2026 Meeting Notes
This page exists to provide an easier location for accessing 2026's meeting notes to the general public as a Google change broke the way we post them automatically in #meeting-summaries on Discord. We're working on fixing it, but for now, the meeting notes are here.
Staff Meeting Summary 2026-06-20
No Google Doc exists for this meeting's notes.
Staff Recruitment and HR
- Confirming Staff Status:
- Step zero for everyone: make sure you have actually submitted a staff application in the registration system. Saying you're staff isn't enough; we can only officially make you staff (and give you access to the correct staff departments) once the application is in.
- Anyone who hasn't applied yet should do it today so it's handled.
- Staff Contract:
- Do not pay. Your signed and approved contract is your payment. The charge on your account disappears once your uploaded contract is approved.
- Donations are welcome, but if you pay by accident you are not automatically refunded. You have to ask for the money back.
- Hotel / Dorm Codes:
- Tim is working on getting a room block with the Atlantis. If you'll need a dorm, tell him as soon as possible so he can get you on the list.
- Recruitment:
- Ongoing push for more staff: please bother friends and family who might be interested in applying.
- Even people who can only volunteer for a couple of hours are valuable; they can be placed wherever you are so they can hang out and lend a hand. More hands make light work.
Marketing and Tabling
- Leaning into Marketing:
- We want to do more marketing this year and really lean into it, starting with tabling at events.
- Tabling Roles:
- There is a role you can set if you're open to tabling. It's @Table Sitter in #staff-roles-opt-in
- We have several tabling opportunities coming up in the next couple of months. It's a fun, low-pressure way to help out, so anyone interested should get their role set and know what they're doing.
Meeting Schedule
- Library Availability:
- The library is booked far out except, oddly, Saturdays at noon. In-person library meetings will therefore almost all be Saturdays at noon.
- Anyone who flat-out can never do Saturday at noon should say so.
- Discord Meetings:
- We'll still hold 3 Discord meetings (like this one), likely around 6:30 PM, so people who are busy midday can attend. In total there will be roughly 3–4 non-Saturday-noon meetings.
- In-person library meetings will also be available on Discord as per usual for anyone who can make the time but not the drive.
Social Event Planning
- A non-meeting, "let's all just hang out" event, slotted into a gap in the schedule.
- Park hangout / BBQ — e.g. Mills Park in Carson (currently being improved) or Mira Loma Park (we've done BBQs there before). Note: Carson road construction runs through July and possibly into August, so traffic getting to the park could be a pain.
- Round1 or Dave & Buster's — everyone shows up at the same time.
- Round1 room rental runs roughly $13–19 per guest per hour and includes only the room and a karaoke machine, no games. Several people felt that at that price we'd rather just all show up at a set time and spend money on games instead of space.
- Round1 also has free tables in the snack-bar area as a no-cost alternative.
- Tim will check pricing for the venue options. We may end up doing more than one social thing.
Logistics and Inventory
- Inventory Planning:
- Logistics can start thinking about and scheduling storage inventory now that summer's here.
- Technically inventory can be scheduled whenever, but it should be coordinated through leadership (Tim, Sammich, or Beta) so a big announcement can rally as many people as possible. Scheduling on a weekend the core group can't make loses helpers immediately.
- Coordinate dates in the staff channel — but wait until after this meeting is announced before throwing out times.
- Give yourselves a couple of weeks between planning and doing it so people have time to reply (and non-repliers can be chased down).
- Time it around a meeting (e.g. meeting Saturday, inventory Sunday, or meeting one week / inventory the next) to catch people who show up to meetings but miss Discord announcements.
- Consider weather and heat when picking dates.
- Before inventory day, logistics should talk to other departments to figure out what to prioritize inventorying, and get the inventory sheets ready.
File Systems — Nextcloud & Bitrix Retirement
- Bitrix is retired. If you log into Bitrix, your files won't be there anymore.
- We've moved to Nextcloud, which will hold all the files. Logistics (and anyone who needs it) will need to be added so they can access files again.
- Bitrix had gotten expensive (around $3k/year and rising). Nextcloud is "free-ish" — we only pay for storage, which is far cheaper.
Venue and Layout
- Same Space: We're in the same convention-center space as last year. Overall people were happy with it, so no major changes to which space is what.
- Merchandising / Draft Layout: We need a draft layout finalized enough to open merchandising.
- E-Gaming Space: Expect some internal layout changes within the e-gaming area (not a change of which space it is). Fine-tuning the inside of that space doesn't need to be nailed down until close to the event.
- Open Call: Now is the easy time to raise layout ideas or anything you didn't like last year.
Programming and Attendee Flow
- Panel Placement:
- A suggestion was raised to space the panel rooms farther apart to encourage attendees to walk through more of the con.
- Constraints to keep in mind: late-night panels get ID-restricted, so keeping panel rooms grouped is easier to manage; and there's audio bleed when the rave is running, so panels/workshops need to stay far from it. Second-stage placement should account for both.
- Dead Back Hallway:
- The back hallway (cosplay hangouts, tabletop) felt dead compared to the registration area. Tabletop tends to be lower-traffic at an anime con (roughly third priority for most attendees), so this is partly expected.
- Volunteer Desk was in an alcove across from second stage last year and many attendees never realized it was there — a real problem since the volunteer prize system depends on getting people to that desk. Options discussed: move it to a busier spot near registration (though that hallway is narrower), and/or drive traffic to the corner with programming or events rather than pulling things out of it. The prize booth drew good interest last year, but only from people who knew it was there.
- Stamp Rally / Bingo Card:
- Give attendees a stamp-rally / bingo card at registration with locations they have to find and get stamped, redeemable for a prize at the prize area (which is itself one of the stops). Registration would be a free space and come pre-stamped.
- This ties nicely into the volunteer desk and prize system: low-tier prize for completing the card, with a pitch to sign up as a volunteer for better prizes (an hour of volunteering already counts toward the prize system).
- Precedent: Sam previously ran a QR-code quest that got some attendees obsessed, but it became too much to maintain.
- Production notes: most of the work is front-loaded (make cards + stamps ahead of time; each station just stamps cards as attendees arrive). The con book is glossy and doesn't take liquid ink well. We will probably print on light card stock and cut into thirds with the paper cutter (guillotine). Pocket schedules are not viable for this; they're ~8 hours of layout plus 10–15 person-hours of folding/stapling; cards are far easier.
- The idea is on the list, but it only happens if someone commits to organizing and running it.
Miscellaneous
- Theme & Puns: Everyone is excited about this year's theme; it was picked largely for the pun and gag potential. Expect lots of goofy puns.
- Flyer Art: A WIP 4x6 flyer is nearly finalized and printing soon (art by Bicky)
Staff Meeting Summary 2026-07-18
I (Elane) didn't take my own notes for this meeting and the Google Doc (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JT_ZWq3OnJTtZeitkGwww9GqLBGp7d_Uywh-P7vcTLo/edit?tab=t.0) is coming up empty. So, no notes for this meeting. Sorry.
Staff Meeting Summary 2026-08-01
We have fliers. They’re mostly in Reno (talk to Sammich or Thomas), and there are some in Carson (talk to Tim).
Con for a cause in two weeks - 15th-ish.
Need people to table.
Departments are getting started.
Social media is starting up now.
Merchants is opening soon, probably tonight.
IT has moved file sharing from Bitrix to Nextcloud. Ping Sammich for access.
We did logistics inventory last weekend. It went well, but we haven’t transcribed the information yet. Beta is working on a system in BACON for tracking the data instead of the Excel spreadsheet we’re currently using.
If your department needs stuff purchased, let the purchasing department know ASAP.
Mark asked who’s heading Tabletop. Tim-as-HR is currently confirming with people. Stephen Karambis was head last year.
We don’t currently have a head of video - the head last year stepped down. It’s time to make screening requests. Sammich will handle requesting Media Blasters as usual. We could use someone to chase Sentai and Crunchyroll/Funimation.
Thomas offered to run Video maybe.
Cupcakedoll asked about the heads of Swap Meet and Theme. Tim is talking to the person who may be stepping up for Swap Meet. Bob from Theme is in the meeting.
Bob would like to coordinate with whoever is running Volunteers. Blanca from Volunteers won’t be available at con. HR is working on getting that covered.
Get your staff contracts in! Cassy will start bugging people shortly.
Desmond of Cosplay asked how many cosplay guests we want. We usually have two to three so they can cover judging the cosplay contest. Desmond has multiple prospects in the works.