Volunteer Basic Info

In 2016, the Southern California Linux Expo moved to a new venue. Please bear with us as this leads to some major changes in our processes compared to previous years.

Where

SCALE will be at the Pasadena Convention Center, which is in downtown Pasadena within walking distance of many shops and restaurants and even movie theaters.

Here is an [overview of the Pasadena Convention Center Facility] (http://pasadenacenter.visitpasadena.com/facility/).

We are mainly in the two-story [Conference Center] (http://pasadenacenter.visitpasadena.com/facility/conference-center/) and the [Convention Center], which consists of [Exhibit Hall A/B] (http://pasadenacenter.visitpasadena.com/facility/exhibit-halls-ab/) and the [Ballrooms] (http://pasadenacenter.visitpasadena.com/ballroom/).

Registration is in the Convention Center near the entrance to the Expo floo, which are in Exhibit Hall A/B.

Our operations and registration will primarily be on the 2nd floor of the Conference Center.

• A/V NOC (Room 205) - Our command center. We handle audio issues and video streaming. We also provide the video adapters for our presenters.
• Tech NOC (room 219) - We pick up radios here. Tech team is responsible for networking and infrastructure support.
• Speaker lounge/Press (room 207) - This is where the speakers hang out and practice their talks. There will be a workstation/printer there.
• Break room (room 209) - This is where the staff hangs out and probably where lunch will be.

When

The Southern California Linux Expo is on January 21-24, 2016, Thursday through Sunday. However, the volunteer staff is needed as early as Tuesday night to start setup.

Tom has requested that folks with soundboard experience meet with him on Wednesday night so he can go over what is needed for some of the events.

Here is an overview of what to expect:

• TUESDAY NIGHT, time TBD - Start setting up the A/V NOC.

• WEDNESDAY, 8am until we are done - A/V will start setting up audio equipment around 8am; mostly handled by the company PSAV and not us volunteers. By noon or 1pm, things will be setup enough that we can install the cameras and video streaming computers.

• THURSDAY - SUNDAY (8am to 6pm*) - We are proposing 5-hour morning and afternoon shifts. Morning shifts will start around 8am, and primarily involve making sure all the rooms are ready for sessions. Afternoon shifts will start at noon, and things can get busy if we need to reset some of the rooms for evening events. *We need one volunteer with soundboard experience to support evening events.

• SUNDAY EVENING - We start tearing down as soon as rooms empty. When there are many hands, the teardown happens very quickly, and we'll be done.

Communications

At the conference, the SCALE team are using rented two-way radios that can be picked up from Mike Bass from the Tech NOC (?). We are also encouraged to use [Slack] (https://slack.com/) to chat. You can download the app to your smart phone or login via your computer. Please ask Ilan for an invitation, so you can access our team channels.

Additionally, there will usually be someone in the A/V NOC between 8am and 6pm.

Registration/ Check-in

Registration for volunteers is handled by the team lead. We have already submitted a list of names to Registration. You should all have received an email around January 9th, confirming your registration for SCALE. If you don't have this email, you should contact Lan.

You will not be able to get your badge until the Registration area has been set up, late Wednesday night or early Thursday.

It is the same process for staff or attendee to pick up a badge. You go to Registration, check-in via the bank of self-serve kiosks. (The email gave you an express check-in code. Otherwise, they will ask for your first, last name and email address.) Your name will be called and you will get your badge and the conference swag.

Please go straight to the A/V NOC to check in with Lan. We also have t-shirts for the A/V team; please wear them when you're working, so people can identify you.

Hotel rooms

SCALE attendees are primarily staying at the Westin Pasadena, a few blocks away from the venue. When that sold out, there was overflow to the Sheraton Pasadena, which is right next to the Convention Center; this is more expensive hotel.

SCALE provides a small set of hotel rooms for volunteers who work most of the conference. This is a privilege offered to volunteers who have done good work for us before, because we work long hours, and staying onsite is safer than a long commute.

You should have already received a confirmation email directly form the hotel, as well as an email from Ilan telling you to please contact him and not the hotel if you want to change anything about your reservation.

SCALE will only cover the room and the parking. The hotel will require a credit card on file to cover any extra charges. Be sure to let them know if you need a parking pass. You should also ask about whether the room includes free Internet access, and if so, what the code is.

Parking

SCALE will reimburse parking after the conference, within reason. Please be frugal as SCALE had a lot of new expenses with the new venue. SCALE will only pay for parking once per day.

If you have a hotel room, leave your car at the hotel and take the free shuttle or walk to the convention center. The Westin hotel is a 10-minute walk from the venue; the free shuttle should run regularly on Thursday-Sunday. You can request adhoc shuttle service to places within 2-mile radius of the hotel, but you may have to wait around on the shuttle's availability.

The parking rate at the convention center is $12/day (up to 16 hours), or $18/day for in-and-out privileges. There are other parking options around the Pasadena area; see Parkopedia

You may also consider carpooling, public transportation, or the use of Lyft or Uber (if it is under $25/day). Many of the volunteers are local to the Pasadena area, so getting around should be cheaper.

Meals

Boxed lunches will be provided for on-site volunteers; I assume they will be delivered to the staff break room. I don't believe there are any provisions for breakfast. Dinner is still TBD.

Some snacks will be provided, but you should be discreet or we might get in trouble with the venue.

There are many restaurants and shops around the venue, so there should be more options and less crowding, if you want to find your own food.

Shifts

The bulk of volunteers are needed from 8am to 6pm. We are aiming for 5-hour shifts in the morning and afternoon, which overlap around noon. This should enable you to enjoy the conference or having too long of a day.

We will need at least one volunteer with soundboard experience to support the evening events. Hopefully, this duty will rotate to a different volunteer each night.

Please fill out the Doodle Poll to list your availability. It is extremely easy to update your availability should things change. Scheduling will be handled on a day-by-day basis. http://doodle.com/poll/qpabdit4ugq555f5#table

Training

TBD.

Questions, concerns, complaints

You can aim most questions, concerns, complaints at Lan before, during, and after SCALE.