Volunteering at Mexico Open at Vidanta, how and when

Raul Lopez was at Tribune Travel’s facilities to talk about volunteering at Mexico Open at Vidanta Golf Tournament. We caught up with him and this is what he had to say.

RL: I am the manager of TSM, which is Tournament Services Management. We look at what helps the players and the public. Our volunteer program is the largest in Mexico for a sporting event with more than 500 people volunteering and these people are the ones that make the tournament possible.

TT: What does it mean to be a volunteer?

RL: A volunteer is a person who donates his or her time to a greater cause, in this case the tournament and everything that goes into making the tournament happen. This is the biggest event in Vallarta, the most important. What we are looking for is that the people of Vallarta feel that this tournament is theirs, that it is a Vallarta tournament and that the volunteers come to be a part of it,

TT: What do people have to do to be a volunteer?

RL: The first thing is that you have to be 16 years old for some committees, other committees require 18 years old, I do not have an age limit. What you do at the tournament is you spend time with a lot of people from all over the world, golfers, the best in the world, the international press that comes to cover the tournament here in Vallarta.

Last year we had the number one player in the world, the winner of the Masters, Jon Rahm, our champion Tony Finau, he is one of the most experienced players and to have the opportunity to be with them, to live with them, to walk the course with them, to see them up close and personal and the way you and I are, shoulder to shoulder, is a unique opportunity in the region.

TT: How many volunteer positions are there?

RL: There are about 15 different positions, right now what we are looking for more than anything is the area of marshals that are on the holes, they are the people that control the traffic of golf carts, golfers and the public.

There are committees like the Media Center, orHospitality, which is attention to the press, attention to the public that comes in, which is in certain special areas.

There are people like the Walking Scorers, who walk the course with the golfers and keep the statistics.

People like the standard bearers who carry their banner with the names and scores of the golfers.

These committees are on TV, they are seen around the world and it is very interesting what they can do.

To select which committee a volunteer would like to serve on, the first thing we look for is for you to give me three preferences of committees you would like to serve on. We always base our choices on the volunteer’s needs and tastes. We try to combine the two and make the best choices for everyone. Of course, everything is subject to the volunteer’s approval,

TT: The word “volunteer” indicates that there is no financial compensation. What does Mexico Open at Vidanta offer to volunteers?

RL: First of all, the Mexico Open at Vidanta will give you an initial volunteer kit, we are very interested in the volunteer experience.

The kit consists of a backpack, two Adidas t-shirts, which is our official sponsor, a cap, a pin and a thermos flask.

You can stay for all the activities of the tournament without paying an entrance fee. We have special raffles that last year included a golf bag.

There is also a special area for the players called Meet and Greet. This is a very valuable experience.

The tournament is scheduled for February 22-25, 2024. Volunteers are asked to work a minimum of 3 days, which you can choose together or separately. You can even work every day. Shifts will vary depending on the committee, but will be 4 to 5 hours.

TT: Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers?

I would like to invite everyone who is interested in volunteering at Mexico Open at Vidanta. Go to the tournament website and you will find the volunteer section, where you can contact us to get all the information.