Volunteering at ESC

For three weeks in May this year, I was a volunteer at the Eurovision Song Contest one of the largest music event in the world. This year held in my home town of Vienna and I knew I couldn’t miss it! Over 1,800 people applied and I was one of the lucky 600 ones to be selected. I got to join as part of the Ambassador Team, the leadership team of all those volunteers tasked with ensuring that everything was running smoothly.
 
I traded Eurovision glitter and wind machines for headsets and spreadsheets. The Ambassador Team served as the ultimate problem solver and bridge between volunteers and management. Over 300 phone calls and 5k+ steps per shift later, I now know everything about security clearances, shift management, and lunch bookings.
 
What really stood out for me was the exceptional team I got to work with. We arrived to desks and phones, no playbook, no template. By the Grand Finale, we had built structures and processes to manage the demand from every direction. This was only made possible by our outstanding teamwork and the great support we received from the management team.
 
While most of my time was spent in a windowless basement, there were some incredible moments: walking through the eerily quiet venue, behind the stage past all the props, minutes before everyone was let in was truly special.
 
For me, it’s back to machine learning now, but the memories (and some residual glitter) remain!

Picture Credit Group Photo: ORF/Klaus Titzer