IM volunteering - what to plan on??

I can only speak for volunteering at IMLP, but that is a very popular race and it's a great experience volunteering at an event like that.

You could sign up for a particular job, or you could be in a general pool. I volunteered for transition security first shift and run aid station last shift. I didn't mind a long day and wanted to see the best and worst (i.e. the pros coming in after the swim, and the people struggling to make the cutoff). I only had to volunteer one day, but you needed at least 4 hours of time to be able to take advantage of volunteer registration on Monday.

It's a long day if you work last shift, and you will probably need to help break everything down. We got done around 1:30am. Food was provided but make sure you have water and suntan lotion, especially if its a hot day. I was totally fried by 3pm.

If you plan on racing the following year, get there early and swim/bike/ride as much of the course as possible. We went for four days and didn't sleep, just SBR, eat, and drink a ton of beer. It's an incredibly social and fun environment, both before and after race day. The day of the race is unlike anything else, electric is about the best way to describe it. It was what made me decide that I wanted to do IM distance, just to be a part of that. Take a ton of pictures as motivation for the long winter on the trainer.

Everyone who volunteered got registered. Even the absurdly long line was fun. Everyone was either wiped from racing, wiped from volunteering, and/or hung over. Talk about drinking the WTC cool-aid, people just can't wait to fork over their money

You sign up for a particular job.  I was a finish line catcher from 8-midnight.  Had to be there at 7.  So had all day to just chill out.

As far as I know, a race has never sold out before all the volunteers are in.  Even if they are popular and sell out fast, there area always spots enough to open online registration.

The line and wait were rediculous, so I would suggest getting there 30-60 minutes BEFORE they open up for registration.  I think I was on time or 30 minutes after they started, and the wait was a couple hours...  I'm just saying I would rather wait an hour BEFORE it opens, than two hours after it opens.

The only other obligation is the volunteer meeting, I think it's on Friday.  There is also a thank you meal, which I passed on to get home.

My husband and I volunteered at IMAZ last year just to volunteer. We happened to also have a tri-buddy that was racing. It was an amazing experience. The energy and atmosphere surrounding the event was electric.

I wouldn't take a shift during swim start as the swim start was one of the most spectacular things I've ever watched. We were on the opposite side of the river and it was really cool to see everyone take off. We volunteered at a run station mid-day and then went down to the finish line to see our tri-buddy finish. We didn't end up staying until midnight. Plan on it being a really long day. We were standing and walking form 5 am until 10 pm except for a bit of time we spent away from the race grabbing lunch. I echo making sure to bring plenty of water and sunscreen.The volunteer meeting was helpful only in that it was at the race site so we were able to scope out our parking plans for the next day. We did get helpful information that made the next day a bit easier.

For lodging, we stayed away from the race site as we were borrowing someones home. Before we had a free place to stay, I had scouted out somewhere that was further from the race site as the closer hotels were all very expensive. Knowing what I know about Madison, I'd bet the hotels in the area near the race will be expensive as there just aren't that many rooms within walking distance.

Madison is great. Make sure you grab ice cream at the University of Wisconsin student union before you go home. It's a must when you're in town!

I think the advice above is good, although I'd dare say get on line 2 hours before. At least that's what people were doing at IMLP this year (my buddy signed up for next year's race and he left at like 5:30....and said the line was long). We did the last aid station on the run from 8 PM-?. The cleanup is harder than anything. One regret I had is that, being my first ever IM, I was unable to get down to the finish for the last hour. We were a good mile away or so and it was incredible to hear. So, take that into consideration as to what shift(s) you grab.

The thank you meal is the evening after the race, so I can't imagine many people sticking around for that.

You'll just sign up for a shift, unless you sign up for "set up" or "tear down" there shouldn't be any of that involved.
I missed the volunteer meetings both years I did it - just emailed the captain and it was no big deal. 

Certain jobs fill faster than others. When I've looked, it seemed the last ones to go were things like run or bike pointers/marshals where you just stand there for hours. First to go are sometimes body marking and finish line catchers.

I've volunteered in T2 change tent twice - I liked that time of day as I got to watch the start, see people come out of the water, sight see and grab some lunch, then volunteer. After that I had plenty of time to eat dinner, have a beer, and still see everyone I knew finish.

If you really want to volunteer that's great, but you don't have to in order to get into the race the next year. IM WI sold out in record time this year and it was still on-line for several hours. Again, if you want to volunteer for other reasons I think that is a great thing to do.

Hello, TriMike
  I've responded to your questions in red.

Plan on working hard, learning a lot, and having a blast.

AT IMLP we had to do at least one four hour shift to get preferential registration. I wound up working for 12 hours.

I volunteered for T1 ladies tent this year at IMLP. We checked in with our captain around 6am, went over our jobs, and then we watched the swim start. It was crazy busy for awhile and then quiet once everyone was out on the bike. I had so much fun,I returned for T2 until the bike cutoff time. I took a few hours off and then did my shift from 8-midnight on the  run course. I was in line for registration at 6am the next morning and was registered by 9am or so.

I did spend $ on a hotel room for 4 nights (minimum #of nights) and I only stayed for 2nights. I saw a lot of the town, race venue, determined where to park and generally got the logistics figured out for 2013.It was an expensive weekend but getting to see the race and athletes in action is invaluable.

It was a great experience and I met some wonderful people who I look forward to racing with next year.

have you looked at the volunteer videos on Ironman.com?  you might find some useful information there, and get a better idea about which things you might want to do as a volunteer.

Enjoy! and thanks for volunteering.