Hotel Timeline

***NOTE: These timelines are estimates, you may need to adjust for your specific convention date

Immediately after accepting the position

• Get access to your convention email.
• Read through the emails to get an idea of what sort of messages you should expect for the next year.
  • Contact helpdesk@digitalgrail.org if you are not able to get access/permission for your email and Google Drive or any other tech concerns
• Validate information on the convention’s website and notify webmaster@<convention email> of any changes or additions you would like.

Ongoing responsibilities

• Attend ALL staff meetings throughout the year, if at all possible, since this is a year-round position
• Collect questions and concerns from all staff meetings and emails
• Communicate with hotel any questions and concerns collected
• Respond to hotel questions and concerns as they come up.

11 months before convention (aka the month after previous convention)

• Work with Convention Heads (and legal as applicable) to determine whether a new contract is needed for future years.
• Make sure we have a signed copy of the hotel contract for the next convention. Give a copy to the convention heads.
• Work with hotel for staff meetings (if the convention desires this), is there availability to use their meeting space? Work with convention heads to determine relevant dates.

5 months before convention

• Request the convention dates off from work. It’s strongly suggested you also take the Monday following the convention off as well.
• Determine hotel conference room layout, after all department heads have been voted in, and conference room offerings are known
• Finalize hotel sleeping room block map, which areas are “Quiet Area” or “Close to the Action”
• Post sleeping room block map to convention’s Facebook page and Discord Staff chat channel
• Start communication with staff (at meetings, on convention’s Facebook page, Discord Staff chat channel) about selecting their sleeping rooms before registration opens to public

4 Months before convention

• Remind convention staff to create their room layouts and event orders. These will be sent to hotel@<convention email> before the first in 2 months (aka if this is Jan then by March 1st). Work with departments that need assistance * completing theirs.
• Compile a list of party rooms that need plastic coverings on the floor.
• Remind convention staff to select their preferred sleeping rooms, deadline 31st (or 30th or 28th) of this month..

3 Months before Convention

• Work with Party Rooms and Guests to assign rooms for their respective attendees.
• Form list of pre-assigned sleeping rooms for convention staff members, Guests, Fansuite rooms and runners - Send to hotel (Front Desk Manager and Catering Director)
• Contact hotel to open registration for sleeping rooms to the public.
• Contact socialmedia@<ConventionEmail> to announce sleeping room registration is open, with DETAILED instructions on how to reserve given by the hotel.
• Contact webmaster@<Convention email> to list DETAILED instructions on how to reserve a sleeping room to public.
• Finalize hotel conference space layout, including water stations, easels, and informational tables

2 Months before convention

• Send a list of directional signs that will be needed at the hotel for various rooms. Work with graphics@<convention email> to determine their availability to assist, make the list so they can design them. Their designs are due by * the next month, so make sure they have at least a month to meet this deadline.
• Email (FB, Discord) a reminder to have everyone put their room on their credit card to guarantee the reservation.

1 month before convention

• Email (FB, Discord) a reminder to have everyone put their room on their credit card to guarantee it.
• Schedule meeting with hotel (one month before Convention) to finalize room layouts and hotel needs (tables, chairs, plastic, extension cords, easels, etc), event orders, soda station numbers, pre-assigned staff & guest sleeping room list, address questions, and discuss sleeping rooms that will be released to the public from sleeping room block
• Contact socialmedia@<convention email> and webmaster@<convention email> to announce that sleeping room price will go up starting end of this month, “Quiet vs Action” room preference may not be honored
• Send anything you need announced during opening and closing ceremonies including slides to the ceremonies person by the last day of this month.

The month of con

• Validate Hotel SOP, and ensure any updates are complete before the end of the first week. This will include information about how Ops/Reg/Convention Heads should handle different things that may arise related to your position.
• Contact everyone who hasn’t confirmed their room via email, Facebook, Discord, etc.
• Schedule a setup meeting with hotel for the day before con.
• Coordinate with Convention Heads, Con Security to schedule the day before con morning setup meeting at hotel

Responsibilities at convention

• Setup Day (Day before con):
  • Morning Meeting at hotel with Hotel contact, some convention heads, Con security, hotel security, hotel staff that will be on duty all weekend
  • Obtain hotel staff contact phone numbers at meeting
  • Distribute hotel staff contact phone numbers to all conference room runners (for water station refill, extra tables/chairs needed, etc)
  • Find out what rooms can be entered by staff early (before 4pm)
  • Communicate with con heads, staff members and Volunteers Head when conference rooms can be setup
  • Check all conference rooms that correct layouts and hotel needs were done by hotel staff
• First day of con- Check with all conference room runners to confirm that they have everything they need for con, contact hotel staff for any last minute needs
• Check in with room runners throughout weekend
• Compile list of issues room runners had with their conference room
• Communicate any issues and questions with hotel staff on duty
• Communicate with hotel staff regarding soda station inventory each day (make sure correct numbers and flavors going out, what was more/less popular, etc)
• Help as issues arise with the hotel.