On purple pink blue background, on the left the word Volunteer.
Volunteer with Cymera
Cymera would not be possible without the fantastic people that donate their time and expertise to the festival. We are now looking for volunteers to help us over the festival weekend (Friday 16th October to Sunday 18th October).
You will be essential in keeping the crowds safe, the tech running and our authors in the right place. We have a variety of shifts available to choose from, and every little helps!
Below you will find more information about the individual roles.
There will be two informal online Volunteer info sessions, which will go over the volunteer roles and give more information about volunteering with us. These sessions are for those who have not volunteered with us before, or have questions ahead of signing up.
The meetings will be held via Zoom and will take approximately 30 minutes.
Volunteer Roles
Box Office: You’ll be responsible for selling tickets and merchandise on the day. We use SumUp machines to take payment, but full training will be given. Our Box Office is a desk space opposite the bar and near the main entrance, so you will also be a port of call for all sorts of questions. This role is great for people who love to help people find their way, aren’t too averse to technology, and who would rather sit for the duration of their shift.
Book Signing: You’ll be looking after our speakers and signing queue after events. This will include setting up for the signing, directing people into the correct queue, getting books ready for signing by writing peoples’ names on Post It notes, tidying up after, and repeat. This role has a lot of interaction with people, and can get quite busy if we have lots of authors and attendees at the signing. This role is great for people who are methodical and organized and don’t mind chatting to people as they wait in the queue.
Venue manager in a Venue Space: We’re looking for experienced Cymera volunteers who want to take their volunteering to the next level. You’ll be in charge of a small team of volunteers in one of our venue spaces.
Front of House in a Venue Space: You’ll be responsible for looking after our speakers and attendees during the event. This will include checking tickets, directing people to seats, making sure the stage is set up for each event, taking the roving mic for audience questions around and tidying after the event. This role is perfect for the multi
YouTube/Zoom Chat Moderator: Love chatting to people online? Then this role might be for you. Our chat moderators will be in each event keeping an eye on the chat, saying hi to our online attendees and encouraging them to ask questions. All our in-person panels will be live-streamed to YouTube, so for those events, you will be sitting at the back of the event. If the online attendees have a question, you will be their voice in the venue space. We will provide a script to start you off, and the laptop.
Creators Hall: You’ll be looking after our Creators and attendees in the Creators Hall. This will include directing people and supporting creators, for example by watching their table while they are taking a break.
Welcome Desk/Green Room: You’ll be the one of the first people our speakers meet. You’ll be responsible for handing out speaker badges and directing them to wherever they need to go. You will also responsible for keeping an eye on the Green Room, which is the space where our speakers can relax before and after their events. You’ll be right next to the Festival Office, so the Festival Team is close at hand if needed.
Front of House - Floating: These roles are perfect for you if you love chatting to people! And are good on your feet, as there is a lot of standing about. Our floating volunteers are positioned at key points around the Pleasance courtyard to welcome attendees, answer questions, give directions and make sure people get where they want to be
Office Team Support: This role is great for someone who has previously volunteered at Cymera and would like learn more about the overall running of the festival. Tasks may include but are not limited to: helping answer emails, support the digital events, covering breaks and general troubleshooting.
Fantasy Ball: We are hosting our first ball! You’ll be responsible for welcoming and directing guests, checking tickets or looking after the cloak room or activities. We are also looking for volunteers to help with the set-up, especially the decorating.
Set-up/Take-down: This is a great role for those that enjoy carrying tables, chairs and other general set-up/take-down things.
What shifts are available?
Friday 16th October
1pm to 5pm (set-up, 4 hours)
Saturday 17th October
9am to 6pm (all day, we buy you lunch)
9am to 1:30pm (4.5 hours)
1pm to 7pm (6 hours)
3pm to 7pm (4 hours, Fantasy Ball set-up)
6pm to midnight (6 hours, Fantasy Ball shift)
Sunday 18th October
9am to 6pm (all day, we buy you lunch)
9am to 1:30pm (4.5 hours)
1pm to 7pm (6 hours)
6pm to 9pm (take-down)
Want to help out but none of these shifts work for you? Just drop us a line on volunteer@cymerafestival.co.uk with your availability.
Volunteer perks
A Cymera T-shirt in fetching Cymera blue (or as close to Cymera blue as we can get)
A volunteer pass to attend any event of your choice outside your shift (excludes workshops). If the event you want to see clashes with your shift, we can arrange for swaps.
Cake. There will definitely be cake.
