Accounting/Box Office
Accounting
Accounting at Burning Man is a time-consuming process that
spans the entire year. We are responsible for keeping the financial books
and paying bills on time. We manage the Project's banking, credit card, and
insurance relationships, as well as reviewing contracts, managing several
vendors, and filing 
reports to satisfy various federal and state agencies.
The year 2002 brought major change to the accounting team with the replacement
of two part-time people with two new Bean Counters who have stepped up to
the job and taken their place in the broad effort to make Burning Man happen.
Box Office
The box office, located
at the gate to Black Rock City, is managed by the finance department and staffed
by a select crew of a couple dozen fun, smart people. It's a tight crew of
nearly 100% alumni that assembles once a year on the desert. The contingent
assembles from Santa Cruz, Seattle, and British Columbia on the left coast
to and Virginia on the right coast, as well as Reno, Winnemucca, Salt Lake
City, and other places in between. In fact, some hailed from as far away as
England. This year, crew members participated in the establishment of three
separate theme camps.
The operation runs 24 hours
per day for 10 days, delivering over 5,000 will call tickets and selling tickets
to last-minute purchasers. Continuity is important, and we hope that circumstances will
allow the return of past team members who were unable to join us on the playa
this year. The experience and confidence gained through involvement during
the previous year training such as briefing shift leads regarding refinements
to process and policies and an overview of the Burning Man Operations Manual
and radio protocols. These leaders in turn oriented their shift members who
arrived for duty. Radios and pagers assured that assistance was always at
hand for those wacky situations that always arise. (Boredom is never a problem.)
Getting to interact with participants just as they are arriving on the playa
is a unique opportunity that we truly enjoy. Being far from camp, we take
care of the need for munchies with a little stash in the office, but the crew
especially loves the goodies gifted to them by people picking up their tickets.
We love to welcome you to the Playa—but we still recommend that you buy your
ticket early, keep it safe, and we'll see you in Black Rock City 2003.
Submitted by,
Thorny
Click here to read the 2001 Box Office Report.