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60
min. recording watch time

Open Discussion: Call For Papers Strategy

26 event content professionals came together to discuss challenges and share solutions for their call for papers strategies.

Session Overview

We recently released A Strategic Guide For Call For Papers that included 40+ tactics packaged into 12 overarching strategies sourced from real-world interviews with 10 leading event content experts.

This guide is just a portion of the tactics and approaches event teams use in their call for papers. You might love some of the suggestions, or you might disagree. You could have a different approach entirely.

That's why we hosted an open discussion on call for papers strategy to learn from and challenge each other.

In this conversation we discussed:

-Addressing content process challenges

-Diving into the benefits of hosting a blind review process

-Speaker selection tactics

-Questions to include or exclude in your CFP

-The value of speaker training and onboarding

-Strategies to evaluate expertise in abstract submissions

-How to curate a diverse pool of speakers -and more!

Highlights from the Discussion

1. Challenges in the Call for Papers Process

  • Asking the right questions: If you don’t ask the right questions in your CFP process, you risk getting irrelevant or low-quality submissions.
  • Ensuring fairness & alignment: Submissions should align with both audience needs and company strategy.
  • Streamlining the submission process: Reducing friction while still collecting necessary details.
  • Avoiding repetition & stale content: Preventing speakers from submitting the same session year after year.

2. Evaluation & Selection Strategies

  • Blind evaluation process: Some organizations review session proposals without speaker names to ensure unbiased content selection.
  • Use of a rubric: Numeric scoring systems help keep evaluations objective.
  • Tracking speaker performance: Using session feedback, prior presentation experience, and LinkedIn research to assess speaker credibility.
  • Speaker background checks: Some teams manually check LinkedIn and past contributions before selecting speakers.

3. Improving Speaker Training & Performance

  • Speaker coaching: Many teams conduct pre-event speaker training to improve presentation skills.
  • Pre-event dry runs: Reviewing first few slides or conducting a mock presentation for new speakers.
  • Mandatory training: Some organizations require extensive training (e.g., Dreamforce has an 8-hour speaker training course).
  • Rebranding training as ‘Rehearsal’: Positioning it as a practice session to increase participation and reduce anxiety.
  • Leveraging AI tools for speaker rehearsal: AI-powered rehearsal platforms help speakers refine their delivery.

4. Content Categorization & Audience Expectations

  • Clarifying content levels: "Beginner," "Intermediate," and "Advanced" mean different things to different people.
  • Using Bloom’s Taxonomy: Evaluating learning objectives based on action verbs to classify session levels more accurately.
  • Adding a technical review process: Internal subject matter experts validate content levels before the event.
  • Gathering attendee feedback on content levels: Surveys ensure the session meets expectations.

5. Managing Speaker Diversity & Representation

  • Direct outreach to diverse communities: Engaging associations and affinity groups (e.g., Black Pet Business Owners Network).
  • Self-identification in speaker applications: Adding a question about diversity without requiring detailed demographic data.
  • Committee involvement: Task forces help vet and encourage more diverse speakers.

6. Structuring the Call for Papers Timeline

  • Setting deadlines instead of open CFPs: Rolling submission rounds create urgency and improve submission quality.
  • Leaving program gaps for last-minute content: AI and tech conferences delay some speaker selections to ensure content remains relevant.
  • Segmenting the CFP into multiple rounds: Announcing sessions in phases builds marketing momentum.

7. Crowdsourcing & Community Involvement

  • Letting attendees suggest topics and speakers: Collecting input via session evaluations.
  • Upvoting session ideas: Some teams experiment with letting communities vote on suggested content.
  • Post-event follow-ups: Encouraging strong speakers to expand their topics into a series or additional content formats.

Key Takeaways & Actionable Learnings

Be intentional with your CFP questions – Align them with your event’s goals to ensure you get quality submissions.
Use structured evaluations – Blind reviews, rubrics, and speaker background research improve fairness and content quality.
Invest in speaker training – Even experienced speakers can benefit from coaching and rehearsal sessions.
Standardize content levels – Use Bloom’s Taxonomy or a technical review process to ensure sessions match the advertised level.
Be proactive about speaker diversity – Direct outreach, inclusive CFP questions, and community partnerships help expand representation.
Consider multiple CFP deadlines – Staggered calls for submissions can improve marketing traction and content freshness.
Leverage attendee feedback – Use post-session evaluations to refine content selection for future events.