Why an Interview,,,

Over the years we have been able to meet and talk with some very interesting people. They have shared with us their knowledge and have provided us with a great deal of insight as to how and why festivals and events work and why they are so important to our communities and to the Province of Ontario. With this in mind, we decided that we wanted you to meet and hear from some of the wonderful people who work so hard to provide us all with such wonderful Ontario Festivals and Events! We are pleased and proud to present "THE INSIDE SCOOP"!

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Jazz & Blues in the Village, Sarnia - Secrets & Techniques ...














“Secrets & Techniques” …

THE INSIDE SCOOP is fortunate to obtain interesting SCOOP from Donna Stewart, Jazz & Blues in the Village, Festival Director and the Committee continues …

For many festivals and events, it is critical to have volunteers! For this edition of THE INSIDE SCOOP I still have a few questions for you here. Can you share with us some techniques on managing so many volunteers? During the Jazz & Blues in the Village it would seem the organizers would need to maintain their professionalism and composure. Perhaps volunteers/vendors/visitors require your attention at peak moments during an event (problems that need immediate answers).  I wondered if you have a system to help you stay organized and could you share some of your “secrets” with us! The reply …“Secrets and techniques:  We have one person who is responsible for organizing and scheduling all the volunteers.  There is a master list of over 250 volunteers and each year we start by contacting that list to see who is available.  In most cases we have more volunteers than available shifts.  Many of our volunteers have been with us since the first festival, nine years ago.  Our organizational structure has a “weekend warrior” who is responsible for each area in the park.  (For example, there is a “weekend warrior” in charge of main gate; one for the bar; one for bar tickets; one for security; one for park setup; one for popcorn etc. There are at least 12 of these weekend warriors who in turn are responsible for the volunteers for their area.  The weekend warriors are available all weekend to help their volunteers.  This frees up the committee members to deal with any issues that arise and help out.)”
(To Be Continued)

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