Gallery Experience Facilitiator
Position Summary
The Sam Centre is a community gathering space – a place for celebrating, learning, and sharing legendary stories, year-round – and Sam Centre volunteers are key team members who will bring Calgary’s Stampede story alive! Our team of volunteers will shape guest experiences that delight, inform, and invite visitors to be a part of Calgary’s compelling western heritage. Through each interaction, Sam Centre Volunteers will breathe life into our Stampede legacy with warmth and hospitality.
As a Gallery Experience Facilitator, you will be volunteering during the facility’s opening hours (winter hours: Thursday – Sunday; summer hours: Tuesday – Sunday) and occasionally in the evening to support special events. There will be local and international guests of all ages.
Responsibilities
- Welcoming guests to the Sam Centre as the first point of contact to the space and providing initial visit information that will support an exceptional guest experience.
- Embodying the Calgary Stampede’s unique brand of western hospitality and sharing western heritage stories in your own words.
- Engaging with guests with genuine curiosity, anticipating guest needs, and offering support to enrich their visit.
- Highlighting Sam Centre experiences, such as special exhibits and activations.
- Monitoring exhibits and experiences to ensure they remain in good working order, and communicating any support needs to Sam Centre staff and lead volunteers.
- Supporting the Sam Centre staff team in tasks to support the operations of Sam Centre activities, as needed. These tasks are varied and will often be available during slower moments. For example, volunteers can expect to be asked to help with tasks like laundering our volunteer vests in an on-site facility, and helping sew ‘pancakes’ used for education programs.
- Participating in mandatory training to learn about new exhibits and experiences that you will share with guests.
Qualifications
- An ability to learn and retell stories with accuracy and passion while captivating your audience.
- Ability to develop rapport with guests through clear communication, active listening, and empathy.
- Ability to adapt your communication style to suit individual needs.
- Ability to address issues or concerns with guests in thoughtful and empathetic way, ensuring a satisfactory outcome.
- Willingness to adapt to new instructions, changing priorities or new requirements of the role without resistance.
- An ability to undertake responsibilities of the role with minimum supervision.
- Previous customer service experience or dealing with members of the public.
- At this time, all interested applicants must be 18 and over.
Accessibility notice: Typical physical demands of the role include standing or sitting for long periods of time. Volunteers in this role must be mobile to maneuver around the exhibit spaces.
Time Commitment
The time commitment and requirements include:
- At least 20 shifts per year (or 60 hours) and at least 1 full Committee meeting per year;
- Completion of a Criminal Record Check;
- Complete all required training in advance of volunteering at the Sam Centre training (approx. 10 hours); and
- Remain up to date on all new training (approx. 10 hours/year).
