Volunteering at events : A day with The Pack!

I recently spent a day at the volunteer kick off event for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, meeting over 4000 members of 'The Pack' who all gathered in Milton Keynes together for the first time. It was a fantastic day to be a part of with celebrity guests, audience interaction, the uniform reveal and even some dancing! 

I am lucky enough to be paid to work in events and have chosen it as my career, but attending the volunteer kick off really showed me how much people appreciate sport and demonstrates the passion they have to be a part of the event. Some volunteers had traveled as far as Russia and Germany just to be at the initial launch event for England 2015, which is incredible! It reminded me that events simply would not happen without the dedicated and inspiring people who give up their own time to be a part of the team and that without them, things like the Olympics and World Cups and even local events simply would not happen.

Among the special guests, Welsh legend Shane Williams
 who happily posed for photos with The Pack

Anyone can volunteer for events - old, young and from any background - you don't have to be a specialist in a specific event to be able to volunteer, there are roles for everyone. Volunteering is not only great learning wise but also gives you the chance to meet people from all over the world with all sorts of interesting stories and for some it can also be a way in to the industry. I personally volunteered at the Glasgow Film Festival whilst at University and not only did I learn a lot about the industry and meet amazing people - I also had experience which I could then talk about at interviews for future jobs. From a social point of view volunteering is a way to meet like minded people who often become friends for life.

There are veteran volunteers who have been doing it for years and thanks to the Olympics in 2012, a new generation of volunteers have been inspired to take part in events. I can't express enough the respect I have for the volunteers I work with, they truly make the event and after all we all wear the same uniform and are part of the same team!

If you are interested in volunteering there are many ways you can get involved. At a local level simply contacting sports clubs/theatres/charity events and asking if they need any extra help is a great way to get involved. On a bigger scale for national events such as Race for Life/Marathons etc positions will be advertised on their website, so keep an eye out for those. On an even larger scale, such as the Olympics or Commonwealths where thousands of volunteers are needed, the organisation will normally have a recruitment process, again on their website - for this type of event you should start checking the website early, as volunteer recruitment can start 1 sometimes 2 years prior to the event! There are lots of websites that advertise volunteer positions so just have a look online to see what is happening in your area and never be afraid just to send an email explaining that you'd like to get involved, it will be much appreciated!


I truly believe that everyone should try volunteering at least once, it's an experience you will never forget. Even working in the industry I am still always looking for events that I can volunteer at because I love meeting great people and learning more from every role I take.

Laura Wright leads a sing-a-long!

There were many exhibitions throughout the day, from the event organisers and the sponsors