Who are RSECon2023 volunteers?

Volunteers for RSECon2023 come from many different backgrounds, ages, and experiences.   We value our volunteers – from those who participate in set-up and assistance on the day to the weeks put in by our organising committee – and everyone in between.  We welcome all applicants for volunteering and do not discriminate against sex, age, race, religion or identity.

The volunteer roles we have open for RSECon2023 consist of roles needed on-site at our conference facilities and virtual roles to support the online parts of this hybrid event. Thank you for considering being a part of our volunteer team at RSECon2023.

What do volunteers do?

Volunteers at RSECon2023 participate in a wide range of tasks which help us to deliver a successful conference.  While this list is not exhaustive, in the past our in-person volunteers have: 

  • Assisted with pre-conference set-up by: 
    • Putting up signs/posters throughout the venue.
    • Preparing the cloakroom.
    • Setting-up the front desk with name badges and information for the conference attendees. 
    • Setting up rooms for the conference sessions, including workshops/walkthroughs, and checking equipment is working.   
  • Worked in a team with rotating assignments so that you can attend different sessions of the conference:  
    • Helped on the front desk. The desk will be manned throughout the conference as a first point of contact for all conference attendees: 
      • Registering conference attendees.
      • Handing-out name badges.
      • Helping with general information and directions. 
    • Helped in the cloakroom. Conference attendees will be able to check their coats and bags to be stored in the cloakroom: 
      • Handing out tickets for each item and checking attendees are picking up the correct items. 
    • Helped during workshops/sessions. Session Chairpersons will introduce each speaker and Chair questions to manage the session, our volunteers helped by:  
      • Managing microphones by giving them to and receiving them from delegates in the audience.
      • Helping people in and out of the session.
      • Seating late entries after the doors have closed. 

For those volunteering virtually, jobs may include, but not be limited to:

  • Moderating video calls
    • Sharing links to the platform being used to enable participant questions.
    • Admitting attendees into sessions
    • Being a point of contact for delegates who are having difficulty
  • Helping to resolve technical issues
    • Effectively liaising with the in-person team to communicate any technical issues which arise
    • Follow troubleshooting/resolution instructions from support team
    • Communicate with virtual delegates to update them with the status of the issue and any progress being made to resolve it. 

What skills, experience and attributes do I need? 

Along with having great communication and interpersonal skills, we ask that you are: 

  • Friendly and enthusiastic about creating a warm and welcoming environment for a successful conference. 
  • Willing to work as part of a team. 

If you have specific technical skills and experience such as setting-up/using audio-visual equipment or anything else you think might be particularly useful then please let us know when you apply.  We will do our best to align you with a volunteer role that suits you.

Who will I be volunteering with? 

You’ll be volunteering as part of the team making the event happen, working with other volunteers and the RSECon2023 committee to create a great experience for participants.  We are pleased to say our volunteers and organising committee retain a healthy quantity of experienced conference volunteers.  Come, join in, and gain valuable experience.

How much time will I be expected to give? 

Our main goal is to work with you and ensure you have a positive experience.  As we have pre-, during and post event volunteer tasks each assignment will have expectations set for volunteers to agree to prior to a volunteer starting their shift. 

The conference is taking place in Swansea between the 5th and 7th of September 2023, the in-person volunteer team will gather before the conference begins for an on-site induction. We will, however, expect you to attend an hour-long online induction session with the Volunteer Chair before the conference. There will be an additional meeting for online volunteers to get to grips with the video conferencing software. Timings to be announced.

What benefits do I get from volunteering?

Outside of a great opportunity to meet more people in the RSE network and gain valuable organisation experience, you will receive:

  • Complimentary entrance to the conference and dinner(s);
    • Dinners will only be available for in-person volunteers
  • Opportunity to attend some sessions you are interested in;*
  • An amazing t-shirt to represent the RSECon2023 team! 

You will be expected to arrange your own transport and accommodation, if needed, for the duration of the conference.  We will have a limited number of travel bursaries available to help those who would be unable to otherwise attend, information on these will be posted to the website in due course.

* We will do our best to accommodate any requests to attend specific sessions!

I’m interested, what’s my next step? 

If you’d like to find out more about volunteering at RSECon2023, please view our Call for Volunteers for more information and how to apply. If you have any questions, please contact us via email at [email protected].