Volunteer's view of QCon San Francisco 2023
Immerse yourself in this post to discover the fulfilling adventure that awaits behind volunteering at tech events!
I volunteered in conferences in the past, but the last one was in 2013, and to be honest, that one was more intense and scary than anything else. I didn’t know English. I was 23 in Las Vegas, my first time in the US and out of the EU. It was too much to handle.
Since then, I have considered doing it again, but I postponed the idea for quite a while.
Last summer, I decided to try it again. So, I chose QCon San Franciso as my comeback to volunteering. My anxiety levels were on the roof... my dream conf, in the capital of the software industry, without knowing what to expect.
Registration
On August 6th, I filled out an online form on the QCon San Francisco website. It was a pretty straight-forward one, asking for things like:
- Skills
- Availability
- English level
- Contact Information
- Why you wanted to do it
I got a response by email on August 10th. It was quick and efficient. 🙌
Information and Guidence
Things started to move two weeks before the conference. I got an invitation for an in-person meeting and very helpful documentation about what to expect, code of conduct, schedule, etc.
I was nervous and jetlagged on the day of the in-person meeting in San Francisco, but it was fantastic. QCon team treated us very well; they gave us our badge, t-shirt, more details about the event, and of course, we did a tour of the venue.
Responsibilities
It’s important to remember that as a volunteer, you’re part of the organization team. Attendees, speakers, and sponsors will reach out to you for guidance. Some of your daily activities are:
- Guiding people
- Counting attendants
- Assisting speakers
- Helping during question and answer session
But the help and support from the QCon team is another level; you are always connected with them by messaging apps, and they’re always there to help you when you have doubts or don’t know how to deal with a situation.
Experience & Recommendations
I’m very grateful to the QCon team. They gave us breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks. And, of course, we could attend and listen to the talks and workshops we were helping with.
Some things I would recommend are:
- Explore the venue to understand where the rooms and restrooms are
- Have different layers of clothes, sometimes it could be a bit cold
- Have some snacks; the days are long, and you need energy
- Study your schedule before starting the day
- Be strategic during lunchtime and breaks to recover energy
You’re going to be surrounded by other amazing volunteers and the QCon team:
Conclusions
While preparing this post, I asked ChatGPT:
GPT4
Can you consider volunteering in a tech event as a way of giving back to the community?
Absolutely, volunteering at a tech event can be a wonderful way to give back to the community! By sharing your skills and knowledge, you're not only helping the event to run smoothly but also contributing to the growth and development of the tech community. It can be a valuable experience where you help others, make new connections, and perhaps even learn something new yourself.
That’s an excellent summary of how I feel. Also:
- I met wonderful people
- I think I helped make attendees’ time more pleasant
- I learned a lot by attending talks and workshops during five days
I 100% recommend trying to volunteer in an event. It’s an experience that makes you grow, and doing it in a Qcon could be a perfect choice.