Volunteer
A successful CITCON Australia/New Zealand 2010 takes a lot of planning, preparation and organization. To make this possible
the Open Information Foundation seeks to include many volunteers...working together.
Volunteering for CITCON is very rewarding. Not in the monetary sense, but in the sense that you have helped
bring knowledge, fellowship and understanding to everyone that attends CITCON. Additionally, if you volunteer
to help with CITCON, you receive the following benefits:
- Volunteer t-shirt a special conference t-shirt only awarded to those that make CITCON happen.
- Public Recognition your name will be added to this page as public recognition of your efforts.
- Drinks & Hors d'oeuvres join the conference attendees on Friday evening for free drinks and nibbles.
- Breakfast join the conference attendees on Saturday morning for a free breakfast.
- Lunch join the conference attendees on Saturday afternoon for a free lunch.
- Applause a rousing round of applause at the conference for all your hard work.
Positions
Read the description for each of the following positions. Each position is designed to be simple to execute. We want the volunteers to have fun, too!
If you see a position for which you would like to volunteer, send an email to
volunteer@citconf.com with your offer to help.
Venue Coordinator - Status: Open
- Selects a venue appropriate for CITCON and coordinates the venue contract. This person must have
good organizational skills. A knowledge of hotel/conference center standards a plus. They must be available
starting about one year prior to the conference through to conference completion. Their overall time
committment is usually about 40 hours. They are not required to be available during the conference, and therefore could register to attend the
conference if they like.
Local Coordinator - Status: Open
- Since CITCON changes location each year, it is important to have someone local to help answer questions,
obtain supplies, etc. This person must live near the location of the conference. They must be available via
email and phone for months leading up to the conference. Their overall time committment is usually minimal.
They are not required to be available during the conference, and therefore could register to attend the
conference if they like.
Pre-registration Coordinator - Status: Open
- Registrations are entered via the conference website. This person is
responsible for processing each registration. They must sort out fake registrations, like those from
Nigerian princes. They must respond to each registrant to let them know that they have a spot at the
conference. They must keep the registratant file up to date on the conference file server, so that
it can be used for estimation purposes, etc. They must be available to respond to registration emails
at least once a day. It usually takes about 5 minutes per day - sometimes more, sometimes less. They are not required to be available during the conference, and therefore could register to attend the
conference if they like.
Marketing Coordinator - Status: Open
- For an open space conference, diversity can help to improve the overall experience. This person is
responsible for getting the word out about CITCON. Not just to the same old mailing lists, but other
places. This person should exhaust all possibilities, with a minimal budget (zero $) to attract people
from all over the software industry. Most of their time will be spent posting to mailing lists, newsgroups,
etc, but could include contacting trade magazines, local newspapers, etc. They are not required to be
available during the conference, and therefore could register to attend the conference if they like.
Social Director - Status: Open
- As much as CITCON is about learning and sharing knowledge, it's also about socializing with like-minded
people. The social director ensures that everyone knows what is going on and where to go. During the
conference, this includes "directing traffic" so that everyone makes it to the social hour, breakfast and
lunch. This includes coordinating with the venue staff to ensure that the food and beverages are being
served as planned. This also includes being able to help people plan post-conference activities at local
pubs and restaurants. They must
not be planning to attend the conference sessions as they must be available throughout the
conference. This person must be available staring at 5 PM until 10 PM on Friday and starting at 8
AM until 6 PM on Saturday. This person must also be available for one hour on Thursday to do the
"walk-through" with the venue.
Assistant Social Director - Status: Open
- Directing the type of people that attend CITCON has been likened to "herding cats". The Social Director
needs an assistant. This person assists the Social Director in ensuring a successful conference, especially
by helping to notify each session room when the session is about to end. They must
not be planning to attend the conference sessions as they must be available throughout the
conference. This person must be available
staring at 5 PM until 10 PM on Friday and starting at 8 AM until 6 PM on Saturday.
Registration Desk Attendant #1 - Status: Open
- As people come to the conference, they approach the registration desk to sign in for the conference.
This person is one of three that checks their name off the list and distributes the conference gift
bags, which they must help to prepare. This person also helps to answer questions during the conference.
Questions range from the mundane, like "Where is the washroom?" to the complex, like "Where is conference
room B?". They must have a friendly disposition and be willing to help people in need. They must
not be planning to attend the conference sessions as they must be available throughout the
conference. They must be available starting at 4 PM until 10 PM on Friday, and starting at 8 AM until 6 PM
on Saturday.
Registration Desk Attendant #2 - Status: Open
- Same as Registration Desk Attendant #1.
Registration Desk Attendant #3 - Status: Open
- Same as Registration Desk Attendant #1 and #2.
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