Chair

The Chair oversees the following areas/responsibilities:

• Charitable Giving
• Elections
• Historian
• Lifetime Members
• MoPOP Liaison
• Public Relations
• Marketing
• Timeline

The Chair's primary duties during the convention year are to, in concert with the Vice-Chair, set the tone and direction of the convention. The Chair and Vice Chair appoint the remainder of the executive team, plan and conduct the executive team retreat, and plan and preside over the monthly concom meetings.

Appointment of the Executive Team

The Chair and Vice Chair should, as soon as possible after the election, meet to discuss candidates for the various executive team positions. It is customary to interview any person expressing interest in one of those positions to evaluate their fitness for the role. If a suitable candidate does not present themself, it is encouraged to recruit, especially from among the pool of people who regularly attend concom meetings. Persons who are familiar with the culture and processes of the concom will have an easier time integrating into the executive team and have a successful planning year. Once all appointments are made, the entire exec team can be announced to the concom and the public through social media channels.

Prior to the convention the Chair and Vice-Chair shall meet to discuss and come to an agreement about the Vice-Chair’s role and responsibilities during the convention. It is recommended that the Vice-Chair be included when possible in decisions arising from unforeseen events.

The Chair must consider themselves on 24-hour duty during the convention. The Chair is strongly advised against the use of any substances that would cause intoxication and should use discretion if doing so. The Chair should not appear publicly intoxicated at any time. If they do so they may be removed from duty at the discretion of the Convention Services Director for such time as necessary for the Chair to recover. In the case that the Chair is unable to perform their duties the Vice-Chair shall assume all responsibilities as outlined in the policies.

The Chair's primary responsibilities during the convention are to meet and greet guests and attendees of the convention. They should make appearances at minimum to the opening and closing ceremonies, P.K. Dick Awards, Onions and Roses panel, Guest of Honor and Lifetime Member event, and preside over the Lifetime Membership awards if applicable. At these events, the Chair must be prepared to speak and is strongly advised to have prepared notes or a speech. If for some reason the Chair cannot attend one of these functions they may appoint a proxy. It is strongly advised that the Vice-Chair be asked to proxy as well as attend these events. The Programming Director and Special Events Director should notify the Chair of any other events that the Chair should attend.

The Chair shall make themselves available for all “midnight” meetings or meetings with the hotel as requested by the Convention Services Director. The Chair shall be available to the Programming Department and its director for consultation or to help resolve problems occurring with any Guest of Honor or professional guest as needed.

SPECIAL BADGES

POLICY: Norwescon may create special badges as necessary, including gold/silver name badges, back hall passes, press passes, etc.

PROCEDURE: Back hall passes may be created and made available to volunteers and convention staff that need access to the back hallways. The hotel employees use the pass as an identifier to know the person is allowed in the kitchen hallways. Gold or Silver Name Badges may be created for the Exec Team and those designated by the Chair and/or Vice-Chair. Badges shall be either gold or silver and shall include the designee’s name, their position/title, and “Norwescon”. Badges to be re-used annually listing only a title and “Norwescon” but without an individual designee’s name may be made at the discretion of an Exec team member.