Accessibility Volunteers may be placed in one of several roles. At the SXSW Accessibility Desks, you will provide information to help improve access to our event for attendees with disabilities. Volunteers on this crew may also serve as Accessibility Theater Managers to aid with accessibility tasks in select Film & TV venues.

What you’ll do:

• Answer attendee questions about SXSW Accessibility services
• Be the main point of contact for Accessibility needs at select venues
• Monitor access to sensory rooms throughout the SXSW footprint
• Direct attendees to accessible seating areas

What to expect:

• Face to face interactions with attendees
• Walking or standing for long periods of time as needed
• Frequent questions about accessibility services and access across the festival

Desired skills:

• An understanding of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is helpful
• Customer service capabilities
• Willingness to be helpful and engaging with attendees and volunteers

The Ambassadors Crew is essential to the SXSW experience, providing vital information and navigation support to attendees, staff, and vendors. Volunteers split their time between stationary Info Desks and roaming the SXSW footprint to assist patrons where they need it most.

What you’ll do:

• Be the Guide: Station yourself at an info booth or roam the venues in a fun, high-visibility “Ask Me!” vest
• App Support: Help attendees navigate and troubleshoot the SXSW Go App
• Answer Questions: Provide way finding assistance and general event information

What to expect:

• Face to face interactions with attendees
• Walking or standing for long periods of time as needed
• Frequent questions about the SXSW Conference & Festival

Desired skills:

• Friendly customer service skills
• Willingness to be helpful and engaging with attendees and volunteers
• Ability to sit or stand for long periods of time

Volunteers work with Comedy venue staff to ensure front of house operations run smoothly and attendees are seated efficiently. Volunteers assist with line management, venue access, and keeping the events running on time.

What you’ll do:

• Admit attendees into comedy venues
• Organize and maintain orderly lines
• Usher attendees to seats
• Help clear the venue after performances

What to expect:

• A people-facing role keeping attendees informed about lines, wait times, standby availability, and other general questions
• Standing and walking for long periods of time
• Working inside and outside

Desired skills:

• Clear, vocal communication
• Ability to stand and walk for long periods

Conference Tech volunteers ensure sessions run smoothly by providing essential technology setup support and troubleshooting inside our conference rooms. Conference Tech volunteers ensure microphones are working properly, run the projectors for sessions and operate the room audio. A smile and a polite greeting are more important than any previous technical experience.

What you’ll do:

• Connect speaker’s laptops to projectors
• Set basic microphone audio levels
• Offer general troubleshooting and a reassuring presence

What to expect:

• Face-to-face interactions with speakers with possible audio & visual questions
• Sitting for long periods of time inside conference rooms
• Focused attention to resolve any sound or visual issues as they occur

Desired skills:

• Technical experience is a plus
• Friendly attitude
• Willingness to help

Conference Venue volunteers help attendees (and sometimes speakers) to keep our SXSW conference running smoothly and on schedule. From managing lines to scanning badges or giving directions, there is never a dull moment on this dynamic crew!

What you’ll do:

• Scan badges and maintain orderly lines
• Assist speakers and attendees with questions regarding timing and line order
• Support audience seating and maintain room capacity counts
• Direct attendees to correct session rooms and answer general questions

What to expect:

• Attendee interactions throughout the day
• Standing and walking for long periods of time
• Busy rushes for popular sessions

Desired skills:

• Ability to stand for long periods of time
• Friendly customer service skills

Volunteers on this crew will aid with tasks at various events and lounges throughout SXSW. Duties may include event setup and breakdown, confirming correct credentials for an event, clicking and reporting attendance numbers, handing out drink tickets, informing attendees which lines they should be in, way finding, and answering general information questions.

This is a people facing position with a lot of standing and some walking deepening on the location of the event.

What you’ll do:

• Check in at a central location to learn your assignment for each shift
• Scan badges and ensure correct badge access for each event
• Maintain orderly lines
• Pass out drink tickets when applicable
• Collect and report attendance counts

What to expect:

• Walking between venues and standing for long periods of time
• People facing position with lots of engagement
• High-traffic areas with lots of activity

Desired skills:

• Positive, helpfyl attitude
• Ability to walk and stand for long periods of time
• Clear, strong vocal ability for possible crowd mangement

From artists and speakers to essential event gear , volunteers never know who or what might hip in for a lift/. The Event Transportation Crew keeps the festival running smoothly by moving people and equipment across the SXSW footprint using vans, golf carts, and occasionally traveling on foot. Volunteers on this crew also provide information and way finding to attendees using the SXSW shuttle.

What you’ll do:

• Pick up scheduled riders and transport them to their location
• Assist with loading and unloading passenger gear
• Represent SXSW at shuttle stops and on shuttle busses to help attendees with wayfindng and information

What to expect:

• Lots of attendee interaction
• Standing or sitting for long periods of time, depending on your assignment
• Possible heavy lifint g
• Potential traffic delays

Desired skills:

• Drovers (21+): Must be at least 21 years old with a clean driving record to operate vans and golf carts.
• Non-Drivers (18+): Positions are available for volunteers ages 18-20 to assist with shuttle routes.
• Ability to lift 30+ pounds
• Positive attitude and willingness to help

The Exhibitions crew gets a front-row seat to the various exhibitions at SXSW and SXSW EDU. Volunteers may be tasked with supporting exhibitors or ensuring attendees have access to the exhibitions and an incredible experience within.

What you’ll do:

• Check in and support exhibitors as they set up and break down their incredible displays
• Scan attendee credentials at entrances and monitor stages within the exhibition halls
• Collect and report attendance numbers for the exhibitions and their stages at regular intervals
• Answer attendee questions and provide navigation help to the various booths

What to expect:

• Frequent attendee interaciton
• Questions about exhibition and general SXSW events

Desired skills:

• Positive attitude
• Ability to stand for long periods of time

Volunteers will work with their managers to ensure attendees are seated in the right theaters and screenings start on time. Duties include answering questions about film times, maintaining communication with their mangers about capacity, relaying information to guests in line to keep them informed, and clearing theaters after each showing.

What you’ll do:

• Answer attendee questions about line acccess, film times, and other general info
• Maintain orderly lines with open communication to attendees about likelihood of access
• Communicate frequently with managers to ensure screenings run on time
• Assist with clearing theaters between screenings

What to expect:

• Heavy attendee interaction
• Fast paced moments with possible moments of downtime between screenigns
• Standing and walking both inside and outside
• Teamwork and communication via multiple channels

Desired skills:

• Ability to stand for long periods of time
• Positive attitude
• Efficient and friendly communicaton

Volunteers on this crew understand access protocols and ensure proper line organization and attendee safety in spaces where people enter SXSW vents. They will assess long line situations and communicate clearly with manger and attendees.

What you’ll do:

• Take instruction from mangers and aid with line organization
• Move across the SXSW footprint to support line management needs at SXSW Conference, Music Showcases, Activations, and Film & TV Screenings.
• Inform attendees which lines to be in, where that line should be, and their potential for whether or not hey will get in base don venue capacities
• Maintain friendly and porfessiona ldemeanor to engage with attendees and keep them informed of line changes

What to expect:

• Long periods of standing and walking with a small group of Line Guides
• Highly people-focused pooistion
• Moments of high-pressure interactions with attendees

Desired skills:

• Clear and vocal communiccation skills
• Friendly customer service
• Ability to walk and stand for long periods

Music Venues Crew volunteers may assist in a variety of roles, including helping artists load their gear in or out of venues, supporting SXSW Staff, collecting attendance counts, and maintaining situational awareness.

What you’ll do:

• Load artist gear and equipment in and out of venues
• Assist stage managers and performers with stage set-up and take down
• Provide a positive experience to visiting performers

What to expect:

• Roam with small teams to provide support at a variety of venues
• Potentially different venue assignments each day based on artist needs

Desired skills:

• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds
• Volunteers must be 21+ due to venue requirements
• Ability to stand and walk for long periods of time

Everyone needs a credential to enter official SXSW Conferences and Festivals, which is what the volunteers on the Registration Crew help with. Customer service is the superpower of this high-energy, public-facing crew.

What you’ll do:

• Greet and assist attendees from all over the globe
• Verify, print and distribute official SXSW and SXSW EDU credentials
• Distribute official event big bags and materials to kic koff the attendee experience

What to expect:

• Busy rushes of attendees claiming credentials mixed with downtime
• Working with Volunteer Managers and Staff to troubleshoot credential issues
• Heavy attendee interaction

Desired skills:

• Positive attitude and willing to help
• Customer service mentality

Volunteers on the Tech Set Up Crew help manage that hardware that keeps the events connected – and don’t worry, no technical background is required! This crew also helps to maintain, inventory, deploy, and collect hardware used throughout the events. Volunteer Mangers will provide a full on-site training to set you up for success.

What you’ll do:

• Assist with set up and breakdown of technical equipment before, during, and after hte event
• Help inventory, deploy, and collect essential hardware across the SXSW Footprint
• Learn new skills in a fast-paced environment
• Walking, lifting, carrying, and setting up equipment

What to expect:

• Work closely with SXSW tech staff
• Loading and unloading technical equpment
• Walking, lifting, carrying, and setting up equipment

Desired skills:

• Ability to lift 20+ pounds
• Ability to walk for long distances
• Previous technical experience is helpful but not required