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Junior & Senior Final · Palavela, Turin · 5–8 December 2019

Behind the scenes of volunteering at Torino 2019

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Turin brought the world’s leading Senior and Junior skaters to Palavela from 5–8 December 2019. While the competitions attracted the attention of international fans, judges, broadcasters and athletes, volunteers helped turn a major sporting programme into a welcoming, orderly and memorable event.

For a volunteer, registration was the first step in joining that operation. The process involved more than submitting a name and waiting for an allocation. Applicants needed to provide personal details, availability, language skills and relevant experience, then prepare for responsibilities ranging from spectator assistance to accreditation, venue support and athlete services.

Training connected the registration form with the reality of event days. It gave volunteers the practical information needed to work safely, communicate clearly and respond consistently in a busy arena. For Australians considering similar opportunities overseas, Torino 2019 offers a useful example of how international figure-skating events organise their people behind the scenes.

What volunteers made possible

A competition at Palavela depended on hundreds of small interactions working smoothly. Spectators needed directions to entrances, ticket areas and seating blocks. Athletes and coaches needed help locating accreditation points, practice facilities and transport arrangements. Media representatives required access information, while officials needed quiet, reliable support around the competition schedule.

Volunteer roles could therefore vary widely in visibility and responsibility. Some positions placed people at information desks or access points, where an approachable manner mattered most. Others involved accreditation, event offices, practice sessions, hospitality areas, merchandise, transport coordination or general venue operations.

The Grand Prix Final also combined Senior and Junior competitions with practices, official ceremonies and the exhibition gala. That variety meant volunteers had to understand the broader event timetable rather than focus only on the headline performances. A calm person who knew where to send a visitor could save time for staff managing a much more complex issue.

Starting the registration process

The registration form was the point at which organisers began matching people with the event’s needs. Applicants would generally be expected to enter contact information, emergency details, availability and any experience relevant to customer service, sport, administration or multilingual communication. Since event volunteering involves personal responsibility, accurate information was essential.

Availability was particularly important. A person able to work one evening might be useful for a different role from someone who could attend several days, early starts and late finishes. Applicants should have treated the schedule as a commitment rather than an expression of interest. Training, accreditation collection and rostered shifts could all require attendance before the first competition session.

A strong application could be prepared around a few practical details:

International applicants also needed to consider travel planning separately from the event form. An Australian travelling from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth would need to allow for long-haul flights, European winter conditions and possible delays before an assigned shift. Volunteers should never rely on arriving in Turin on the same day as their first duty, particularly when training or accreditation collection is scheduled in advance.

Information applicants needed to provide

Registration systems for large sporting events are designed to collect information that helps with both allocation and risk management. A preference for athlete-facing duties, communications or spectator services could be useful, but preferences were not guarantees. Organisers had to balance individual interests with the requirement to keep every operational area staffed.

Applicants may also have been asked about language ability and previous experience. Italian would have been valuable for local communication, while English supported contact with international athletes, coaches and fans. Other languages could assist visitors from different skating communities. Experience from Australian events, such as helping at an arena in Melbourne or supporting a community competition in Adelaide, would have shown reliability even if the applicant had never worked at an ISU event.

The form was also an opportunity to be realistic about physical demands. Venue work can involve standing for long periods, walking between zones, carrying light materials, checking passes or assisting people who are unfamiliar with the building. An applicant who needed regular breaks or had a mobility requirement should have communicated that early, allowing the team to plan a suitable placement.

Good registration information helped prevent avoidable problems later. It reduced the chance of assigning someone to a shift they could not reach, a role requiring skills they did not have or a location that conflicted with an access need. It also gave supervisors a clearer picture of the people joining the event workforce.

Selection and role matching

Once applications were received, the next stage was likely a combination of review, communication and allocation. Large events need dependable people, so organisers may have considered availability, previous experience, language skills and the applicant’s stated motivation. The most impressive application was not necessarily the one with the longest résumé; consistency, flexibility and sound judgement were often more useful.

Role matching also depended on the volunteer’s relationship with the public. A welcome desk required patience and clear explanations. Accreditation work demanded attention to detail and discretion. Support around practice sessions called for awareness of restricted areas and a respectful approach to athletes preparing for competition. Each role had its own boundaries, even when the work looked informal from outside.

Volunteers should have expected instructions to change as the event approached. Competition schedules can shift, access arrangements can be revised and staffing levels may need adjustment. A flexible attitude did not mean accepting confusion; it meant using the established chain of communication and checking with a supervisor before acting.

For an Australian applicant, cultural awareness would have been part of that preparation. Communication styles that feel natural at a local footy ground or swimming carnival may need adjustment in an international figure-skating environment. Concise directions, a professional tone and respect for different levels of English were more useful than assuming everyone understood local expressions.

Training before the arena opened

Training transformed general enthusiasm into practical competence. An initial briefing could cover the event’s purpose, the Palavela layout, reporting lines, shift procedures, uniform or identification requirements and the standards expected when dealing with spectators and participants.

Venue orientation was especially important. Volunteers needed to know public entrances, toilets, seating sections, accessible routes, first-aid points, information desks and staff-only areas. They also needed to understand how competition spaces differed from practice areas. A visitor asking about a ladies’ or men’s event, pairs programme, ice dance session or Junior timetable should be directed accurately rather than sent to search through the building.

Useful training priorities included:

Training should also have covered customer service in a multilingual setting. Volunteers did not need to speak every language represented at the Final, but they did need to know when to use simple English, seek an Italian-speaking colleague or refer a matter to a supervisor. A friendly welcome was valuable, yet accuracy remained more important than guessing.

Safety briefings were another essential component. Volunteers could be the first people to notice a blocked aisle, a distressed spectator, an unattended item or a crowd gathering in the wrong location. Training established who had authority to respond and who should be contacted. That clarity protected volunteers as well as the public.

Learning during live competition

The first shift often provided a different kind of training. Even after formal briefings, volunteers had to learn the rhythm of a live event: doors opening, queues forming, music starting, spectators moving between sessions and athletes requiring privacy before a performance.

Supervisors were central to this learning period. They could demonstrate how to check access, answer common questions and handle situations that were not covered in the general briefing. Good volunteers paid attention, took instructions seriously and asked a supervisor rather than improvising in a sensitive area.

The competitive programme created particular pressures. Figure skating audiences may arrive with detailed questions about warm-up groups, session times, seating or the exhibition gala. Some fans follow specific disciplines closely, while others attend because they are curious about the event experience. Volunteers did not need to be technical experts, but they did need reliable sources for results, schedules and venue information.

Public-facing work also required emotional control. A spectator might be disappointed about a ticket issue, confused by a timetable change or anxious about missing a performance. The most effective response was to listen, acknowledge the concern, give the information available and refer the problem when it exceeded the volunteer’s authority. Training provided the framework; courtesy made it work.

Applying the experience in Australia

The same principles apply to volunteer programmes in Australia. Major events in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth often rely on people who can welcome visitors, manage information points and support venue operations. Experiences at an arena concert, the Australian Open, a local skating club competition or a community festival can build skills that transfer to international sport.

Australian applicants should also consider local expectations around volunteering. Many people balance event duties with university timetables, full-time work, family commitments or weekend sport. Giving organisers dependable availability is more helpful than offering every possible shift and withdrawing later. Public transport planning matters too: late-night services, long journeys across metropolitan areas and summer event traffic can all affect arrival times.

The local market also creates useful preparation opportunities. Australian volunteers can practise customer service at multicultural events, improve first-aid awareness through recognised courses and develop venue experience through clubs or councils. Figure skating is smaller than some major Australian sports, but clubs in cities such as Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane offer a direct connection to the sport’s community and terminology.

International volunteering requires additional planning around visas, insurance, accommodation, currency and communication costs. A volunteer role should be treated as an organised commitment, not a substitute for paid employment or a guaranteed way to attend every session. Clear expectations protect both the individual and the event team.

Volunteering at a major figure-skating competition is a practical education in event delivery. Registration establishes trust, training creates consistency and live shifts develop judgement. Together, those stages allow volunteers to contribute to the atmosphere around the ice while respecting the precision required by elite sport.

Review the Torino 2019 event information, study the competition format and identify the skills you could bring to a future skating event. Keep your availability accurate, prepare for the venue environment and approach registration as the beginning of a professional commitment. That preparation is what turns a place on the volunteer team into a meaningful part of the event experience.