Philly Tech Week could not exist without the community of event organizers who dedicate themselves each year to showcasing the latest and greatest work being done in tech and innovation throughout the Philadelphia region.

Ahead of PTW’s eighth iteration, we’ll be sharing a bit more than usual about just who these amazing folks are and why they sign up to lead the charge — be it for their employer, their meetup group or themselves.

Here are seven of these PTW heroes (in our hearts), listed out in no particular order, and what they’re working on:

Mike Finnell

Q: Which #PTW18 event are you producing?

A: XR Exploration at Jefferson.

Q: Have you organized events for Philly Tech Week before?

A: No, I never had the opportunity to do so prior to my position with Jefferson East Falls.

Q: In a tweet, tell our audience why they should attend.

A: XR technology has gained a lot of attention in the last few years with the increase in consumer available technology, but what’s changed since the 1990s?

Veniece Newton

Q: Which #PTW18 event are you producing?

A: Cypher City: A Nationwide Livestreaming Cypher Competition

Q: Have you organized events for Philly Tech Week before?

A: No. We are organizing the Cypher City event during Philly Tech Week this year because it will bring something new, fresh, and fun during the week of workshops and panels. Most importantly, the Cypher City event will engage and expose another demographic within the millennial population to the tech community in Philadelphia.

Q: In a tweet, tell our audience why they should attend.

A: Cypher City is not only where Music, Dance and Technology Collide; but it is also an entity that believes in engaging and uplifting our communities in a positive and fun manner.

Marcella Barker

Q: Which #PTW18 event are you producing?

A: Accessibility Hackathon

Q: Have you organized events for Philly Tech Week before?

A: As a part of NextFab, I’ve contributed to Philly Tech Week engagements in the past, but this is my first time leading an event. After a series of great, connecting experiences during Tech Weeks in the past, and some internal and external demand for a Hackathon that reached outside of member community, it was the appropriate time. The selection of an Access theme this year felt serendipitous, since we had begun planning our Accessibility Hack prior to learning of the 2018 Tech Week tracks!

Q: In a tweet, tell our audience why they should attend.

A: If you are passionate about tech, innovation, and inclusion, or if you just need an energizing peek into amazing stuff happening in Philly!

Jumoke Dada

Q: Which #PTW18 event are you producing?

A: HUE – A Tech Summit For Women of Color

Q: Have you organized events for Philly Tech Week before?

A:  Yes, I’ve hosted Build iOS Mobile Apps 101 workshops and Techies Who Brunch meetups for the past 4 years.

Q: In a tweet, tell our audience why they should attend.

A: The HUE Tech Summit is the first conference in the Delaware Valley created to educate, elevate, and empower women of color technologists and founders. The tri-state area is home to several universities, hospitals, and companies with “hidden figures” working behind the scenes and it’s time for more of the women in the area to come to the forefront. Their is an amazing roster of speakers and the summit will offer tracks for intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs. It will take place on Friday, May 4, 2018 from 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m. in Philadelphia as part of the last full day of activity for Philly Tech Week. The HUE Tech Summit is a diversity in tech event sponsored in part by Samsung NEXT and powered by the Tech Women Network.

Hayley Boyle

Q: Which #PTW18 event are you producing?

A: The Bitcoin Bubble and Other Cryptocurrency Conundrums

Q: Have you organized events for Philly Tech Week before?

A: This is the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia’s first year offering an event during Philly Tech Week. We are excited to be part of the week long programming, and look forward to being part of this city-wide initiative to get people thinking about and interacting with technology and innovation. We are offering an event on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies — taking a look at the pros and the cons of this new technology — and how it is affecting our increasingly globalized community.

Q: In a tweet, tell our audience why they should attend.

A: Learn the good, the bad, and everything in between: Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and how they are affecting the global community.

John Luczkowski

Q: Which #PTW18 event are you producing?

A: Designing Experiential Learning for Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality

Q: Have you organized events for Philly Tech Week before?

A: Yes! It’s a great chance for our membership (Training professionals) to take a look at the wider technology sector and for techies to get to know some of their business colleagues that work in corporate training and adult education.

Q: In a tweet, tell our audience why they should attend.

A: I’ll do one better and give you TWO good reasons to attend:

1. You get to play around with Augmented and Virtual Reality games!
2. You’ll learn from award winners in their field of either AR or VR or both!

Danielle Pinto

Q: Which #PTW18 event are you producing?

A: Changing the Way the World Fights Cancer

Q: Have you organized events for Philly Tech Week before?

A: Yes. Last year a fireside chat with Josh Kopelman and Apu Gupta. Before that, a workshop on early stage fundraising.

Q: In a tweet, tell our audience why they should attend.

A: This is a rare opportunity to hear from one of the most brilliant minds on the front line in the fight against cancer: Penn’s Carl June.

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Check out the full calendar of events, 17 strong and growing every day, here.