Become a volunteer for Tracon!

Welcome to join as a volunteer for Tracon! Tracon is entirely organized by volunteers, and every year over 1000 volunteers participate in the event. Working at the con provides an insight into organizing hobby events and offers new experiences.

The application period starts on Friday April 5, 2024, at 6 PM and ends on Sunday June 2nd, at 11:59 PM.

Volunteer benefits

• Free admission for all three days
• Access to the Green Room with sandwich and coffee service
• Warm meals during the weekend according to working hours
• Choice of either a T-shirt or other Tracon branded item
• Access to a sauna with a swimming pool on Saturday evening and a Dead Dog sauna in the center of Tampere after the event teardown
• Option for free floor accommodation (Fri-Sat, Sat-Sun) in a nearby school
• Option for a volunteer certificate for your volunteer tasks
• A new way to engage in hobbies, meet other enthusiasts, and event organizers
• For adults, the opportunity to attend the R18 thank you parties (kaatajaiset)
  
  Number of meal vouchers distributed according to working hours:
• 10h = 2 meal vouchers
• 12h = 3 meal vouchers
• 16h = 4 meal vouchers

Accommodation possibilities are being explored for assembly and disassembly assistants for the period between Thursday- Friday, and Sunday-Monday. Benefits are personal and cannot be transferred to another person.

Accessibility

You are welcome to volunteer even if you have various limitations. Please note that most volunteer tasks involve essential social interaction and sometimes unexpected situations. Tampere-talo is reasonably accessible, but especially at the Dead Dog party, it may be impossible to move around with various aids due to the large number of participants. Also, the sauna facilities during the weekend may be inaccessible considering assistive devices. Some of the tasks require carrying and transporting goods, but there are also desk-based jobs available.

Please bravely write about your limitations in your application so that we can consider them when planning selections and shifts.

Job Tasks

There is a wide range of tasks available, and many do not require prior experience. Volunteering provides an easy way to learn about event organization and similar activities. Outside of shifts, volunteers can access their own rest area and also participate in the event as attendees. Experienced individuals may be appointed as shift supervisors. The Tracon organizing committee, or the Conite, annually selects a group of volunteer activists who are involved in Tracon’s thematic areas.

The minimum contribution for volunteers is 10 hours of work. We also extend a special welcome to all those heroes who are willing to give even more of their time for common use! There are tasks available, for example, for a total commitment of 12 hours or 16 hours. Shifts are arranged in a few short shifts or one longer shift, depending on the volunteer’s consent and the task at hand. At Tracon, volunteers are often referred to as ‘vänkäri.’

Volunteer tasks include:

• Program assistants (room technology, cosplay support, karaoke hosts, etc.)
• Technical assistants
• Event assembly and teardown assistants (assembly mainly takes place on Thursday and Friday morning, teardown on Sunday after the event) Cloakroom attendants
• Maids and butlers at the maid café
• Accommodation supervisors (includes evening and night shifts)
• Green room assistants – Food Hygiene Pass required!
• Information assistants General assistants (water stations, cleanliness, other miscellaneous tasks)
• Drivers – Driver’s License required! (may include evening and night shifts, to be arranged separately)
• Ticket sellers, ticket checkers, and ticket takers (may include evening and night shifts, to be arranged separately)
• Light and videographers as well as video editors (Note! Photography is done with the volunteer’s own SLR camera, as well as video editing is done with their own video editing programs!)
• Evening party assistants

Those selected as volunteers must be at least 15 years old during the event. Some tasks require candidates to be at least 18 years old. (Shift supervisors, security personnel, ticket sellers for evening events, drivers, accommodation supervisors, evening party and other night shifts.)

Additionally, all able-bodied individuals are needed for con setup on Thursday and Friday and teardown on Sunday.

Volunteer training

Don’t hesitate to become a volunteer just because of your lack of experience. Many tasks do not require previous experience as basic skills can be learned easily. There will always be someone available to ask if needed. Tasks vary greatly in content and responsibility. If you have experience in something that could be useful in event organization, mention it in your application. For example, if you have previously organized school events, participated in a theater project, volunteered at other events, or undertaken a significant photography project at school.

Before Tracon, a general orientation session is organized for selected volunteers. The session takes place at Tampere Hall on Friday before the event opens and on Saturday morning. Some sub-areas conduct pre-event training sessions as well. Instructional materials can be read electronically well in advance of the event. (Please note, some material is only in Finnish but we try to translate these). Various instructions for Tracon are compiled in the con’s own wiki for volunteers, and we strongly recommend familiarizing yourself with them. Additionally, the facilities, the event, and everyone’s tasks will be reviewed on-site. If you’re unsure about anything, don’t hesitate to ask!

Attendance at the orientation session is not mandatory but is recommended, especially for first-timers. It’s also an excellent opportunity to meet other volunteers and supervisors before starting tasks.

Work Certificate and Dead Dog sauna

If you wish, you can also receive a work certificate for your participation. Please mention the need for a certificate in Kompassi during the application. Note that you should provide an address likely to be valid in the fall so that the letter reaches you. Only the address should be written in the address field, as it will be printed as is on the envelope. Write the address so that each part of the address is on its own line.
Firstname Lastname
Example Street 0
12345 Hometown

Everyone who has participated in the con is welcome to the Dead Dog sauna on Sunday evening. The location of the Dead Dog sauna will be announced after the event teardown. There will also be sauna opportunities with a swimming pool on Saturday evening!

All adult volunteers are also welcome to the appreciation event, i.e., R18 thank you parties (kaatajaiset), held 1-2 weeks after the con. The party will have drink and food service. More information about the party will be sent to volunteers closer to the event.

Registration as a Volunteer

You can register as a volunteer by filling out and submitting the application form on Kompassi. Please fill in all the requested information on the form.
If you don’t know Finnish, please use Google Translator to translate the form. We’re looking forward to your applications!

The volunteer application period ends on Sunday June 2nd, at 11:59 PM.

After the application period ends, we will send information to selected individuals via email. After selection, you can also see your shifts in Kompassi. Tracon provides volunteer insurance for volunteers. Selections are made before ticket sales begin.

Contact Information

For more information about working at Tracon, contact the workforce team at tyovoima(at)tracon.fi.