2011 sees the return of the world renowned Manchester International Festival with a line-up of shows that is set to once again place the MIF on the map for being one of the true originals of the festival circuit. We are really excited to have got the chance to talk with Fiona Cariss, Assistant Volunteer Coordinator about this years Volunteer Opportunities at MIF and what prospective volunteers can gain from being part of the volunteering team.
MIF has a variety of roles that you can volunteer for which include:
Artist Liaison Volunteer, Festival Fronteer, Volunteer Admin/Reception Assistant, Volunteer Press Assistant, Volunteer Sponsorship Assistant, Volunteer Technical Assistant, Volunteer Ticketing Assistant
There is an Open Day on the 27th March 2011 and you can find out all the information on their website HERE.
In five words what are the benefits of volunteering of MIF?
Fun
Exciting
New
Positive
Variety
Do you think the uniqueness of the MIF adds to the experience of Volunteering?
Definitely, there is nowhere comparable that you could get the same kind of experiences. The volunteers, as with the MIF staff, will often have direct contact with the artists which is such a great experience. A few of our volunteers got so close to the artists they have stayed in touch with them since. For example a couple of volunteers that helped with the “Young at Heart” choir have been to see them in Europe. And the volunteer artist liaison for Amadou & Mariam in 2009 has been requested to work with them again this year.
What was the best 2009 volunteering story, any embarrassing mishaps?
One of our volunteer ‘Admin and Reception’ assistants got to drive Rufus Wainwright’s personal car in 2009. She was a massive fan of his so she did get quite excited and nervous but she held her nerve and managed not to crash it!
During the walk through of “It Felt Like A Kiss” in 2009, one of our volunteers went to the dress rehearsal walk-through and on the bit where they were being chased by the guy with chainsaw she managed to run in to a prop tree and gave herself a black eye! The production team then knew to put some padding on just in case! She was fine and just very excited to be one of the first to experience the very popular production!
What does it take to be a MIF Volunteer?
We look for enthusiasm, passion and love for Manchester whether you’re from here or not! Plus a smiley face come rain or shine!
What is involved in Volunteering at MIF?
This completely depends on the role! You can be doing anything from moving artists cars to making brews to front of house duties and working on the press desk. We have various different roles to get involved in. We’ll have around 400 volunteers helping us this year and they pretty much run the show! If it wasn’t for the volunteers the festival couldn’t happen!
Once you are shortlisted what is the next step?
We are recruiting on a first come first served basis this year because we have such a high interest, so once we’ve rung you up and got you in for a chat we’ll decide which role you’re most suited to or which project you’d like to work on. Then we hold induction and training sessions so you are completely knowledgeable on all things MIF 2011! We have volunteers on-board already helping with admin and marketing tasks and we also have 20 very valuable team leaders who help us coordinate our many volunteers!
What do you think is the best reasons to volunteer at MIF?
To do something different, meet new people and be part of something special.
How do you co-ordinate the volunteers, a festival this size is going to be tough, what challengers do you face?
Caroline Birnie, the Volunteer Coordinator, and I run a very tight ship! You have to be extremely organised and have a natural ability to be able to place the volunteers in the most appropriate roles. Our main aim is to make sure the volunteers are happy and enjoying themselves. We want them to get the most out of the experience! The biggest challenges we face is adhering to each individual, their personalities and availability. Interviewing all 400 volunteers is a big challenge too but I love meeting them all and I’ve made some of my best friends working on this festival. There is Dot, our 86 yr old volunteer from Stockport who is up for anything and also Colin, one of our trusty Team Leaders who gave up all of his time in 2009 to help us with everything including inputting 100s of names of volunteers into our database, running our opening night and joining us for drinks after work to help us unwind!
Is the application open to non-Manchester residents?
Yes definitely! We’ve had people apply from Holland, Spain, Germany and even Australia!
