AFinLA Autumn Symposium through the eyes of the Assistants
The Autumn symposium of AFinLA, alias the Finnish Association for Applied Linguistics, took place in Turku from November 7th to 9th, 2024. The event gathered researchers and listeners to listen and lecture about various interesting topics regarding linguistics.
When participants gathered at the University of Turku for the autumn symposium, the conference assistants were tasked with ensuring everything ran smoothly. This three-day event gave assistants a chance to experience the reality of organizing a conference, meet interesting people, and learn about the challenges and successes of organizational work. Assistants were divided into teams with different tasks. Each team focused on a specific area to keep the event flowing seamlessly from start to finish. Alongside of the team tasks the assistants also worked at the information desks, with luggages and also served as IT-support persons in lecture halls.
Social Media Team: Capturing Moments and Sharing the Atmosphere
The social media team was always on the move, capturing key moments from the event and conveying its atmosphere to both participants and other followers. Photos, videos, and updates were shared on the event’s social media channels, allowing remote followers to experience the symposium as well. Special focus was placed on documenting the opening remarks, workshops, participant interviews, and the evening program. The team shared different kinds of content and created an authentic portrayal of the symposium. Interactive engagement between the event and its followers was fostered, and hopefully the followers got a broad picture of the whole event.
Guidance Team: Signage and Smooth Navigation
The guidance team was responsible for making the event venues easily accessible. This involved procuring and placing navigation signs so that participants could easily find the correct lecture halls and spaces. The team was also ready to answer questions and assist participants as needed throughout the event. This role required plenty of walking between locations, managing schedules, and constant communication with other teams. The team’s help was especially needed on the first day, as new attendees arrived and navigated the university facilities. Participants expressed appreciation for the friendly service and personalized assistance provided by the guidance team.
Blog Team: Storing the memories
The blog team focused on creating blog texts about the event. Their task was to record and summarize presentations and workshops in the form of pictures and words along with capturing the overall atmosphere. After the event they wrote two different texts to different platforms. This team’s job was also to help with some extra-tasks before the event.
Shift Coordinators: Pillars of Scheduling and Support
The shift coordinators served as a backbone for all the teams. They ensured assistants were in the right place at the right time and that everyone had enough breaks. Taking care of all these surely required strong organizational skills, flexibility, and the ability to multitask. Thanks to the shift coordinators, each team could focus on its tasks, and the event stayed on track as planned.
Work, Learning, and Successes
The autumn symposium offered conference assistants a unique opportunity to gain practical skills, develop interpersonal abilities, and experience the power of teamwork. During the long workdays, they also learned problem-solving and how to handle the fast-paced nature of a conference event. Each team contributed its part, and through collaboration, they achieved a successful result that benefited both participants and organizers.
The experience of the symposium highlights the importance of teamwork, flexibility, and planning in creating a successful event. Through interesting presentations on various different topics the assistants were able to get a deeper insight into different aspects of linguistics and to hear about current topics. The conference assistants experienced a wide range of tasks, and together, their efforts created a memorable event, leaving a lasting impression that extended well beyond the symposium itself.
Writers are students of the School of Languages and Translation Studies.
Pictures: Nina Nevalainen