VOLUNTEER AT SLUSH
Want to take your first step on your path to becoming a startup founder, operator or VC? Interested in exploring diverse career paths or building your future skills in fields like marketing, event production, design, customer service, cultural studies, sustainability, or psychology? Join us at Slush for a unique opportunity to dive into the vibrant world of one of the globe's premier startup events. Whether you're passionate about fostering connections, honing people management skills, or contributing to seamless event execution, there's a place for you here.
Volunteer your way into the unique startup ecosystem and contribute to our so-called Slush Magic. Team Lead applications for 2024 are open from April 25 to May 12.
THIS IS WHY
VOLUNTEERS COME TO SLUSH
BE A PART OF
A COMMUNITY
& BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
“Year after year I keep wanting to come back because of the love for the strong Slush community.”
FIRST STEP INTO BECOMING
A STARTUP FOUNDER, OPERATOR,
OR A VC
“Being a volunteer at Slush gave me a lot of opportunities inside the startup ecosystem and I actually found my current job at Slush.”
EXPERIENCE
THE WORLD'S LEADING STARTUP EVENT
“It was a once in a lifetime experience to be a part of organizing an event in the scale of Slush.”
VOLUNTEER TEAMS
PRODUCTION
The Production Team’s core is to guarantee a seamless customer journey throughout one of the world’s most complex event productions for 13,000 visitors. In order to create a 7-star experience for our event visitors, we have partnered up with the coolest production companies and industry professionals in event services, creating moments to remember. But we wouldn’t be anything without the production volunteers, they breathe the Slush Magic alive.
The Production Team has 11 Team Leads
- Event Badge Claim
- Pre-Badge Claim
- Pre-Badge Claim Runners
- Info
- Recycling
- Cloakroom
- Construction
- Production Help
- Production Help Runners
- Afterparty
- Food Experience
FINANCE
If you’re curious to learn world-class finance skills in a hands-on environment, look no further. Our Finance volunteers 1) help us with crucial day-to-day finance operations, and 2) run the coolest clothing store in Finland — the Slush Store which sells merchandise at the event:
- Our daily finance operations ensure the Slush Magic touches all our visitors. This team ensures our customers don’t only get tickets efficiently, but also receive the stellar customer service Slush is known for. These operations are run by the three Tickets Team Leads.
- The Slush Store is fully operated by a volunteer team, lead by the Store Team Lead.
Finance Team has 4 Team Leads
- 3 x Tickets Team Leads
- Store Team Lead
MARKETING & DESIGN
Studio is a combination of the Marketing and Design team, like two peas in a pod. We
At Slush, the Marketing and Design teams are called Studio Team. Like two peas in a pod, we work closely together to create and curate the external communications and visual identity for Slush, online and off.
Studio volunteers film, photograph, graphic design, write, and publish content to Slush’s social media channels during and after the event with the support of the full-time team. Additionally, we ensure Slush’s stage content is livestreamed to our online audience, and we engage with the Slush community in our DM’s, comment sections, and feeds.
Studio Team has 5 Team Leads
- Social Media: Content creation
- Social Media: Post compiling & audience engagement
- Photography
- Graphic Design
- Livestream
MEDIA & PR
The Media & PR team has two core responsibilities at Slush: attracting the world’s leading media representatives to Slush and creating the best media experience of any event on the planet for them, and building compelling narratives to showcase Slush as an organization to media. Media & PR volunteers make sure all guests in these concepts have a stellar customer experience.
Media Team has 2 Team Leads
- Media Area
- Media Side Events
PEOPLE
Slush would not happen without our people — the 1,500 volunteers make the real magic happen. The People Team recruits and trains these curious future builders. On top of this, we organize training events and gatherings for the Slush team and volunteers and make sure the volunteer operations run smoothly from start to finish.
People Team has 2 Team Leads
- Volunteer Operations
- Volunteer Area
PARTNERSHIPS
The Partnership Team brings the world’s leading companies, scale-ups, country delegations, and research labs to be involved in Slush activities as partners. Our Partners generate a significant part of income for Slush while bringing relevant and value-adding activities for the founder and investor audiences of the event. Partnerships volunteers make sure all partners have a stellar experience with Slush in each encounter.
Partnerships Team has 6 Team Leads
- Side Event Operations
- Side Event Comms & Data
- Partner Badge Claim
- Partner Pod
- Partner Buddies
- Partner Day
PROGRAM
The Program team is at the center of one of Slush’s most visible parts of the event: Speakers and stages. We bring the most iconic founders, investors, operators, and tech executives on stage in order to encourage the next generation of people to build companies. Our content focuses on practical company-building advice – everything that an aspiring or an early-stage founder needs to know in order to build a groundbreaking venture. Program team volunteers work closely with our iconic speakers and ensure they have a smooth and superb experience at Slush.
Program Team has 5 Team Leads
- Backstages
- Drivers
- Speaker Buddies
- Mentoring Area
- Startup Stage
INVESTORS
The Investor team is responsible for attracting the world’s leading venture capital investors to Slush, and creating the best investor experience of any event on the planet for them. Investor team volunteers work on the concepts and events offered to the investors visiting Slush and make sure they get excellent customer service in every encounter with Slush. The Investor Team volunteers will have a chance to interact with investors having $3 trillion in assets under management.
The Investor Team has 5 Team Leads
- LP Side Events
- Investor Day
- Investor Lounges
- Investor Office Hours
- Investor Side Events
STARTUPS
The Startup Team has the exciting responsibility of taking care of our largest core visitor group — the startup CEOs and founders. This is done with concepts like Founders Day, Founder’s Day Experiences and Startup Booths to mention a few. Startup Team is also responsible for the Meeting Area and the overall Meeting Experience that are at the core of Slush. People come to Slush to meet relevant people for their ventures – and we’ve taken it to our heart to execute it to perfection for them. Startup team volunteers make sure all founders are treated like royalty in every encounter they have with Slush.
The Startup Team has 5 Team Leads
- Slush 100
- Meeting Area
- Founders Day
- Founder Experiences & Activities
- Startup Booths
FEEDBACK
Feedback team is responsible for collecting and analyzing main event feedback. This includes both general event feedback and concept-specific feedback. The feedback team is part of Slush’s Research team responsible for data analysis and research collaborations with external stakeholders.
The Feedback Team has 1 Team Lead:
- Feedback
It was my first year and therefore it was total new experience and a lot of impressions. It was perfect! The best thing about being a volunteer was challenging myself and learning new things about the ecosystem. It is a yearly tradition for me to join Slush as a volunteer and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
VOLUNTEER
STORIES
VOLUNTEER
FAQ
What is Slush about?
Slush is a student-driven, not-for-profit movement with the mission to create and help the next generation of groundbreaking entrepreneurs, originally founded to change attitudes toward entrepreneurship. Slush features two days full of stage programs, in addition to several side events, talks at networking sessions, roundtable discussions, and facilitated workshops. Our speaker line-up includes successful founders, top-notch investors, and other startup and tech influencers.
When does Slush take place?
Slush 2024 will take place physically from Nov 20–21, 2024, at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Center (Messukeskus).
Where is Slush organized?
Slush is organized in the Helsinki Expo and Convention Center. Address: Messuaukio 1, 00520 Helsinki Helsinki Expo and Convention Center is located just a few kilometers from the Helsinki city center – you’ll be able to arrive at the venue within 15 minutes from all around the city.
What is the number of volunteers this year?
In 2024 the Slush Team will be recruiting approximately 1,600 volunteers in total.
What are the different volunteer roles at Slush?
Team Leads are the link between core team members and volunteers. As a Team Lead, you work as part of the Slush Fall Team, consisting of our full-time team members and Team Leads. Following our value trust by default, you’ll be given autonomy and responsibilities that contribute towards making Slush 2024 the best Slush to date.
Group Leads are responsible for running the core operations during the event days. They are also recruiting and training the volunteers for various different tasks.
Volunteers will be the biggest helping hands during the event days. They will be responsible for helping and executing various different tasks, mostly during Slush week.
What is the process for recruiting volunteers?
Team Leads will be recruited during the Spring. The Team Lead recruitment process is done through group interviews, which our core team conducts.
Group Leads will be recruited during the Fall by the Team Leads.
Volunteers will be recruited by our Group Leads during the Fall.
Is there an age limit to volunteering?
Yes, we don’t recruit under 18 year olds to be volunteers at Slush.
When will the 2024 volunteer application open?
The Team Lead application is now open until May 12, so apply here.
The Volunteer & Group Lead applications will open after summer. To stay informed when that happens, follow us on our social media @slushhq.
What are the workloads for different volunteer positions?
Team Lead position approximate workload during the Fall: 10-20h/week depending on the role.
Group Lead position maximum workload during the Fall: 10h/week.
Volunteer position approximate workload during the event week: 20h (depending on which team and what kind of tasks they have). Adding to the workload during the event days there will be different kinds of Volunteer activities such as Volunteer Day, Talkoot, Volunteer’s Afterparty, and Venue Tour.
During Slush Week (Nov 18-21) one can expect full days of work in most roles.
Does Slush cover travel and accommodation costs?
We’re working on providing affordable accommodation for volunteers coming from outside Finland. There will be a limited number of places available, and more information about this possibility will be available later in the fall.
How should I proceed if I need a visa traveling to Finland?
Slush can help the recruited volunteers with their visa applications by providing them with an invitation letter. Contact [email protected] for this matter. Read more about Finland’s visa policies on the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
What are the important dates for volunteers?
The Slush Fall contains tons of fun events. In order to get the most out of your volunteer experience these are the important dates that would require your physical presence in Helsinki.
In 2024 the important dates will be the following:
- Nov 2 – Volunteer Day 10-15
- Nov 18 – 22 – Slush week
- Nov 23 – Volunteer Afterparty 21-02:30
What are the important dates for group leads?
This exciting position offers training sessions to prepare for the greater responsibilities, which means that Group Leads have a larger time commitment and additional attendance dates:
In 2023 the important dates were the following:
- 11 Oct – Leadership Experience #1 17-20
- 14 Oct – Talkoot 2 9-18
- 1 Nov – Leadership Experience #2 17-20
- 11 Nov – Volunteer Day 10-15
- 27 Nov–1 Dec – Slush week
- 2 Dec – Volunteer Afterparty 21-02:30
The 2024 dates will be updated later.
How do I contact the Slush team?
You can reach the Slush People Team by email at [email protected].
COME VISIT
Malminkatu 16
00100 Helsinki