Music Festival Volunteer Supervisors.

Volunteers form an essential part of every music festival with anything from a handful of people to hundreds depending on the size of the event. The volunteers perform essential duties during a festival's duration in exchange for event access. The recruitment of volunteers is normally a well-defined process for organisers but special attention is required to select team supervisors.

If a music festival needs hundreds of volunteers, there will be too many for a single staff member to manage them and the logical solution is to select a small number of suitable volunteers to act as team supervisors. The supervisors act as an essential link between volunteers and the organising management team and the selection process requires the creation of appropriate criteria to ensure the right people are selected. 

Volunteer Recruitment. 
Festival organisers will establish early in the planning process the likely number of volunteers they will need to support their event. The actual number recruited may exceed the requirement by 20%, for example, to allow for no-shows and drop-outs which is common. For an event that has been running for a number of years the first step in the recruitment process is to approach volunteers from previous years. In addition, most organisers also recruit volunteers through their website by posting an online application form. Some NGOs and charities also collaborate with music festivals to recruit volunteers which is an option for organisers if they do not hit their recruitment targets. 

Supervisor Selection Process. 
The easiest method to selecting volunteer supervisors is to consider those who have already held supervisory roles at the organiser's previous events. If there is still a shortfall in the number of supervisors required, the application process for new volunteers can include questions that may reveal applicants with suitable experience who can be shortlisted. A quick video call with shortlisted volunteers can help identify those with strong communication skills and experience of managing teams. In addition, questions to identify those with problem solving skills and a calm professional demeanour can help narrow down a shortlist. All volunteers attend training sessions prior to the event live dates, and this can be an excellent opportunity to further select those who demonstrate a strong leadership style. In some cases, organisers may run additional assessment exercises to help identify those with supervisor potential. If volunteers are returning they may also have the added benefit of understanding how a festival site operates. 

Supervisor Duties and Management. 
Although many organisers now use event management software to organise their volunteer shifts and duties a supervisor can complement this process by checking that volunteers turn up for their assigned duties and if there is a shortfall can quickly assign another volunteer to that duty. With a hands-on approach to volunteer management the supervisor makes an excellent channel for escalating any issues on a festival site that need resolution. Supervisors can monitor their teams to ensure overall wellness making sure that volunteers take breaks and rest throughout the event dates. 

Supervisor Support. 
The festival organising management team should ensure that volunteer supervisors get the necessary support they need to perform the roles assigned to them. This may involve additional training on the festival’s operations, processes and procedures and to help them get a happy and efficient volunteer team. The supervisor should be given the appropriate communication protocols and devices (walkie talkies) to ensure they are fully supported during a busy event. The organising staff should conduct regular update meetings on-site during the event so that supervisors are fully aware of any changes or issues that will impact how they manage their volunteer team. Festival sites are incredibly busy during the live dates and staff management do not have the time to micromanage volunteers and this responsibility falls on the team supervisors. The supervisors need to be given the appropriate empowerment to perform their duties, and they should be fully recognised for the work they do during a festival. 

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 including a dedicated volunteer management module. 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, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Image by Matheus Bertelli via Pexels

<< Back to articles