Logistics: Load In and Load Out

Logistics operates mainly at the beginning and end of con. We pick up the truck from the rental place around 3pm on Wednesday, load everything in the storage unit into it, and park it at Thomas' house overnight. Setup starts as soon as the venue will let us, typically early Thursday in recent years. We unload the truck as quickly as possible, then it goes to the arcade department for their load-in. The table vendor generally delivers the eight foot tables for the merchants in early afternoon and we have to unload their truck, but sometimes they can't deliver and we have to pick the tables up with the truck. When arcade gets back with the truck full of cabinets we may have to help them unload. Once everything is unloaded Logistics is responsible for moving everything to where it needs to go and setting up the artist alley tables. Once that's done we don't have a lot of work during con apart from resetting rooms from time to time. Load-out starts around 5pm on Sunday at the beginning of Closing Ceremonies, and more-or-less runs in reverse of load-in.

See Reserving the Truck

Time Table

Event	2019			2021			Average
	Start Time	End Time	Total	Start Time	End Time	Total
Load Truck from Storage	3:30 pm	6:15 pm	2:45	3:31 pm	5:30 pm	1:59	2:22
Unload Truck at Venue	8:45 am	10:15 am	1:30	9:30 am	11:03 am	1:33	1:32
Load Truck from Venue	9:56 pm	2:07 am	4:09	10:32 pm	12:16 am	1:44	2:56
Unload Truck at Storage	9:34 am	1:06 pm	3:32	10:26 am	12:32 pm	2:06	2:49

Loading

It is bet to have two people managing and organizing things. One in the truck and one out of the truck. When loading into the truck, the person in the truck has command. When loading into storage, the person off the truck is in command. Command meaning requesting which items are needed next. It is best to not have the two managers in the truck together.

How we load the truck. This may not be the best way, but it's the way we've come to do it and it seems to work pretty well for us.

Thing to remember when loading the truck

• Stanchion carts first on opposite walls.
  • Misc small boxes can be stacked on the stanchion carts.
• Death carts (pipe and drape bases) either next or last.
• Stack plastic totes up to the top ratchet points.
  • Typically for clear top black handles, 5 high.
  • Strap the top row to the wall to prevent falling.
• Keep similar type of boxes together.
• Misc cardboard and non-totes fill the center.
• Long stock lays on top of that down the center.
• Leave room near the door for Shoji screen.
  • The A-frame cork board can be used to protect the shoji screen.
  • Other flat stock can be strap to it.
• In the cab
  • Mirror
  • Large mixer
  • Flat screen TV

Things to remember when loading storage

• When stacking totes, heavy on bottom and light on top.
• Cash box boxes go on very back top, left
• Board games very back top, right
• Dollar store poster next to board game
• Wagon standing full upright next to shelf in back right
• Grid cubes on the floor on the back right, just in front of the wagon
• Tech cardboard under back shelf and under table
• Misc tech and cords and things in middle shelf
• Green top stacked to the ceiling on left table.
• Clear totes on floor in front of left table stacked near to the ceiling.
• Misc boxes on right shelves
• Smaller long stock between left table and shelf
• Projector screen in front of left table*Sandbags (team lift) right right bottom
• Shoji screen laying on its side in front of right shelf
• Stanchion carts carefully against the shoji screen
• Chairs can be put upside down on the black road case near the front.
• Things that expire should be near the front
  • Food
  • Hand sanitizer
• Things we will need before con should be at the front
  • Filing cabinet front left
  • Tape boxes front right
  • Tabling box and button box near front right