DC Site Services

2009 DCSS Application is now live!

16 Mar 09

The 2009 DCSS calendar has been updated and DCSS PAAM is now accepting applications!

Hotbox Studios has made quite a few updates to the PAAM Application system and has also recently upgraded the company's IT infrastructure (details can be found here). As with any new thing there may be a few teething problems - please contact us if you experience any problems with the 2009 DCSS PAAM Application or the DCSS website.

DCSS quotes to festivals and events are still being bartered so if you don’t see a show you were hoping to work please keep an eye on the DCSS News as more will be added soon.

DCSS – applications will again be processed via https://dcss.paamapplication.co.uk/

CATs – applications will be processed via a new Hotbox Events CAT PAAM application. For further details please visit www.HotboxEvents.com

Regarding the separation of DCSS and HotBox Events CATs for those who have applied in previous years –

Your old account with the DCSS PAAM application will be as it was.

We will create a new account in the new HotBox Events CAT PAAM application for you.

We’ll let you know via PAAM when both applications are live.

You can then either:

1. Keep both accounts to apply for positions with DCSS and CAT (separately).
2. Delete one of the accounts if you only intend to apply to work with DCSS or CAT.

We’re separating the Hotbox Events CATs and DCSS as the joint website and application has confused so many in the past – hundreds applying to DCSS when they meant to apply to CAT and vice versa.

Due to third party trading regulations if you wish to work with both DCSS and CATs from 2009 onwards you will be required to pay two deposits – one to DCSS, one to Hotbox Events CATs. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do about this. CATs have always been run by Hotbox Studios Ltd (now by the trading name Hotbox Events but still part of Hotbox Studios Ltd), this being a different company to DC Site Services Ltd. Until 2008 all deposits were taken by Hotbox (CAT and DCSS), Hotbox then transferred DCSS only deposits to DCSS and held CAT and joint DCSS & CAT deposits. This worked well re some applicants applying to both DCSS and Hotbox CATs. In 2008 we setup a merchant account to replace PayPal – the idea to save both the applicants, DCSS and Hotbox money as the merchant account providers didn’t charge as much as PayPal does to process transactions. Although we detailed all on application for the merchant account after a couple of months the merchant account provider realised we were breaking their Terms and Conditions by third party trading (Hotbox taking payments on behalf of DCSS). Although we explained that we had advised this was our intention on application; as only using one merchant account was the logical choice saving both companies money and consolidating transactions; the merchant account providers decided they weren’t happy with our setup – this caused a lot of hassle, cost us a lot of money, and resulted in both companies (DCSS and Hotbox) reverting to separate PayPal accounts. As with the merchant account neither company can process transactions via PayPal on behalf of the other company, or hold deposits on behalf of the other company – either action would be third party trading and would break the Terms and Conditions of any payment processing provider. This is why you as an applicant now need to pay two deposits if you wish to work with both DCSS and Hotbox Events CATs in the same year, as you would need to pay a separate deposit if you wanted to work with Oxfam or another music festival staff or volunteer company. Sorry we did all we could to avoid this, save you and us money, although really don’t have any choice in the matter.

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