I-CON
Come for the fun, Stay for the People
Over the years great effort has been put into
our newsletter, website and program book to fill you in on
I-CON's background. Most now know that we are NOT run for profit,
but instead are a venture focused on education, diverse programming
and fun. The average fan also knows that we have no paid staff.
However, I'm beginning to think that we've neglected a more
important fact.
For those of us who've volunteered for many years,
yes it's likely we are a fan of one of the many interests highlighted
at the con. We may be a diehard SF literary fan, or a "Trek" junkie.
Anime or gaming may be the spark that lights our fire, or perhaps
we love it all, everything from sci tech presentations to comic
books and medieval sword play demos. But is that the real reason
we come back? Is that what explains the long hours and intense
devotion?
Ask any of the dozen or so people who've been
helping out for 20 years or more and they'll probably just
smile or laugh. They've had to time to put it in perspective.
Ask any of the several hundred who've been with us for ten
to fifteen and I think while many know the secret, others are
just now seeing the light.
It's easy to lose sight when you are committed
to a job, school or both and have to shoehorn in time to keep
the convention going. Deadlines, pressure, stress-- we have
them in our personal lives and our responsibilities to I-CON
provide loads more. But why do our volunteers continue to do
it all? What's their motivation?
The most obvious one is that our people care
about what the convention stands for and hope to keep it around
so that we can continue to entertain and enlighten people,
especially the young. But after so many years, it becomes more
than that.
People running a large event can't help but become
extended family. Though we do face a turnover rate as people
relocate for jobs and grad school (and folks marry and have
families or have careers which siphon off their free time)
most of our people don't bail out willingly. They stay in touch
and visit when they can and if it all possible, they make the
journey back and volunteer at the con.
To be involved with I-CON is to be family. The
last few years, there have been times when we felt like a dysfunctional
family (perhaps counseling or group therapy is in order?) But
in the end everyone puts aside their differences and pitches
in to help. There are squabbles and differences of opinion
which are not likely to disappear any time soon, but obstacles
are set aside in the end to get the job done.
Whether you're in high school, college or grad
school or out in the working world, there's a place for you
at I-CON. Many of our people are SB students, staff or alum
but just as many never attended classes here. They just came
to the con and realized that helping plan things might be fun
as well as a learning experience and they plunged right in.
I invite all of you to do the same.
I could go on to tell you about the friends I've made in the past 18 years
(since my student days at SB). The "in-jokes," the parties, the roadtrips,
the weddings and yes, the funerals I've attended. The long hours put in to
the con and both the heartbreak when we had financial woes and the triumphs
when things worked out just right. The stories alone could fill a book but
I think when the experience is available, why read the book? Why not live it
yourself and end up with your own experiences to tell?
If you want to have fun (as well as do work),
make friends for a life time and learn new skills, join our
team. Whether you're old enough to remember Sputnik or can't
remember a time before email, we've got a place for you.
Working gloves are optional, but a sense of humor
is mandatory!
-Mike Dauenheimer
Staff Volunteer since 1985
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