Conference Volunteer Job Descriptions
Conference ChairThe conference chair is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the conference. They run the meetings to prepare for the conference and fill all of the Chairs listed in the remainder of this document. Their job begins when planning for the conference starts and ends when the conference is complete and has had a wrap-up meeting.
While acting as chair, you will solicit support from qualified Toastmasters to help make sure all aspects of the conference run smoothly. This job is a great candidate for the High Performance Leadership project you need for your DTM. You not only lead a large team but interact with the hotel or venue where the event will be held and any external contacts such as printers for the program or large gift donations for the goodie bags.
You are responsible for choosing the theme and getting approval from District Leadership and for identifying the location of the event. You will work with the hotel to prepare the contract and then make sure the contract is signed by the District Governor of the District VP of Education. Once the contract is signed you will responsible for making sure we meet the terms of the contract. As far as details such as food to be served or classes to be taught, you are the final decision maker on what will the done at the conference.
You are expected to lead several meetings before the event where the chairs will report out on progress. You will be the point person for resolving any issues before and during the event. During the event, you will be expected to monitor events and resolve issues as they arise. You should plan on monthly meetings beginning 6 months before the event moving to bi-monthly approximately 2 months prior and weekly the month of the event. This insures your teams are aware well in advance for all expectations and any issues encountered along the way are resolved in a timely manner.
Facilities Chair
The facilities chair works with the hotel to insure we have all of the things we need to be successful. This includes the basics such as tables and chairs as well as things like the microphones needed for the contests and any special needs such as lecterns or special stages. You will need to be available for several hotel tours and will review the contract for any specifics if needed. Once the needs are known, you will be responsible for checking to insure they are available when needed for the event and will be the point person if any issues or problems are encountered during the event.
While most of the items we need are understood by the Toastmasters involved in the event, it is your responsibility to make sure the hotel is aware of those needs and prepared to supply them. Where possible you should arrange to test things like the microphones in advance. You are expected to be present at all planning meetings or to send a report in advance of any actions taken, issues, concerns, and or help needed.
Education Chair
The education chair works with the Conference Chair and the VP of Education to identify the courses to be taught during the event. You will locate and recruit instructors and insure they are qualified to teach the subjects requested. If they need copies of material or hand-outs you will be responsible for making sure they submit the material on time and then that it is available in the room where the class will be held. You will also solicit any special needs such as white boards or flip charts and make sure the equipment is available in time for the event.
You are expected to be present at all planning meetings or to send a report in advance of any actions taken, issues, concerns, and or help needed.
Sgt at Arms Chair
You will be responsible for getting volunteers and assigning them to the specific tasks outlined in the Sgt at Arms job descriptions. A typical conference requires a minimum of 20 people to cover all class rooms and contests as well as meals. You will schedule the individuals, make sure they understand their job roles and cover any gaps for missing or unexpected changes to the schedule. You will get the help of your volunteers to arrange any rooms that need corrections.
You are expected to be present at all planning meetings or to send a report in advance of any actions taken, issues, concerns, and or help needed.
Friday Night Chair
Friday Night is fun night. For this job you be responsible for working with Conference Chair to identify the theme and then arranging the entertainment and decorations to support that theme. Typically you will need to arrange the food, music, humor or other entertainment and make sure all of the participants are available and ready. You will introduce the entertainment as part of your role or get a volunteer to take on that task.
You are expected to be present at all planning meetings or to send a report in advance of any actions taken, issues, concerns, and or help needed.
Decorations Chair
Your task will entail reusing, making or buying the decorations needed to support the theme of the conference and then arriving early to set-up the decorations and staying after the event to clean them up. You will be reimbursed for any expenditures but must have them approved in advance by the Conference Chair. They should be returned to district storage when the event is complete to insure they are available for the next event. You will be expected to recruit volunteers to help with the set-up and tear down. Insure one of you has a vehicle capable of carrying the material to and from. Please plan on conforming to the contract when it comes to access to the room and storage of material.
You are expected to be present at all planning meetings or to send a report in advance of any actions taken, issues, concerns, and or help needed.
Registration Chair
You are responsible creating a registration form, collecting the money and tracking the food choices as well as the number of participants for each part of the event. You will work closely with the hotel staff catering team to insure the food is ordered and expectations on sales at the door are limited based on the hotels capabilities. You will create the tickets for the guests and arrange for a team to staff the registration desk to sign guests in at each for the events. This typically requires the table to be staffed Friday evening and all day Saturday into the evening contest.
Once the money has been collected you will be expected to make the deposits and manage any issues such as checks that do not clear. Deposit slips and materials needed to make the deposits will be provided.
You are expected to be present at all planning meetings or to send a report in advance of any actions taken, issues, concerns, and or help needed.
Publicity Chair
Your job is to advertise the event. You will be responsible for identifying ways to advertise the event in various areas of the media. You will be expected to create flyers and send to general distribution within Toastmasters as well as use external advertising of appropriate. You will work closely with the District email coordinator to send group emails to the district leadership and club members that could include information on volunteers needed or to boost attendance.
You are expected to be present at all planning meetings or to send a report in advance of any actions taken, issues, concerns, and or help needed.
Raffle Chair
As we all know these events cost more money that we can charge the guests. Your job is to help generate extra income. You will work with the publicity chair to advertise the requests for raffle donations and arrange for all of the needed items to run the raffle. In addition you will get volunteers to work during the event both Friday evening and Saturday to sell raffle tickets and draw for prize winners. The raffle will run from Friday evening where a handful of prizes will be given away and into Saturday ending just before dinner where all prizes will be distributed. You will set a cut-off time for picking up prizes and anything not picked up will be redrawn and distributed before dinner is served.
You are expected to be present at all planning meetings or to send a report in advance of any actions taken, issues, concerns, and or help needed.
First Timer Chair
You job is to make the first time conference attendees feel welcome. You will distribute a game which you will design that is intended to help them meet people and learn about the event. Some games have been questionnaires and other have been signature gathering games where they look for people in various roles in the district or who have achieved certain distinctions such as DTM or past Contest Winners. Once they have completed the game you will distribute prizes for completion. You will have a table through-out the day on Saturday displaying the prizes and manned by a person knowledgeable on the event.
You are expected to be present at all planning meetings or to send a report in advance of any actions taken, issues, concerns, and or help needed.
Program Chair
You will be responsible for designing the program and getting ads for help generate revenue for the event. You will work with Toastmasters who would like to advertise for their personal business or who want to encourage a friend or team. You will make sue the ads are appropriate to Toastmasters and do not violate any of the rules of Toastmasters such as identifying contestants to their home clubs etc… If in doubt you will work with the contest chair to insure the program conforms to all of the rules.
You will get all of the information on classes, instructors, contestants, Keynote Speakers etc.. and make sure it is accurate and complete. You will get the copy and if you have help in doing the layout you will approve the final package by proof reading and insure it is sent to the printers on time. You will insure they are picked up and delivered to the registration desk in time for the registration to begin on Friday evening.
You are expected to be present at all planning meetings or to send a report in advance of any actions taken, issues, concerns, and or help needed.
Goodie Bag Chair
You are responsible for creating the gift bags given to the attendees. You will solicit donations through local businesses and toastmaster clubs to provide items such as Gift bags, pens, notepads, magazines, or other gifts that will make our guests feel welcome. Gifts solicited should be appropriate to Toastmasters and could include coupons. These items will be delivered to the event in time for the registration desk to assemble the bags and insert the programs to be available for had-outs at the registration desk as guests arrive.
You are expected to be present at all planning meetings or to send a report in advance of any actions taken, issues, concerns, and or help needed.
Credentials Chair
The credentials chair is responsible for making sure we capture all of the voting members of the district who will be present at the business meeting on Saturday. You will be responsible for gathering proxy forms and counting heads. During the business meeting you will announce whether we have sufficient votes to count as a quorum for the event therefore allowing all votes and business to be handled. You will create a sign-up sheet and distribute voting materials to the voting members prior to the business meeting. Your table will be manned through-out the day on Saturday up until the business meeting. You will be done once the meeting has commenced since there is no need to track attendance of voting members once the meeting has been started.
You are expected to be present at all planning meetings or to send a report in advance of any actions taken, issues, concerns, and or help needed.