New Zealand in 2020 needs you!

Over the last years, we’ve been investigating facilities, and establishing the possibility of a Worldcon in New Zealand.

We have settled on Wellington as our site, and we’ve put this information on our Facilities page.

Over the last few years, we’ve been talking to people personally and at conventions in New Zealand and around the world.

A lot of people overseas are keen to see this happen.

We have a lot of support from governmental bodies like Tourism New Zealand.

Now we need to continue gathering comitments from as many people as possible, especially from New Zealand and Australia.

We are delighted to have anyone, from any country, volunteer because WorldCons are always multinational and have people from pretty much every continent working on them.

We really appreciate all those who have pre-supported. But we don’t assume that because you’ve pre-supported that you are commited to helping run a New Zealand Worldcon. We don’t think that’s accurate or fair. So please do fill in the Volunteer Form if you are able to help.

Please read the information below, and have a look at the Departments page for brief job titles. Then go to the Volunteer Form to fill in a form to let us know your commitment.

Shut up and let me volunteer!

Departments

Volunteer Form

Background Information

We need people to say yes we can help out, either at the convention or with mad skills before.

Being a part of a Worldcon is a little different from the usual New Zealand small conventions. There is a Bid process where we go to conventions and learn how it’s done, and also get ourselves out there and get known. During the later part of the bid process is when we start making decisions about the organisation of our Worldcon. This starts to involve Department heads, and the structure of the convention. Assuming we win the bid in 2018, we then have two years to work to make our Worldcon.

Running a Worldcon is a truly international endeavour. Departments can consist of people overseas as well as in New Zealand. But because of our remoteness, we will need to have New Zealand residents working with other conrunners from overseas.

We can provide you with job descriptions for the various roles.

As with any large endeavour, you are not expected to do it all yourself. If you take on a major role, then you will be expected to pick a team, or ask for people to help you. There are many experienced people to offer advice or be in charge.

If you wish to run a Department, then ideally you will have experience in larger events managing groups of people towards a common goal.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. So, what is a Worldcon?
   Good question. Have a look at our About Worldcon page for a brief rundown. And for more, the Wikipedia entry on Worldcons can help.
2. Do I still need to pay a membership if I do stuff for the convention?
   The Worldcon is one of the largest volunteer run conventions in the world. Everyone pays, from the Chair on down. That’s in the rules. It’s also how we get funds to run the bid. So in order to be on the bid committee, you need to be a pre-supporting member at some level. And later, a member of the convention. There is usually some form of reward for helping out (other than the satisfaction of helping a whole bunch of people have fun). This can take the form of t-shirts, vouchers all the the way to a refund for your membership fee, depending on the finances of the convention. These vary from convention to convention.
3. Yikes! How many years ahead? I don’t know if :
   a) I’ll be in the country
   b) I’ll have finished my TARDIS by then
   c) I plan to join a cult
   d) I’ll be destitute and living in a cardboard box under Grafton Bridge.

So, can you help us now, while you are still planning your extra temporal excursions? You can help now or at the convention or both. With the magic of the internet and those wonderful inventions called aircraft, you can be on the other side of the world and still be a part of this. In fact many of our US and UK friends have offered to help out already, they would love to see our bid succeed.

And as for c) & d), we can work something out.

3. Am I going to have to quit my job?
   No, this about giving back to your hobby (SF). If you are reading this you already organise stuff “afterhours”. You will be part of a supportive team. You are expected to recommend and ask people to be on your team. There will always be a team to support you and help or in extremis take over, if real life intrudes.
4. I don’t want to be stuck doing stuff all convention, I want to have some fun and see some events.
   Naturally. The whole idea of having this signup sheet is to get lots of volunteers so we can work as a team and can roster you on for just a few hours, not days (horror), in your chosen field.  Of course, if you want to spend all convention in the children’s activity room…we’ll recommend a good psychiatrist.
5. What am I commiting too, when helping run a Worldcon?
   During the bid process, it’s a bit lower key. The main jobs are having a presence at overseas conventions. So if you’re overseas, this may be the best way you can help during the bidding process. If we win the bid, then we will have to swing into high gear. With this world of internet communication, it has become much easier to help organise from a distance. However, if you are at at a high organisational level, then it would be very helpful to be able to fly to New Zealand at least once for a meeting to see the venue and meet the people involved. If you are in New Zealand, then we  would ask that you be willing to fly to the venue location a number of times over the years.
   As for time, there is a high commitment of time in the last year, growing greater towards the convention. However, it is intended to be afterhours time, with a team to work with so no one is saddled with all the work.

If the idea of a Worldcon in New Zealand excites you, and you want to be a part of it, then have I got a page for you!

First, have a look at the Departments page, and see if any of the jobs interest you. Then go to the Volunteer Form and fill it out to let us know your interests. But please take Volunteering seriously. Helping run a Worldcon is a commitment, and will require varied amounts of your time, depending on your department, and how close we are to the convention.

Departments

Volunteer Form