Volunteer Page is now open! Click here to start the application.
Volunteer Registration FAQ
- How do I volunteer?
You fill out a volunteer form and then pay $10 by Paypal or send in a check/money order/cash with a filled out form. Cut-off date is July 22nd, 2012. We will NOT be accepting any volunteers after that. No exceptions will be made (so don’t be late).
- Why do I have to pay to volunteer?
San Japan implemented a new volunteer system which worked great for our 2009 convention and will be used for all future conventions. This new system is to get volunteers who want to put in the long hours that we need from our volunteers. At our first convention in 2008 we had a TON of signups and a lot of no-shows or early bailouts so this will ensure that everyone who volunteers for San Japan has an initiative to work the long hours that we need from our volunteers at San Japan. Here’s how this system will work:
- Pay $10 ahead of time to fill out an application.
- On July 23rd & 24th, we will be e-mailing everyone if they have been accepted. If you fill out an application, your chances are 98+% that you will be accepted as we will need at least a 200 volunteers over the course of the convention.
- After you worked 10 hours over 2 days, you will get a voucher for $25 that can be spent in the dealer’s room. This voucher is non-refundable as it must be redeemed at San Japan: Mach 5.
- Is there anyway an exception can be made to not have to pay the $10?
No, the $10 fee to volunteer is required and non-negotiable for general volunteers. No exceptions will be made. See Question #24 on why we put this in place.
- I’m not accepted as a volunteer, do I get my money back?
Yes, you will get a full refund.
- Is filling out the form on the registration page the only way I can register for San Japan?
For general volunteer registration, this is the only way to volunteer. Read below if you have already setup arrangements with a staff head to help out San Japan.
- I volunteered for previous San Japan conventions, do I still have to pay?
If you want the $25 voucher, then yes, you will need to pay to volunteer. If you have been directly recruited to work under a staff dept. then you do not have to fill out a volunteer form nor pay the application fee as you are working for that department as you are not part of the general volunteer department.
- What other incentive do I get for volunteering for San Japan?
You will receive a volunteer badge which gives you full access to the convention like a normal badge. If you work a minimum of 6 hours per day during San Japan, and live out of town, you will get free crash space that evening at the host hotel (CRASH SPACE FOR OUT OF TOWN ONLY (must be at min. 30 miles from the convention), see Question #16). You will also have access to a volunteer room where we will have free food being served to volunteers during the duration of the convention.
- I already talked with a staff department head and he/she said I can work for their department this year. Do I still have to pay ahead?
If you arrange it with the staff department head then you can still volunteer but you will need to arrange it with that particular department. You will still get access to the volunteer room for food.
- I can’t pay for a volunteer app by Paypal/Credit Card. Can I pay for it by check/cash/money order?
Fill out a volunteer form on the registration page and print it out along with payment then mail it in to our mailing address: San Japan, c/o Volunteer, P.O. Box. 777, Denton, TX 76202.
- I’m not sure about pre-registering, how will I know I was accepted as a volunteer?
We will inform you immediately if you are rejected. If you hear nothing then 99% chance you have been accepted as a volunteer. We absolutely need as many people as possible to help us out.
- If I do pay to volunteer but change my mind and just want to fill out a pre-registration, do I get a refund?
Yes, we will give you a refund on your volunteer payment so you can put it toward a pre-registration. You must contact us before volunteer registration ends. There will be no refunds if you change your mind after volunteer registration ends and volunteer assignments have been given.
- I worked my 10 hours in one day, do I get a voucher form that day?
No, you must work your volunteer hours over 2 days period.
Even if you work 10 hours in one day, you will need to work a few more hours on another day to get a $25 voucher. This is to force people to work for us for the duration of the convention and not just work one day then ‘disappear’ after that. We will be handing out dealer vouchers on Sunday of the convention.
- Does working on Thursday, prior to the beginning of the convention, go toward my required 10 hours?
No, it does not. The required 10 hours will only count when the convention begins on Friday morning. You may help out on Thursday and we will provide crash space if you work at least 6 hours that day to help us setup.
- When I receive my voucher, can I redeem it at multiple dealers?
No, you will only be able to redeem the voucher at one dealer booth.
- Is there a minimum age you must be in order to volunteer for San Japan?
YES, all volunteers need to be eighteen (18) or older at the time of the convention. We are not taking any one under the age of 18 anymore for legal liability. We are no longer accepting volunteer applications for anyone that is 17 years old. We are not allowing parents to give us authorization to let their child who is under 18 to be allowed volunteer for San Japan or work along side them.
If you are 17 now but you will be the 18 before or at the beginning of San Japan then you may apply to be a volunteer.
The ONLY exception will be if you’ve been personally recruited by one of our staff heads which in that case that staff member will be your responsibility and not under the responsibility of the volunteer department.
- What about volunteer crash space?
Volunteer crash space at the hotel will only be given to people who do not live in the San Antonio Area (must be at minimum 30 miles from the Convention). We are no longer allocating crash space at the hotel for locals. All rooms are separated by gender.
- Can I volunteer & cosplay at the same time?
Cosplaying while volunteering for San Japan is allowed as long as the costume does not interfere with your duties in helping San Japan . If it is noticed that your cosplay is interfering from your duties then you may be asked to change out until your shift has been completed.
- If I sign up to volunteer, do I have to also pre-register?
No, you do not have to pay to pre-register if you sign up to volunteer and you’re accepted as a volunteer.
- What positions are available to volunteer at San Japan?
Here is a list of the positions that will be available:
- Artist Alley Helper
- Console / Arcade Gaming Helper
- ConSuite / Convention Suite Helper
- Convention Operations Helper / ConOps
- Dealer Room Helper
- Events / Panel Rooms Helper
- Gopher / General Volunteer
- Info Desk Helper / Merch Helper
- Load-In/Load-Out Helper
- Main Events Helper
- Morale Staff Helper
- Registration Helper
- Safety Volunteer
- TechOp Volunteer / Setup
- Video Rooms Helper
- Water Ninja Helper
Details about each position is listed in the volunteer application.
- I’d rather be on San Japan Staff, are there any available positions there?
We can always use some extra staff members. If you have advanced technical skills in Audio/Visual, willing to help out in Events setup, want to help keep our volunteers happy or you have exceptional organizational skills then we’d like to hear from you. Send in your inquiries to conchair@san-japan.org
- I signed up and I haven’t heard anything for a while, what’s going on?
Unless you heard back from the volunteer coordinator saying there’s something wrong with your volunteer app, you don’t have anything to worry about. We contact all of our volunteers after the July 22nd deadline and their position assignments. If you have any concerns then e-mail volunteer@san-japan.org.
- Does San Japan cover any transportation costs, expenses or parking?
No, we do not. You are on your own to get to San Japan and you will have to cover your own parking charges.
- The volunteer deadline already passed, are you taking any additional volunteers?
After July 22nd, 2012 we are not taking any additional volunteers. If you e-mail asking us to make an exception, the answer will be no.
- I still don’t quite get it, why do I have to pay to volunteer?
One common problem that we had at our first San Japan and has happened at other similar fan conventions who allow people to just sign-up for free is there is very large amount of no-shows. To counter this, some conventions ask you to pay for a full badge ahead of time then when you do show up you have to work all of your required 18-24 hours to receive a refund with very little incentives included.
We don’t feel that is quite fair so all you need to do is put up $10 and after you’ve put in your 10 hours of work you get back a dealer voucher. If you work 6 hours a day (if you’re out-of-town) you get crash space at the convention. We don’t cram our volunteer crash spaces like similar conventions which are notorious with putting 10+ people in a room. We also make sure you’re well-fed all weekend long in our volunteer con suite. We try to make sure our volunteers are in good spirits for the duration of the convention.
You fill out a volunteer form and then pay $10 by Paypal or send in a check/money order/cash with a filled out form. Cut-off date is July 22nd, 2012. We will NOT be accepting any volunteers after that. No exceptions will be made (so don’t be late).
San Japan implemented a new volunteer system which worked great for our 2009 convention and will be used for all future conventions. This new system is to get volunteers who want to put in the long hours that we need from our volunteers. At our first convention in 2008 we had a TON of signups and a lot of no-shows or early bailouts so this will ensure that everyone who volunteers for San Japan has an initiative to work the long hours that we need from our volunteers at San Japan. Here’s how this system will work:
- Pay $10 ahead of time to fill out an application.
- On July 23rd & 24th, we will be e-mailing everyone if they have been accepted. If you fill out an application, your chances are 98+% that you will be accepted as we will need at least a 200 volunteers over the course of the convention.
- After you worked 10 hours over 2 days, you will get a voucher for $25 that can be spent in the dealer’s room. This voucher is non-refundable as it must be redeemed at San Japan: Mach 5.
No, the $10 fee to volunteer is required and non-negotiable for general volunteers. No exceptions will be made. See Question #24 on why we put this in place.
Yes, you will get a full refund.
For general volunteer registration, this is the only way to volunteer. Read below if you have already setup arrangements with a staff head to help out San Japan.
If you want the $25 voucher, then yes, you will need to pay to volunteer. If you have been directly recruited to work under a staff dept. then you do not have to fill out a volunteer form nor pay the application fee as you are working for that department as you are not part of the general volunteer department.
You will receive a volunteer badge which gives you full access to the convention like a normal badge. If you work a minimum of 6 hours per day during San Japan, and live out of town, you will get free crash space that evening at the host hotel (CRASH SPACE FOR OUT OF TOWN ONLY (must be at min. 30 miles from the convention), see Question #16). You will also have access to a volunteer room where we will have free food being served to volunteers during the duration of the convention.
If you arrange it with the staff department head then you can still volunteer but you will need to arrange it with that particular department. You will still get access to the volunteer room for food.
Fill out a volunteer form on the registration page and print it out along with payment then mail it in to our mailing address: San Japan, c/o Volunteer, P.O. Box. 777, Denton, TX 76202.
We will inform you immediately if you are rejected. If you hear nothing then 99% chance you have been accepted as a volunteer. We absolutely need as many people as possible to help us out.
Yes, we will give you a refund on your volunteer payment so you can put it toward a pre-registration. You must contact us before volunteer registration ends. There will be no refunds if you change your mind after volunteer registration ends and volunteer assignments have been given.
No, you must work your volunteer hours over 2 days period.
Even if you work 10 hours in one day, you will need to work a few more hours on another day to get a $25 voucher. This is to force people to work for us for the duration of the convention and not just work one day then ‘disappear’ after that. We will be handing out dealer vouchers on Sunday of the convention.
No, it does not. The required 10 hours will only count when the convention begins on Friday morning. You may help out on Thursday and we will provide crash space if you work at least 6 hours that day to help us setup.
No, you will only be able to redeem the voucher at one dealer booth.
YES, all volunteers need to be eighteen (18) or older at the time of the convention. We are not taking any one under the age of 18 anymore for legal liability. We are no longer accepting volunteer applications for anyone that is 17 years old. We are not allowing parents to give us authorization to let their child who is under 18 to be allowed volunteer for San Japan or work along side them.
If you are 17 now but you will be the 18 before or at the beginning of San Japan then you may apply to be a volunteer.
The ONLY exception will be if you’ve been personally recruited by one of our staff heads which in that case that staff member will be your responsibility and not under the responsibility of the volunteer department.
Volunteer crash space at the hotel will only be given to people who do not live in the San Antonio Area (must be at minimum 30 miles from the Convention). We are no longer allocating crash space at the hotel for locals. All rooms are separated by gender.
Cosplaying while volunteering for San Japan is allowed as long as the costume does not interfere with your duties in helping San Japan . If it is noticed that your cosplay is interfering from your duties then you may be asked to change out until your shift has been completed.
No, you do not have to pay to pre-register if you sign up to volunteer and you’re accepted as a volunteer.
Here is a list of the positions that will be available:
- Artist Alley Helper
- Console / Arcade Gaming Helper
- ConSuite / Convention Suite Helper
- Convention Operations Helper / ConOps
- Dealer Room Helper
- Events / Panel Rooms Helper
- Gopher / General Volunteer
- Info Desk Helper / Merch Helper
- Load-In/Load-Out Helper
- Main Events Helper
- Morale Staff Helper
- Registration Helper
- Safety Volunteer
- TechOp Volunteer / Setup
- Video Rooms Helper
- Water Ninja Helper
Details about each position is listed in the volunteer application.
We can always use some extra staff members. If you have advanced technical skills in Audio/Visual, willing to help out in Events setup, want to help keep our volunteers happy or you have exceptional organizational skills then we’d like to hear from you. Send in your inquiries to conchair@san-japan.org
Unless you heard back from the volunteer coordinator saying there’s something wrong with your volunteer app, you don’t have anything to worry about. We contact all of our volunteers after the July 22nd deadline and their position assignments. If you have any concerns then e-mail volunteer@san-japan.org.
No, we do not. You are on your own to get to San Japan and you will have to cover your own parking charges.
After July 22nd, 2012 we are not taking any additional volunteers. If you e-mail asking us to make an exception, the answer will be no.
One common problem that we had at our first San Japan and has happened at other similar fan conventions who allow people to just sign-up for free is there is very large amount of no-shows. To counter this, some conventions ask you to pay for a full badge ahead of time then when you do show up you have to work all of your required 18-24 hours to receive a refund with very little incentives included.
We don’t feel that is quite fair so all you need to do is put up $10 and after you’ve put in your 10 hours of work you get back a dealer voucher. If you work 6 hours a day (if you’re out-of-town) you get crash space at the convention. We don’t cram our volunteer crash spaces like similar conventions which are notorious with putting 10+ people in a room. We also make sure you’re well-fed all weekend long in our volunteer con suite. We try to make sure our volunteers are in good spirits for the duration of the convention.
If you have any additional questions, please go to the San Japan forum.
If you volunteer and do not show up, you will be declined from helping further San Japan conventions. If you lie about your age in order to receive a volunteer badge, your volunteer badge will be immediately revoked, you will be removed from crash space and we will ask you to leave the convention unless you purchase a regular attendee badge (yes, this has happened).
General Rules
- People come to a convention to have fun, so we expect everyone to be on their best behaviors and treat attending members with the same courtesy the volunteer would expect for themselves. Kindness begets kindness and rudeness begets rudeness.
- Please take the time to research the convention and learn the general information of the convention layout, convention times & posted schedule. Expect to be asked a lot of questions by attendees no matter where you’re assigned.
- When you are scheduled for a shift, San Japan expects you to be there and sign in.
- If you cannot make your shift, or cannot avoid being late, e-mail or call ahead and let the department manager know so that we can work around the problem so that everyone is treated fairly.
- If you are working a shift and the next person does not show up, please let the department manager know and be patient for a solution.
- All volunteer staff must abide by the Convention rules. You are not above the law nor will we allow ‘ego-tripping’. We will take complaints by attendees very seriously if they report on being mistreated. If we are told by attendees that you were ‘rude’ or ‘lazy’, we reserve the right to take pro-active steps to ensure people are treated fairly at the convention.
- San Japan and its staff are not responsible for misplaced, lost or stolen personal items.
Please read this form fully before submitting a question as we are receiving plenty of questions which are already listed on this web page including age (18+) & rules.
The volunteer form is now available. Remember, there is a $10 fee in order to volunteer (explained at the top on why we have this policy).
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