Tallinn Architecture Biennale (TAB) is an international architecture and urban planning festival that promotes architectural culture in the Baltics. TAB encourages networking between Estonian and foreign architects as well as between architects and the general public. This year, TAB used Zelos to dispatch tasks instantly to their international team of volunteers while also using it to send important announcements.
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Why updates were key for the Tallinn Architecture Biennale
TAB is a festival which consists of five main events: a curatorial exhibition, symposium and vision competition, plus an international architecture schools’ exhibition and installation programme. These five events are complemented by a diverse satellite programme which consists of independent exhibitions, off-site installations, film screenings and other interdisciplinary events.
Without a central management hub, TAB team leaders had to coordinate over a hundred volunteers remotely. On a normal event this would have entailed dozens of calls and emails, but things are a lot more simple because they started using Zelos to manage their volunteers.
“It has really helped me save time as I don’t have to send so many emails and I don’t have to call people so much. I can just add a task in Zelos and people will pick it up.”
-Karmen Aasanurm, Volunteer Coordinator, Tallinn Architecture Biennale 2019.
How to use the Zelos volunteer announcement feature
Through the Zelos app, event coordinators can send key announcements to all team members instantly. This is incredibly useful for last-minute requests and schedule updates. In the case of TAB, some of their announcements included:
- Informing volunteers regarding the number of free tickets available for an event.
- Requesting extra help for certain tasks that needed to be completed urgently.
- Welcoming volunteers with information regarding the time and place of their first team session.
By using the announcement feature, coordinators could focus on finishing the task rather than making sure everyone was in the email chain or had received an SMS. Less emails and more clarity!
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Prepping a festival built to succeed
The Tallinn Architecture Biennale spreads the word about the upcoming festival by building installation in several public venues around town. The construction of these installation can take from a couple of hours to up to three months, therefore task management and communication are key in order to keep everything on schedule.
“The main challenge for me has been dividing people into different positions all around town as things are taking place at the same time.”
-Karmen Aasanurm, Volunteer Coordinator, Tallinn Architecture Biennale 2019.
Festival coordinators can use Zelos to plan their work days ahead of time so volunteers can sign up early and leaders can report which tasks may need extra support to be completed on time. This removes a huge amount of stress, as well as it gives a clear overview about the work that needs to be completed during the lead up to the festival.
A team daily meetup in your pocket
The Zelos mobile app pushes notifications every time an announcement is published. This means that festival coordinators can also use it to send daily updates regarding the event without needing to schedule a meeting.
From thanking exceptional volunteers to requesting extra hands, the announcement feature avoids unnecessary meetings and ensures that everyone has the latest information no matter where they are.
Zelos helps volunteer coordinators to do more with their teams while also keeping track of things getting done through a simple and friendly platform. We look forward to participate in the next edition of TAB, and help them to transform spaces without a hitch.