Girl Tech FAQ

Girl Tech
Frequently Asked Questions

All your Girl Tech questions answered

arrow

Whether you’re a regular at Girl Tech, or this is your first time volunteering or bringing students, there’s lot’s going on. We’ve answered your most common Girl Tech questions below but if you have any more queries about your involvement in the day, please contact the Ahead Partnership team.

If you’re not yet confirmed to attend Girl Tech, please enquire about sponsorship options.

Pre-event preparation

How can I get involved with Girl Tech? 

For businesses, we have a range of sponsorship options which include a variety of activities to get involved in. From keynote speaker spots, to workshops and exhibition stands, there are a range of ways that you can showcase your business, careers, and early career routes at Girl Tech. Sponsors also receive a guaranteed number of volunteer spaces as well as invitations to additional activities on the day. Please get in touch to find out more about sponsorship options.

For schools, we have limited spaces for schools to attend Girl Tech. Please get in touch if you would like to apply.

 

How many volunteers can we bring? 

This depends on the activities you’ll be taking part in. For the careers exhibition, we recommend between two to four volunteers, for those running workshops we recommend three to five volunteers. These volunteers can then stay for additional activities including the design sprint and careers panel. The workshops and careers panels are exclusively offered to our sponsors so if you’d like to take part, please email girltech@aheadpartnership.org.uk.

 

Can we bring additional volunteers?

Additional volunteers are welcome but must be confirmed ahead of time. Please discuss this with your Ahead Partnership contact so they can provide essential volunteer information including safeguarding briefing directly to all volunteers. For health and safety reasons, we need an accurate number of volunteers attending so unfortunately we’re unable to accept walk-ins on the day.

 

What’s the deadline to confirm our volunteers? 

This is usually eight weeks before the event. We need all volunteer emails to be submitted to us as soon as possible and at least eight weeks before the event so that all attendees can attend a safeguarding briefing call. Details about this and other timelines will be in the Girl Tech Guide and your confirmation email. Please consult this in the first instance and email girltech@aheadpartnership.org.uk if you have further questions.

 

I can’t make the volunteer briefing call, what should I do? 

Please let your Ahead Partnership contact know as soon as you can so that they can arrange for you to attend an alternative briefing. For safeguarding and health and safety reasons, all volunteers must attend a briefing call prior to the event.

 

What merch/freebies can we bring for the students?

Students love coming away from Girl Tech with goodies. Please ensure that any merch or freebies you bring are age appropriate (no alcohol-related items, etc.) and if bringing anything food-related (e.g. sweets) then they must be nut-free and allergens must be clearly labelled. Please make sure that you consider the number of students who will be attending, and bring enough for the full day.

 

When can we set up for the event?

Depending on the venue, you may be able to drop off your resources the day before the event to aid with a quick set-up on the morning of the event. If this is available, details will be included in your confirmation email. Please check this in the first instance and if you have any other questions, please email girltech@aheadpartnership.org.uk.

 

Do I need to prepare for the innovation sprint?

If you’re taking part in the innovation sprint, you will receive a guide via email ahead of the event. This will include instructions on what you need to prepare and what you can expect during the activity, including examples to support your preparation. Don’t worry, there is minimal prep involved but you do need to have an idea for a work-related challenge/problem for the students to solve. If you are still unsure after receiving the innovation sprint guide, please email girltech@aheadpartnership.org.uk.

On the day

What time will we need to arrive at the venue?

For those taking part in morning activities (this includes the keynote speech, careers exhibition and workshops) doors will be open approx. one hour before the event start time. For those joining for the afternoon activities (including the gadget show (Leeds) and innovation sprint, and careers panel), you will be able to arrive from lunchtime. Full details will be included in your confirmation email so please check this thoroughly. If you have further questions please email girltech@aheadpartnership.org.uk.

 

How early can we set up our stall for the careers exhibition? 

Depending on the venue, you may be able to drop off your resources the day before the event to aid with a quick set-up on the morning of the event. On the day, we recommend arriving at least one hour before the start time of the event. Full details will be provided in your confirmation email and briefing pack. If you have further questions please email girltech@aheadpartnership.org.uk.

 

What do we need to bring? 

This will vary depending on which part of the day you are taking part in. Those who are delivering workshops will need to bring materials to support learning, this might include building sets, gadgets, sticky notes, blocks etc. For those taking part in the careers exhibition, we recommend bringing a tablecloth, pull up banners, branded flyers and/or merchandise and something interactive to show the students to enhance the experience. Those involved in the innovation sprint don’t need to bring anything but do need to prepare a challenge for the students to solve. Please refer to the Girl Tech Guide sent via email for a full list of what to bring (and what not to bring) on the day.

 

Can we have access to a plug socket/extension plug? 

Plug sockets should be available in workshop rooms, but may be limited during the career exhibition, innovation sprint and gadget show. Please let us know if you are likely to need a plug socket and we will do our best to accommodate.

 

Are you able to provide a screen?

Please let us know if you need a screen for a workshop and we will do our best to accommodate. For any other activity which you might need a screen, please let your Ahead Partnership contact know.

 

What is the layout of the workshop room? 

Layouts vary in each room. Chairs and tables can be made available or removed, and some rooms have presentation facilities. Please let us know if you have any specific requirements.

 

Are there presentation screens in the workshop rooms? 

Screens are available in some, but not all, workshop rooms. Please let us know if you need one and we can discuss your requirements.

 

How many students will be in each workshop? 

Up to 15 students.

 

How long are the workshop sessions?

30-45 minutes.

 

Do I need PowerPoint slides for the careers panel?

Ahead Partnership will provide the slides but we may ask you to provide us with a picture of yourself for the slide deck. This needs to be sent at least four weeks before the event date.

 

What businesses will be there? 

A diverse range of businesses from the local tech ecosystem will be in attendance. The list is ever growing which is fantastic!

 

Is there WIFI?

Yes, we will have signs around the venue displaying the log in details to connect to the WIFI. If you need any support, please speak to a member of the Ahead Partnership team.

 

Can we take pictures at the event?

For safeguarding reasons, you must not take any photos of students at the event. Ahead Partnership will be taking photographs throughout, and will share these with you following the event. You may take photos of your volunteers with their consent but we ask that you ensure that no students are visible in the background. Please be sensitive to other business’s branding and ensure that only your branding and the Girl Tech branding is available in any photos that you take of your volunteers.

 

Who do I need to contact on the day?

You will be provided with a key contact from Ahead Partnership. This can be found in your volunteer briefing pack which you will receive ahead of the event. For any emergencies if you’re unable to get in touch with your contact, please call Ahead Partnership head office on 0300 124 0496

Other

Who else will be attending?

There will be many businesses and education providers attending on the day, and each are personally invited. There will be time to meet each other and network throughout the day.

 

Can we post our involvement on social media before the event? 

Yes, we’d love for you to post about Girl Tech on social media! As part of your briefing and pre-event preparation, you will receive a media pack which contains branded Girl Tech graphics and information which you may like to share. Please don’t forget to tag us on LinkedIn and Instagram!

 

I am writing a case study on the event. Can I have a quote from Ahead Partnership?

Of course! We’d love to be featured in any external comms you have planned around your support of Girl Tech and would be happy to support you with quotes, statistics and photos from the day. Please speak to our Marketing Manager, Olivia Collins before issuing anything publicly.

For schools

How many students can we bring from our school?

Up to 15 students. Please confirm the staff members and student cohort attending at least four weeks in advance of the event, and let your Ahead Partnership contact know of any dietary or access requirements within your group. We also need confirmation of photo consent for your students at least four weeks ahead of the event.

 

Is there parking available? 

Unfortunately we’re not able to offer reserved parking spaces at Girl Tech events. As they are usually in central city locations, there are usually plenty of car parking options nearby. Please email girltech@aheadpartnership.org.uk within plenty of time if you have any concerns around parking or travelling to and from the event with your school.

 

Are lunch / refreshments provided?

There will be water refill stations for students to fill up their water bottles. More information about lunch and refreshments will be provided in your confirmation email. Please check this carefully and email us at girltech@aheadpartnership.org.uk if you have any questions.

 

 

If you have any further questions about the day’s schedule, please consult the Girl Tech Guide which will be sent alongside your confirmation email. For all other enquiries, please contact girltech@aheadpartnership.org.uk

Interested in sponsoring Girl Tech?

Please submit your details and a member of the Ahead Partnership team will be in touch to discuss how you can support Girl Tech through sponsorship.

Girl Tech Enquiry

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Explore more

icon
Educators

For Educators

icon
Bespoke Services

For Employers

Get in touch

Please get in touch to discuss how you can support Girl Tech.
Contact us

Or call us on
0300 124 0496