An Intro-guide to Getting Involved in Synergy
Synergy is a multi-layered organisation and so it's possible to get involved on many levels.
The Production
The production of Synergy can be broken down into two areas:
Room Production
Rooms are delegated to room co-ordinators in a federal way. Group coordinators take full responsibility for their space, are allocated a budget by the event production managers and programme all aspects of their rooms including music, performance, decor, projections, lighting and layout. Though many room coordinators will already have their own crew, they will generally be happy to welcome new people. The more skilled a task, the more likely room-coordinators are to trust it to someone they know and have worked with before, though experience can be gained and contacts made by assisting a technician/artist, particularly during set-up and down. General riggers are always welcome, particularly if they have some production experience. Rooms are also responsible for arranging a number of room stewards, who generally look after the welfare of guests.
Event Production
Production of the event as a whole occurs before, on and after the night
Pre-production
Marketing: research and design of flyer images, design of flyer, distribution of flyer.
Budgeting: collation of room budgets and event-wide costs into full event budget.
Press and Public relations: writing and distribution of press release, web-site editing, research and posting on web-forums / egroups, follow up calls to journalists, researching and contacting NGOs, handling stall enquiries and allocating stalls space.
Liaison: communicating with host venue, lighting, sound and printing companies.
Research and Development: researching and preparing materials relating to the raising awareness and consciousness of a variety of social, economic, political and spiritual issues relating to the purpose of Synergy, either independently or in partnership with NGOs.
On the night
Door: taking money on the door, taking tickets.
Stewarding: currently organised on a room-by room basis, including the welcome area.
Information: designing, printing and posting up information materials about the production / message of Synergy.
Financial Management: distributing money to room coordinators and accounting.
Documentation: gathering of still and moving footage of the night.
Press and Public Relations: liaising with press and VIPs.
Welfare: looking after the welfare of guests on an event-wide basis, referring people in need or medical acre to the venue media, or providing a sympathetic space for guests to center or relax.
Post-Production
Financial Management: accounting for and distribution of door and pre-sales income.
Gathering and collation of documentation.
Reward
As far as financial reward is concerned, Synergy has different layers of payment. Those who have invested most in the project, in terms of hours, skill and experience, are generally paid the most, though most if a not all participants in Synergy do so to advance the aims and objectives of the project rather than gain. While people thinking of getting involved in Synergy should not expect a full professional wage, Synergy recognises the importance of valuing, showing appreciation for and therefore sustaining the work of core crew. This is particularly the case with people working on the admin between events, as this is often the least enjoyable work that safeguards the future of the project.
The above is a fairly comprehensive list of what it takes to put an event the magnitude of the Synergy Project on, however, it is not a pick and choose list for those who would like to get involved in the project but serves as a guideline to what possiblities there are in a longer term. If you are considering getting involved inand hopefully we can work out where your personal skills and interests are best suited within the organism that is Synergy.
We are looking forward to working with you
The Synergy Crew
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