Team Roles and Responsibilities

Published on 04 May 2022 by IndabaX committee | updated on 03 March 2023

🀝 Shared Expectations

  • We are here to grow the community, not elevate ourselves above others.
  • If someone is not pulling their weight, there will be a warning, group intervention, then eventually they will be removed from the team. No time (or acknowledgement) for slackers πŸ™…
  • The IndabaX organising committee is not a soapie or a drama. This is an action-comedy!

πŸ’Ό Executive committee

  • Facilitate regular meetings with the core team
  • Work across domains to empower and closely assist teams
  • Make sure teams are talking to each other such that relevant tasks have multiple stakeholders and that there is clear responsibility, accountability, consultation, and information (RACI)
  • Create an effective means of communication
  • Ensure people are held accountable
  • Handle primary logistics
    • Manage documents - internal, external, contracts, forms, etc.
    • Share folders
    • Keep branding consistent
  • Write report after the event
  • Be the main point of contact between Indaba𝕏 and Indaba
  • Form clear responsibilities for after the event: Uploading of slides, pics, videos, receipts..
  • Set expectations of what can and cannot be covered given certain sponsor milestones.
  • Working with information from other teams, create and manage a budget

πŸ“Œ Local organiser

  • Get unambiguous University buy-in and support
  • Liaise with host University to secure venues during applicable dates
  • Ensure venues are properly equipped (laptop/projectors/computer lab for hackathon, etc.)
  • Negotiate with University for enough convenient student accommodation for sponsored students
  • Create a list of recommended accommodations for general audience
  • Potentially facilitate meetings (i.e. make an intro) between speakers/sponsors and local businesses or the University itself
  • Organise University media services (photography, video recording, live streaming - we have a YouTube streaming account)
  • Handle on-the-ground logistics
    • Printing of programme
    • Accommodation logistics if this is sponsored - it is a lot of admin!
    • Organise name badges and swag bag (with Marketing)
    • Internet

πŸ“ Programme chairs

  • Layout preferred times and days that recommends number of keynotes, parallel streams, suggested durations of talks,
  • Find awesome speakers
  • Invite speakers
  • Set up form for open speaker submissions
  • Communicate with speakers to manage expectations regarding what the event covers or the speaker should cover
  • Collect slides
  • Unconference?
  • Ensure diverse speakers!
  • Manage session chairs/moderators and instruct them to make sure speakers are mic’d up, on time, and have the slides

πŸ’³ Accounting support

  • Working with information from other teams, create and manage a budget
  • Monitor sponsor money coming in, following up where necessary
  • Monitor sponsorship/grant money leaving, including the scope and scale of what can be granted.
    • Book flights early and be mindful of school holidays
    • If possible, avoid university cost centers
    • Separate grant process into only flights or flights + accom
  • Keep track of flight costs
  • Get agreement on the claiming proceedings and clean bookkeeping beforehand, i.e. producing bank statements to prove expenses
  • Make sure everyone pays before the event, do not admit people to participate if they have not paid, or make them sign an agreement

πŸ’Έ Fundraising and sponsor relations

  • Secure sponsors - START EARLY and message often
  • Manage and maintain sponsor relationships
  • Stratify perks for sponsors
  • Create sponsor deck for distribution
  • Write-up and ensure signing of sponsorship agreement (contract)
  • Set expectations for what sponsors should and should not expect at the event
  • Working with local team to have a sponsor space that is equipped as per the sponsor needs, within reason
  • Follow-up after the event to ensure perks have been properly and adequately distributed

πŸ‘©β€πŸ’» Hackathon

  • START EARLY
  • Decide on the format + infrastructure
  • Talk with companies about data, resources (CHPC), prizes
    • It helps if there is benefit for them (what will they gain?)
    • Generally a bad idea to solve their problems - interested companies should package their hackathons already
  • Create an introductory hackathon so attendees at least learn something if they attend
  • Facilitate tutors
  • Liaise with Zindi if hackathons are hosted on their platform

πŸŽͺ AI Fest and poster session

  • An evening celebrating the remarkable advancements in AI within South Africa. We invite students, research groups, and companies to join us in showcasing their work and accomplishments.
  • Invite startups, companies, research centres and individuals (eg. AI artists) to celebrate their work
  • Organise venue, music, catering, presentation table, poster boards (liase with local organisers)
  • Brainstorm ways to make it festive. This is a new addition to the IndabaX, so get creative!
  • Poster session
    • START EARLY
    • Encourage all attendees to bring a poster, we want everyone to participate (new and finished projects)
    • Create a form to collect applications
    • Set up a fair judging system

πŸ“§ Marketing and communications

  • Facilitate creation of marketing material
  • Manage Twitter + Instagram accounts
  • Engage with press and organisations to market event before applications close, leading up to the event, and after the event
  • Manage website
  • Keep branding consistent
  • Organise name badges and swag bag
  • Collect photos and videos for sharing
  • Post-event video
  • Create formatted version of programme

🍩 Catering & Social events

  • Food organisation
    • Including dietary requirements
    • Lunches
    • Snacks
    • Event dinners
  • Recommended restaurants for funded students
    • Party planning
    • Venue
    • DJ
    • Drinks vouchers
    • Food

🎫 Logistics

  • Take and distribute minutes - keep everyone informed
  • Work closely with local organisers as there will be shared/overlapping responsibilities
  • Run the application process (using existing templates)
  • Facilitate registration process
  • Help accounting with booking flights
  • Have a shared register of cell phone numbers of every shuttle/bus driver, the travel, IT, venue person of contact

General

  • Application form approval
  • Sponsor package approval
  • Adding to the budget (and informing budget lead of such), especially any items expected to be reimbursed
  • Attendee selection
  • Poster selection