Tips and guidance for your submission
The Call for Speakers and the Call for Workshops opened in October 2018 and since then, we’ve received applications from around the world. There’s still time to submit yours!
The deadline for applications is 7 January 2019, after which the selection process will start, and the Organising Team will focus on designing a programme that features great content!
Last year, we received 374 talk proposals from 216 people, then narrowed applications to just 52 sessions that formed the final schedule for WordCamp Europe 2018 in Belgrade. Read how the selection process worked last year.
Although many of you are expert speakers, we think it’s important that we explain, in detail, what we take into consideration when choosing talks and workshops for WordCamp Europe
Items to include in your talk or workshop proposal
This is an overview of the four sections to fill out when sending us your proposal:
a) Proposal: Provide information on the subject of your talk, including title, description, key takeaway, and other notes.
b) Format: Indicate the talk format, category, and level of complexity.
c) Previous delivery: Tell us if you have previously given this talk at other WordCamps or events.
d) The speaker: Let us know about your experience as a speaker throughout your professional life.
Each section is important and helps us understand what you can offer our attendees. When evaluating your proposal, we’ll take each factor into account.
Here is a more detailed look at those four sections, to help you prepare a high-quality proposal for WordCamp Europe, and hopefully increase your odds of having your proposal selected. Let’s go!
1. Proposal:
a) Title: The title should define the topic you’re presenting, reflect your style, and stay consistent with the summary and key takeaway. There are many websites where you can find tips on how to write good titles for your talk.
b) Description: Map out the structure of your talk or workshop. Include the main points you will cover, and acknowledge how technical or complex it will be so we can determine the target audience.
c) Key takeaway: One of the main functions of WordCamp Europe is to educate, so knowing what people are going to learn is fundamental. Be clear and concise about your goal and expectations.
d) Other notes: This is an open field to share whether you will lead with assistance from other people, if the submission could be delivered in various formats (long talk, lightning talk or workshop), or any other info you think is relevant.
The first three fields are related and a good balance between them can make your proposal unbeatable.
2. Format:
a) Type of proposal: Some topics require a specific duration to be explored in sufficient detail. Make sure that what you have told us in the summary is the correct duration for your talk. If you think your submission could be delivered in several formats (long talk, lightning talk or workshop), please indicate this in the Other Notes section.
b) Category: If your talk does not fall into the categories provided, or is a mixture of several, that is fine. Leave a comment in Other Notes, and we will categorise the talk after reading through it.
c) Experience: We love receiving proposals from people with all levels of speaking experience, so go ahead and apply! If have speaking experience, tell us about it.
3. Previous delivery of your proposal:
Is this a talk or workshop you gave elsewhere? Please reference the WordCamp or event and include slides or a video.
4. The speaker:
Whether you are an experienced speaker or not, let us know. Share any videos from WordPress.tv or another platform that show you delivering talks or workshops, or tell us more about your speaking experience.
Can you see yourself on stage at WCEU 2019? Don’t wait any longer and apply today! We are eager to hear from you and interested in knowing what you want to present as a talk or workshop.
Good luck from the WCEU Organising Team!