AFTERBURN REPORT 2006
GREETERS
Greeters are the grinning face of Burning Man, the first happy contact between participants and Black Rock City. Greeters welcome you home to the desert. This is a vital role that helps shape perceptions and expectations of both first-time and long-time participants. It's also the one and only guaranteed chance to communicate with each participant on a one-to-one basis. In short, the mandated goal of greeting is the orientation and education of every participant before setting him or her loose to explore Black Rock City…and that which is Burning Man.
What a difference a year of learning and training makes. 2006 was more successful, and so much simpler, than 2005.
In 2005, a new Greeters council was created. In 2006, this amazing council knew what needed to be done and did it well. Whether by phone or in person at the Burning Man offices, Greeter council meetings were held on a regular basis throughout the year. Greeter trainings were held in both Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Greeters began the collation and station-building process on Wednesday, August 23rd. Collation and setup teams completed their tasks in a timely manner, and greeters began welcoming participants home at noon on Friday, August 25th. The station closed at midnight on Friday, September 1st. Greeter volunteers and theme camps did an amazing job keeping the station manned and rocking 24/7.
What worked well this year:
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Collating at the Greeters Station was incredibly successful again.
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Camera tags continued to be
successful. New tags were designed in 2005, and the design still
works great.
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The spanking coupon that was
created in 2005 worked well again this year, and the issues
surrounding spanking continued to decrease.
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The beacons installed in 2004 as
lane dividers were once again a beautiful and functional part of the
Greeters station.
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As in 2005, many participants
simply showed up at the station to help collate, set up, tear down,
and greet. Some of these unscheduled folks were the best greeters
yet.
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Our computer guru re-wrote the
Greeters sign-up schedule, making it easier for participants to sign
up and manage their own schedules. The schedule was nicely balanced
between greeters and theme camps in 2006.
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Beautiful new bells were
introduced in 2006 and appreciated by all. Historically, virgin
participants ring the bell when entering the city. But even
old-timers like to ring the bell.
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In 2005, we recognized a safety
issue at Greeters Station: Staff vehicles were driving through the
parking area where incoming traffic and participants were buzzing
around. In 2006, an additional trash fence at the station alleviated
this problem.
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Communication between teams was
much better in 2006 than in recent years.
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The Burning Man placement team
did an awesome job. The greeter and placement teams worked really
well together.
2006 challenges and solutions:
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A common question from
participants entering the city on Saturday and Sunday was "What's
up with this new early arrival policy?" This led us to
consider stepping up efforts to publicize the new policy. Many
people entering the city had no idea about the change in policy,
which made for some drama.
-
An unknown entity removed the
Greeters flags and one of the greeting bells on Friday night after
the station was closed. These need to be replaced for 2007. In
order to alleviate the theft problem going forward, all flags and
bells will be locked up before station closing on Friday night.
The list of what worked well is so much longer than the list of challenges for 2006. In all, 2006 was a big success. Our greeters, theme camps and Greeter council members should be proud of what they achieved this year.
Submitted by,
Deb Stiers AKA Topless Deb
Greeters Project Manager
