Interested in making a difference with our growing convention? Now in its eleventh year, Midwest FurFest has made the move to one of the largest hotels in the Chicagoland area.  While that means that more of your furry friends will be able to join us in celebrating the Chicago Blues, like any big concert, that means we're going to need a lot of roadies to make our performance this year go off without a hitch. Midwest FurFest is staffed entirely by volunteers - no one from our Chairman to department track heads to our security staff gets paid for what they do.

So, won't you help us out by volunteering? It's easy, fun, and there are some great benefits to pitching in.

What kind of stuff would you be asked to do? That depends on you, and what you like doing.

1. Door Duty - For the safety and comfort of our conventioneers, the hotel's convention-only space are for use only for Midwest FurFest's registered guests. All you need to do is to make sure that folks are displaying their convention badges while they're in our convention areas.
2. Logistics - Have a good, strong back and a willingness to help us get our stuff from our storage unit, set up, and then put back when the convention is over? Are you a Mr. Fix-it kind of person? We can always use help to make sure the site is set up and taken down flawlessly, as quickly as possible.
3. Info Desk - Finding your way around a large hotel in unfamiliar territory can be baffling, especially in a new hotel as large as this one. People always have questions, ranging from where and when panels are to how to get in touch with staff, even to making restaurant recommendations. If you like helping people and making your fellow furries' convention experience as stress-free as possible, we can use your help
4. Convention Suite and Headless Lounge: Is hospitality more to your liking? Help us serve snacks and drinks to tired and thirsty conventioneers in our con suite, or make sure there are plenty of cold towels and glasses of water available for fursuit performers.
5. Duties As Assigned: Filling in for staff for those foreseeably unforeseen events which invariably come up, or just pitching in for odd jobs as they arise.

What's in it for you? First off, you'll have the thanks of our entire staff, as well as the knowledge that you helped pull off the best Midwest FurFest yet. But there are other benefits, too! For any amount of service you get a T-shirt with exclusive artwork designed by one of our guests of honor, and a ribbon identifying you as being part of our army of convention volunteers. For ten hours of logged service you'll get a free "rollover" membership to MFF 2011. You won't even have to re-register, we'll even take care of the paperwork for you, meaning you get to zip through the pre-registered line next year, pick up your badge, and you don't even have to lift a finger to do it. Plus, hours logged before opening ceremonies or after closing ceremonies count double toward your total.

So, would you like to help? There are a couple of ways of signing up. You can contact us ahead of time at this address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and let us know your availability and desired position. You can also sign up at the door; we'll have gofer log sheets and documentation available at the info desk from the moment the convention starts. Or, if you're the hero type, you'll know we're in need of someone to jump in and assist us when you see the big "Volunteers Needed" light turn on.

If you have any questions, or need information, you can email us at : This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Thank you for your interest in helping out for our biggest year yet, and see you in November for Midwest FurFest 2010: The Chicago Blues!