Eastercons are organised by volunteers who participate in their spare time (and, like any hobby, at their own cost). We rely on other members of the convention volunteering with extra help around the event itself to make everything happen. This time, for an Eastercon that’s online as well as onsite, we have additional roles for online volunteers. (And if you’ve joined the convention Discord server, you can volunteer there before or during the con.)
Read on if you think you might like to get more involved in helping with Conversation 2023:
- Why volunteer?
- What can I do?
- Examples of some volunteer roles
- How to get involved
- What happens next?
Our programme is almost full, so we may not be able to take on many more item suggestions, but more participants are welcome! If you want to be involved with the programme, please email programme@conversation2023.org.uk.
Thank you to everyone who’s already offered to help.
Why volunteer?
Not every Eastercon member needs to volunteer – but it makes things easier if lots of people do.
Volunteering is a way to contribute to the success of an event that you and other members are enjoying; it can also be a good way to get to know more people and to try things out. Whether you’re a seasoned volunteer or a first-timer, your help will be valued by the committee and by other Conversation attendees.
As thanks for volunteering, and in particular recognising the higher costs of food and drinks in a hotel while people are contributing time and effort to help, conventions often offer volunteer ‘reward tokens’ (which can be used to buy things around the con) and other bonus items such as T-shirts. We want to have a fair approach to recognise the contributions of all volunteers – before and during the convention, both on site and online – and will ensure it’s clear to all our volunteers by the time of the con how we’d like to thank people for their help.
What can I do?
We need help with all types of tasks: some organisation before the con, some practical help to move in and set up (and to pack up at the end), and lots of roles during the convention itself. We’re looking for help from online members as well as people who will be able to attend in person, so that the convention goes well for all participants.
Some tasks can be done by individuals, although many will be as part of a team. Some will involve being creative, some being organised, and some both at once. If you want to know more, there are brief descriptions on the volunteer form of some areas where we need help, and some more examples on the Finding your role page.
Don’t worry if you’d like to volunteer but you’re not sure what you could do. You don’t have to choose a specific task or role in advance. Any experience you’ve got from running other conventions or events could be useful, as could skills and experience at work, from your studies or with other leisure activities.
Above all, we need people who want to contribute to making Conversation an enjoyable and inspiring experience for everyone involved. The only essential skill is to be willing to help.
Examples of some volunteer roles
You can find some examples of volunteer roles on the Finding your role page.
How to get involved
Thank you to everyone who already expressed interest in volunteering.
If you’re willing to help, please give us some details on the volunteer form and let us know what you’re interested in and what you can do. You can also tell us there about any access or other support that would help you to help us.
The form includes some specific areas of the convention where we know we’ll need some help; you can pick more than one area, or just tell us you’re willing to help out more generally. We’ll also be trying out some ways to enable to people to help on a less structured basis, as needed, in parts of the convention where you’re already spending time.
If you know now whether you’ll be attending Conversation online or in person, please let us know that too; otherwise, do volunteer for any areas you’d like to help with on either basis and we’ll confirm things nearer the time.
What happens next?
Expressing interest in volunteering won’t commit you to anything now, and you can choose the amount of time you’re willing to give and when you are available, once you know that. (This means, for instance, that you won’t have to miss out on any programme items you really want to see.)
We’ll acknowledge offers of help and answer questions as quickly as possible, and let you know who you’re likely to hear from next. We’ll stay in contact with volunteers before the convention, to let you know what’s happening and so you can tell us if anything’s changed for you.
Thanks in advance for your help. If you’ve got any other questions about helping with Conversation 2023, or if you think you should have heard from us but haven’t yet, email us via volunteers@conversation2023.org.uk.