Bluesfest not hurting for help
Posted Jul 12, 2011 07:18:58 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA- Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest is gearing up for another week of stellar entertainment but it’s not just the musicians who are preparing, volunteers are as well. It takes 3,500 volunteers to keep the festival up and running.
Tammy Parent, Director of Volunteer Services tells 1310News, they have to turn away about 2,000 people each year.
“We wish we could accommodate everybody of course, but we have to say well this is all we need,” Parent says. She explains they don’t want to overstaff because volunteers would be bored and unhappy, but they don’t want to understaff because then people are stretched too thin.
She says the free festival passes and volunteer village make the positions very attractive.
“We don’t have a heavy recruitment campaign but we have a heavy recognition and appreciation campaign,” Parent says. “We get the people, we just have to get them here and keep them happy.”
Four volunteers will receive 15 years of service awards following the festival and 25 will get 10 years of service awards.
Parent says volunteers do everything from working at information booths to serving up beer behind the bar.
“We all have completely different roles, but when we put it all together it makes one really great event,” she says.
