The Journey, The Story and The Questions Behind Event Volunteering
It’s no secret that I’ve been actively involved in volunteering at events in my newfound career path. More often than not, people ask how I became so involved in these events. It’s only dawned on me recently that event organizing just comes naturally to me. I can trace it back to when I was just 10 years old, helping out in organizing summer activities right in my neighborhood. We’re talking about everything from volleyball and basketball tournaments to friendly neighborhood pageants (yes, you read that right) and summer outings. At that time, I was the youngest member of our neighborhood youth organization. So, as you can imagine, I’ve always considered participating in events as a standard part of my life. This was also evident at our school events and extra curricular activities.
When I moved to Sweden, I had to study the language for a couple of years before I could pursue further studies. On the side, while adjusting to the culture and language, I was also actively volunteering at Hillsong Malmö as a part of the Photo and Video team where our responsibilities included taking pictures and videos on Sunday services and events. When Covid hit, our team had to have all hands on deck because suddenly, our Sunday services and worship services were all shifted online. That was quite an experience and definitely one for the books.
But let’s shift gears and fast forward to today. In more recent times, my involvement in organizing events has taken a different turn. Lately, I’ve been actively participating in several Brand Leadership Community events in Copenhagen and I owe my gratitude to BLC’s CEO and Co-founder, Jomar Reyes. He recognized my potential and believed I would excel in the position of Head of BLC’s Next Generation Section. This role enables me to actively contribute to exceptional events within a community of professionals shaping the leading brands of both today and tomorrow.
Reflecting on my journey, it’s quite astounding to see how far my involvement with events has taken me. I can vividly recall the first MeasureCamp I attended in Copenhagen with some of my classmates last year (June 2022). I was still a digital analytics student then, fairly new to the analytics field and the community. Then just a short year later, in June this year, and perhaps out of a cosmic twist, I found myself as the lead volunteer for MeasureCamp Copenhagen. Even more unexpectedly, within just a month, precisely in July 2023, I received an invitation to join the core organizers for MeasurCamp Malmö. This whirlwind journey just continues to amaze me.
With that said, I do get a ton of questions like why I do what I do and what I could possibly get out of spending my free time being so involved in these events. It just seems fitting to answer those questions here on my website 🙂 So here goes nothing!
Why do you choose to spend your free time volunteering?
In addition to what I’ve shared previously, the simple answer is because of the community itself. The analytics community here has a unique appeal that’s made me want to be more involved. If you’ve ever attended any of these events, I’m sure you understand what I mean. Most of the people in the community are super generous with their wisdom and expertise. Why? Simply because they have a genuine love for what they do and they wish to foster discussions around it. And that is truly amazing. Being relatively new to this field I may not have much technical knowledge to share (just yet), but volunteering is my way of giving back and keeping the passion alive in our community.
What was the most memorable event you volunteered for, and why?
That would be the very first event I volunteered for with BLC during the Analytics Masterminds Jam Session held in October 2022. It might seem like I’m biased since I eventually started working at the same venue (IIH Nordic), but there’s more to it than that. It was primarily because, after a couple of years of sidelining my own career, for the first time, I found myself pushing beyond my comfort zone, actively making choices about where I invest my energy, and refining my leadership skills. Simply put, I was awakened.
In your experience, what are some of the key benefits of attending and volunteering at these events?
A benefit is undoubtedly the opportunity to grow your professional network within this industry. Whether you are a student or someone new to the field, expanding your network will be one of the most strategic moves you can make. It not only places you on the radar but also positions you to proactively engage with the community. Another significant upside is gaining knowledge from these events featuring internationally renowned keynote speakers who are authorities in their respective domains. And that is invaluable.
If you want to know more about the events, follow me on LinkedIn and if you want to join our Next Generation team, please drop me a message or request to join our LinkedIn group here.
Cheers and see you on the next event!