Info Pack: #OKFestCrew Volunteers

As you all know from our many emails and communications, the Open Knowledge Festival’s programme is amazingly diverse this year, with over 150 sessions and satellite events in 13 guest-planned Topic Streams from “Transparency and Accountability” to “Openness in Sustainability”. Around 100 OKFest organizers and Guest Programme Planners have been involved in building the programme – and with over 60 of you on the #OKFestCrew, we have quite a group behind the scenes. And this is why we think you are all awesome. You’ve made OKFestival what it is!

Truly, it has been the diversity and commitment of the people involved that has been the strength of this (very much community-run, on a shoestring budget!) event – the largest open data gathering we’ve ever seen. If you have questions during the week that aren’t answered here, please find your Volunteer Manager - and if they’re not around, go to the Info Desk, where other #OKFestCrew and Core Crew folk will be available to help you out. Best of luck, many thanks, and we’ll find you in Helsinki!

Important Dates and Times

  1. Sat 15 and Sun 16 Sept: Set-up at venue, all help gratefully received - please contact Hye Jin Ahn on bobjomjo [@] gmail.com if you are around and can spare some time!/li>
  2. Mon 17 Sept: #OKFestCrew Night! 15.00-17.00 training of Creatives; 18.00-19.15 induction meeting for all #OKFestCrew in the Aalto INSPIRE Foyer (through main entrance of venue!)
  3. Tue 18 Sept: 8:30 meeting for key Info Desk volunteers; 9:00 rest of #OKFestCrew should be in position - reception opens to the public at 9:00am!
  4. Wed 19 Sept, Thur 20 Sept & Fri 21 Sept: 09.00-09.15 all #OKFestCrew to meet @ Info Desk for update meeting / briefing (required!)
  5. Sat 22 Sept: daytime tidy-up, all help gratefully received - please contact Hye Jin Ahn on bobjomjo [@] gmail.com if you are around and can spare some time! Evening: The OKFestival ‘karonkka‘ - after cleaning up the OKFest venue, we will arrange an OKFest decompression event for #OKFestCrew and GPPs, to thank each other and say goodbye one last time! Details will be emailed.

Your OKFestival Passes

Accepted applicants for the #OKFestCrew have been invited to register for free week-long tickets as thanks for your time. If your ticket has been approved you should have an e-mail saying so - please contact info [@] okfestival.org if not. For those whose tickets have been confirmed, your pass and badge will be given to you on Monday evening (arrivals later in the week should go to the Info Desk to collect theirs).

If you know anyone who wasn’t in time to join #OKFestCrew but wants a ticket, or anyone else wanting to join the festival, please direct them to the ticket page where some tickets are still available.

OKFestCrew Volunteer Teams

The #OKFestCrew has been split up into the following teams, listed with their managers:

  1. Info desk / Welcoming Party / Salespeople - managed by Konsta Erola
  2. Roaming Cowboys - managed by Mikael Järvelin
  3. Techies - managed by Forrest Oliphant
  4. Creatives - managed by Anna Berg
  5. Citizen Journalists - self-managed!
  6. Evening programme - managed by Ilari Lovio
  7. Weekend preparation / clear up - managed by Hye Jin Ahn
  8. Room Caretakers / Hosts - rooms allocated a dedicated manager, as follows:
  • INSPIRE auditorium - Elukka Eskelinen (moderator) assisted by Antti Poikola in the mornings. In the afternoons, OKFN staff will host this room.
  • INSPIRE foyer - Laura Aalto-Setälä
  • INSPIRE meeting room - Finn Pauls
  • MEET 8th floor auditorium - Elsi-Mari Laine
  • MEET Aalto PRO lecture room - Oliver Kochta
  • MEET Comics center workshop room - Comic Centre staff
  • HACK cinema 1 & 2 and workshop space - Forrest Oliphant
  • MAKE - Thomas Ruotsalainen
  • MEET Sitra Atlas seminar - Sitra staff

General Info and Contact Details

The Info Desk will be the main gathering point for #OKFestCrew as well as for the general public, and will be located by the main entrance. If you need additional help, can’t remember when your shift is or have lost a fellow crew member, head here. This is also where Naomi Lillie, Juha Huuskonen, team managers, Core OKFest folk and others will check-in from time-to-time.

There will be a Backstage Area for the crew, in the Hack Space. This will be where you can leave your coats, snack on fruit, hang out with other off-duty #OKFestCrew members and generally take a breather!

Regarding your volunteer time, you have been asked for 1.5 days spread across the 5 days of the festival, which breaks down into the induction meeting plus morning briefings (2 hours) and two-half days (5 hours each). Any additional time you can spare, particularly to cover gaps in the schedule (check with your manager) would be much appreciated, as would any time before and after to help set-/clear-up (see Important Dates / Times above).

To contact us before the event, e-mail OKFestival coordinators on info@okfestival.org (note: due to vast quantities of emails in the lead-up to the event, replies may be slow). During the event, come to the Info Desk where there will be a list of contact details for managers. We’ll see you there!