Since for many years I served at many levels of Convention Administration for 5000-6000 attendance (small conventions), I think back and shake my head at the control freak policies. Do any of you remember? When I used to attend 8 day conventions, (3 sessions a day 9:00-12:00 1:30-4:30 6:00-9:00) departments were huge to organize. So following is the SIMPLIFIED version after conventions were reduced to finally 3 days
Food service - Remember islandizing? You had to stack everything on the serving counter EXACTLY like the diagram. And the bethel representative's were there to check you out. If your 15 year old wanted to help - NO WAY - 16 and up only!!
Rooming - Years ago, we actually used to go door to door and ask for rooms from the public. We would offer 2.00 a day. We used hotels mostly so they finally gave that up. Nowadays, -What a joke. The approved list, was 2 nice hotels and then a declining list of flea and roach traps. If your service meeting schedule is early in the week in January, you "supposedly" get to call first to book a room. - Ha ha ha - all gone JW's don't follow the rules, Hotels don't follow the arrangements, rooming overseers agree to supervise this circus because it gets them on THE CONVENTION COMMITTEE - and a platform part guaranteed. Motels comp about 1 room in 10 for groups, (the bus driver gets a free room) The society gets comp rooms too and make them available to CO, DO, Bethel heavies, and occasionally to a rank-n-file (FOR A "DONATION" - don't dare forget to donate- they will call you in to remind you- seriously) The worst part was JW's with special handicaps that needed special rooms and were willing to pay for them. They have to go through the rooming department brothers to make the special arrangements. Can you imagine year after year trusting some brother who doesn't know your condition to book the right room? People were much better at making there own arrangements.
Accounting - last time I ran this department it took 280 volunteers. This is to ensure ample personally supervised collection boxes, security, counters, the bookkeeper, etc. Why don't they just send a letter with a suggested per publisher $$ to each congregation 1-2 months before the convention (like they do for CO cars and insurance) At a circuit assembly, administration knows all income, expense, and donations. Not so at the big DC. The accounting department collects money, counts it ,drops it in WBTS bank account, done - no checks to write, no reports. Only Brooklyn knows the operation gain after expenses. Direct negotiations for all conventions in that city for the summer go through one brother. Many times a city donates the facility for free to attract all these out-of-towners. Rock bands use the facility, the crowd trashes it, and the band takes the ticket sale revenue from the local citizens and leaves town. JW's come from out of town and spend money in the city, so the city likes that of-course.
Attendants - Recruit 250 - 300 appointed brothers. Control thousands at the opening stampede. People line up hours before to run to the best seats. Caring for the elderly and handicapped was a huge (and important)issue. Policing the hallways for worldly stalkers hitting on young sisters. Helping control the rush for new releases after sessions were over. Big JOB
Convention field service. Let's go out in a strange town in 105 degree heat, with our little kids, get lost, knock on doors to inform householders how grand it is for them that we are having a convention in their town. Who's great idea was this?
Administration Committee members can ask for some re-imbursement from the society for postage-phone-etc. Most don't. However, the Bethel Convention department told us once that they received requests for phone reimbursements from one committee when 'they all lived within 45 minutes of each other and could have just had another meeting'. That's when I really understood how out of touch these people are. Elders need more meetings. Put down the phone, tell the family good-bye again, drive 45 minutes spending gas money, to save a phone call???? Then he said 'even though some of you don't turn in your expenses, are you really showing respect for Jehovah's dedicated funds?'
Ok - thats a few of mine - who else?