Terms of Engagement for Wicked Events - Unpaid Volunteers

Introduction

This is a fairly long document. Please read it very carefully, but the basic rules are:

• You’re a volunteer, not an employee
• Be nice, and don’t do bad things
• Respect the people you’re volunteering with, the event, and the people you’re helping to look after
• If circumstances change, tell us – we’ll try to help
• Treat everyone as you would like to be treated
• Keep to your commitments
• Turn up on time; smile and wave; make new friends, don’t eat all the biscuits; don’t leave a mess; go home happy
• Have fun

1: Definitions

2: General

3: Data Protection

4: Deposits

5: Appeals

6: Working On And Access To Sites

7: Confidentiality

8: Termination

9: Definitions Of Misconduct

1: Definitions

Unless expressly stated otherwise the following definitions shall apply to the terms used in Terms of Engagement for Wicked Events – Unpaid Volunteers.

a) The company responsible for the recruitment and management of Volunteers is Wicked Events and shall be referred to as such within this document.

b) The Owner and Director of Wicked Events is Ms Susan Torres. She has ultimate responsibility for compliance with these Terms of Engagement, but may, at any time, at her discretion, delegate such responsibility (or withdraw such delegation) to any other person.

c) The Wicked Events’ Management Team for each Event will consist of such people as selected by Ms Susan Torres. These people will generally be referenced within Wicked Events documentation prepared for the Event. The composition of the Wicked Events’ Management Team for each Event may be changed, at any time, at the discretion of Ms Susan Torres.

d) All unpaid Volunteers recruited by Wicked Events are Volunteers, not Employees. These Terms of Engagement do not constitute an Employment Contract. All people so recruited shall be referred to as Volunteers.

e) Wicked Events is contracted to provide Volunteers by a variety of Festivals and Events. Collectively these shall be referred to as Events, but the terms are interchangeable.

f) The organisers of Festivals and Events that employ Wicked Events, whether an individual, a partnership, a company, a charity or a production management company, shall be referred to as the Organisers.

g) Volunteering is agreeing to carry out, unpaid, tasks, as require by Wicked Events and the Organisers, to facilitate the correct and satisfactory operation of that Event. In order to facilitate your legitimate access to the Event, to carry out your assigned tasks, the Event Organisers will provide you with free access to that Event and, where applicable, free parking and camping at that Event.

h) All data will be processed online via the Wicked Events stewarding website, Wufoo and Campaign Monitor - collectively referred to as Wicked Stewarding.

i) All professional bodies such as, but not limited to, Police, Security, Fire Officers, Environmental Health Officers, paid Volunteer Managers shall be referred to as Officials.

j) All Volunteers must complete a unique Volunteer Registration each year, which will contain personal information. This shall be referred to as your Registration.

k) All Volunteers must complete a unique Application form for each Event they wish to attend, which will contain relevant personal information. This shall be referred to as your Application.

l) For the purposes of giving notice within these Terms of Engagement, any notice that has to be given by a specified date must have been sent, in writing, by 23:45 on that date.

m) The Start Date of each Event will be deemed to be the Monday of the week preceding the advertised first public entry date for the Event. i.e. if a Festival is advertised as being “on” from 28th to 31st August 2025, the Start Date for the purposes of these Terms of Engagement will be Monday 25th August 2025.

n) A Cooling Off Period will run from the moment that a Volunteer Registration is created until 23:45 on the 14th day following that Registration, except that no Cooling Off Period will extend into the 14-days preceding the Start Date of an Event that the Volunteer subsequently Applies to.

2: General

a) We welcome Volunteers regardless of nationality, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation; from all social, economic, and religious backgrounds, genders, marital status; and people with physical or mental health conditions, or learning difficulties, so long as it is safe and legal for them to Volunteer.

b) These Terms of Engagement do not constitute an Employment Contract. This Volunteering arrangement may be cancelled, at any time, at the discretion of either party. Neither Wicked Events, nor the Volunteer, intend any employment relationship to be created either now, or at any time in the future, based upon these Terms of Engagement.

c) If Volunteers have any queries regarding the Wicked Events’ Terms Of Engagement, they are advised to contact Wicked Events, by email hello@wickedevents.co.uk, before completing their Registration (and paying their Deposit), or submitting their Application.

d) After completing their Registration, Volunteers will be required to pay an Administration Fee each year. Except as detailed in Section 4, this payment is not refundable.

e) After completing their Registration, Volunteers will normally be required to provide a Deposit (of either £200, or £75). Deposits will be returned to Volunteers as detailed in Section 4.

f) By completing a Registration, Volunteers agree to abide by the Wicked Events Terms Of Engagement.

g) Volunteers are responsible for providing a valid postal address, telephone number and email address, and Volunteers must promptly notify Wicked Events, by email hello@wickedevents.co.uk, of any changes to their postal address, telephone number or email address.

h) Applications are specific to each Event and cannot be transferred between Events.

i) Volunteers must be aged 18 years or older on or before their first shift at any Event.

j) Volunteers must be prepared to undertake tasks for the hours agreed between them and Wicked Events and/or the Event Organisers over the duration of the Event.

k) In order to facilitate your legitimate access to the Event, in order to carry out your assigned tasks, the Event Organisers will provide free access to the Event and, where applicable, free parking and camping.

l) Volunteers will be expected to undertake tasks for a set number of hours, in accordance with the shift definitions outlined in each individual Event Application form.

m) Volunteers will be expected to be vigilant and health & safety conscious at all times.

n) Volunteers will be responsible for making their own travel arrangements to and from the Event site, at their own expense; bringing their own camping equipment; and any other equipment or food and drink that they require at the Event.

o) Volunteers must co-operate fully with Wicked Events, Organisers and Officials at all times.

p) Volunteers are covered, during the Event, by Public Liability Insurance, as Volunteers are not employees.

q) Due to insurance and health and safety considerations, we are unable to accept any Volunteer needing to keep their children or animals with them whilst working (except registered assistance dogs).

r) Volunteers must not be under the influence of alcohol, drugs (including “legal highs”) and/or any other intoxicating substance on duty.

s) Volunteers will be trained and/or supervised in the areas they are asked to undertake tasks in.

t) Volunteers will be given the appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) in accordance with CDM Regulations, for the area they are undertaking tasks in e.g. fluorescent hi viz vest, ear protection, torches, radios etc.

u) Upon arrival on site for each Event all Volunteers must sign in at the Volunteers’ Office by the Event specific sign in time and date, as specified by correspondence via email between Wicked Events and the Volunteer.

v) Wicked Events hold on-site briefings for all Volunteers at the start of the Event. The times and locations for these briefings will be provided to you when you arrive and check-in on site. You must attend these briefings, as they will give you valuable information about the place where you are Volunteering, as well as providing up-to-date health and safety information that is specific to the Event. These are also an opportunity to ask questions and meet the team who you will be Volunteering with. If you miss a briefing, you could be asked to leave the Event.

w) When attending briefings, you must be sober and free from the effects of intoxicants.

x) If you have been selected for a supervisory role (team leader), you must attend the relevant briefing, which can mean attending more than one briefing before starting your first shift.

3: Data Protection

a) By completing and submitting a Registration, Volunteers agree that all details provided will be held on Wicked Events’ database for a maximum of 36 months from the date of submitting their Registration form, or until the Volunteer requests removal of their data.

b) By completing and submitting an Application, Volunteers agree that any photographs, video, or sound recordings taken of them may be used by Wicked Events or the Organisers of the Event they are working at, for any promotional purposes.

c) Data collected by Wicked Events may be shared with all Events the Volunteer has applied for, and other third parties who are working on behalf of, or directly with, Wicked Events. Data will not be passed on to any other outside parties.

d) To unsubscribe from Wicked Events’ database, Volunteers should contact Wicked Events, by email hello@wickedevents.co.uk, requesting to be removed from the database.

e) By completing and submitting a Registration, Volunteers agree that their personal details may be passed to the Police to allow a Police National Computer (PNC) check and/or the Disclosure and Barring Service to allow either a standard DBS or enhanced DBS with barred lists check to be performed.

f) All data held by Wicked Events is primarily stored on a Microsoft Azure Database, which is hosted within the EEA (European Economic Area). Local copies of this data may also be held on data storage devices owned by the Wicked Events’ Management Team. Specific printed variants of this data, such as rotas, shifts etc., will be produced and used on site at each Event; these will not be retained.

g) Wicked Events also use the following third-party services in order to process Volunteer data, all of which are compliant with GDPR regulations, and store this data securely: Wufoo; Stripe Payments Europe Ltd.; Campaign Monitor; OneDrive; Dropbox; icloud; ionos email.

4: Deposits

Wicked Events Deposit Terms 2025

a) A Deposit may be required after each Volunteer has completed their Registration. The Deposit for 2025 Events will be £200, with a reduced option of £75 if, you have Volunteered successfully with Wicked Events within the last 2 years; or you are referred by a Volunteer who knows you, and who has Volunteered successfully with Wicked Events within the last 2 years; or you are only intending to Apply to Volunteer for an Event that does not require a £200 Deposit.

b) An Administration Fee will be required in adition to the deposit. The Administration Fee for 2025 Events will be £7.50.

c) Reduced Deposit amounts are at the sole discretion of Wicked Events. If you select a Reduced Deposit amount and the justification for this is subsequently rejected by Wicked Events (e.g. there is no evidence that you did successfully Volunteer with Wicked Events within the last two years; your conduct was deemed by Wicked Events to have been unsatisfactory; the referrer name that you provide is either not recognised, or they decline to endorse their referral) you will be required to pay an additional Deposit amount prior to being able to make any Event Applications.

d) Paying a Deposit does not secure your Volunteering position at an Event.

e) You are normally only required to pay one Deposit and make one Administration Fee for the season of Events. Your Deposit will be held until after the last Event of the year in mid-September, unless you request that it be returned prior to this time. Deposits will only be returned after completion of your last shift at your last Event.

f) A Volunteers’ Deposit will not be returned if the Volunteers behaviour or performance is deemed unsatisfactory. This includes, but is not limited to, the following examples:

• Not completing all shifts or duties allocated

• Missing onsite briefings

• Breaching the Wicked Events’ Terms Of Engagement, or Volunteer Guidelines

• Breaching the Confidentiality section (see section 7 of these Terms Of Engagement)

• Acting in any manner constituting misconduct as defined in the Wicked Events – Definitions of Misconduct (see section 9 of the Terms Of Engagement)

• Causing damage and/or misusing any piece of issued equipment whilst in your use/possession e.g. radios, Hi-Vis clothing, torches, vehicles etc.

g) Volunteer Deposits will be processed via the Stripe payment service. Stripe holds all financial information securely and no member of the Wicked Events team is able to see any sensitive financial information such as account number, card number etc.

h) Following successful Registration there will be a 14-day Cooling Off Period. During this Period a Volunteer may request, by email accounts@wickedevents.co.uk, termination of their Registration, and return of both their Administration Fee and Deposit, in full. However, if a Volunteer has Registered, and subsequently made an Application to an Event, the Cooling Off Period may be shortened, in so much as the Cooling Off Period will not extend into the period of 14-days preceding the Start Date of any Event to which the Volunteer has Applied.

i) If, following your Application, you are unable to attend any Event, for any reason, you must cancel by completing the cancellation form that was linked in the confirmation email you received. A link to the cancellation form can also be found on the Wicked Stewarding webpage. If you cannot access this form you must email accounts@wickedevents.co.uk

j) Except during a valid Cooling Off Period (see h) the Administration Fee is not refundable.

k) During a valid Cooling Off Period (see h) return of your Deposit will not be impacted if you cancel an Event Application.

l) Event cancellations made more than 56 days (8 weeks) before an Event Start Date (without a valid reason, see section t), will result in a Deposit retention of £25. The cancellation deadline will be 23:45 on the Sunday that is 8 weeks prior to the Event.

m) Event cancellations made between 56 days (8 weeks) and 28 days (4 weeks) before an Event Start Date (without a valid reason, see section t) will result in a Deposit retention of £50.

n) Event cancellations made within 28 days (4 weeks) of the Event Start Date (without a valid reason, see section t), or failure to inform Wicked Events that you cannot attend, or non-attendance, will forfeit your entire Deposit amount.

o) If using a Deposit payment to secure multiple Event Volunteering places and you have cancelled some Events, Wicked Events reserve the right to cancel any future Volunteering placements and / or request a further Deposit payment be made to reflect any cancellation retentions that have already been subtracted from your initial Deposit.

p) At the end of the season, in mid-September, your Deposit return will be processed. The transaction will appear back in the account it was initially paid from within 10-14 working days of the refund being processed.

q) If you have changed your card details you MUST email accounts@wickedevents.co.uk prior to the return being made. If Wicked Events cannot process the Deposit return using the Stripe refund mechanism the Deposit may be retained.

r) You may request that your Deposit return be processed earlier, if you have completed all the Events that you wish to attend. You must email accounts@wickedevents.co.uk to request this. If you do not make this request your Deposit return will be processed in mid-September.

s) If you request an early Deposit return, and subsequently decide to Apply to a later Event, you will be require a pay a further Administration Fee, and make a further Deposit. The Deposit will be returned as detailed above.

t) At the sole discretion of Wicked Events, some instances of cancellation may not result in a Deposit retention. However, in all cases we will require documentary evidence from you to support this. The circumstances we would consider are limited to the following:

• The death of an immediate family member (parent, parent-in-law, stepparent, legal guardian or foster parent, sibling, child, husband, wife, partner, civil partner, cohabitee, grandparent, grandchild, child of a partner) within 28-days of the Event Start Date

• An unexpected illness or injury to you, which prevents you attending the Event or Volunteering

• An unexpected life-changing illness or serious accident of an immediate family member, which prevents you from attending because of the need to be with them or support them

• A summons to appear in court or a summons to undertake jury duty which is received within 56-days of the Event Start Date

• If you are a member of the armed forces, you are posted unexpectedly overseas

• An exam re-sit is arranged within 56-days of the Event Start Date, and the date of the re-sit is either during the Event or within 3-days of the end of the Event

u) When considering whether to exercise our discretion in reducing or eliminating the Deposit retention the following forms of evidence (including scans and photographs of original documents) will be admissible:

• A death certificate or an order of service for a funeral (showing the date of the funeral)

• A doctor’s certificate or hospital letter confirming the dates and nature of your unexpected illness or accident and confirming that you are unfit to travel to or attend the event

• A doctor’s certificate or hospital letter confirming the dates and nature of an immediate family member’s illness or accident

• A court summons, jury summons, showing the date sent to you and the dates of attendance

• Your overseas posting notice, showing the date sent to you and the dates of travel

• The notification of your exam resits, showing the date sent to you and date of the re-sit

v) Wicked Events reserves the sole right to determine what an acceptable reason for cancellation is, and the decision of the Wicked Events’ Management Team is final.

w) If you do not make an Application to any Event, your Deposit will be returned, in full. The Deposit will be returned as detailed above. If you wish to have your Administration Fee returned you MUST request this during your Cooling Off Period, otherwise it is not refundable whether you make any Event Applications or not.

x) Volunteers who Apply for, or are assigned to, a position that requires a PNC or a standard DBS or enhanced DBS with barred lists check, and who subsequently fail that check, will have their Application rejected. If this is the only position available and/or no alternative arrangement can be agreed between the Volunteer and Wicked Events, the Deposit will be returned in full.

y) In the unlikely event that the Volunteer requirements for an Event change, such that a number of Volunteers are no longer required, and cannot be accommodated elsewhere within the Event, Wicked Events may need to cancel a Volunteers’ Event Application. In this instance the Volunteers’ Deposit would be not be impacted. If the Event in question was the only Event to which that Volunteer Applies in the season the Administration Fee would also be refunded.

5: Appeals

a) If the performance of a Volunteer is deemed to be unsatisfactory by Wicked Events and their Deposit is being withheld there is a right to appeal.

b) Any appeal should be made, in writing, by email hello@wickedevents.co.uk, to Wicked Events within 14-days of the end of the relevant Event.

c) Wicked Events’ Management Team will assess the appeal and, if deemed necessary, do so in conjunction with the specific Event Organiser, Site Security and/or other relevant personnel or Officials.

6: Working On And Access To Sites

a) All Wicked Events’ Volunteers will be issued with an appropriate wristband(s) and/or Volunteers’ ID badge for the Event they are attending.

b) By submitting an Application to an Event, Volunteers are agreeing that they will wear and display, whether on request or not, their wristband(s) for the Event at all times during the Event, and their Volunteer ID Badge when on duty only.

c) All Volunteers must camp within the crew area specified (if applicable) in accordance with each particular Events instructions, unless prior written agreement has been given by the Event.

d) All Volunteers must abide by instructions from Wicked Events and the Event Organisers regarding arrival and departure times, and, if appropriate, routes.

e) Volunteers will be able to access those areas relevant to the position and responsibilities allocated while on duty. When not on duty they will only be able to access and participate in the Event's public activities under the Terms and Conditions of the Event Licence.

f) As an Event Volunteer you are also bound by the Event’s own policies that cover all Event attendees. Failure to abide by these policies could see you being asked to leave an Event. This might include the right to search you and your possessions as you enter an Event, restrictions on the items you can bring with you, the standards of behaviour expected, and the use of drones, professional cameras, or recording equipment.

7: Confidentiality

a) Under no circumstances shall any Volunteer divulge confidential information, either verbal or written, whether factual or implied, regarding any aspect of the Event, whether it be in regard to Clients, Customers, Volunteers, Wicked Events Staff, Officials, Sub-contractors, etc.

b) This includes, but is not limited to, posting on Social Media.

c) In particular, but not limited to, no images or descriptions of the Event site shall be communicated to anyone who is not already at the Event site, prior to the stated public opening time of the Event.

d) In particular, but not limited to, no images or descriptions of any area of the Event which is not specifically accessible to an Event customer (i.e back stage areas) are to be communicated to anyone except the Wicked Events Management Team.

8: Termination

a) Any actions constituting misconduct, as defined in the Wicked Events - Definitions Of Misconduct (see Section 9 of the Terms Of Engagement), may result in the immediate ejection of that Volunteer from any Event site, and will result in that Volunteer ceasing to be accepted as a Volunteer at any future Events that Wicked Events are engaged to manage.

b) If Wicked Events, or the Event Organiser, feel that you remaining at an Event is likely to cause you or others harm, for example, in the case of severe or highly infectious illness, another medical condition, or substance mis-use, we may require you to leave the Event.

c) If Wicked Events, or the Event Organiser, feel that you remaining at an Event is likely to cause disruption to our operations, damage our relationships with partners, or consume an unreasonable amount of our resources, we reserve the right to require you to leave the Event.

d) If Wicked Events or the Event Organiser become aware of any breaches of the Confidentiality clause (section 7 of these Terms of Engagement) this will result in immediate ejection of that Volunteer from the Event site.

e) Wicked Events also reserves the right to withhold a Volunteers’ Deposit, in full, as a result of any of these events.

f) The events described above are not part of any disciplinary process and, consequently, there is no right of appeal.

9. Wicked Events – Definitions Of Misconduct

a) Failure to comply with Wicked Events’ Terms Of Engagement; Policies and Procedures; Health and Safety Instructions; Instructions from Wicked Events’ Management Team or Staff; and Instructions from Wicked Events’ Clients or other authorised Officials.

b) Neglecting to complete an assigned task promptly and diligently, without sufficient cause.

c) Leaving a position without permission and/or without sufficient cause.

d) Making or signing any false statements, of any description.

e) Destroying, removing, altering or erasing documents, records or electronic data without permission or through negligence.

f) Divulging matters confidential to Wicked Events and/or its Clients, either past or present, without written authorisation or permission.

g) Making statements to the press or media, including social media, such as X, Instagram, Facebook etc. regarding Artists, or any part of the Event, or any aspect of performance (or non-performance) of the Event Organisers, Wicked Events, or any other person associated with the Event, without permission.

h) Soliciting or receiving of gratuities or other consideration from any person, or failure to account for keys, money or property received in connection with the business of Wicked Events or Wicked Events’ Clients.

i) Incivility to persons encountered in the course of duties or misuse of authority in connection with the business of Wicked Events or Wicked Events’ Clients.

j) Conduct in a manner likely to bring discredit to Wicked Events, a fellow Volunteer, Wicked Events’ Clients, or Wicked Events’ Client's Customers.

k) Reporting for duty under the influence of alcohol or restricted drugs, or use of these whilst on duty.

l) Failure to notify Wicked Events immediately of any:

1) Conviction for any criminal offence received since your initial Registration

2) A charge for any criminal offence that may affect your work with Wicked Events

3) Police caution or legal summons that may affect your work with Wicked Events

m) Permitting unauthorised access to premises, Event site or place of work.

n) Possession of any item that could be used as an offensive weapon.

o) Bringing pets or other animals on to any Event site, unless specifically authorised in writing, prior to the Event, by Wicked Events.

p) Not maintaining appropriate standards of appearance, not wearing identification passes or Volunteer ID badges when on duty, not using PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) where appropriate e.g. high-visibility jackets/vests, or ear plugs (which are to be worn in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions).

q) Not maintaining high levels of courtesy and deportment.

r) Failing to comply, when off duty, with any of the requirements that would apply to a customer who has purchased a ticket for the Event.

s) Bringing Wicked Events or it Clients into disrepute by, for example, making false statements, spreading of mis-information, sharing confidential information or photographs, etc.

t) Aiding and abetting of others in any of the above activities.

By completing a Registration or submitting any Application you are agreeing that if your performance is deemed less than satisfactory by Wicked Events, you will be prohibited from taking up any further position with Wicked Events.

Wicked Events reserves the right to share this information with its Customers i.e. any Festival or Event Organisers.