Organisers of a free-form technology and social media conference in Siem Reap are looking for volunteers and contributors.

Angkor BarCamp 2013 is a two day technology conference which will bring IT workers, social media professionals, web developers and entrepreneurs together to discuss projects and ideas.

Angkor BarCamp 2013 runs from February 23-24, 2013 at the University of South East Asia on High School road. Preparations are well under way, and organisers are now looking for people to help set up the conference.

The conference is fluid – the schedule isn’t decided until the day. Speakers turn up and work out who wants to speak when and where, and the other participants decide who to watch.

BarCamp is an international conference structure that was first used in 2005 in California. Anyone can organise a BarCamp using an online Wiki system, and to date it has been held in more than 350 cities worldwide.

This is the second BarCamp to be held in Siem Reap. The first was in March this year, and it attracted several hundred participants.

The first Cambodian BarCamp was held in Phnom Penh in 2008, and in 2013 Battambang, Kampong Cham and Sihanoukville will also have BarCamps.

The theme for February’s Siem Reap BarCamp is ‘empowering youth through technology,’ and organiser Chantra Be says applications for volunteers have just opened.

He said, “We released an announcement of volunteer opportunities for Siem Reap youth and students. I'm sure people are prepared to attend, but we still need to find the right speakers as for this.

“We have four zones to focus on: developer and creativity, technical, experience and social media.”

He said the camps have been running smoother as they become better known.

“It was a bit difficult in the first year, because the participants didn't know BarCamp style, but later on participants understood the BarCamp rules so they can pre-prepare what they want to talk about,” Mr Be said.

“They know what to expect and how to get the most from the event.” He said the conference attracts a wide-range of participants.

“BarCamps are typically attended by managers and staff of IT companies, businesses and NGOs, innovators, international and local media, network and system engineers, developers, web and software programmers, social media experts and bloggers, designers, HR agencies, lecturers and students of media and communication and information technology, as well as many other users of information technology and modern telephony.”