works closely with theming and theatre.
Publications
Handles the publication of the convention book and other related items. Deals with marketing to get convention adds. Works with the GOH relations to get conbook cover. Handles editing, designing and printing. Publication experience a plus.
Social Media
Manages and updates the social media websites for the convention. Acts as the social media manager to direct and respond to questions as necessary. (Including the Forums) Interacts with the community in a positive and friendly manner. Is the digital face of the convention interactions with attendees.
Website
Design, update and manage the convention website. Handles yearly updates to make the website match theme. Handles periodic updates and announcements on the website.
Operations
All departments related to the operations of the convention, before, during, and after the actual convention dates. The operations branch is the heart of the convention.
Convention Parent
Ensures that con staff and volunteers are kept from exhaustion. Ensures volunteers have a place to rest and refuel while on site. Does their best to keep people from overdoing themselves and provides a friendly resting place.
Health and Safety
Onsite health and safety inspector that manages that of the staff and attendees. Ensures both are safe all convention long, and responds to accidents when they happen. OFA or H&S training necessary.
Information Desk
Gather relevant information, and be a friendly face to attendees. You are the go to for answers to questions people may have, for both Staff, and Attendees You also are in contact with charity, and can be used for con games, and other con related events.
Information Technology (IT)
Handles and manages all technology at the convention. Deals with setting up the registration server, staff wifi, dealers wifi, and coordinating at-convention technology. Also works to support website and the registration system throughout the year.
Logistics
Manages the transport of items to and from the convention. Coordinates drivers, movers, and truck rentals. Ensures that items make it from storages and homes, to the convention, and back.
Operations Room
The heart and brains of the convention once it begins. Organizes many department needs to make coordination easier at con. Manages all core communications, radios, treasury, rangers, volunteers and anything else that needs doing. Always needs more people and the con does not run without our ops!
Rangers
Ensures the safety and security of the convention attendees and staff. Handles various sensitive situations at the convention. Deals with law enforcement and hotel as necessary. Security training, Rangers training, and BC law knowledge a plus.
Volunteers
You are the cons human resources. Staying in contact with every volunteer who applies. Contacting leads about the volunteers that have applied for their department. Organize your gophers schedule, and where they will go. At con, you log every volunteer's hours, and assign walk in volunteers to the appropriate department.