You have probably seen the adverts for Civil Service Live 2015 and the seminars that are available.
You can still find out more or register to attend as a delegate at the Civil Service Live website.
You m
ay also like to read what Sir Jeremy Heywood has to say about the biggest learning opportunity of the year or look at some of the many of the stories from last year on our blogs or on the 2014 Highlights web page.
However with over 15,000 civil servants expected to attend, we also need hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers to help including welcoming and escorting speakers and guests, managing registration and delegates in seminar rooms and roving mic responsibilities. Jump to the volunteer sign up details below on this page.
This is an exciting opportunity to fulfil a corporate contribution objective and attendance counts as 1 of your 5 a year learning opportunities, and of course, there will be time to listen in on seminars yourself.
What is Civil Service Live?
Civil Service Live are fun, interactive and practical events bringing together civil servants working in government departments and agencies, and private sector organisations. It is an opportunity to learn and collaborate, share ideas and network with your peers.
Civil Service Live is in its 8th year and 2015 will be the largest event in the series so far with over 600 learning sessions across 6 days. This year’s event will focus on:
- A skilled Civil Service: Professions
- Innovation
- People and Leadership
- The new UK Government
Across all regions there will be the opportunity, to hear from senior leaders, attend interactive workshops and network with colleagues old and new. There will be an exhibition and opportunity to sign up for mentoring on the day.
This year’s events will take place in 5 different locations across the country:
- Thursday 10 September: St James' Park, Newcastle
- Monday 14 September, Manchester Central Conference Complex
- Tuesday 22 September: Colston Hall, Bristol
- Tuesday 29 September: Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
- Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 October: Queen Elizabeth II Centre, London
We will need volunteers to fill several different roles on the day, each as important as the next. A brief description of the roles is included at the end of the page below. Where possible we will allocate jobs according to individual preference, although unfortunately this will not be possible in all cases. Volunteers will be told which roles they will be fulfilling as soon as numbers are confirmed. Jump to the volunteer sign up details below on this page.
What is expected of you?
Civil Service Live T-shirts will be provided for all volunteers (they may not be orange this year). We ask that you wear these at all times so that you are easily recognisable – although of course whilst off duty you are free to wear what you like.
We also require you to attend a briefing session. These will be offered the day before the event, or on the morning of the event for those who can’t get time off work.
These briefing sessions will include an introduction talk and explanation of how things will run on the day. A tour of the venue will follow so volunteers are familiar with the room locations.
Volunteers will need to arrive one hour before the event starts for a morning briefing. We will allow time for volunteers to take short breaks and a half hour lunch break around the workshops they are staffing. If volunteer numbers allow it, we will also rotate volunteers so there is time for everyone to look round the event themselves or attend sessions as delegates as opposed to volunteers.
Unfortunately we are not able to provide, overtime, accommodation or travel and subsistence; these will need to be claimed from your own teams/departments so please discuss this with your line manager.
If you would like to volunteer for any of the days, please forward by email your name, location preference, T-shirt size, if you have any specific needs and whether you want to do a whole or half a day (or up to 2 days in London) by Midday Thursday 30 July 2015
- Richard Armstrong for Thursday 10 September at St James' Park, Newcastle
- Janine Clitheroe for Monday 14 September at the Manchester Central Conference Complex
- Heidi Stephens for Tuesday 22 September at Colston Hall, Bristol
- The Cabinet Office for Tuesday 29 September at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
- John Haskey for Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 October at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, London
We look forward to seeing you there and don't forget to follow us and comment using Twitter @CivServiceLocal, @UKCivilService, #CivilServiceLive,
Volunteer roles include:
Registration Assistants
Your role will be to direct delegates to registration desks, or to entry points if they have pre-registered and help prevent bottlenecks at the busiest times of the day. You will also be on hand to assist delegates if they require assistance. The registration area will be extremely busy at certain times of the day and your assistance is absolutely vital to enable the process to run as smoothly and quickly as possible.
Welcome/Info desk
There will be an info desk at all 5 venues and it’s a key part of making sure that all the attendees know what is happening on the day, know where to go etc. The info desk will have an event manual that will contain all the info you would need. This will include the schedule for the day, maps of the venue, the Wi-Fi password and other useful info.
Seminar Room assistants/roving microphones
Your job will be to monitor delegates as they enter each seminar, checking their seminar booking confirmation and supporting attendees with specific needs. You will also be on hand to direct individuals to seats if necessary and make a judgement on when/whether to allow individuals without booking confirmation into the session, and on when to close the door to new delegates entering the room (either when the room is full or the seminar is beginning). Additionally, you will be in charge of the roving microphone in the Q&A session, ensuring the mic is switched off when not in use.
Speaker welcome and liaison
Working with our Civil Service Local lead and theme leads we may need individuals to welcome our speakers on arrival, to take them to where they need to be, offer refreshments and generally be on call for whenever they or the VIP speaker assistants need assistance. You’ll also be on hand to deputise for the VIP speaker assistants when they are on their breaks.
Way finders
In order to assist delegates in finding the venue, we may need some volunteers to be located at the main railway/tube stations to direct people to where they need to go.
Floor Guides
Essential to the smooth running of the event, you will be stationed at various points in the venue, and be responsible for directing delegates to where they want to go and be ready to offer assistance to anyone who needs it.
9 comments
Comment by neema Odedra posted on
i would like to apply for this please. thanks
Comment by John Mark Haskey posted on
Hi Neema, thanks for your contact. Can you let me know by email which location, and how long you can volunteer for (1/2, 1 or 2 days) and what your tee shirt size is (S/M/L/XL) to <a href="mailto:john.haskey@csresourcing.gsi.gov.uk" target="_blank">John Haskey</a> We have more than enough volunteers at some venues and not enough at others.
Comment by Hugh Davis posted on
Hi John,
Happy to help out in the London Event Queen Elizabeth ll Centre.
Comment by Greville D'Cunha posted on
Hi John,
I sent you an email about volunteering for the Civil Service Live Event before the deadline. Can you tell me when will I be notified of the outcome of whether I've been accepted or not?
Thanks,
Comment by John Mark Haskey posted on
Hi Greville. I can't answer your question at the moment as I am waiting further information from my Cabinet office colleagues. I will let all the volunteers know when I have an answer.
Comment by Leonora posted on
Interested in helping out in London
Comment by John Mark Haskey posted on
Thanks Leonora - great to hear of your interest. Can you please send me your t-shirt size. Are you available on both days in London?
Comment by Sarah posted on
Is it too late to volunteer? Thank you.
Comment by John Mark Haskey posted on
Hi Sarah, there is still a need for volunteers for London. Please email me from your departmental address with your Tee shirt size and availability, thanks John.haskey