Kumoricon
Convention Events and Programming => Get Involved => Get Involved Archives => Topic started by: babysugarbear28 on February 17, 2009, 05:28:53 am
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Were you around in 2006 (the year of the red lion)? Have you had to wait in line what seems like forever to get checked in? Want to make things go faster?
Well we are looking for more registration staff for 2009! The more people we have working registration the less work each person has to do! So the more the merrier! I need motivated people who aren't afraid of attendees who are willing to help out during the year (not mandatory but very much so welcomed especially if you are local to Portland area) to help with the prep/sending of badges, and are willing to at con check in pre-registered attendees and/or help with at con registration taking people's registrations/money and giving them the badges they need. I need people that can work in a team and would love people that have some people experience. This looks great on a future resume and can be used as reference material. Also you are more likely to get sleep at night if you come party with the Reg Monkey's...
Come join us!
Registration Manager
Rachael
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I've already let Mike know, but I figured I'd say it here too, I can help with Reg, throughout the year. But not during con. So any badge making, mailing, etc, I'm all for!
~Kate
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i could help out at the con with registartion
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Awesome guys!!
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I would be willing to help out with registration. I can't work until June because of school, but I can work during the summer and during the con.
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well from what i saw with working with peoples before the con that is when they need help the most ^_^
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I can be reg monkey? Sign me up please! I sent an email to registration@kumoricon.org already with contact info.
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Is there a plan to implement some kind of system where registration people can look up information quickly, rather than thumbing through printouts and then crossing off names? Is there some kinda plan to have a database back-end with web based front-end so registration people can simply enter someone badge number and call up their information and get the process through quicker?
If not, is there anything I can do to help plan/implement such a system?
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Is there a plan to implement some kind of system where registration people can look up information quickly, rather than thumbing through printouts and then crossing off names? Is there some kinda plan to have a database back-end with web based front-end so registration people can simply enter someone badge number and call up their information and get the process through quicker?
If not, is there anything I can do to help plan/implement such a system?
You are probably going to need mySql or some personal database stuck on a server or your home computer to pull this off. Aside from the database you are also going to need Apache as a front end. Once you have that you are going to need someone to code in the pages with either HTML or PHP esp. if you want to connect up to the database with a valid password and user name.
There probably is already a database for kumoricon registered users but allowing specific access to them would require someone to go through and categorize all of the people since there are different types of people that can access stuff, like the president vs a cosplayer.
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There probably is already a database for kumoricon registered users but allowing specific access to them would require someone to go through and categorize all of the people since there are different types of people that can access stuff, like the president vs a cosplayer.
Actually, I was thinking a registration database dump into MySQL. Then use Apache's .htaccess directives to control who has access to what screens.
Example:
/var/www/html/update/ This would be the folder where the various change/update pages are. Those pages would be used to update age, address, do they have parent form, etc.... Limited to the registration staff that can has update rights.
/var/www/html/register/ This would be where the new registration pages are run from. Only accessible by the people working the day-of sign up table.
/var/www/html/checkin/ This is where the general lookup to see if someone is registered would be at. All registration personnel can login to these pages. Much like the paper lists at previous cons.
This is all assuming that there isn't a good Drupal module for this. I have looked, but all of the Drupal modules for events are focused around presenters and back-end stuff, not registration/checkin of attendees. However, you never know, there might be something that can be used.
As for hardware, you would need either a laptop or desktop at each table, and then the server, which doesn't have to be much if you are only hosting a MySQL database and Apache web-server. My biggest concern would be connectivity. If wireless, how is it being setup to insure that no one else is getting on that segment. Not just for privacy reasons, but it would be pretty bad if a lot of people were hopping on the wireless and slowing the entire connection down enough that the registration people couldn't lookup information. If wired, then who is setting it up, where are the cables running, and is everything working before registration starts.
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I was up at Sakura-Con last weekend and they used all wireless computers for their registration. They were all the Asus Eee Box attached to an LCD screen. They had two workstations in the back that acted as the servers (best guess was one primary/one backup) attached to a wireless access point.
I would contact their registration department ASAP to learn how they pulled it off and see if instead of reinventing the wheel, if Kumoricon could license the setup from them (since they're only using for 3 days out of the year anyhow). I bet it would be cheap...
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I would contact their registration department ASAP to learn how they pulled it off and see if instead of reinventing the wheel, if Kumoricon could license the setup from them (since they're only using for 3 days out of the year anyhow). I bet it would be cheap...
Even if they can't lease/rent/loan/etc the hardware, they can go over what was being used. Was it open source software, modified open source, or a proprietary package? Anything to get the ball going.
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Sakura-Con built a registration system from the ground up, which also handles their pre-reg, and staff registration and approval. I am not sure of very many of the details or of how complete it is.
We would like to have something like this eventually too. One of our staff is working on a pre-reg system, and I think some of the reg staff are exploring options for at-con check-in.
If you have PHP and MySQL experience, you'd be a big help to our staff... however I will need to coordinate with other people on our staff to see the direction we'd want to go with this.
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Sakura-Con built a registration system from the ground up, which also handles their pre-reg, and staff registration and approval. I am not sure of very many of the details or of how complete it is.
Do you know anyone from there and/or has anyone been in contact with them?
We would like to have something like this eventually too. One of our staff is working on a pre-reg system, and I think some of the reg staff are exploring options for at-con check-in.
Do you know what they have been working on and if they are working together on this?
If you have PHP and MySQL experience, you'd be a big help to our staff... however I will need to coordinate with other people on our staff to see the direction we'd want to go with this.
Egads. Yeah, but I may need to find a graphic designer to work with on the look of it. I am a tech, so my idea of aesthetics would probably require a large amount of eye-bleach after using it!
I would like to contact the folks from Sakura-con and find out what they used, and then see what the other reg people are up to. Maybe, things can either be worked in together, or at least keep multiple people from banging their heads on the same problems, I am sure there will always be more problems than people to fix them.
Thanks
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I suggest setting up a home secure network. Ppl who try to access it won't even touch the bandwidth so don't need to worry about performance. Its when ppl get inside the network. Drupal seems like a good bet to filter out the ppl into classes, but tagging them into something like an LDAP architecture would even speed up searching for users with specific permissions.
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I know PHP and Mysql. I would be willing to help out. Also, I could help setup the network if you need any help. I have a Debian box laying around that I can host all the required information off of (Apache, PHP, Mysql, etc...).
If you would like me to make some sort of web page to handle all of the check in then let me know. I should be at the meeting on Sunday, so if you will be there I can talk to you if you'd like.