How can you manage speaker submissions and reviews more efficiently?

Sure thing, using a dedicated platform makes event stuff way easier. But hey, organizers, pick ones where speakers can handle their profiles and talks for various events all in one place. Think of platforms like Sessionize, or PaperCall. It's a game-changer – like having a one-stop shop for all my speaking gigs. Imagine updating your bio or slides once on Sessionize and being set for multiple conferences. Sweet, right?

If you're managing a smaller conference then these services may be out of your budget. We have a tried and tested Google Sheet which we link to submission entries from the website. The speaker selection committee gives each speaker a mark out of 10 across several attributes like skill level, clarity, flow, depth etc. We average out the scores and that helps guide the speaker selections

I agree, it's a necessity of the events industry to be focused on details and highly organized. Such software supports us to be prompt as well as efficient with various activities that are aligned for each day.

Event organizers, give us the lowdown: what topics rock, who's listening, and what you're after. Think of it like a recipe: "We want a dash of tech talk, a sprinkle of millennials, and a big helping of inspiration." Makes things smoother for both sides. Less guesswork, more awesome talks! ????Also be clear upfront about the facts like pay-to-speak, travel reimbursements, nothing paid, etc.

Absolutely. Ensure applicants and reveiwers know exactly what criteria are required for the speaker submissions. You don't want the speaker emailing you any questions before submission. Likewise you don't want to have multiple follow ups per submission. This just gets messy and uncontrollable.

Definitely automate! Also clearly communicate and manage deadlines and timelines. Speakers want to know what's going on, so overcommunicate on that front! Make sure your tech stack can talk to each other and allows for direct embeds into websites and community tools. you're using.

For very large— or global organizations whose members are far flung— this feedback from members is key. Members may have insight on innovative approaches in the field or diverse perspectives that would enrich the discussion. Using your own members’ network helps you to bring a wide variety of ideas to the conference. You can also have a dedicated speaker who is chosen by the members through a survey of who (or on what specific topic) they’d love to hear from. This gives your members some ownership of the conference or event.

The truth is that speakers are invited to serve a certain goal of the conference organiser. In order to be up-to-date it’s always better and worth checking up with the community, if they need a certain speaker or a panel of speakers on a specific subject. The world is changing very fast, as well as the preferences of all involved in the conference. But for sure the speaker should not to be dull and must have a good command of all presentation skills.

It’s good to have a ready list of speakers long before the conference. Then, due to the digital networking, you can arrange a priceless communication between the speaker and the registered delegates of the conference before this conference takes place. The feedback can be a very precious one. As the result, your speakers will prepare a quality and precise presentation that everybody expects to hear.