01
The direction
What your event is for, who it should bring together and how it should feel. Within the format's ground rules, the call is yours.
Volunteer with the UC communityRun an event.
We have your back.
We are looking for community volunteers to lead SDP, RTP and MOS events. You set the direction, choose the venue and run the day. We bring the budget, the marketing and every commercial conversation, so it stays the part you enjoy.
£5,000
Budget for each SDP or RTP
£1,000
Budget for each MOS
£0
Out of your own pocket
You
Make the calls
The events you could lead
Three formats.
One of them is yours.
Each has its own audience and its own ground rules. Pick the one that suits you, and the people you want to bring together.
Layer10:SDP
Bring the problem. Leave with a plan.
A half day for enterprise technology users, working through the problems they share.
£5,000 budget per event
Layer10:RTP
Say what is on your mind, among people who get it.
An informal dinner for twenty: a private table, a set menu and an honest conversation.
£5,000 budget per event
Layer10:MOS
Your community. Your topics. Your network.
An evening of two short talks the audience voted for, then drinks and conversation.
£1,000 budget per event
What you own
Your event.
Your call.
You are not helping someone else run it. You are the lead, and the main point of contact from the first invitation to the last goodbye.
02
The venue
You know your city. Pick the cookery school, the brewery or the workshop that suits the event and the people coming to it.
03
The activity
Cooking, cocktails, brewing, bonsai or something we have not thought of. Pick what the people coming will still be talking about next week.
04
The point of contact
Attendees, venues and speakers deal with you. You are the face of the event before, during and after it.
05
The communications
Invitations, reminders and follow-ups, written in your voice, with the central team behind you.
06
The day itself
You open the doors, keep it running and make sure everyone leaves glad they came.
What the central team gives you
You run it.
We fund it.
Every event comes with a set budget to spend on the venue, activities and refreshments, and a team behind it that takes care of everything commercial.
SDP and RTP
£5,000per event
To spend on
- Venue
- Activities
- Refreshments
MOS
£1,000per event
To spend on
- Venue
- Activities
- Refreshments
Marketing
We promote your event across Layer10 and the wider community, so you are not filling seats on your own.
Branding and merchandise
Signage, badges and Layer10 merchandise, ready for the day.
Sponsors and exhibitors
Every commercial conversation goes through us. You never have to ask anyone for money.
No commercial weight
No fundraising, no expenses out of your pocket and no balance sheet to worry about. It stays the fun part.
What you get back
Done for the love of it.
Noticed all the same.
Nobody volunteers for the perks. Even so, leading an event for your own community tends to come back to you.
Recognition
Your name on the event and on the record as someone who builds the community, not just someone who turns up to it.
Something to point to
Contribution you can cite when applying for community recognition such as Microsoft MVP. The award itself is theirs to give.
A stronger network
You will know, and be known by, the people in your part of the industry. That tends to open doors.
The satisfaction
Knowing the community is stronger because you put the effort in.
What volunteering means
Ownership,
not an accolade.
This is not for people who want to say yes for the title and leave the work to someone else. Volunteering means ownership, trust and responsibility, and the effort to make your event a success.
Family first. Work second. Layer10 after that.
What we expect
- A few hours every week, steadily, towards making your event a success
- Real ownership: the trust we give you comes with responsibility for the outcome
- Regular progress updates and honest feedback to the central team
- New ideas brought to the wider team, not only for your own event
- Your own initiative, used to make a positive difference to the community
What we will never expect
- Paying for anything yourself
- Giving up your weekends
- Taking time off work, paid or unpaid
- Treating it as a job. It is not an employment contract
Before you put yourself forward
Questions people
actually ask.
If yours is not here, ask it when you get in touch.
Is this paid?
No. It is voluntary and it is not an employment contract. You do it because you care about the community, and the central team makes sure it never costs you anything.
Will I ever have to pay for something and claim it back?
You will not be expected to fund anything yourself. The budget belongs to the event, and the central team handles the money side.
How much time does it really take?
A few hours every week. We would rather you gave steady time across the months than disappeared and then sprinted at the end.
Can I choose any venue?
Yes, as long as it has character and something to do. Soulless meeting venues are out. It also has to fit the budget and the format: an RTP needs a private table for twenty, and an SDP needs space for four workshops.
Which cities can I run an event in?
SDP runs in central London and RTP in London and Liverpool. MOS opens where demand is, and someone willing to run one is a large part of that demand.
Who deals with sponsors and exhibitors?
The central team, always. Keeping you away from commercial conversations is part of the point.
What if work or family gets in the way?
Then they come first, in that order. Tell us early, and we will work out the rest with you.
Does volunteering guarantee Microsoft MVP or a similar award?
No. Those programmes make their own decisions. What volunteering gives you is genuine, visible contribution you can point to.
Is this for people who just want the title?
No. It is for people who will put the effort in. If that is you, we would like to hear from you.
Layer10_
Built by the community.
Run by people like you.
Run by people like you.
Tell us which event you would like to lead, in which city, and why you. We will take it from there.