Guest Liaison 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.

Guest SOP

• When considering guests
• Ask Appearance Fee
• What types of panels do they do?
• Do they wander the con? (This is more of an experience thing - guests who wander the con & actively participate are great!)
• Pre-Con:
  • A/V and Room setup needs for guests
  • Charity Auction Donations
  • Flights
  • Where do they want their hotel room
  • Get liaison’s for the convention for each guest (or 1 per guest group)
  • Pick them up from the airport or greet them if they drive here
  • Write up info sheets for the guests, including their flight schedule, panel schedule, and your and the handler’s telephone numbers.
• During Con
  • Check in with all the guests, be available to help them, bring them places or stuff, etc.
  • Make sure your Liaisons are ok and not dying.
• After Con
  • Get the guests to their flights, or see them off.
  • If Paul St. Peter is a guest, take him (or have the liaison take him) to get Lefse before his flight.
  • Help cleanup if there is time.

11 months before convention

• Update form about guest suggestions, ensure it’s posting to a new year tab in the sheet side of the form.
• Send the above form to Social Media to get it posted asking for requests from our attendees
• Start looking for guests, email them asking about availability & prices
• Start building your Liaison Team, if you don’t already have one.

11-5 months before convention

• Continue looking for guests, responding to emails.
• Continue building your Liaison team.
• Ideally you’ll want to get contracts signed somewhere in this timeline.

5 months before convention (if needed can extend into 4 & 3 months before)

• At this point you should have contracts signed, and be working on panels
• Contracts Signed includes things like getting flights booked
• Send the Bios & Pics to SocialMedia@<convention email>, Webmaster@<convention email>, & place in the program guide drive folder (or email out).
• After the webmaster posts the information to the website (probably timed with Social Media) then validate the information on the convention website and notify webmaster@<convention email> of any changes or additions you would like.
• Request the convention dates off from work.

2 months before convention

• Remind guests of the upcoming convention, make sure everything is still on track.
• Create Info Sheets for the guests & the Liaisons.
• Info sheets should include flight info (to and from convention), day by day activity sheet, and any allergies the guest has.
• Panels should include Panel Names, Times, Room.
• Send info sheets to guests to validate the information and ensure all things are correct.
• Work on figuring out which liaison is assigned to which guest.

1 month before convention

• Send info sheets to liaisons so they can get familiar with the schedule of their guest. (This can be done as soon as the guests verify the info).
• Figure out who is picking up each guest from the convention.

Month of convention

• Make a shopping list for the greenroom needs based on the guests wants & allergies.
• Have the treasurer, or whomever has an official con card, either accompany you, or do the full shopping.
• It’s recommended that you use a bulk store if able (Sam’s Club, Costco, etc).
• A week before con you should verify with whomever is picking up guests that they are still on track to pick up said guest(s) from the airport.

Liaison Head Responsibilities at Convention

• Check in with all the guests, be available to help them, bring them places or stuff, etc.
• Make sure your Liaisons are ok and not dying.

Liaison Responsibilities at convention

• Stick to the guests unless they want you to go.
• Report to the Guest Liaison when you see them.
• Be a go-for for the guests
• Bring the guests to the locations they seek.
• Might be asked by the Guest Liaison Head to pick up your guest.
• Be available through your phone for when a guest wants to get in touch with you.