I mentioned and described the most common areas of volunteering during major sporting events here.
It is worth taking a closer look at some of them. Today, one of the most popular and interesting – Media. It’s also one of my favorite activities.
The range of tasks can be really wide, it depends on the sport, the event and its organization, and even the experience and skills of volunteers.
Generally speaking, volunteering in the Media department helps in the efficient functioning of the Press Office and facilitates the work of journalists.
And the most common tasks are:
1) Help in organizing the Press Office itself
This includes helping journalists and answering various questions (schedule of tournament, conference hours, etc.), issuing media accreditations, information packages, vests for photographers, and even cabinet keys.
2) Help in organizing the press tribune
The press tribune is a place intended for watching the competition only for journalists, usually the entire sector. The sector often looks different from the others – there are additional tables for laptops around the seats, the possibility of connecting cables etc.
First of all, support is the preparation of this tribune, and during the competition a quick photocopy and delivery of start lists, results and protocols.
3) Help in the Mixed Zone
Mixed Zone is a place where journalists and players meet directly after the match / competition, on the way to the locker room.
During larger events, volunteers may be asked to ‘watch’ if everything is done on time and in designated places.
4) Help in organizing the press conference
Preparation of space for the conference (e.g. walls, posters, water). Sometimes you also need to inform the players about the conference and lead them to the place in a timely manner.
5) Tasks more ‘journalistic’
You may also find that volunteering is a good practice for those interested in journalism. Volunteers sometimes help in running social media of the event, help write reports and artcles on the site, listen to interviews to catch the most important quotes for articles, and even conduct short conversations themselves.
Sometimes help is also needed for television employees.
The media is a very interesting area of activity. As you can see above, the tasks are diverse and sometimes they are also a big challenge. I had such a challenge once, when I had to conduct several conversations with Serbian volleyball players. I almost forgot (Serbian) language from stress, while I learned it during philological studies before😉
The Press Office is also an interesting place to take a closer look at the work of journalists and even meet the most famous.
It happens, however, that the tasks must be performed in a fairly hurry (e.g. statistics are needed as soon as possible) or on the contrary, the distribution of accreditation or vests can be a bit changeless. It is also important to know English at a communicative level.
Therefore, this is probably not an area of activity for everyone and it is worth thinking about before applying.
I hope that I was able to bring the volunteer work in the Media a little bit closer and I will help you with this thinking over 😊
