Volunteer Roles

It takes a wide variety of skills to make EMF happen, it's not all network cabling and designing badges. Ahead of the event, a lot of what needs doing is sending emails and project management. If you've got some spare time and would like to help please do get in touch.

In general we're looking for people ahead of the event who are comfortable with some of the following skills:

• Project management
• Supplier management & ordering
• Web development

We're also looking for people to fill the following specific roles:

Event Operations

The Event Operations team is the central contact point for getting things done on site. We keep the event running by taking in issues and requests from across site, turning them into clear tasks, and routing them to the right team so they get fixed.

From day -2 to +2 we handle a steady stream of ad-hoc problem solving, from "small but urgent" to "we need a plan right now". The work stays varied, you will rarely have two days that look the same.

We're recruiting for two roles:

Operations Coordinator (pre-event + on-site)

Help shape how Event Ops runs at EMF 2026, then carry that into the event.

You will:

• Design and maintain the task intake, tracking, and handover system
• Work with Site, Logistics, and Admin on build order, dependencies, and escalation paths
• Collect and organise key info for on-site use, including contacts, suppliers, and procedures
• Prepare short HQ playbooks for common situations, including vendor queries and access issues
• Help coordinate entrance, parking, and vehicle movements during build-up and the event
• Help run HQ during build-up, the event, and tear-down

This suits you if you like building simple systems that work under pressure, you can keep several threads moving at once, and you enjoy turning messy problems into clear next steps.

Dispatcher (on-site)

Be part of the on-site team, keeping the day-to-day flow under control.

You will:

• Monitor radio and other channels, answer queries, and keep a live task list
• Triage requests, ask the right questions, and route work to the right team
• Keep track of ad-hoc build tasks and validate progress across site
• Help coordinate entrance, parking, and vehicle movements when needed
• Keep clear shift notes so nothing gets dropped
• Work closely with site, logistics and admin

This suits you if you stay calm under pressure, communicate clearly, and like practical problem-solving across teams.

Health

The Electromagnetic Field Health Team provides 24/7 medical and welfare support for everyone on site, from build-up through to break-down. We coordinate volunteers and professional medics, work with emergency services, and keep clear records.

EMF is a generally calm, low-risk event. Historical incident data shows that the vast majority of medical and welfare cases are minor and managed on site, with very limited need for ambulance call-outs or hospital transfers. The event atmosphere is relaxed and respectful compared to typical large festivals.

EMF is entirely volunteer-run, but you don't need prior volunteering experience to get involved. We're looking for volunteers in two phases of the event:

Planning & Co-ordination (From now)

Help with the planning and oversight of medical and welfare provision ahead of the event. This includes reviewing plans and policies to meet regulatory requirements, working with suppliers, and keeping an eye on safety advice. Some relevant experience is helpful, but we're happy to support new EMF volunteers who are organised, communicative, and comfortable working with documentation and coordination tasks as part of a team.

On-Site First Aid Provision (During Event)

Help supervising the external first-aiders delivering medical and welfare support on site as part of a 24/7 rota. Some relevant experience is helpful, but we're happy to support new EMF volunteers who are calm, approachable, and happy working as part of a team.

Kitchen

Full-time kitchen volunteers needed for helping with buildup cooking. Work will include vegetable chopping, dishwashing, and other kitchen tasks.

No prior commercial experience required, although it helps if you can hold a knife without cutting yourself, or if you're enthusiastic about soap suds and joining the dishpit crew.

Logistics

The Logistics team handles storage and delivery of internal equipment, procurement of general supplies, attendee package handling, directing vendors and suppliers around site, and general handling of traffic flow. It's a team that has to interact with almost every aspect of EMF and every day brings new, interesting challenges.

We're looking for one or two full-time volunteers to help us (from roughly day -2 to day +3):

• Staff the Logistics tent and handle shipping, receiving and inquiries
• Work with other teams to get them their supplies, from either storage or deliveries
• Handle vendors and suppliers as they arrive on-site and direct them to where they are needed
• Help us with our ongoing task to get every important item into our asset tracking system
• Coordinate consolidation and storage of teams' gear during teardown
• Assist with traffic management and flow during peak delivery/HGV hours
• Step in to help Event Operations with any overflow tasks they need assistance with

Villages

Looking for 2-3 team members ahead of the event to help communicate with villages as they sign up and come to us with queries and questions. One of those volunteers will work with the workshop villages team to get workshop villages on board with information and make coordination easier.

Work will include:

• Communicate with villages via team inbox
• Plan layout of villages & clusters on site with team
• Being able to route questions to other teams (site or installations usually) if requirements get too heavy
• Ensuring villages know when to turn up

There are on-site needs too: checking villages in, ensuring they understand health and safety and good behaviour around tents, distributing furniture, and being a helpful face for questions. Post-event, we need to move people on, account for any leftover equipment, and inspect rented AV.

Calls for help

Occasionally we'd like to put out a call for help with specific roles. While we'd love to do that with a giant EMF logo beamed into the night sky, we had to settle for a mailing list instead.