| Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) Should I individually register if I am part of an exhibit / workshop that my company / organization is bringing to the Funfest?
Because we like to thank our volunteers after the event and also have preprinted name tags for everyone, we do ask that each person working in a booth register individually as a “volunteer”. The volunteers can specify the days that they will be at the Funfest and also which workshop / exhibit they will be working at. The booth owner should register with the exhibit and provide their contact information as the primary person that we will communicate with.
2) Do I have to participate both days?
Professional organizations / companies / educational institutions can register to bring an exhibit/workshop to the Funfest by registering their booth/workshop for the days that they plan to be at the Funfest. If you are part of an organization bringing an exhibit, but are not the "Exhibit Owner”, register as an individual “volunteer”. We do not require that you attend both days, but it is easier for all involved if you can! Of course, we are grateful for any time that you can volunteer to help make this wonderful event possible and flow smoothly. If you have any questions, please contact our planning committee at 794-5858 and someone will be happy to get back to you as quickly as possible.
3) How many kids should we expect each day and what are their age ranges?
We currently have more than 6000 students / teachers / chaperones registered to attend the Funfest (registration filled in 3 days this year – wow!). We try to maintain a maximum of about 3000 attendees a day, however, there have been times when school buses drop off kids that were not pre-registered. This makes it very hard for everyone when this happens, but we do our very best to discourage this behavior and do not give “walk-ins” any type of giveaways since our supplies are limited to those that had pre-registered. In general, we have also limited registration to grades 4th – 8th, however we do have a few high school groups from charter schools registered to attend.
4) Is there food available for purchase?
The TCC does not have any food vendors on site during the hours of the Funfest. However, the planning committee does host a complimentary continental breakfast for all volunteers. We encourage you to take at least one break throughout the morning and also DRINK LOTS OF WATER! Water bottles will be available for all volunteers to keep in their exhibit area.
5) Is parking free at the TCC?
Our very generous sponsors pay for volunteers parking which is normally $6 per day. Parking passes will be emailed out to you a few weeks prior to the event.
6) What should we wear?
We strongly encourage you to wear very comfortable clothes appropriate for whatever type of hands-on demonstration you will be doing. Please make sure that your clothing is age appropriate and not offensive to the students that will be attending. We strongly encourage you to wear polo shirts, T-shirts, lab coats with your companies/organizations logo on it to help advertise their involvement in the Funfest.
7) Can we sell anything or give out giveaways or handouts to the students and teachers?
Because we are providing a free field trip to local area schools, we do not allow you to sell any type of goods at the Funfest. However, we do encourage you to bring reference materials that you can hand out to the kids/teachers that attend. Handouts / giveaways advertising your organization and the work/service they provide are also encouraged. Each student will be given a plastic bag that can be used to collect various handouts / giveaways that you want to distribute. Please be sure that any materials that are distributed are age appropriate and non-offensive.
8) Are police officers or emergency medical teams available in the event of an accident?
We always have at least 3 off duty police officers roaming through the exhibit halls during the hours of the Funfest. We have emergency first aid kits available at the Raytheon Prize Booth and emergency medical teams can be called if necessary. We generally have a few doctors / nurses / firemen participating in the Funfest and they can be called upon if necessary. Please be sure to report any suspicious behavior on the part of the students to the appropriate authorities (any member of the Funfest planning committee that are patrolling the area at all times or the police officers that are at the Funfest). Also be sure to report any incidents that may occur to Sharon ONeal, the Funfest Director. Most schools want to know if their students are behaving in an inappropriate manner.
9) Why do you ask the volunteers to complete an evaluation?
Every year we have tried to incorporate lessons learned and improvements to the Funfest based on teacher and workshop owner feedback. Your comments are so important to us – we want the Funfest to be a great experience for all. Please do take the time to fill out the evaluations that are emailed to you or handed out at the event – we read each and every one of them!
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