Come volunteer with us at Stock Show!
Admin Support
International Room: Each January, the National Western International Center hosts nearly 800 guests visiting the stockyards.
Sponsor Lounge: The sponsor lounge is a designated space for corporate partners and media to take a break and enjoy a quiet, comfortable setting. The responsibility of the host is to warmly greet sponsors and media, sign them in, let them know that light refreshments are available, and provide information on WIFI access. It is a very quiet setting, but incredibly valuable to the sponsorship and media team.
Volunteer Center: The Volunteer Center is the hub for all volunteer operations during the Stock Show. Greeters love to smile and have fun saying “howdy” when checking in volunteers! They assist with general volunteer questions, answering phone questions from the public, and some clerical tasks. Communications volunteers operate the radio to ensure proper responses to all types of fun questions.
Coors Western Art
This dynamic group of volunteers are the workforce of the art gallery showcasing the nationally recognized Coors Western Art Exhibit and Sale. Volunteers in this area greet and work with artists and the public and are responsible for art sales and the daily operations of the gallery.
No art background is required. Volunteers will work with a team including NWSS staff, the show Curator, and senior volunteers to share this extraordinary exhibit with guests. Details of the day-to-day functions will be covered during volunteer training sessions.
Education
We emphasize the NWSS Mission of preserving the Western lifestyle through the children’s point of view.
The programs are designed for animal education, entertainment, and agriculture. Some activities include: Top Hogs, stick horse rodeos, tractor pedal races, sheep shearing, and Xtreme Dogs pat and chat. Duties include helping with the setup, checking in kids, cheering them on, crowd control, and changing the floor layout for the specific shows. Some lifting might be involved or other lighter-weight duties are available. Activities are scheduled seven days a week throughout the days, so hours are flexible.
Pony Trails is a great area for sharing your passion for all things equine! Become part of the team that creates/builds and engages guests of all ages about horses! Guests and volunteers age 3-83 will find age appropriate activities covering Horsemanship/Youth Programs/ Special Guests as well as interactive and hands-on activities.
Guest Services
Guest Experience: These folks work hard to create a welcoming, accessible, and supportive atmosphere. These volunteers proactively identify individuals among the guests who appear unsure or possibly daunted by the experience. They take initiative and engage in meaningful conversations with the mindset of “How can I enhance this guest’s Stock Show experience?”. They take tangible actions, such as guiding them to their desired destinations, accompanying them to the nearest information booth, or providing insights into upcoming events.
Hospitality: Want to be on the leading edge of our warm Western welcome? Join our Hospitality Team and enjoy interacting with guests from all over the world. From Bus Greeter to Gold Buckle Seating, this area provides a variety of experiences each and every day.
Info Booth: Love having all the answers? Information Booths may be the place for you! It doesn’t matter if it’s your first or fourteenth rodeo – this role is one of the best ways to learn about the offerings and layout of the National Western Stock Show.
Ticket Taking: Ticket Takers are the smiles that greet visitors coming in from the cold. Be one of the first to welcome guests to the sights, sounds, and smells of the National Western!
Horse Show Support
Horse show volunteers provide support to the NWSS staff, horse show exhibitors, and guests for horse show events throughout the Stock Show.
Volunteer assistance is vital to ensuring horse show operations are smooth and providing a positive experience for guests, vendors, sponsors, and horse show exhibitors alike. They assist with arena and paddock gates, doors, gators, arrivals, hospitality, awards, and events.
Incident Reporting
The Incident Reporting group provides assistance to NWSS staff by responding to and preparing detailed reports on incidents, which include personal injuries, illnesses, property damage, vehicle accidents, thefts, disputes, and complaints.
You will be working with NWSS staff, Denver Police Officers, Paramedics, exhibitors, commercial vendors, and the general public, as well as other Incident Reporting team members. These volunteers respond to incidents across the grounds, including all parking lots and the Coliseum, in a timely manner. Extensive walking will be involved, and volunteers should be prepared to be indoors and outdoors. Must be detail-oriented, a team player, a problem solver, empathetic to people in stressful situations, and possess superior customer service skills. The ability to function in stressful situations and remain calm is crucial.
Livestock
Livestock Volunteers are vital to the success of all livestock events. They help direct and control the flow of livestock and people during move-ins, move-outs, and shows. During the processing of Junior Livestock, volunteers help with the collection of samples for testing to ensure fair competition among exhibitors. They also serve as liaisons between the National Western, the exhibitors, and guests.
Local Rodeo Royalty
Royalty: Local Rodeo Royalty (LRR) are current fair and rodeo titleholders across Colorado and nearby states. The primary goals of this program are to promote the National Western Stock Show and to promote local organizations, rodeos, and youth development programs.
Royalty duties vary from assisting at children’s activities, ribbon presentations, meet and greets with NWSS guests, and more. Royalty must be 15 years old to participate.
Click Here to Apply
Royalty Assistants are adult volunteers who work directly with the Local Rodeo Royalty (LRR). They escort and chaperone Royalty across the grounds as they move through assignments. This position requires a lot of walking.
Photo + Video Support
The Photo & Video Support Group provides quality imaging of National Western Stock Show events focusing on sponsor signage, trade show, and marketing elements. We maintain a small team of skilled Photographers and Videographers to fulfill the image-related requests from the National Western staff.
Our team photographs every trade show booth, every sponsor sign, and captures high-quality images suitable for marketing to use on social media or in print. Image Reviewers sort through the thousands of images we take and verify that we have fulfilled all staff requests while eliminating any images that do not meet our quality standards. Note-takers accompany the Photographers and document if an assignment is completed and if there are any complications. Videographers cover any video-related staff requests.
Photographers and Videographers must provide their own equipment and at minimum understand the basic principles of photography and/or video. All positions in will receive on-the-job training. Volunteers must be 18 years or older to participate in this service area.
We maintains a team of thirty (30) qualified and trained volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering in this service area must be accepted into the Volunteer Program and then reach out to service area leadership to express their interest. These individuals will be waitlisted and contacted when an opening in the group occurs.
Rodeo Support
The Rodeo Support team is focused on assisting the National Western staff and rodeo contestants within the Denver Coliseum. This service area helps with rodeo hospitality, contestant check-in, mutton bustin’, rodeo stalling, arena appearance, and timed events within the rodeo performances.
Trade Show
Volunteers assist with managing the retail trade show vendors and may help with the Trade Show Service Desk, Package Delivery, Move In/Out and Floor Management.
Package Delivery volunteers assist with packages that arrive for the vendors to replenish their stock or refill their promotional materials. Volunteers may be asked to lift packages as heavy as 50lbs. Maybe the heavy lifting isn’t for you. Then try Move In/Out. No, we don’t help the vendors unload their trucks, but we direct the vendors where to drive their truck in the complex! This is a great way to see the inner workings of the NWSS and see how the trade show comes together.
Transportation
Transportation volunteers help Stock Show patrons, judges, exhibitors, and guests get around!
Golf Cart & People Mover Drivers: These volunteers drive the 6-seater golf carts and the “people mover” tractor & trailer to shuttle guests around the groups. Drivers prioritize assisting those with mobility challenges but ultimately help anyone and everyone get where they need to go around the Stock Show grounds.
VIP Drivers: Duties include picking up and dropping off judges and special guests from Denver International Airport, nearby hotels, and the Stock Show.