Call for Speakers and RFP for Breakout & Extended Sessions
IABC Heritage Region seeks speakers for the 2020 Regional Conference in Boston, MA
IABC Heritage Region Conference 2020
November 8 – 10, 2020
Courtyard by Marriott Boston Downtown
275 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02116
This request for proposals (RFP) contains:
- What We Expect from Speakers
- Breakout Session Details
- Attendee Demographics
- Content
- Tracks and Topics
- Proposal Evaluation Criteria
- RFP Form for Submission
What We Expect from Speakers
If you are selected as a speaker, we regard your acceptance as a commitment to meet all deadlines and to personally present the topic at the conference.
- Complete and return the Speaker Agreement by the due date: March 31, 2020
- Present the session content as you describe it on the Proposal Form (any topic changes MUST be approved by the Heritage Region Conference Chair and Speaker Chair)
- Provide high-quality PowerPoint presentations and/or handouts by the due date (date TBA).
- Consent to posting your PowerPoint presentation and/or handouts on the Heritage Region Conference 2020 website
- Register for the conference and the hotel by the specified deadlines (dates TBA)
- Help promote the conference in social media and by writing blog posts or articles for the conference website and other media
- Honor IABC Heritage Region’s commitment to providing professional development by not promoting your practices, services, or products or soliciting business during your presentation
- Adhere to the IABC Code of Ethics, IABC Code of Conduct, and IABC Diversity and Inclusion Statement
IABC HERITAGE REGION DOES NOT COMPENSATE FOR SPEAKER FEES, TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS OR EXPENSES. Speakers enjoy a complimentary registration to the conference, plus exposure on the conference website, program and promotional materials, as a thank you for participation.
Breakout Session Details
- 20 75-minute breakout sessions
- 6 50-minute breakout sessions – New This Year!
- 2 extended in-depth sessions of 2.5 hours
- 2-4 keynote sessions of 45-minutes
NOTE: Superior session proposals may be asked to become keynote presentations
Attendee Demographics
- Past conferences attracted approximately 150-200 attendees from the northeast, midwest and mid-Atlantic United States and Canada
- Attendees’ experience ranges from entry-level through senior-level (16-plus years of experience)
- Nearly two-thirds of attendees are senior communicators; 45 percent of attendees have 25-plus years of experience
- Workplace settings: consultants, corporate, creative agencies, government, academia, not-for-profit organizations, health care, insurance/financial, manufacturing, small businesses and independent settings
Content
- Addresses key areas/emerging areas affecting today’s business communicators. We welcome content from allied functional areas (i.e., HR, finance, investor relations, training, etc.) that interact with professional communicators.
- Highly interactive sessions, hot topics, new findings and case studies are popular and may increase your likelihood of being selected
- Topics of relevance and advanced-level content to attract senior communicators
- Topics provide lessons, insights and take-aways that attendees can use in their workplaces
Tracks and Topics
Conference sessions address key areas such as content management, employee communication, branding & marketing, public relations, engagement, business management skills, change management, creativity/innovation, strategy & counseling, measurement, leadership, technology, career management senior level issues, communication skills and soft skills needed in today’s workplaces.
Proposal Evaluation Criteria
- Is proposal submitted on the IABC Heritage Region Conference 2020 form? Proposals submitted as letters, promotion material or not on the following proposal forms will be disqualified without notification.
- Is the Proposal form complete? Are any questions or sections left blank?
- If the proposal is for two or more speakers, is all the required information presented for each speaker?
- Does the topic align to one of the tracks?
- Does the proposal description provide a compelling case for inclusion in the conference sessions?
- Is recent presentation experience listed? Is proposal aligned to IABC Heritage Region Conference breakout sessions, attendee demographics and content?
- Are two IABC or professional references with contact information listed? What did references say to the evaluator checking the reference?
Individuals interested in making presentations at the 2020 IABC Heritage Region Conference must complete the following Proposal Form and submit via e-mail* no later than Tuesday, March 31, 2020.
Joy Lovejoy, ABC, Speaker Committee Chair
E-mail: jelovejoyabc.iabc@gmail.com
and
Pat Frey, ABC, Heritage Region Liaison to Conference 2020 Committee
Email: pafrey2@gmail.com
*IMPORTANT – Please use the following in the e-mail subject line: “2020 Heritage Conference Proposal”
