Related to the previous poll question about what makes a good Filk Guest:

How does a good concom work with a guest?

I'm especially interested in replies from concom members and those who have been Filk Guests in the past.

Please post your suggestions using the comment form at the bottom of this page. Also see the responses to this Dandelion Report LJ entry.

From Bill Sutton (GAFilk):

"Communicate with your guest early and often.
Don't assume your guest knows the drill. He/she may never have been a guest before, in fact may never have travelled on someone else's dime before. Be prepared to walk through every part of the process, from arranging transportation through checking in when the billing is to the convention.

Be specific and explicit when offering the guestship as to: what the con is paying for, what the con is NOT paying for, what activities are expected from the guest, what activities are NOT expected, requested arrival and departure dates. Specify treatment of "guests of the guest" such as partner, children, groupies, etc. in terms of memberships, banquet tickets, room arrangements, and such like.

If the guest is arriving by public transportation, provide someone from the concom to pick up at the particular terminal/airport/station. The only exception should be when the guest is spending time before or after the convention on his/her own - in this case, it is OK to leave transport to or from the hotel up to the guest, but be sure everyone understands the plan.

Don't monopolize your guest! You brought the guest in to be available to attendees of the convention, not as private entertainment for the concom. The reason I like to ask guests to arrive Thursday and leave Monday is so the concom can spend some time with them before and after the convention.

Don't Overprogram! A guest who is doing a concert should have at least an hour and a half (preferably more) of completely free time (time when it is understood he/she will be totally unavailable) prior to the concert. A good rule of thumb is no more than 2 hours of focal point programming (panel/concert where heavy contribution is expected) and no more than an additional 2 hours of "being there" programming (banquet, "meet the guests" session, etc.) per 12-hour convention day. Pro-rate for Friday and Sunday, of course, and remember that autograph sessions can be exhausting for some guests.

Don't expect that your guest will automatically become a regular attendee of the convention in future years. Sometimes this happens, but frequently guests simply get invited too many places to add them all to their list. After all, you probably brought this guest in because your convention isn't a normal stop for him/her."

Related FAQ:
What makes a good Filk Guest of Honor?

The committee should state clearly in the invitation what expenses are going to be covered by the convention, and what duties are going to be expected from the guest.

If at all possible, the guest should be scheduled to arrive on the evening before the convention starts, and allowed to get a solid night's sleep. Being able to stay Sunday night for the Dead Dog party should also be offered. (Sometimes the Guest's employers aren't cooperative on this, though.)

If the guest is driving in, and has never been to this particular hotel before, super-clear directions (preferably accompanied by a map) should be provided.

Somebody from the committee should be around to meet the guest & assist with hotel check-in and baggage hauling.

You don't have to quote the technical details on this one, but it is an example of the kind of small personal emergency the concom should be prepared to assist with. I was Filk Guest at a convention 3 months after my daughter Sharon was born, and my Female System chose that weekend to officially declare itself back in gear. I had to beg a sanitary pad from one concom member and request that somebody be sent out to get me a box of the things. They complied cheerfully, and ISTR would not let me reimburse the person who did the errand.

Once you ask someone to be a guest, and they comply, stay in contact with them. Even if it's just a "hi, we're still here, working away" kind of thing. There's nothing more annoying that being asked into a guest position, then feeling ignored until 1 week before the event.

Travel arrangements should be made AT LEAST one month in advance, so people know how to plan. Let the guest know you are working on it, and when to expect an itinerary.

Keep them informed of the program items you want them to be a part of. Connect them with the other guests via email far ahead of time. If the guests have some discussion before the con, who knows what cool stuff they could come up with?

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