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Instructions on How to Submit a Speaking Proposal

Thank you for your interest in submitting a proposal to present at The Learning Guild’s DevLearn 2021 Conference & Expo. Please read the information below before you complete the submission form.

Submit a Speaking Proposal

FAQs About Speaking at DevLearn 2021 Conference & Expo

What are the event dates?

The conference will be held Wednesday, October 20 through Friday, October 22, 2021.

Pre-conference workshops will be held on Monday and Tuesday, October 18 and 19, 2021.

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When are speaking proposals due?

Proposals are due by Friday, March 12, 2021.

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Where is the event located?

DevLearn 2021 will be held at The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, USA.

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What is DevLearn Conference & Expo all about?

DevLearn is, by far, North America’s top learning technologies event. This event is designed for learning professionals interested in exploring the leading edge of the emerging technologies our industry will put to work for learning. DevLearn provides a comprehensive program of learning opportunities to meet the needs of learning professionals who are involved in the management, design, development, implementation, and delivery of organizational learning. If you want to know what’s coming next in the world of learning, what the leaders in the field are thinking and doing, and how new technologies impact management, strategy development, and learning development, then you need to be at DevLearn.

To get a better sense of what the conference is like, see the DevLearn 2019 Conference & Expo website.

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What is the program focus for DevLearn 2021?

We are looking for a variety of topics that cover the spectrum of needs among learning professionals, including but not limited to:

  • Instructional Design
  • Case Studies
  • Video-based Learning
  • Social Media and Social Learning
  • Virtual Classrooms
  • Curation
  • Visual, Interface, or Experience Design
  • Virtual Reality
  • Serious Games and Gamification
  • Simulations
  • Authoring Tools
  • Personalized Learning
  • Infrastructure and Systems
  • Augmented Reality
  • Microlearning
  • Development Techniques
  • Management and Strategy

Your session is more likely to be selected if your content is unique to this event, focused, in-depth, and offers practical solutions, ideas, strategies, or techniques.

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Who is the target audience for DevLearn?

The target audience for DevLearn sessions includes instructional designers, developers, managers, and executives in corporate, government, and academic settings who are actively focused on the tools, technologies, strategies, and techniques that can be put to work for learning.

The program supports the entire learning team, so regardless of your specific role, you’ll find practical solutions and approaches you can use immediately to solve your learning and performance support challenges.

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What types and durations of sessions are offered at these events?

  • Optional one-day Pre-Conference Certificate Workshops will be held on Monday, October 18 and Tuesday, October 19.
  • Concurrent sessions will be held Wednesday, October 20 through Friday, October 22. Session run times are either 45 or 60 minutes.
  • Both workshops and concurrent sessions may be offered as Hands-On Learning BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) sessions. For more details on the BYOD format, see the next point below.

Selected speakers will be assigned a slot by the Guild staff. If you have any scheduling conflicts, please note them on your submission form.

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What is Hands-On Learning BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)?

BYOD stands for Bring Your Own Device. These sessions are hands-on and give participants an opportunity to actually work along with the presenter. These sessions may be either full-day workshops or 60-minute concurrent sessions.

Participants in BYOD sessions are expected to bring their laptops (or alternative devices, such as smartphones or tablets, as specified by the presenter) with the software being discussed already installed.

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Who is eligible to present at these events?

As a community-based organization, we welcome any and all proposals.

Vendors of learning products and services will be considered; however, NO marketing or self-promotion is allowed. Sessions must be educational and informational in content. While not required, proposals that feature a case study with a client are strongly preferred.

Alternately, if you are interested in exhibiting at this event and want to find out about promotional opportunities, contact sales@LearningGuild.com.

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Are speakers compensated?

One free full-conference registration is provided per session. This free registration is given to the main presenter listed on the submission form. This registration cannot be shared or split. Presenters who are selected to conduct more than one session are given one free registration in total.

The first co-presenter (if applicable) will be able to register for the conference at a substantially discounted rate (no other discounts apply). This discount cannot be shared or split. For any additional co-presenters, normal conference registration fees and discounts will apply.

Full-day workshop presenters, in addition, may have their travel and hotel costs covered. They may also receive a fee based on workshop attendance.

NOTE: All presenters must be listed when you submit your proposal. Additional presenters cannot be added to your session without the approval of Guild staff.

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What is required of me as a speaker from a technical standpoint?

  • Speakers must provide their own laptop or tablet and any software needed to run their presentation. If you require Internet access, your device must be able to connect to Wi-Fi; hardwire connections are not available.
  • Standard AV provided includes computer projector, screen, speakers for the computer, and wireless access. Other AV equipment requested will be approved on a case-by-case basis.

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If selected as a speaker, what information and materials will I be required to submit?

  • A photo for use on the event website and other event materials. Photos must be formatted to be a minimum of 300 DPI, 3 by 3 inches, and in TIFF, JPG, or PNG format.
  • Session materials that will be posted for event participants before, during, and after the event. (Concurrent sessions only; workshop materials will not be posted on the resource site.)

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How do I submit a proposal?

It’s simple. Use the online CFP form and complete all areas of the form. You may submit more than one proposal, but you must submit a separate form for each session proposed.

We recommend creating a draft of your proposal offline before entering it into the online CFP form. If you would like to do so, you can find a copy of the proposal form in Word format here.

If you need to exit the form without submitting, be sure to use the “save and continue later” function found at the top of the proposal form.

NOTE: If your browser or computer crashes while you’re in the process of filling out this form, you can contact the programming team at programs@LearningGuild.com to get access to your partially completed survey.

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What resources are available to help me write a strong proposal?

Among the best resources for learning how to write a strong proposal are the session descriptions from past DevLearn conferences. These descriptions essentially are edited versions of the content from the session proposal form, and they can be a great place to look for inspiration on what content to include in your proposal and how to approach your angle on a topic.

In addition, we’ve created a document outlining examples of a fictional strong proposals, as well as a few examples of proposals that would need a bit more work to be selected. You can download that PDF here.

Proposal Examples

It can also be helpful to work on a draft of your proposal offline. This allows you to take time with your answers as well as leverage spell check. You can download a Word document with the proposal questions here.

Proposal Sample Questions

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I have additional questions—who can I reach out to?

If you have any questions about the proposal form, these instructions, or the event, or if you are unsure whether your topic is appropriate for this event, please contact our programming team at programs@LearningGuild.com.

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