Behind the Scenes at HauntCON 2007 - A Volunteer Speaks Up

As you explored all of the things that HAuNTcon 2007 had to offer you may have noticed the constant presence of many different people wearing purple volunteer stiff t-shirts. I was one of these stiffs and it was a very unique experience. Most of the volunteers were comprised of members of the Motor City Haunt Club and with the leadership of Karen Murphy we began brainstorming and working on the convention many months in advance.

My main function for the convention was to write many of the press releases for the event. They may not have made it into print exactly as written but it was still a lot of fun to see my work posted on hauntcon.com along with being inside of the HAuNTcon program and on the signage for the Chef Gore R D competition (which Leonard Pickel was kind enough to let me have as a souvenir). You may have also encountered me as the zombie who checked you into the Costume Ball.

Others in the group worked tirelessly to make sure that you had an amazing time by answering your questions, bringing you the many t-shirts and other fun stuff that was tossed out during the Costume Ball, sponsoring the Chef Gore R D competition, being your bus captain on the haunt tours, etc.

Working behind the scenes made me appreciate the convention on a different level – it is amazing the sheer magnitude of what it takes to put on an event of this size. Leonard and Jeanne Pickel (along with Leonard’s parents) go through a huge undertaking each and every year. The event may not be perfect but the (very small) crew at hand works around the clock for five days straight.

I had an opportunity to have many discussions with Leonard and Jeanne and they were very gracious and open to answering my questions. The other rewarding thing about working behind the scenes is that I was introduced to many influential people that I may never have met otherwise. I am in the process of putting together plans for my own haunt so this level of networking was more than worth the time and effort that I put into the convention.

Putting personal time into the event for months before it began made the convention itself that much more real and personal for me and I also enjoyed helping to showcase and hype Metro Detroit’s haunts to attendees from around the world. I encourage those in the haunt industry to participate if HAuNTcon comes into your home town area – you’ll work hard and come out of the week very exhausted but in hindsight the connections you make will be more than worth it!

-zorak163