Setting up and Running a Music Festival Volunteer Development Programme.
Recruiting and managing volunteers for music festivals is a similar process among most music festivals. However, for some of the larger organising entities their volunteer schemes can be much more than that. Setting up and running a development programme for volunteers can help to identify talent as well as promoting loyalty and job satisfaction.
A good music festival volunteer development programme goes beyond just assigning tasks and managing shifts. it needs to be more structured around training, career management and skills development. Some larger entities already use volunteer development programmes which help identify talent for future full-time employment with the organiser. Volunteering has long been a route to finding a full-time job with an organiser because the volunteer builds up an intimate knowledge of the festival's inner workings and logistics. How can organisers start their own volunteer development programme and how should it operate?
Objectives.
A good development programme needs to define more than simple training and duty assignment, it needs to have an objective that results in a defined career route for volunteers. Whilst many volunteers apply just to gain access to an event there are always a number of individuals who have more interest in the music festival sector than just circumnavigating paying for a ticket. A development programme should define what skills volunteers can expect to learn and may include leadership, logistics and event planning for example. To attract potential talent, it’s important to define areas of work that volunteers can be exposed to which may include artist liaison, stage management and logistics support rather than duties like cleaning and car park supervision.
Recruitment and Onboarding.
Every music festival starts their recruitment about 6 months prior to the live dates which allows for sifting, training and shift assignments. If the organiser is running a development programme this can be offered as an option which volunteers with an interest can apply for. This may entail having two programmes running for volunteers, a simple version of recruitment, training and onboarding. Another version for development that includes additional training and extra duty deployment during an event to broaden experience. The application, sifting and interview process can help to stream volunteers into an appropriate stream.
Training.
Regular volunteers will receive some rudimentary training and onboarding which could include first aid, site orientation, scanning tech and customer service. Those volunteers selected for a development programme could receive more extensive training and introductions to key staff for mentoring and job shadowing prior to the event. In addition, they will get a defined schedule of expected training objectives with related duties along with the organiser’s expectations to be reviewed post event.
Assessment.
Volunteers in a development programme should get ongoing feedback during the event after each assigned duty to discover what they have learnt and provide feedback from managers on how they performed. This feedback can be good to identify areas of weakness or strength and which element of the festival they are most suited to. At the end of the event organisers may opt for a formal certification process as well as giving awards for specific achievements. Going through a formal volunteer development programme can be great for those seeking future employment in the sector especially if they can evidence their experience. Volunteering at a music festival is also great for networking and building relationships with people already working in the industry.
Career Guidance.
The post event assessment of those that went through the volunteer development programme can help them decide if working in the music festival sector is for them or not, working long unsocial hours for low pay can be too much for some. For those that performed well and who’s interest remains high the organiser may offer a formal internship or even full-time employment. At the very least the organisers may be able to identify individuals who are suitable for a volunteer supervisory role as part of future events. They may still be a volunteer but with team leadership responsibilities.
For festival organisers planning their next events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.
Image by Studio-Lannach via Pixabay
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