Help run the [DESK]
Volunteers are the connective tissue of Deep Tech Week. Run registration, back up speakers, shoot photos, set up venues, keep the parties going. In return: behind-the-scenes access, the crew, and the best vantage point on the whole week.
Why people show up twice.
Free t-shirt, sure. But the real reasons people volunteer for DTW — and come back the next year — are access, the crew, and the chance to be seen doing real work.
Backstage everything
Be in the rooms others can't get into — green rooms, lab tours, sponsor dinners, the speaker prep area at 9am with the espresso machine.
The crew
The volunteer crew is one of the tightest social groups of the week. Alumni come back year after year — friendships, collaborators, jobs come out of it.
Show what you can do
Hosts, founders, and organizers see who shows up and who delivers. Many volunteers end up hired or invited back as speakers, hosts, or full-time crew.
From application to after-party.
Apply
A short application about your background, availability, and what kinds of shifts you'd like to work.
Get matched
We match you to shifts based on what you signed up for and what hosts need most that week.
Show up
Arrive 30 minutes before your shift, get briefed by the lead, get your radio and your t-shirt.
Stay for the party
Every day ends with a volunteer-only debrief and the official volunteer afterparty. You earned it.
Six kinds of shifts.
Most volunteers work two to four shifts across the week. Pick the kinds of shifts that match your interests and energy.
Registration desk
Greet attendees, hand out badges and swag, point people in the right direction.
Speaker support
Backstage host: keep speakers on time, mic'd up, and looked after.
AV & tech
Run mics, slides, and stage transitions during sessions.
Photography
Shoot photos throughout the day for the gallery.
Venue setup
Move chairs, set tables, hang signage, and reset spaces between sessions.
Parties & social
Help run the evening parties, mixers, and dinners.
Volunteers are the conference. Hosts get the credit; volunteers make the week run.
We treat the volunteer crew the way good restaurants treat the kitchen — fed, briefed, respected, and let in on the magic. Show up ready and you'll be invited back next year.
Want in?
Tell us your background and what you'd like to work. We respond to every application.