2023 Jakarta E-Prix

After the 2022 Jakarta E-Prix attract a lot of crowd and hype, the organizer decided to hold a double header (two races in one place) for this year. Of course, people expect this event to be more spectacular considering last year's was a sold-out event. The first edition is usually kind of all over the place and the second year is where they improve everything. And it is, they managed to get a lot of international and local artists to perform for this year. Formula E also has a big change for 2023, the main change is the new car called Gen 3. It is supposed to be faster, lighter, and more efficient than last year's. So, this year is much more anticipated.

For me, what I anticipated was volunteer recruitment. Last year, I was not satisfied because I was stationed outside the main event. Because of that, I can't enjoy the event as I want it to be. To be fair, I didn't sign up as a volunteer to get a free pass for this event, it just happens to be the benefit that the volunteers get. My main goal is still and will always be to contribute and help organize the event and make sure the spectators get the best experience. I registered again with high hopes that this year I will be selected considering last year I was a volunteer, so I have a plus point for being experienced in the same event. It turns out the selection process is still as strict as before and luckily; I passed all the requirements and was accepted as the volunteer for this year.

This year everything feels much more prepared, volunteers get a short training course about every single detail. We also get to visit the venue for a tour to understand the layout. The organizer says this is important as the volunteer is the first thing the spectator asks whenever they face a problem, so they rely on the information that we gave. If we gave wrong information, surely it will not look good for this event and for the organizer itself. As a bonus, we get to see the track and manage to get a little track walk. For the first time, I finally experienced what it is like to stand inside a race circuit, albeit only for a couple of minutes.

A week before the event, the organizer announces the list of the people and where they will be stationed. They say everyone in my volunteer group is stationed inside the circuit area so that's a relief for me. Once I checked the list, I was stationed as a Food and Beverage Volunteer. You may be wondering, what is F&B Volunteer? Well, our job is to make sure the spectator gets the information about food and beverage, whereabout of the food and beverage they want, and help solve the problem that may occur during the transaction. Also, all the volunteers all obliged to have general information about the event as the spectator will not know the volunteer positions and will ask anyone wearing staff clothing.

Finally, during the day of the event, I was stationed in an area near Grandstand 2A. If you watch 2023 Jakarta E-Prix from Grandstand 2A, chances are you saw me there. I was stationed there with one of my colleagues. Luckily, the crowd in our area is self-organized and not causing any problems that may need our intervention. So, I spent most of my time providing information to the spectators whether it was technical questions about the race or something about this event like location and time schedule. During the race, the tenants were totally empty, so I managed to get a view of the race.

The next day, everything was the same. Just a bit different because this is the last day, the tenants decided to close early. Because my job is centered around the tenants and the tenants decided to close early, I was released early from my duty and can spend the rest of my time enjoying the event. I decided to watch the closing party on the main stage with my friends. I stayed until the event officially closed at 21:00 (9 pm). It was a wonderful experience and I'm thankful for all the organizers, volunteers, and everyone involved for the cooperation and opportunity.