Grand Prix: Indianapolis 2015 presented by Pastimes

Welcome to Grand Prix: Indianapolis 2015!

Be a part of the greatest Open Enrollment tournament series in the world.  Welcome to Grand Prix: Indianapolis.  This is going to be an exciting Magic weekend with lots of special events, contests for judges, culminating in a special Magic experience for all our guests.   We are looking for friendly, knowledgeable, professional individuals with a goal of providing exceptional guest service through the entire Grand Prix experience.  If this sounds like you, then we welcome you to apply within and be a part of the amazing team that will make this a memorable and Magical weekend.

Expectations

All staff members are expected to perform in a professional manner that reflects positively on the rest of the event staff, the Tournament Organizer, Wizards of the Coast and the Judge Program.  We desire team members that diligently seek to promote a fun, exciting environment for everyone to enjoy.  This also includes avoiding activities that could in any way negatively affect a staff member’s performance.

All staff members are expected to dress professionally throughout the weekend, with all clothing clean and neat.  Staff members who do not meet this expectation will be sent to remedy the situation immediately or will be removed without compensation.  Judges are expected to wear the Magic Judge shirt, plain undershirt, black belt, black pants (tactical pants are acceptable, jeans are highly discouraged), black socks, and black shoes.  Staff members in a judging role will adhere to the above dress guidelines, donning the Pastimes staff shirt instead of the Magic judge shirt while working in a non-judging role.  Staff shirts will be provided as needed.  

In preparation for Grand Prix: Indianapolis, we are expecting that all staff members attend one of two live webinars pertaining to event weekend details and customer service.  These webinars will be one hour in duration, focusing on the event structure, operations, and the guest experience.

Judges are expected to report on-time, prepared to give best effort toward the event weekend at whatever times they are scheduled during the weekend.  Pastimes will assign shifts for Friday, while the Head Judge will assign shifts in coordination with Pastimes for Saturday and Sunday.  You are expected to be available on Sunday until at least 6:00pm and we will be asking/preferring individuals who are more flexible with schedule and/or can stay later on Sunday.  

There will also be additional product compensation provided to individuals willing to take on essential non-judging roles to contribute to our event weekend’s complete success.

Acceptance Procedures

We will be accepting staff members shortly after the application deadline, with most judges receiving two days on the schedule (Friday/Saturday or Saturday/Sunday).  If you absolutely need to be scheduled all three days to be on staff for this event, please note that in your application.

Compensation

Compensation has been a challenging topic for judges and organizers alike over the past several months.  In our compensation offering, we have several goals that we hope to achieve.

1. Provide a compensation structure that equitably rewards judges without bias for distance traveled to attend the event.

2. Build the best event team possible by incentivizing staff consistency and expertise.

3. Allocate resources to individuals who do need additional assistance so that travel does not preclude excellent tournament judges from attending events.

Apart from our base compensation package listed below, we are enacting three key initiatives that we believe will help achieve these objectives.

Pastimes Frequent Judging Program

1. L2+ judges may be selected for the “Pastimes Frequent Judging Program.”  Pastimes is looking for judges willing to judge GP: Dallas/Ft. Worth, GenCon (3 or 4 days) and GP: Indianapolis.  Judges selected for this program will receive an additional $200 upon completion of judging two of the three events listed, or $400 upon completion of judging all three events listed.  You need to apply separately for this program, which can be found at http://apps.magicjudges.org/events/3170/

   
   Applications for this program will close Monday, May 11th.  

Pastimes Management Teams

1. Level 3+ Team Leads will be chosen by Pastimes and will receive additional compensation.  This role is an all-day role instead of being based on shift schedule.  To apply for a Team Lead position, please indicate this in the application.

Travel Sponsorship

1. Limited travel sponsorships will be available on an as-needed, budget available basis.  Please indicate “Travel Sponsorship” in the drop-down menu to apply for travel, explaining in your cover letter the need for travel award.

All judges will be receiving a Grand Prix: Indianapolis playmat, a Pastimes Side Event playmat, and a Pastimes water bottle.  L3+ judges will be provided the option to have their product shipped domestically at no additional cost.  There will be no additional compensation or stipend for food, travel, or hotel.

Compensation based on level is as follows:

Level 1 judges will receive $75.00 and 1 booster display per day worked.

Level 2 judges will receive $150.00 and 1 booster display per day worked.

Level 3+ judges will receive $200.00 and 3 booster displays per day worked.

For example, a Level 2 judge working on Saturday/Sunday would receive:

1 - GP: Indianapolis Playmat

1 - Pastimes Event Playmat

1 - Pastimes Water Bottle

2 - Booster displays of Battle for Zendikar.

Hotels and Lodging

Details on the event hotel block and pricing will be made available shortly.  Please note that we are not providing lodging for this event, but will provide information so you can take advantage of GP room block pricing should you so choose.

Required Paperwork

All staff members are independent contractors, and as such are required to submit paperwork for each Grand Prix, even if you have judged at a prior GP with Pastimes.  This includes:

1.  Completion of the Staff Emergency Google Form - link will be shared on the event forum.

2.  Completion of either a W-9 for US citizens or W-8BEN for non-US persons.

3.  Non-US persons are also required to obtain any applicable work visas as needed.

Testing

Testing opportunities are available on Sunday morning at this event. If you are interested in testing, please include this request in your application, or contact steven@pastimes.net.  Any staff requesting testing will have to be scheduled. If you do not request to test at least two weeks prior to GP: Indianapolis with all prerequisites completed, we will be unable to test you at this event.

Additional Questions

If you have any questions about the event weekend or applying for this event, please email Steven Briggs at steven@pastimes.net   You can also email questions or comments to the Tournament Organizer at alan@pastimes.net