Apply to Speak — Information Before the Product

Section 01

1. About You

Tell us who you are and what you do. We need enough context to evaluate whether your experience matches what the audience needs.

First name*

Last name*

Email address*

Job title*

Organisation*

LinkedIn profile URL

Country*

Speaker biography*

150 words maximum. Focus on experience directly relevant to your session — what you have built, designed, implemented, or researched. This will appear in the programme exactly as submitted.

0 / 150 words

Section 02

2. Session Type

Select the format you are proposing. You may submit a separate form for a second proposal if you have both a plenary session and a workshop to offer.

What type of session are you proposing?*

Plenary Session — 45 minutesOne speaker. One room. Every attendee. All plenary, no parallel sessions.

Hands-on Workshop — 4 hoursDay 2 afternoon. Max 25 participants. Separate enrolment. Tangible output required.

Keynote NominationBy invitation only. Use this to nominate yourself or someone else.

Section 03

3. Workshop Track

Select the workshop track you wish to present. Each workshop is a four-hour, hands-on session for up to 25 participants.

Which workshop track are you proposing?

Workshop A — DITA for AuthoringTopic typing as thinking discipline · Minimal DITA · SME interview protocol · Reuse decision framework

Workshop B — DITA for Information ArchitectureDITA maps as pre-authoring artifacts · Content Model Canvas · Subject schemes · Relationship tables

Workshop C — DITA for PublishingPublishing requirements brief · Design systems · Conditional publishing · AI readiness

Workshop D — DITA for AIAI hallucination and structured content · Metadata as AI context · RAG architecture · Knowledge graphs

Section 05

5. Your Session

This is the most important section. Be specific, be honest, and avoid superlatives. The selection committee reads hundreds of submissions — specific beats impressive every time.

Session title*

Clear, specific, and honest. Avoid "The Complete Guide to..." or "Everything You Need to Know About..." A title that creates genuine curiosity is better than one that sounds comprehensive.

Session abstract*

200–300 words. What is this session about? What problem does it address? What will the audience take away? Write this as if the selection committee is also your audience.

The real story*

100–150 words. Separate from the abstract. What actually happened — the decision made, the system built, the failure encountered, the result achieved. Be specific: name the scale, the outcome, the surprise.

0 / 150 words

Audience takeaway 1*

One thing a participant can do or decide differently. Not a theme — an action.

Audience takeaway 2*

Audience takeaway 3*

Section 06

6. Workshop Plan

Workshop proposals without a detailed plan will not be considered. Participants must be doing for at least 60% of the session.

A workshop submission without a detailed plan will not be considered.

Session outline with timings

Break the 4-hour session into segments. Include setup, exercise time, debrief, and buffer.

Materials and tools participants need

Sample exercise

Describe one exercise: the problem given, the work done, and what participants produce.

Participant output — what will they leave with?

Section 07

7. Speaking Experience

Your speaking background*

Yes — I have spoken at conferences or events

First-time speaker — I have the story to tellFirst-time speakers are actively encouraged to apply.

Internal presentations or training only

Relevant previous talks or publications

Title, event, and year. Not required — first-time speakers are welcome. Context only.

Section 08

8. Originality & Integrity

This section is not boilerplate. Please read each statement carefully before confirming.

Submissions that misrepresent experience, fabricate metrics, or present others' work as the speaker's own will be disqualified and permanently ineligible for future events in this series.

The work described is my own, or I have clearly credited all collaborators. I can explain my specific contribution if asked.

Any metrics or outcomes cited are real and from my own experience or from published, attributable research. I have not estimated figures and presented them as real outcomes.

If my session references a client or employer, I have obtained or will obtain the necessary permissions before presenting. Identifying an organisation without consent will result in immediate withdrawal.

This session has not been delivered, in substantially the same form, at another public event in the past 18 months — or, if it has, I have disclosed this in my abstract and explained what is new.

The ideas, experience, evidence, and point of view in this proposal are my own. I may have used AI tools to help structure or refine the writing. The substance is mine.

Conflicts of interest

Any commercial relationship with tools, platforms, or services you mention. Disclosure does not disqualify you — failure to disclose does.

Section 09

9. Anything Else

Are you interested in joining the research group?

Yes, I am interested

Possibly — tell me more

Not at this time

How did you hear about this call for speakers?

Any other notes for the selection committee

Ready to submit?

Your submission will be reviewed by the selection committee. We acknowledge all submissions within 5 working days and notify speakers of decisions within 3 weeks of the submission deadline.

By submitting, you confirm all information is accurate and that you have read and agreed to the integrity statements in Section 8. Your contact details will only be used for communications related to this event and the initiative.

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Before the Product.