Thank you for your service! We hope you enjoy your volunteering, and that you feel proud to have contributed to making the Sundance Stompede a success!
It is helpful for our volunteers to read about their shift duties in advance. This will make things go so much smoother on the day of the event.
Whether you are on the front lines or behind-the-scenes, you are the face of the Sundance Stompede. We want to be welcoming to everyone, and to understand concerns when they arise. To this end, please be mindful of using correct pronouns. We have a sticker system in place this year that might be helpful. If you are not sure what pronoun to use, it's best to ask, or to use a gender-neutral pronoun. Here's more information about our pronoun stickers, and some background information on correct pronoun use.
Have fun!
Set-up and Tear-down
SAFETY FIRST! There have been some injuries in past years, usually small, but occasionally significant. We do not want ANY injuries to our volunteers.
• Do not lift anything heavy by yourself. It’s so easy to get help.
• Wear gloves when handling the dance floor, or heavy decorations like barrels and fences
• Look before you step. During set-up and tear-down materials appear out of nowhere.
• You can move slowly and still be efficient. This is not a race.
WAIT FOR INSTRUCTIONS. This applies to set-up and to tear-down. There is a method to the madness, and there may be particular ways of putting things together or taking things apart that are not obvious.
BE PATIENT! There are many volunteers for one supervisor. There may be times when you are standing around with nothing to do. Make it known that you are available, and then wait until the supervisor has a chance to find something for you to do.
FOR SET-UP
PUT SUPPLIES BACK WHERE YOU FOUND THEM. This applies especially to basic common supplies like tape, scissors, and so forth. There will be a central supply box that is our ground zero.
BLUE PAINTER'S TAPE ONLY ON THE WALLS. Never cellophane tape or gaffers or duct tape!
FOR TEAR-DOWN
REMOVE GAFFER'S TAPE CAREFULLY. When this tape is used to hold down wires and cables, pull the tape off from the cables first. If you lift the tape and cables off together, the tape will become unmanageable. If the tape sticks to itself it is impossible to unstick it. When pulling gaffer's tape off a hardwood floor, be gentle enough so it doesn't strip the finish.
PUTTING AWAY XLR SPEAKER CABLES. We have cord-winder buckets that wind speaker cables onto a spool. Do not coil the cables! Instead leave them stretched out so they can be wound into the bucket.
FOR ALL: WHERE TO MEET
Sometimes it's not clear where you should report to for set-up or tear-down, especially if your shift starts after the process has begun. In general you'll try to find the supervisor. If you don't know who Ingu or Randy is, just ask around. Someone will know. Here are some hints:
Hotel set-up Friday morning – look for Ingu. We'll start in the ballroom, but then work our way downstairs. For the later shifts, check the ballroom first, then check downstairs.
Regency set-up Saturdayafternoon – look for Ingu. We'll start outside with the truck, move to the ballroom, and then we could be anywhere, including downstairs. If you have a late shift and don't see anyone, keep looking until you find someone!
Regency tear-down Saturday night –
• 12:30 tear-down volunteers – FIRST get your coats from the coat-check early before the end-of-night rush. Meet Ingu at the front of the entry rotunda. Please watch the time and don’t be late.
• 1:00 tear-down volunteers – FIRST get your coats from the coat-check early before the end-of-night rush. Meet Ingu at the front of the stage in the ballroom.
Hotel tear-down Sunday afternoon – Find Randy Pocius. He could be upstairs in the ballroom or downstairs anywhere. 4:00 volunteers should meet as a group in the ballroom. Please be prompt!
Regency Front Door
The front door volunteers sell tickets, accept previously bought tickets, and manage the comp lists and will call list. Everyone entering must have a badge or a wristband.
Please note that it can get extremely cold at the front so bring a jacket. If we don't keep the front doors open the interior of the Regency gets unbearably hot.
Please be careful using the correct pronouns when addressing guests. If you are not sure whether to use “he” or “she,” it is better to use a gender-neutral term; e.g. “Hi, folks” instead of “Hi, ladies.” This year we have color-coded stickers folks can wear to indicate what pronoun they use. Please read the following resources:
- Pronoun stickers
- Background info: using correct pronouns
WRISTBANDS AND BADGES:
Everyone entering must have a red or gold Stompede badge or a purple diamond wristband. Other colors do not count! Performers may carry their wristband instead of wearing it if they wish.
There are two types of wristbands we’ll give out:
• A "paying" wristband is given to someone who pays tonight at the door. We count these and the final number should match the amount collected on this night.
• A "nonpaying" wristband is issued to anyone who does not pay at the door (advance tickets paid previously, will call, comps, volunteers).
PAYING AT THE DOOR – issue "paying" wristband.
• Cashiers take cash or credit cards for people who are paying for Saturday night only.
• All who pay cash or credit card receive a "paying" wristband.
• Managers will show the cashiers how to process a credit card (don’t worry – it’s easy).
• For cash, hit the designated button on the cash register, give change as needed.
• Scan the ticket, and put a "non-paying" wristband on the patron.
• Alternatively, instead of scanning, we may use a printed list of tickets.
COMP ADMISSIONS – issue "non-paying" wristband.
There are many types of comp admissions, including:
Volunteers (both that evening and afternoon setup volunteers)
VIPs (speakers, photographers, etc.)
Performers (Singers, Bandits and Barbary Coast Cloggers get comp entry; all others pay)
Bare Chest Calendar volunteers
Registrants for the full weekend who did not pick up their badge
• There will be various sheets listing the complimentary admissions.
• You'll encounter some legitimate comps not on the lists. Ask the manager for assistance.
• All comp admissions should receive a "nonpaying" wristband.
• Remember that most dance exhibition performers are required to pay, except the Sundance Bandits, Barbary Coast Cloggers, and any individuals who have made prior arrangements not to pay.
WILL CALL – issue "non-paying" wristband.
• These are handled essentially the same as comps. There will be a Will Call list.
• The will call admission receives a "nonpaying" wristband.
Regency Badge-Checker
The badge checkers make sure each person coming through the entrance has a wristband or badge.
BADGES: ONLY GREEN OR GOLD
• Place a star sticker on badges that do not yet have one (i.e. the first time through the door).
• We use the stars to count the number of entries, so make sure you give the sheets to the manager once all the stars have been removed.
WRISTBANDS: ONLY PURPLE DIAMONDS
PRIOR TO OPENING:
Before the doors open, we need to go through the building and make sure that
• everyone inside who has a badge receives a star.
• anyone without a badge or wristband must clear the building.
Prior to opening it is also helpful to go through the line out front to place stars on badges. You can also issue wristbands for those with physical tickets. Be sure to collect the tickets – we need to scan or record these into our system.
Silent Auction Processing
Silent auction claims is such an important part of the Sundance Stompede. We often take in over $4000. We have seven volunteers to assist with this task. It's important to remember that accuracy takes precedence over speed.
MEET AT 11:00
The volunteers should meet near the entrance of the silent auction room with the supervisor(s) promptly at 11:15 to review procedures and assign tasks.
SET-UP AT 11:15
The Silent Auction closes at 11:15 sharp. All volunteers should participate in a rapid sweep of the area to clear it of everyone. Snatch pens away if you have to. It's OK to put evil hexes on any resistors.
Up to six volunteers with decent handwriting will then quickly (but legibly) fill out the display claim sheets with the names of the winners and the winning bid. Bring these to the posterboard for mounting as soon as you finish each sheet.
The remaining volunteers will assist in setting up the front area with tables, barricades, and claim materials including claim forms, pens, cash box, iPads for credit card processing, and claim instruction manila envelopes (more on that later.)
PROCESS CLAIMS AT 11:45
Winners check to see if their names appear on the posterboard. Winners line up in the hallway pointing to the main entrance foyer. They fill out an "Auction Claim Form" with the name, contact info, and prize info.
One volunteer should be stationed in this area to help orient the winners, get them in line, and explain the process.
They hand this form to a volunteer who checks the prize info against the posterboard info. The volunteer initials that the form is correct and hands it back to the winner.
We usually place two volunteers here. For each item on the winner’s claim form, check it against the name and bid amount on the board. If they agree, cross off the line on the board with a marking pen. Initial where the form says “Confirmed” and hand the form back to the winner.
The winner takes the form to the volunteer cashier and pays. The cashier stamps the form and the winner takes it to the volunteer runners.
The cashier checks the form and makes sure the total amount is correct. The winner can pay by cash or credit card only – no checks. There are separate instructions on how to accept credit card payments. Once paid, stamp the form with PAID and hand the form back to the winner.
The runners retrieve the item(s) according to the directions provided.
The runner takes the form and checks that it has been confirmed and is PAID. There is a stack of numbered manila envelopes, one for each auction item. On the front of the envelope are instructions about what to retrieve for the winner.
Many times the instructions will say "Contents of envelope." In this case carefully search the inside of the envelope for all contents. In some cases there may be more than one certificate in the envelope, and some may be small and hiding.
Other times the instructions will describe a physical object. In this case you'll go to that prize and bring it to the front for the winner. Note that some prizes have dedicated boxes for them. There will also be a supply of generic bags available.
We keep the manila envelopes, the winner's auction claim form, and the bid sheets. The winner receives no documentation.
We may set up a holding area for those wishing to pick up their items later. Try to keep this to a minimum, and explain to folks that they must pick their item up by 12:45 am.
Towards the end of the night we'll pack up all unclaimed items to be kept separate so we can work on distributing these on Sunday. Keep the manila envelope and bid sheets for these items separate as well.
Workshop Volunteers
You'll play music as needed using the djay app on the iPad. Occasionally the instructor will prefer to run his own music – but even when this happens you will still need to adjust the volume.
It can be challenging to figure out what bpm to start with. You can use the bpm counter app to get a rough approximation of what the class is doing. Generally you'll find typical lesson starting bpms to be (but your results may vary):
Two-step = 80-90 bpm
Waltz = 100-110 bpm
West Coast Swing = 90-100 bpm
East Coast Swing (triple-step) = 130-140 bpm
East Coast Swing (single-step) = 160-170 bpm
Shadow = 80-90 bpm
At the start of each workshop, the instructor should announce:
What the class is
What the level is (beginning, intermediate, advanced)
What badge colors are permitted.
The workshops are pretty much on a modified honor system. Everyone should be wearing a badge, and only certain badge colors are permitted, depending on the day. There are signs posted that indicate the colors.
RED and GOLD badges have registered for the entire weekend
GREEN badges are for Friday only
PURPLE badges are for Saturday only
BLUE badges are for Sunday only
So when the instructor announces the colors, folks without a badge or without these colors hopefully will feel pressured to leave (but we won't make them).
Watch the time. Let the instructor know when there is 10 minutes remaining.
At the conclusion of the workshop, we'll play music during the 15-minute break, reflecting what was just taught. You can either load up and play music of your choice, or your can set the iPad to "automix" using one of the folders starting with PLAY. One warning about the automix – it will start with the song you already loaded, and then it will automatically segue to the first song of the automix.
In the line dance room, instead of using automix, it would be good to replay the line dances that were just taught, and then consider playing others that have been taught during the weekend.
If you need help, try calling the one of the Workshop Supervisors on his cell phone (numbers will be posted at each DJ station).
Note: The design of the screens and buttons change with each app update, so the pictures here are not exactly the same as you will see in practice. But the steps generally remain the same. New in 2018: Signatures are no longer required, and to save time we do not ask for them!
