In short - staffing requirements. The Atlanta Marriott Marquis has four banks of elevators all loaded in the same place. In addition, there are three separate floors where guests can enter and exit the elevator. We’ve spent a lot of time looking at the numbers and the volunteer deployment to manage the elevators. This extra elevator management alone would require a new staff equal to half of our current staff level for the entire convention. That’s a lot of volunteers.
Additionally, hiring private security personnel to manage the process for us will create a financial burden so significant for FWA that the cost of registration would have to be increased significantly to keep FWA afloat.
By combining the deployment of FWA staff and private security, we’re aiming to maximize the amount of time we can manage the elevators and will do everything we can to provide the best experience possible.
As stated, the biggest problem is personnel to help manage this process. Please consider, and encourage your friends to join our Crowd and Line Management Department - The Zookeepers, to help us manage the elevator lines as much as possible. You can apply to our staff here.