View of WCEU 2019 stage and audience from the back of the hall

Call for Speakers [closed]

Posted on by WordCamp Europe

UPDATE:

The Calls for Speakers and Workshops are now closed.

We hope you’ll join us at WCEU 2020 as an attendee, and apply to speak or organize a workshop next year!

Be a part of WordPress history by speaking at #WCEU 2020

In June 2019, nearly 3,000 members of the WordPress community came together in Berlin at the biggest WordCamp Europe to date. With lots of happy memories from WCEU 2019, we’re now ready to continue making WordPress history! Will you join us?

The 2020 edition of WordCamp Europe will take place in Porto, Portugal. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Porto is loved by tourists and locals alike for its colourful cobbled streets, beautiful buildings and, of course, its world-class food and wine.

We hope that you’re as excited as we are to bring the spirit of the WordPress community to such a special city. With that in mind, we’re delighted to announce that speakers’ applications for WCEU 2020 are now open!

Apply Now!

What topics are we looking for?

Basically, as long as it relates to WordPress in some way, shape or form, we’ll welcome proposals for just about any talk you can think of.

We’re a diverse bunch and we want the WCEU 2020 stage to reflect this. It is extremely important to the WCEU Organising Team that we deliver an event with a balanced and diverse range of speakers that reflects the WordPress community and our society, so please submit your application, even if you’ve never spoken before: we’re eager to hear your voice.

WCEU attendees travel from far and wide to meet and learn from other members of the WordPress Community and we’re excited to hear about your WordPress experiences.

All WordPressers are welcome to apply: while roughly half of WCEU attendees have a technical background, the other half come from the world of marketing and business so don’t be put off if you’re not a developer.

During the selection process and schedule planning, we’ll carefully consider all of the proposed talks to make sure that WCEU 2020 offers a good balance of interesting content for everyone.

To give you a little inspiration to apply, here are just a few ideas to get your creativity flowing:

  • Accessible design
  • Advanced development
  • Business strategy
  • Copywriting
  • Culture
  • Frameworks
  • Healthy life and work
  • Project Management
  • Security
  • Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
  • Storytelling
  • Success stories
  • Typography
  • Working remotely
  • Website Performance Optimisation (WPO)

What presentation formats will be available?

As in previous years, we’re planning to have multiple tracks. Each slot on the schedule will be one hour in total. Content will take up to 40 minutes of each hour, leaving 20 minutes after each session to switch between tracks, grab a cup of coffee, and chat with other attendees.

WCEU 2020 will feature talks in the following formats:

  • Long talks: 40 minutes in total, breaking down to around 30 minutes for the talk & 10 minutes for Q&A
  • Lightning talks: 10 minutes each, grouped by related topics, without Q&A

Do I need to know anything else before submitting my application?

During the selection process we try to take into account the speaking experience of each applicant. While not essential, it’s a plus if you have experience speaking at any type of event, so we recommend mentioning this on your application.

That said, don’t be put off if you’re relatively new to the stage. This year, we will also be providing resources and best practice advice to all speakers, covering both public speaking techniques and content management of presentations. We want you to be comfortable on stage and we will provide you with the necessary tools to help you.

If you’re feeling tempted to apply but can’t quite decide on a topic, don’t worry – you can send up to three different proposals for talks and/or workshops*. 

This means you can submit a total of three talks and/or workshops on topics of your choice. So start brainstorming and don’t hesitate to apply!

Apply Now!

Let’s talk about dates: when does this process start and end?

The Call for Speakers will be open until 6th January 2020, so make sure to send in your application before the deadline.

*Important: The Call for Workshops now open. If you are considering submitting a workshop proposal, either instead of or in addition to a talk, please also read the Call for Workshops information.

Application timeline:

  • 23 October 2019: Call for Speakers opens
  • 30 October 2019: Call for Workshop hosts opens
  • 6 January 2020: Call for Speakers and Workshop hosts closes
  • Late January: Speakers selection process takes place
  • Late February: Selected speakers contacted
  • Mid-March: Speakers announced
Apply Now!