Orientation
Orientation is mandatory for all volunteers. Orientation times for each group are indicated in the volunteer group schedule.
Please find the list of volunteer roles below.
Session Liaison
- Deliver Liaison Packet: Prior to your shift pick up a workshop packet and survey located in the registration/staff office area.
- When you pick up your packet and survey, you’ll need to sign off on the sign-off sheet near where you picked up the survey, noting the time that you picked it up.
- Introduce Yourself/First Response: When you arrive to your workshop at the start of your shift, introduce yourself to the workshop speakers and/or moderator, hand them the workshop packet, and let them know that you are the workshop liaison functioning as the main point of contact with the Volunteer Coordinator/Event Planner. Sit at the front of the room so you can quickly respond to needs that arise in the workshop such as:
- Room temperature change
- Additional seating
- AV assistance (Liaisons will be trained in basic AV troubleshooting. All other needs will require requests for AV assistance).
- Workshop Survey: Fill out the survey at the time intervals indicated on the form.
- The survey will include a space for you to count the number of attendees in the workshop during specific times and will include environmental questions such as, “Were there enough chairs in the room?,” “Were there any audio visual problem?” etc.
- Return the completed survey to the “Completed Survey” box which will be located in the registration/staff office area.
Room Set-up
- Change Workshop Sign: Assist in replacing workshop signs outside of each workshop room
- Get the appropriate signage near the staffing/registration area. Each sign will have a workshop title on it, with a description specifying which room the workshop is in and at what time.
- Bring the signage to the specific room and replace the old workshop title signage with the new signage that you have. Please discard the old signage.
- Clean Head Table: Clear and discard any leftover tent cards, time cards, bio sheets, used water bottles, or other detritus from the head table.
- Title Slides: Locate the title slide for the next session taking place in that room and set it to project.
- Encourage Previous Speakers to Vacate: If the speakers from the previous session are still answering questions in the room, kindly encourage them to relocate to the hallway.
- Put up Tent Cards: Tent cards should be pricked up at the registration desk with the workshop signs. Fold and place the tent cards on the head table in front of the speaker chairs. (There is no need to worry about the order.)
Conference Registration/Early Registration
- Greet attendees at registration desk.
- Hand attendee conference bag/nametag: If you cannot find the nametag right away, please check nearby (it may have gotten out of alpha order). Also, please make sure to ask the conference attendee if their last name is hyphenated or if they have a middle (or maiden) name.
- Any names that have two last names (or a middle name and a last name) will be in alpha order by the last name. For example “John William Smith” would be in alpha order under “Smith”.
- Any names that have a hyphenated last name will be in alpha order by first name of the hyphenated last name. For example “John William-Smith” would be in alpha order under “William-Smith”.
- Answer attendee questions: be aware of restroom locations, workshop room locations, etc.
- There will be a map of the hotel in the conference app that guests can refer to if they need help finding a specific room.
- Download the app or have the app open in your phone’s browser to quickly answer questions about the agenda.
Guide Guests
- Manage Doors: Direct guests away from entering the main ballroom before doors open for the plenaries.
- Guide Guests: Assist moving conference attendees into the main ballroom in a timely manner for plenary sessions by asking people to please take their seats – assisting anyone who may need assistance finding a seat.
- Please note that tables located around the back perimeter of the ballroom will have at least one empty seat per table for handicap accessibility – please instruct any people in need of handicap-accessible seating to these tables.
Bag Stuffing
- Assist in “assembly” line to stuff conference materials into conference tote bags.
- Assist in setting up the registration area. This entails:
- Placing tote bags below registration tables,
- Placing name badges in name badge holders at registration table, and
- Assisting with other registration setup needs as they may arise.
Vaccine Card Check
- Check for proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results from attendees as part of the attendee check-in process.