Come at PolyLAN as STAFF

How do I register?

To register (as a staff member), follow the link below:

polylan.ch/staff/getinvolved

From there, we'll keep you up to date. In general, the first versions of the schedule and additional information are sent out typically a few weeks before the start of the LAN.
As we often get lots of questions and requests for all things staff-related at PolyLAN, here's a page with all the information you need, with contact details at the bottom of the page.

The big disclaimer

This post is for information purposes only. What's described here may not be 100% what a staff member will experience at the next PolyLAN (especially the next one!). It's intended to give a general idea.

What's a PolyLAN staff?

The typical staff is made up of people (the number varies according to the size of the event) from outside the PolyLAN committee.

The idea is for them to come and help out with the general organization of the LAN on a voluntary basis. For the duration of the LAN, each staff member will have a schedule to adhere to and various tasks to accomplish. In addition to the work to be done, each staff member is provided with food, lodging (seating, network connection and a place to sleep [bring your own stuff: mattresses, pillows, etc.]) and even clothing (super collector PolyLAN staff T-shirt).

It also gives you the chance to get to know the committee better than you would via messages and e-mails :wink:. It's also important to remember that staff are essential to the LAN's success. Indeed, without staffs, we probably wouldn't be able to organize PolyLANs as we know them.

What are the different possibilities?

Firstly, there's the set-up. This takes place 2 days before the LAN. We have to set up the whole room, tables, chairs, cables, power strips, do the shopping, set up the bar, run frantically to Beaulieu and lots of other nice little things like that. Basically, it's a fun part of the LAN, with a great atmosphere (and sometimes even music). The more motivated people are, the faster it goes and the more fun we have. If you come for the set-up, we'll give you lunch and dinner (traditionally delivered by a yellow clown from a fast-food chain with a Scottish name), and also if you come just for the set-up, you can register as a player during the LAN. On the other hand, you don't get free entry or a different deadline from the others for buying a place. You'll be considered like a player at the LAN, no special rights, but no obligations either. Then there's the LAN staff. We have different jobs to fill.  Some even 24 hours a day. Fortunately, it's a rotating system (which means everyone has to keep to their own schedule). In general, each staff member will occupy each position at one time or another during the LAN. The traditional positions are:

• Running the bar (sales, preparations, stock management, etc.)
• LAN reception (validating players as they arrive, checking who's in and who's out, and finally validating players as they leave).
• Security, which involves making occasional rounds of the room, checking that there are no problems (glass bottles and the like), but above all being available when needed (peak hour at the bar, for example). It's a bit of a wild card job, where you're left alone unless there's a real need for someone at a particular spot.
• Cleanliness, which consists of making several rounds during which you have to change full garbage cans, make sure there's toilet paper where you need it and make sure the players take care of their waste and keep their place clean. You'll never have to take responsibility for someone else's mess, you'll just have to make sure that everyone takes care of their business properly. What's more, just like at the security station, you have to be available between rounds, in case of need.

During the LAN, each staff member enjoys his or her free time as he or she sees fit, and can of course play with the others and/or enjoy the relative calm of the staff corner.

Finally, there's dismantling. This is the opposite of setting up =D and usually takes just a few hours. It starts shortly before the end of the LAN and finishes in the evening. You have to help the committee put everything away in the pallets, tidy up the tables and chairs and throw away anything that needs to be thrown away, then give the hall a very quick sweep.

Now you know everything. It's worth noting that, with (very) rare exceptions, there's nothing IT or technical involved in staff work. It's all about simple tasks that everyone can do without worrying, while at the same time getting to know new people. The various staffing possibilities at PolyLAN are completely flexible. It's not uncommon to see volunteers helping with set-up and tear-down, but who prefer to be at PolyLAN as players. Of course, the most available and motivated will be there for all three stages of the LAN.

Organization

No one is left out in the cold... the LAN. The staff managers are there to coordinate all this fun from the start of the set-up to the end of dismantling (which doesn't mean you shouldn't leave them a few hours at night to get some sleep). They are the main point of contact between the staffs and the committee.

As for the work to be done, we'll also make sure that the schedule matches your desires. As far as possible, no one is sitting alone in their own corner (those of you who've ever worked the 5 a.m. reception desk know what I'm talking about), jobs will be varied (unless requested, of course), long breaks are built in to allow staff to make the most of PolyLAN, play with others (excluding tournaments/animations, which are reserved for players) or even, from time to time, go to sleep.

But what else?

What's more, if you take part in PolyLAN as a staff member, you'll automatically be invited to a thank-you dinner with the entire committee and the rest of the staff in the weeks following the LAN. It's a great opportunity to have a good time and see everyone again. I hope that the staff position at PolyLAN now holds no secrets for you.

Contact

If you have any further questions or comments, there's only one address: staff@polylan.ch (I repeat and insist).
Answers to frequently asked questions will be added to this post.
See you later at the LAN.

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