Volunteering
The ETES, like any TDS event, is run completely by it’s participants: you. The fee that you pay is completely spend on things we have to rent, buy or arrange. Running an event like an ETES is a lot of work; the current estimage is 739 man-hours (almost 20 man-weeks!) and that excludes adjudicating, all the preparations done beforehand and the orga-team that will undoubtedly be working full-time during the event as well. Luckily we are with many hands to turn this task into light work. But it should be clear that we indeed need all those hands ;)
Signing up for shifts
On this webpage: https://etes2021.eu/shift-selector/ (log in with your ETES-ID and password) you can see all the volunteering shifts that are needed.
Shifts that are already taken have the ETES-ID of the person doing them in them, or an ‘x’ if the orga is recruiting specific people for them. Shifts currently claimed by you are hightlighted. Shift that are empty are up for grabs, you can select one by clicking it. A button will appear at the top of the page that says ‘Claim
Shift priorities
As you will see, the shifts are color-coded. The color indicates how important it is that the shift gets fulfilled:
- Shifts in red are needed to make the event legal. If any of them is not filled the venue will have to be closed
- Orange shifts are essential to make the event run. Without them some aspects of the event will be severely impacted or impossible to execute.
- Yellow shifts are important; without them there may be severe delays or other disturbances
- Green shifts are nice-to-have; without them there may be small delays, longer queues or someone will be doing a shift by themselves that is just nicer to share with a buddy.
Please keep these priorities in mind when choosing shifts. If we end up with high-priority shifts staying open while many low-priority shifts are getting taken we will have to re-assigning some shifts, starting with those participants that have the fewest high-priority shifts.
Shifts and dancing
The first thing that comes to everyones mind: What happens when I have to dance while I’m on a shift? Good question.
First, some shifts, such as food preparation, can be interrupted for a few minutes. Some other shifts, such as medical assistance, mostly means that you have to be in the venue and on stand-by all the time, but you can be doing other things most of the time.
Then there are some shifts that can not be interruped, such as hall guards and reception desk. All of those shifts are in (at least) pairs, so hopefully your buddy can take care of the shift for a while by themselves. This does however mean that you should never sign up for such a shift, during the competition hours, together with your own dancing partner as that would mean you are definitely always away together at the same time. And possibly, if you sign up for a shift together with a friend, try to take into consideration that you and your friend should not be over very equal dancing levels, as that also makes it likely that you will be dancing at the same time.
If there is still a time when you need to leave your post and no buddy is available, ask for help from your friends or team-mates or use the walkie-talkie to notify the info desk; they will arrange back-up. In any case, the round will not start without you.
Shift details
Setup / removal
In these shifts we will convert the venue into our own place for the weekend, and make it look like nothing ever happened afterwards. The venue is a dancing studio so we won’t have to install a dancing floor but there will be lots of chairs, tables, benches and other things to put into place.
Shift manual here
Reception / welcome desk
Welcome the other participants, give them their badges and give them some initial information if needed. But, before any of that: check that they satisfy the covid criteria. For this you will need to have the ‘Scanner for CoronaCheck’ app installed on your phone (Android, iOS). We will provide more detailed instructions later.
Since this will cause quite some extra work, we have added extra shifts during the peak-hours and the tournament hall guards can hopefully also help.
Shift manual here
Info desk
Answer any question people might have: About dancing, about the competition schedule, who that pretty girl or cool dude with the fancy moves is. If you know all about how these events usually happen, the info desk shifts might be for you :) And don’t worry: We will give you a walkie-talkie so you can call upon someone from the orga team whenever needed :)
During the dating-hours you will also be in charge of registering couples for the tournament on the next day and during competition times we will ask you to keep track of which shifts might need help because they also have to be dancing.
Shift manual here
The FAQ can be found here: http://faq.etes2021.eu
List runner
The list runner supports the people running the rournament desk. Primarily by running around with lists and taping them to walls (you can decide what ‘them’ means), but also with anything else that helps the tournament desk persons staying focussed on their task: doing neck massages, getting coffee and tea, going to the toilet. Everything so that the tournament can run as smoothly as possible.
Floor manager
As a floor manager you are responsible for making sure that the right dancers enter the dancefloor on the right time, with the right partner. It’s super easy until they decide not to show up, keep moving around each other, get confused about their heats or their partners or their shoes, and so forth. And they do all of that all the time. Good luck 😁
Ah, and while you are there anyway, make sure their numbers are upside-up and properly attached.
Shift manual here
Food delivery
Maintain the food distribution system. Keep things tidy, make sure the right amounts of the right things are available at the right times. Make sure no monkeys run off with all the bananas.
Shift manual here
Bar service
You will be everyones friend. But you will also take their money. And make sure that there are plenty of cold drinks in the right fridges.
Shift manual will follow.
Guard tournament hall
It will be your responsibility to make sure that only people enter the venue who are supposed to enter the venue. Given the corona-situation this task carries some extra responsibility; everyone inside is counting on being in a safe environment and the guard shifts are crucual for providing that safe environment.
For this ETES we will be working with wristbands in different colors for each day, so most of the time you will just have to make sure that everyone entering is wearing the right wristband, for which unlike the usual beloved badges, they can not claim it was eaten by their dog partner. However since there won’t be a reception desk most of the time, and people do have to change wrist-bands every day, and some peope do arrive late (yay open dancers), being a guard at the ETES also means being a receptionist.
Shift manual here and here
Medical assistance
In case anyone injures themselves, you will be there to repair them. This shift requires you to be a medical doctor with an active license to perform first aid.
Medical assistance backup
When the medical assistant is not feeling so well, you will be there to take their place. This shift requires that you have an active license to perform first aid.