All Volunteers:
- Arrive on time and check in at the reception area before going to your post
- You are representing Winterfolk, so please be courteous and helpful to patrons, artists and the staff at venues, in order to leave them with a positive impression
- During performances keep conversations quiet and to a minimum
- Please silence your cell phone and only use it when necessary, while on shift
- Familiarize yourself with the locations of the various venues so that you can direct people to them
If you are unable to help someone or answer a question please refer them to someone who can, or to the Festival Reception area
Door:
- Greet patrons as they arrive and cheerfully engage in light conversation between performances; you are their main contact with the festival, please make them feel welcome
- Check that everyone entering the venue has a wristband
- Sell Wristbands
- Hand out festival programs that include the schedule
Never leave the cashbox unattended! Do not even go a few steps away, it should be within arm’s reach at all times
- If you need to step away from the door for a moment, take it with you or ask another volunteer to sit in your place
- Most venues have an arrangement with the festival that their “regular” customers can come in without a wristband
- Familiarize yourself with the locations of the various venues so that you can direct people to them
- Ask patrons if they want to be added to the email list and ask them to sign the list.
- You will be introduced to the collection person, who will visit several times during the shift and reconcile and collect cash, then count and issue more wristbands for sale.
- This is the only person authorized to collect the gate.
Merchandise Table:
- Arrange display area and keep it tidy
- Give artists a receipt for the merchandise they drop off.
- Write each CD title on the artist’s tracking sheet
Mark each CD that is sold, on the tracking sheet
- Make sure that the balance is correct
- CDs are priced at $20 each unless they are EPs, for which the artist can choose the price
- Keep track of other merchandise in the same way
- Artists receive 80% of the amount their merch is sold for (e.g. artists receive $16 per CD sold at $20)
- Calculate and verify artist’s payments
- Return unsold CDs and merch to artists, along with their payment MAKE SURE THEY SIGN FOR THIS
- Sell tickets for paid performances
Instrument Storage:
- Securely store instruments for performers.
- Using paired tickets, secure one ticket to each item and give the other one to the artist
- Write the artist’s name on masking tape, and attach to the instrument.
- Store equipment in a space-effective way
- Make sure instruments will not fall and are not in danger of being damaged
- Only return instruments and gear, ask to see artist ID to ensure the name is correct, in exchange for tickets with corresponding numbers
- ALWAYS CHECK THE NUMBERS
Stage Manager:
- Find and greet upcoming performers 30 minutes before their set. (if artists are not present check if they have back-to-back sets)
- Notify festival staff if artist cannot be located
- Keep the timing of each performers’ sets
- Sets must start on time
- Sets end 15 minutes before the hour to allow time to remove equipment and set up for the next artist (regardless if they started late, the finish time is fixed)
- Towards the end of the set (when artists are between songs) let them know how many minutes they have left (aim to give them at least 5 minutes warning)
- Offer to help performers get on and off stage with equipment
- Make sure artists have water and other things they need on stage
- Work with the sound team to smoothly transition between performances
- Can fill in for MC if not present
Floater:
- Sign in and be ready to fill in at a door, merchandise sales, instrument check or as a stage manager.
- Work closely with volunteer coordinator to ensure that all areas have adequate coverage and are running smoothly
- Go to each venue and give the volunteers there a break
- Keep volunteer coordinator notified of your whereabouts so that they can find you if they need you
MC – Master of Ceremonies:
- Welcome the crowd.
- Reading from the script – Thank the sponsors of the event
- Mention ticketed performances
- Mention the CD store & location
- Introduce the next performer with a little background info (bios to be provided)
- If you are on the evening shift you will need to stay until the end, thank the artist and
wrap up the night
- Perform Stage Manager duties if there isn’t one at the venue
- When a community group brings their own organizer the MC will ensure that they don’t run over time by working closely with them to establish and maintain their performance schedule.
- At small venues with solo performers the MC will keep time and help them get set up etc.
Sound Assistant:
- Take direction from Sound Tech
- Please be respectful of the tech gear and artists’ equipment
- Set up starts one hour before the first scheduled performance
- Support artists with technical requirements as they get on and off stage
- Help the Sound Tech and artists with equipment adjustments during the set where needed
- Between sets help Sound Tech to clear the stage and organize cables
- May need to cover sound mix duties for short periods
- After the final evening performance reset the stage for the next day
- Act as “runner” if sound tech is troubleshooting and needs extra equipment from another venue
Artist & Volunteer Services:
- Register artists and volunteers when they first arrive at the festival
- When volunteers register, verify all of their shifts for the weekend
- Check volunteers in before they start their shifts and direct them to the appropriate person to pick up cash boxes for doors or scripts for MCs
- Alert the Volunteer Coordinator positions are not covered
- After artists have completed their last performance they can receive their cheque
- Offer performance schedules
- Give directions and answer questions
Media Table:
- The media person would be assisting the festival publicist with media who are attending the fest for reviews/interviews and taking footage of the concerts.
- Keep a media guest list, (provided by the festival publicist) and take note of all who arrive and when.
- Person at the media table is to welcome media (the publicist will provide a list of media attending) and alert the publicist to their presence/escort them to a particular stage or location if needed.
- Along with the publicist, they will help facilitate any interviews which will happen at the media area – provided we have room for a “media area.”
- Usually there isn’t room in the front at The Black Swan, so these take place in suitable areas decided on, at the point.
- Our current festival publicist is Beverly Kreller. Her personal business SPEAK Music is being represented here as well as Winterfolk, so please be at your best and most accommodating.
- Give the media list to the publicist at the end of the festival.
Surveys
- Surveys are not taken at every festival. The following is valid only if we are taking a survey.
- Cheerfully approach audience members at quiet times, in between sets or on the way in or out of the venues
- Ask if they would mind answering a few questions, to help in the planning of Winterfolk
- Fill out the questionnaire
- Omit any questions if the person does not want to answer
- Bring completed surveys to festival reception area
- We need about 200 for statistical accuracy