Some people have heard of the ORLOKS and I'm sure just as many (or more) haven't.  Perhaps you have asked, or are now asking, who is this enigmatic group of individuals who have been an official part of the KublaCon staff for 3 years now.  To answer that question we must delve into the Kubla History archives.  Cue the flashback music please…

After KublaCon 2003 we were looking at rapidly rising attendance figures and had just spent our first year in a much larger location.  Many of our department heads had staggering lists of responsibilities that often extended well out of their own departments and into the category of “general convention responsibilities”.  I had just spent that year on staff as Assistant Director of Events and had spent much of my time running around and trying to take care of those other responsibilities so that our Department Directors could stay focused.  But I really couldn't do it all alone.

After the convention I proposed a team whose sole responsibility would be “the grease that makes the convention run smoothly”.  We would have a whole team of people who would be everywhere, assisting our guests in finding rooms or events around the convention, lending a hand with tours, checking attendee badges, dealing with minor security issues, and generally lending a hand to the rest of our staff where it was needed most.

I spent most of the next year assembling and organizing that team, and I quickly realized that it would need a name ­ something to give the team identity and purpose, as well as something easy to call over the radio when you needed a hand.  I did a little research and found out that the Mongol lieutenants were called “orloks”.  It was easy to say, memorable, and certainly fit into our whole Kubla theme.  I also found that with a little work it could be made into a descriptive acronym:

             Operational

             Resources and

             LOgistical

             KublaCon

             Staff

And thus, the ORLOKS were born.

The team has filled a variety of niches throughout the last few years, many of which were foreseen and perhaps a few that weren't, but our core purpose has remained unchanged ­ our job is still to make the convention run as smoothly as possible, not only for the rest of the KublaCon staff but for our guests.  You will see us all over the convention in our maroon vest or shirts, just like the rest of the staff.  As a matter of fact, you may not be able to tell the difference between the Orloks and the rest of the staff… ‘cuz we’re ALL here to help you have a great – and safe – time!

Peter Tidd is "ORLOKS" prime -- meaning he's in charge of the Orloks at KublaCon. Peter's been on the team for a few years now... and this will be his first year as the official lead Orlok. Please say "Hi" to him... and don't hesitate to ask him for help with anything!