FRC Registration

The ideas here are based on working as registration supervisor for several years at the Seattle and Portland regional FRC events.

Preparation on Wednesday afternoon

Registration is faster if you prepare 'packets' for volunteers before registration begins. These packets will be laid out on tables behind the registration desk, in alphabetical order to make it easy to find. Thanks to Susan, Seattle's Volunteer Coordinator, for coming up with this great idea!

• Generate a list of the shirt sizes for each volunteer. You will want to have three groups, based on shirt style -- Judge, Safety Advisor, and T-shirt. (We give T-shirts to Referees since they don't get to keep the ref shirts.) Each of these three lists should be in alphabetical order.
• Print badge labels for everyone who will be at the event (e.g. not volunteers who are only doing website evaluation). Ideally, this will be in alphabetical order. It may also be useful to print Judge and Safety Advisor badges in separate groups since they get their own style of shirt.
• Put the badge labels onto badges and attach lanyards.
• Separate out the badges for Judges and Safety Advisors (if you didn't have separate lists above).
• Arrange the shirts into boxes / piles by size. (Do this and the next steps for each shirt style separately.)
• Have one person stand by the badges with the list of names and shirt sizes. This person will pick up the next badge, look up the size, then hand the badge to a 'bundler' and tell him/her the shirt size (and optionally check off the volunteer's name).
• The 'bundlers' take the badge, pick up a shirt of the appropriate size, then make a packet (see photo and description below). Place the packets in alphabetical order on the table. Depending on space and number of volunteers, you may need to overlap the packets so that not all badges are showing. As long as the front/top packet's badge is visible, the rest are easily found from the alphabetical order. (Preparing packets in reverse alphabetical order may make layout easier.)
• It seems like 3 'bundlers' is a good number to keep things rolling with no one spending much time waiting to give or receive a badge.
• Judges check in at different times from other volunteers, so their shirts can be kept separate. I like to integrate the safety advisor shirts in the sorted T-shirt layout.

To make a packet: fold the shirt in half, place the badge on it, wrap the lanyard around the shirt (over the top, down the back, to the bottom of the front), feed the badge through the lanyard, and bring the end of the loop to the top of the badge and the side straps behind the badge, securing the bundle, as shown below.

Ready for check-in Thursday morning. Volunteers will approach from the left.
Jennifer is in the 'ID check' area described below.

Check-in Thursday and Friday mornings

There are a lot of people showing up at nearly the same time, and they all want to get through the check-in / registration line as quickly as possibly to get to breakfast!

The registration area is comprised of three areas: forms, ID check, and express. I like to have one table available for each area.

1. The first table (as volunteers approach the check-in area) is set up with forms and pens; volunteers who need to fill out forms (not everyone remembers to bring them!) can work at this table.
2. Volunteers with completed forms line up at the second table, with ID ready to show.
3. Volunteers with badges (from check-in on prior days) get to go straight to the express line, just past the computer station at the third table.

It is most efficient to have four people working until the initial onslaught is over, about 30-45 minutes. (Note that the events I work both use stickers to indicate who is entitled to lunch each day; without that, you can work just fine with three people.)

• LINE -- make sure everyone is in the right place (forms, ID check, express) and remind volunteers to have ID ready to present. Part of this is helping to identify who needs to fill in the conflict of interest form; those jobs are listed on the form. Volunteers who are not pre-registered are asked to wait until the line is handled, although they can certainly work on filling out the requisite forms.
• PRE-SCAN -- check the volunteer's ID and use the name to find the packet. Place the packet in sequence next to the computer station, do not give it to the volunteer at this point. It is helpful to the person in the computer role if you periodically shift the packets down toward the computer.
• COMPUTER (scan) -- if the are any volunteers in the express line, scan their badges to record attendance; this line always takes precedence as it is very quick to do this scan. Once express line volunteers are handled, grab the next packet and scan the barcode on the badge; this is a quick way to find the volunteer's record. Update the record with forms received, shirt and pin given, etc. Hand the packet to the POST-SCAN person.
• POST-SCAN -- notify the computer operator when there are volunteers in the express line; it's very easy for the computer operator to get focused on the row of packets and forget to check the express line. After an express badge is scanned, apply the lunch sticker. When you get a packet from the computer operator, put a lunch sticker on the badge. Give the packet (and safety glasses) to the volunteer and remind them to check in each morning.

If your event does not use stickers or tickets for meals, you can eliminate the POST-SCAN role. The LINE role can help remind the computer operator about express line volunteers.

At the 2011 Seattle Olympic and Cascade double-event, we checked in 100 volunteers in 25 minutes on Friday morning: 60 returning volunteers (with badges) and 40 who received their packet that day.

Check-in Saturday morning

With fewer new-packet check-ins and badged volunteers already knowing to come to the express line to check in, registration on Saturday morning is fine without the line role. The pre-scan role can handle sending people to fill in forms as well as checking ID and getting packets. The post-scan role can help ensure that badged volunteers come to the express line.

Check-in other times

People tend to trickle in at various times. One person can easily handle this, although it's nice to have two people 'on duty' so they can each take breaks.