Call for Volunteers- Security BSides Kraków 2022

Please apply to volunteer through this form.

When:                                                          24 September 2022
Where:                                                      ABB CTC - Starowiślna 13A, 31-038 Kraków
Submission Deadline:                              31 August 2022

Interested in helping at BSides Kraków 2022?

BSides Kraków is a security event that would not be possible without the work of our local community. Every year, the organizers work hard to build a fun and exciting agenda so you can experience the latest in cool security happenings. However, we rely on contributions from volunteers like you to help with various tasks on the day of the event. Join us!

What’s in it for me?

Volunteering is a great way to get involved with the local security community, especially if you are a newcomer. It’s also a good chance to meet other security-minded people while picking up various skills along the way. All volunteers must work for a minimum of 6 hours and will get a free BSides Kraków t-shirt + badge (and, if available, food) as part of their volunteer admission. This means you can attend talks during the times that you are not volunteering, using the provided volunteer badge.

What type of volunteers are you looking for?

Anyone and everyone! No two volunteers are alike so we aim to provide opportunities for all personality types and skill sets. Take a look at our role descriptions below for a better idea of which opportunities might be right for you.

At the same time, we realize that not every role will be suitable for every volunteer. For each role, we will mention possible gotchas in order to provide an inclusive experience for all our volunteers.

- Roles that require lots of interactions with people
- Roles that may have high noise/sensory effects
- Roles that require mobility
- Roles that may require excessive standing
- Roles that require strength/lifting

We will also clearly highlight accessibility features within the venue for those who require it. And as always, we are open to feedback! Please let us know in your request to volunteer or by emailing contact@bsideskrakow.pl, and we will work to provide any possible accommodations.

What tasks need to be done?

We group our volunteer opportunities into several pools.

Attendee-Facing - these roles require strong communication skills and a lot of attendee interaction, including General Registration, Information Desk, and Coat Check (if applicable).

Behind-the-Scenes - these roles may require higher levels of operational experience and agency, including Registration Bag Stuffing and Floaters. They do not require as much attendee interaction.

Room Moderators - these roles require that you are comfortable acting as an MC for event talks/workshops. This means you should be able to communicate clearly for both the speaker’s and the audience’s benefit, and ideally have a strong command of the English language.

Public Safety - these roles overall will require strong mobility and communication skills.

When you sign up for a shift slot, you will pick one of these larger pools and you will work in one or more of the given roles inside that pool depending on volunteer availability and accessibility needs. See the descriptions below for more information about each opportunity.

What if I don’t know how to do any of these?

Our volunteer leads will train you for the specific tasks you sign up for, and there will also be volunteer Q&A sessions prior to the event. Please try to make time to be available on Saturday, September 3, 2022 at 12PM-1PM for training and Q&A.

What if there are specific talks I want to go to?

We understand that our volunteers may want to attend specific talks, whether it’s an interesting topic or just to show support for a friend or coworker. Share your preferences with your volunteer lead and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

Can you provide proof of my volunteer hours?

Absolutely! Reach out to contact@bsideskrakow.pl after the conference and we will provide the necessary documentation. Note that you will be responsible for checking in and checking out with BSides Kraków Event Volunteer registration to keep your hours accurate.

What if I have further questions?

Please reach out to contact@bsideskrakow.pl.

Attendee-Facing Volunteer Positions

Coat Check

The Coat Check area will be responsible for Coat Check, T-Shirt Sales/Pre-Sales, and Lost & Found during the conference.

Duties Include:

- Collect participants’ coats and bags for storage during the conference
- Act as a cashier and distribute conference merchandise (badges, t-shirts, etc)
- Answer questions for participants
- Manage venue Lost and Found

Bonus:

- Have strong communication skills
- Have strong customer service skills

Accessibility:

- Requires interacting with large numbers of people
- Requires mobility
- May require carrying/lifting heavy items for participants

Registration/Information Desk

You will be the “face” of BSides Kraków for all participants. Your goal is to make a positive, welcoming first impression for all participants and visitors. You might also be pulled to hype the crowd during our event raffle.

Duties include:

- Greeting participants arriving (or departing) at each ABB entrance in an engaging and confident manner
- Direct participants to their correct destination (registration desk, sessions, etc.)
- Answer questions for incoming participants
- Check-in pre-registered participants
- Ensure participants have everything they need to enter the conference
- Sell conference merchandise at the desk, provide a receipt and direct attendee to coat check to retrieve their merchandise (if applicable)
- Share attendee feedback with other volunteers as necessary

Bonus:

- Have strong communication skills
- Have strong customer service skills

Accessibility:

- Requires interacting with large numbers of people
- May require standing for long periods of time (accommodations available)

Room Moderator Volunteer Positions

Presentation Room Moderator

This is a customer-facing position that ensures overall speaker readiness, primarily related to technology and announcing speakers and breaks throughout the day.

Duties Include:

- Assist speakers with audio and visual equipment
- Make sure the speaker is present and ready prior to talk
- Welcome and announce speakers
- Thank our sponsors
- Hand out speaker gifts on-stage
- Announce lunch/coffee breaks, etc
- Record speaker statistics: # people in talk, talk time, engagement etc

Accessibility:

- Requires interacting with people
- May feature loud sounds/noises/flashes
- Not wheelchair-friendly

Workshop Room Moderator

In this position you will be responsible for making sure the workshops are conducted smoothly. Ensure that all participants and presenters have everything they need during the workshops.

Duties include:

- Direct participants to their correct destination (registration desk, sessions, etc.)
- Answer questions for participants and presenters
- Check-in pre-registered participants
- Ensure participants and presenters have everything they need for the workshops
- Proctor the workshop sessions

Accessibility:

- Requires interacting with large numbers of people
- May require standing for long periods of time

Behind-The-Scenes Volunteer Positions

Registration Bag Stuffing

Our sponsors provide us with materials to put into the bag participants receive at registration. This all needs to be put into the bags and organized for registration to be able to hand them out. In order to do this rapidly, we build a human assembly line, where each station collects a type of items and passes them down the assembly line. While doing this we are constantly communicating about what supplies are needed, running low, or we are out of – to make sure we give out as much sponsor material as possible.

Please note that this shift will be on September 23 but will be counted towards your volunteer hours.

Duties Include:

- Preparing registration swag bags for all participants

Accessibility:

- May require standing or sitting for long periods of time (accommodations available)

Runner/Helper

In this role you will represent the interest of BSides Kraków to ensure operations are running smoothly and support your fellow volunteers.

Duties Include:

- Checking on various volunteers and staff on the floor
- Running errands for BSides Krakíw staff/leads

Accessibility:

- May require standing for long periods of time (accommodations available)
- You may be called on to make announcements to large crowds
- You may be called on to fill in for missing shifts
- Communication skills are a plus

Event Setup/Teardown

In this position, you will be responsible for the appearance of the venue and ultimately support the overall BSides Kraków experience! This is a brief overview of what to expect, but you’ll receive more detailed instructions at the start of your shift.

Duties Include:

- Work with Vendors to unload freight from trucks, move it into the venue, and back out again
- Set up tables, chairs, linens, podiums, stanchions, and signage according to space plans

Accessibility:

- Requires strong mobility
- Requires lifting 30+ lbs

Safety Ops

Safety Ops is the group at the con which helps to ensure the protection of our participants, speakers and guests against threats to their well being and to the con. Some examples are: ombudspersons, safety monitors, crowd control and sometimes security guards. Safety Ops is not EMS, law enforcement, or fire although we support and extend their reach.

Duties Include:

- Badge check at all points of entrance and exit
- Facilitate orderly conduct of the con for all our guests
- Act as ombudspersons for our guests by representing them to the BSides Kraków organizers and staff
- Observe and report incidents which may endanger the safety of our guests of violates our Code of Conduct

Bonus:

- Prior safety ops experience (might have been called public safety in the past)

Accessibility:

- Requires mobility
- Requires strong communication/coordination skills
- May require going for long periods of time without breaks
- May feature loud sounds/noises/flashes
- Requires strong multitasking ability
- Requires potentially interacting with large numbers of people

This is our first year, despite experience in other events, it is important for everyone to understand so that we can make it happen. Any questions, suggestions or problems you have don't hesitate to talk to us, remember that BSides Kraków is made by us, for us.