Jingle All the Way to Conference Stage

Imagine this: You, center stage at a tech conference like Dreamforce or TrailblazerDX, wowing the crowd with your wisdom. It's like living the dream, right? Well, guess what opens the door to this fantasyland?

It's not a magic wand or a secret handshake – It all starts with a good submission to the Call for Papers (CFPs).

The fundamental principles of crafting Call For Papers (CFP) apply universally to Dreamforce ,TrailblazerDX, SeleniumConf ,PNSQC and other Tech. Conferences. Hence, I'm summarizing my insights here for readers to navigate this journey. Hoping that these would help some of you to make the leap, onto the stage.

Unwrapping Thy Audience

Imagine preparing a heartfelt gift for someone, only to realize it doesn't align with their interests. Similarly, crafting a winning CFP involves identifying and connecting with your target audience. Who attends Dreamforce and TrailblazerDX or your target event? What are their roles, aspirations, and pain points? For example, Dreamforce caters to Admins, Developers, Sales and Marketing, Senior Leadership and partners as the primary audience. TrailblazerDX is a primarily developer conference. Selenium Conference is targeted towards web and test automation enthusiasts. How do I know all of this? Well, before I was a speaker at these conferences, I was a reader of past submissions, and watcher of their conference videos. Here is a list of all the Dreamforce 2023 sessions, and the conference videos can be found on Youtube (or similar). The same background research can be done for other conferences.

Tailoring your proposal to cater to the specific needs and interests of the conference attendees is key. Whether you're addressing developers, administrators, or executives, your CFP should speak directly to their professional desires and challenges.

Decorating with a Personal Touch

They say the best gifts come with a personal touch, and the same principle applies to your CFP. While outlining your talk, leverage practical examples and real-world experiences. Share stories of challenges faced and victories achieved. This not only adds authenticity to your proposal but also demonstrates the relevance and applicability of your insights. Here's the session I had submitted for TrailBlazerDX 2024 , which got accepted.

This submission falls at the intersection of the hands on work I was doing (building/testing a LLM based application), user interest (Dev audience building GenAI apps) and industry/Salesforce trends.

Hindsight is always 20/20, so there is a high chance that this same proposal might not be accepted at a similar or totally conference.

Pro-tip: My Accept:Reject ratio has been 1:10 (or so), so dont be disheartened if you dont get through in your first attempt.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Just as Santa avoids chimneys that pose a risk, successful CFPs steer clear of common pitfalls. One of the most common mistakes is submitting a generic proposal that lacks specificity. – a bit like gifting socks to someone allergic to wool. Tailor your proposal to the conference theme and audience, and avoid using jargon that might alienate attendees. Additionally, ensure your abstract is clear, concise, and free of grammatical errors.

In the grand tapestry of conferences, your CFP submission is a unique thread contributing to the overall experience. By adhering to the principles outlined in this guide, you're not just submitting a proposal; you're presenting a gift to the community — a gift that resonates, engages, and enriches the collective knowledge.

Also, a lot of places have restrictions on the character count like this:

And you might be hit with "Writer's block", on how to craft a magical title in 60 characters. The trick is start with the last question first, as it helps you model your thoughts in 1000 characters. Then summarize into Abstract, and then cherry on the cake should be a fun Title. Isn't that how our brains condense information. ??

Another pitfall to avoid is to copy-paste content directly from ChatGPT (or similar). Just like you and me, the jury/counsel of reviewers can "smell" GenAI content. Plus ChatGPT is not going to present at the conference, so use it as a review buddy, and not as your replacement.

Successful CFP submissions are built on thorough background research. Just like Santa ?? checking his list twice, aspiring speakers need to explore conference themes, audience demographics, and the overall goals of the target conference.

Understanding these conference nuances is like understanding your audience's wishes. What topics interest them? What challenges do they encounter? Armed with this knowledge, your CFP becomes a personalized gift, carefully crafted to align with the expectations of the conference organizers.

As you begin this journey, remember to confidently and authentically jingle your way to the conference stage, fueled by a passion for sharing knowledge. The stage is set, the audience is eager, and your gift of insights is ready to leave a lasting impact. Merry Christmas! ??