Thank you for your interest in joining the NAFSA 2019 Local Arrangements Team! As volunteers-in-chief for the conference, LAT members make significant contributions to the overall experience for all attendees. Serving on the LAT takes just a few hours per month prior to the conference, with significant time and effort required during the conference itself.
Below is a short description of the available roles. You can download
complete position descriptions here. On the next page, we'll ask you to tell us a little bit more about yourself. Be sure to have your résumé handy.
Conference Information & Hospitality - 3 positions
The Conference Information and Hospitality Center (CIHC) is located in one central area of Convention Center. There are two different functions of the center; 1) to provide information specific to the conference and 2) to provide information on the host city. This is a full-time position onsite. An additional responsibility of the CIHC team will be to provide information on local community outreach possibilities for donation of surplus conference items, including extra tote bags, exhibitor promo materials, etc.
Communications - 1 position
This person will be responsible for researching and writing short pieces about host city highlights for inclusion on NAFSA’s conference website, blog, and social media. These pieces are intended to excite conference-goers about the host city and to entice them to explore local offerings in their free time. The Communications Chair is also responsible for maintaining a Twitter account which will be used to disseminate information about the city, local events, etc. The majority of the work of the Communications Chair will take place in the months leading up to the conference: s/he will have few responsibilities in connection with this position on site but will need to offer assistance to the rest of the team on-site, especially Conference Information & Hospitality.
Pre-Registration - 3 positions
Working collaboratively with NAFSA on-site staff, these volunteers are responsible for assisting attendees in getting their registration materials. This is a full time position onsite.
Special Events - 3 positions
The LAT Special Events Chairs will develop local campus visit tours for inclusion on the conference website, with assistance from NAFSA staff. The Chairs will also be responsible for organizing and training special event volunteers onsite at conference, prior to each special event, and supervising on-site.
Volunteers & Evaluations - 4 positions
The purpose of the Volunteers Co-chairs is to develop and oversee the contingent of volunteers who provide onsite support to a wide-ranging variety of conference activities. General duties of the volunteer co-chairs include coordinating the pre-conference scheduling of volunteers, staffing the volunteer station onsite, and recording and processing the hours of volunteers during and after the conference. This position requires significant work prior to the conference and is also a full time position onsite. The evaluations work consists of organizing the room monitors for each session room, giving instruction and collecting data.
Preconference Workshops - 1 position
Working closely with NAFSA Professional Learning Services (PLS) staff, the Preconference Workshop Liaison will assist with overall promotion of open volunteer positions and assist with the orientation and training of volunteers who serve during the preconference programs. The Preconference Workshop Liaison staffs the Workshop Resource Center (WRC) onsite during the preconference workshops (all day Sunday and Monday and also Tuesday morning). There are generally 2-3 virtual meetings in spring to orient, train, and prepare the liaison to the general operations of the WRC and meet key PLS staff. Finally, the major time commitment onsite is staffing the Workshop Resource Center during the preconference workshops on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, beginning as early as 7:00 a.m.; checking in and orienting volunteers, providing general support to WRC volunteers, serving as co-lead of customer support to workshop participants and trainers, and handling other requests as they may arise. Moves to Special Event support for the remainder of the conference week.