It’s time to submit your speaking idea to the ad:tech team for NY.
Click Here to Submit
Below is a letter from Warren Pickett, Content Director of ad:tech you can review for more detail.
And here’s a little upfront advice from me on how to be more successful with your submission.
Successfully Pitching Yourself as a Speaker —by Susan Bratton
Getting the opportunity to showcase your expertise as a speaker at a trade show, conference, local association meeting or a bookstore can generate interest, great PR and even new business leads for your company.
Further, being a speaker underscores your value and credibility as an industry professional, increasing your image and worth in the market. Once you get your first “speak op” confirmed, it often builds on itself as long as you create a reputation for delivering solid information. You’ll start to get calls from conference chairs and programming specialists to ask you to come speak. For many professionals, public speaking is their main source of business opportunity.
To effectively pitch yourself you must:
Select a conference where you can add value.
Find out exactly who is responsible for the programming of the sessions.
Understand clearly who the target and actual attendees are (many conferences get a certain clientele and are aspiring to add an additional segment of attendees to broaden their base).
Determine a content angle that will differentiate this conference from its competitors and attract incremental attendees that the conference is targeting—this is the most important part of successful pitching. Conferences sell their admission fees and make their revenue based on the value of the agenda. Focus on them, not on yourself.
Enter a submission into the conference’s website or send in your information for its call for papers by the deadline – follow the requested rules for submission, as this is how the organizers keep track of all the content.
Make sure your submission is not self-serving and is balanced, objective and would be something difficult to find online or in a magazine; make sure it includes not just facts but also experiential learning, tips, tricks, wisdom, analysis, examples, market overviews, etc. If you can present primary research that’s exclusive to that conference, do it! That is a competitive opportunity for the show that’s nearly irresistible.
Submit a complete abstract that includes a suggested session title; session description (what attendees will learn), including market metrics; and others who might add to a discussion of this subject with name, title, company affiliation and contact information. If you have a good headshot, include it in the submission.
Go beyond just pitching yourself—pitch a group of experts. The submissions that list other authorities are more likely to be chosen than those that just pitch a single person. Do a little work for your conference chair. Show that you are a specialist in this area by having a national or global perspective that you can bring to the show. Include a short, powerful bio and complete contact information.
Follow up with an email to the programming decision-maker letting her know you “followed the rules” and submitted not just yourself but a panel of prospective speakers. Include links from important magazines or websites that cover your category, letting the conference planner know that your area is an important, topical and timely area of discussion in the industry.
Ask the programming person if he needs any more assistance, leg work, connections or background material from you. Find out when he is making the final decisions. Call or email him with a check in between your submission deadline and his final decision to stay top of mind. Sending more news information about your subject area to remind him that you have a submission and are still interested in speaking will also increase your chances of being selected.
If you’re not selected, ask why so that you can learn from your past work and be more focused in the future.
Many companies hire a PR firm or publicist to help with this, and it’s called a “speaker’s bureau.” You can do this yourself with the help of your administrative assistant, if you have one. You will do this better than any other person because you are pitching yourself and your knowledge. Who knows more about you than you?
First, research all the events at which you’d like to speak. Create a spreadsheet that lists all the events, their timing, their conference chair or programming decision-maker, and any deadlines for submission. Assume that all shows are organized and the agendas completed about 6 months ahead of time so they can be properly marketed. Then work backward, submitting yourself for each show. Get the deadlines on your calendar for submissions and follow up and keep yourself organized. You’ll be amazed at what a little focus will do to create opportunity.
Finally, when you get on the stage, after much practice of your presentation beforehand, focus on your audience and its needs, never, ever pitch yourself or your company and be of service. You will be invited back again and again for delighting your audience, and your reputation will grow, along with your business.
Hello everyone,
Planning has started for ad:tech New York 2010 and as someone interested and active in the interactive community, we wanted to make sure you know that ad:tech is now accepting speaker submissions for this event. The conference will be held November 2-4, 2010, at Javits Center.
ad:tech is excited to announce changes to the conference programming this year that will provide more value and education, as well as make the experience more worthwhile for our speakers and attendees. Please be aware that we are eliminating virtually all panel sessions in favor of more structured types of content, including case studies, best practices, research presentations, mini-debates and more. In addition, our tracks will be shorter but more focused on precise media channels and strategies. Finally, we will be exploring new ways to help attendees get the most from the event across both the conference and expo spaces.
ad:tech New York will bring together marketers, agencies, publishers, technology innovators, and media & business leaders in a networking and educational setting unlike any other. Rub shoulders with the industry’s best, see what’s coming next and help support and give back to the growing interactive marketing industry.
Event Date/Location
ad:tech New York 2010
Javits Center
November 2-4, 2010
To submit a speaker proposal, please visit:
http://www.ad-tech.com/ny/speakers/
Speaker Submission Deadline
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 (no extensions)
Speaker Submission Guidelines
The conference agenda is currently being formed, and we’re looking for your input – give us your best ideas! We’ve shared a few tips below that can help as you prepare your speaking submission.
1. You must submit your proposal(s) through the web site: Even if you’ve spoken at ad:tech in the past or already indicated to us that you’d like to be a speaker in 2010, you must submit a new speaking proposal.
2. Make choices: Your speaker cannot be an expert in everything; please focus on what the speaker cares the most about and pitch that.
3. What kind of speaker are you pitching? Is your speaker funny? combative? professorial? Is she the kind of person who can mix it up with another speaker in a debate or more comfortable speaking solo? Please let us know.
4. Who else can you bring? If you’re a publisher, technology partner, ad network or other service provider, can you bring a brand or agency client to present on your behalf or co-present with you? (Hint: this is the way to sneak to the front of the line.) If you’re an agency, can you bring a brand client?
5. Who are your speaker’s clients and customers? Knowing who you’re looking to impress is key to helping us put the right speakers in front of the right delegates. Another way of putting this is, what do you or your speaker want to get out of speaking at ad:tech?
6. What level is your audience? Are you pitching content towards marketing generalists looking to dip a cautious toe into digital waters, are you talking to a young media planner with only six months of experience or are you wishing to engage with a seasoned digital audience?
7. Who cares? All good conference content speaks to a conflict where people disagree about the best way to go about something. How can you add to the conversation?
All submissions received will be reviewed. We will notify speakers selected to participate in July / early August 2010
Thank you in advance for your contributions.
For additional information, please contact:
Warren Pickett
content director
ad:tech expositions
warren@ad-tech.com
Twitter: wpickett
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