volunteer
at slush 2021
After a year’s hiatus, Slush is returning physically to Helsinki on Dec 1–2. Slush 2021 will bring together the world’s leading startups and investors under one roof for two days – and our volunteers make that happen.
Apply to volunteer at Slush 2021Volunteer
If you are up for the rollercoaster ride of a lifetime, now’s your chance to hop in – Slush is back!
Volunteers at Slush experience firsthand how the world’s leading startup event is built – from the inside. While doing that, you’ll get to learn from some of the most successful founders of our time, see state-of-the-art technology, meet inspiring people and become a part of the unique Slush community.
The world’s leading startup event takes a big team to build and could not be done without the efforts of our amazing volunteers. We have over 30 volunteer teams you can apply to. Volunteers get to work with a wide variety of things such as the stages, construction, info, photography, catering, and so on. Each task comes with its unique set of invaluable experiences and connections.
RECRUITMENT PROCESS
The volunteer application period is Aug 30 – Sep 26. Slush Group Leads will contact the most potential applicants for interviews during September and October. Applications are processed already during the application period, so improve your chances by applying early.
IMPORTANT DATES
Oct 16 Talkoot
Oct 30 Construction Talkoot
Nov 6 Volunteers’ Day
Nov 29-30 Venue Training
Dec 1-2 Slush Event
Dec 10 Volunteers’ Afterparty
Also, any additional team meetings you might have during the fall!
Teams
BUILDERS’ STUDIO
Builders’ studio is a smaller stage for investors and founders. This team is helping speakers and visitors with anything that is related to this stage!
CATERING
Serving visitors with refreshments and taking care of the cleanliness of the food points around the venue. By this, we mean, preventing them from getting
hungry!
PARTNER CHAMBERS
Helping in the partner discussion area – aka partner chambers. This includes helping with setting up, guiding the partners to the right place, and other practical arrangements.
CLOAKROOM
Serving and helping our guests at our cloakrooms. 8000 winter jackets is no joke.
CONSTRUCTION
Constructing and deconstructing the technical production at the event venue, but also enabling the audiovisual overblow and the biggest technical production in Finland.
CONTENT PRODUCTION
Our Content Production team guarantees that the world knows what’s going on on our stages and displays the most dazzling moments of the event. Lots of stories at Slush: we make sure they’re heard.
EVENT BADGE CLAIM
Registering visitors at the venue entrances. The first contact for the guests with the event itself.
EVENT HELP
Helping all other teams with unexpected tasks and situations during the event. Also actively asking if help is needed.
FACTORY
The team is responsible for the practical arrangements of the Factory, a place for some of our partner events, guiding people to different places, and giving information to the guests.
FEEDBACK
Volunteers help gather and analyze feedback gotten from the visitors.
FOUNDERS DAY
Team helping with one of the official Slush side events outside the Slush venue – Founders Day. The event gathers startup founders to share their ideas and help each other in the path of building a startup.
INFO
Informing and helping out the visitors at several info desks around the venue, and through an online info chat. Knowing, or figuring out, answers and solutions to any kind of questions.
INVESTOR DAY
An event outside the Slush main event, where Investors gather, eat and explore Helsinki. This team helps with setting the program, guiding the visitors, and making sure everything goes smoothly.
LIVE STREAM
Interviewing our speakers and other guests on our live stream and enabling a smooth live stream.
MEDIA & CUSTOMER SERVICE
Media team is responsible for the practical arrangements of the Media Area, takes care of our media customers during the event, and social media comments, taggings, and DMs.
MEETING AREA
The team is responsible for the practical arrangements of the Meeting Area, guiding people to their meetings and giving information to the visitors.
PARTNER BOOTH
It is a team helping partners at partner booths on demand at the Slush venue with practical help if they face any challenges.
PARTNER MATCHING
Helping Slush Partners find the next Unicorn startups to collaborate with!
PARTNER BUDDIES
Special service provided to partners. Partner Buddies help them with any practicalities to make their stay in Helsinki as smooth as possible.
PRESS
Team helping with press and communication at Slush.
PROGRAM CHAMBERS
Speakers gather here to have discussions – aka program chambers. This team helps with any practical arrangements needed and guiding speakers to the right place.
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Photographing Slush 2021 and the side events. Making unforgettable memories visible, capturing the moments.
SIDE EVENT PRODUCTION
Team helping with official Slush side events. Outside the Slush venue.
SIIPI LOBBY
The Siipi Lobby Team is taking care of Siipi Lobby venue which hosts all the partner-led side events.
SLUSH AFTERPARTY
Serving visitors during the parties and helping with practical arrangements. Also making sure they have a good time!
SLUSH BUDDIES
Special service provided to key speakers and investors. Slush Buddies help them with any practicalities to make their stay in Helsinki as smooth as possible.
SLUSH STORE
Selling and promoting Slush merchandise during the event. Offering a chance to buy concrete memories from the event.
SLUSH 100 PITCHING COMPETITION
Slush 100, the one and only Slush Pitching Contest. This team is helping with practical arrangements of the contest and helping the speakers with any help they need.
STAGES
Helping the stage managers make sure that everything runs smoothly behind and on our stages. Ensuring that speakers feel comfortable and taken care of so that they can focus on their speeches.
STARTUP STUDIO
The stage for entrepreneurs to share their ideas. This team makes sure the speakers are feeling good, and the area is generally in good condition. Help with any practical arrangements.
SPEAKER DINNER
Dinner outside the Slush main event bringing speakers together. The team helps with catering, setting up, and making. Ensure the speakers find the dinner place.
ROUNDTABLES
This team is helping at Roundtable sessions, where speakers are mentoring a few visitors at a time about any interesting topic.
SUSTAINABILITY
Helping with everything related to recycling and advising the guests at the recycling point. It is not about recycling but collecting raw materials that can be re-used. A service that itself already exceeds expectations.
VOLUNTEER AREA
The team is responsible for the practical arrangements of the Volunteer Area. Making sure the volunteers feel happy and giving them the break they deserve from the hectic environment. Plus some snacks.
Volunteer Stories
Hey! It’s Miika here from Slush.
I first volunteered back in 2014 in the pre-registration team. The next year, I was the group leader for the same function. In 2016 and 2017, I was interviewing our main stage speakers in our Speaker Studio concept and also had a chance to host our pitching competition semi-finals! In 2018, I joined the team full-time and today I am the CEO. It’s difficult to put into words the influence of Slush for me and many others. For me, Slush helped me to realize especially a few things:
- There is nothing more exciting than working with incredibly ambitious and driven people
- With these ambitious people, even a small or simple task gets a new meaning when everyone aims to make it world-class. For example, in 2014, we aimed to make an extraordinary experience for all Slush guests when they came to get their passes.
- Slush opened my eyes to the world of startups and ventures. The space I love to continue working in.
I encourage you to apply. If nothing else, you will get new friends and experiences. At best, it will change your life.
Hello everyone!
This is Aino from Slush, and I would love to share my volunteer story with you. I first volunteered at Slush in 2014 and immediately fell in love with the extraordinary community and the spirit within, so I ended up volunteering for four years in a row.
I think there are as many different kinds of roles as there are volunteers. I have found myself helping speakers find the right stage, giving chocolate bars to ambassadors, and selecting 400 top-tier startups to showcase their products at the heart of the Slush venue.
Nowadays, I work as a full-time team member here at Slush as a Strategic Partnership Manager. I think that volunteering at Slush is an exceptional experience since Slush would not be anything without its volunteers. It is great to see what like-minded young students can build together and how they can shape the entrepreneurial tomorrow in just two days. I highly recommend you apply to be a volunteer as you will gain experience and create networks like no other.
Hi friends, this is Vallu, the Head of Partnerships here at Slush.
My journey started back in 2016 when I was brave enough to take the leap and apply as a Slush volunteer. Now 5 years later, I’m extremely grateful that I get to be part of creating this world-class spectacle full time. I’ve been a Slush buddy and Slush buddy group lead in the past. These experiences showed me the true value of Slush and the power that 1000 volunteers can have on actually creating real progress towards a more humane future. I currently make sure that we gather the coolest partners in the world to support this one-of-a-kind community through startup services, mentoring, innovation opportunities, and other ecosystem activities.
As a volunteer, you get a front-row seat to the edge of technology, see first-hand as true progress is made, and become part of a close-knit community of Slushers. Apply now, you won’t regret it.
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. The Slush 2021 event 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?
The event will take place physically on December 1 – 2, 2021 at 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.
HOW DO I CONTACT THE SLUSH TEAM?
You can reach the team by email at [email protected]
What's the process of choosing the Group Leads?
We will primarily consider applicants who applied to be Team Leads, but you may indicate your interest to be a Group Lead in the application. In that case, we recommend you apply soon.
Event Safety
See Health & Safety.