The Conference Proposal

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The Conference Proposal

• Cheryl Geisler
• Lecture 2

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Conference Problem Your Ideas
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The Conference Proposal
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Why Conference?

• Annual get-together
• Showcase new developments
• Share lessons learned
• Report research
• Explore a topic in depth
• Meet people with similar interests

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Why Call for Proposals?

• Need to fill time slots
• Need to attract registration
• Need to build community

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Why PP?

• Short proposal
• All the issues
• Encourage professional/community participation

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Sample 1

• A senior who has been working on an Undergraduate
  Research Project for a few years writes a
  proposal to give as poster presentation for a
  conference in that research area.
• Type KNOWLEDGE
• Expertise SCHOOL
• Audience RESEARCHERS

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Sample 2

• A graduate student who works as an Information
  Architect writes a proposal to give a talk at a
  conference on Library Information Technology
  about the changing landscape of content delivery.
• Type KNOWLEDGE
• Expertise WORK
• Audience ANOTHER PROFESSION

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Sample 3

• A graduate student whose wife is involved in
  media literacy writes a proposal to do a workshop
  with her on media literacy at a librarians
  conference.
• Type KNOWLEDGE
• Expertise FAMILY
• Audience ANOTHER PROFESSION

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Sample 4

• A distance student who supports the in-house use
  of a software product proposes to attend the
  corporate-sponsored conference for users and give
  a talk describing his companys experience with
  deployment.
• Type EXPERIENCE
• Expertise WORK
• Audience COLLEAGUES

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Sample 5

• An undergraduate who captains the RPI equestrian
  team write a proposal to do a interactive session
  on proper stretching techniques for the National
  Youth Leader Society.
• Type SKILL
• Expertise HOBBY
• Audience COLLEAGUES

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Sample 6

• A student involved in the artistic community in
  her home town writes a proposal for a panel
  discussion between artists and citizens in her
  small town for an arts education conference.
• Type PERSPECTIVE
• Expertise COMMUNITY
• Audience PROFESSIONALS

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Toward a Conference Proposal

• What is it you know/do/experience that not
  everyone knows/does/experiences?
• What kind of people would want to know it?
• What organization do these people belong to?
• Are they having a conference?

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Sources of Topics

• Knowledge OR skill OR experience
• School OR work OR life
• Colleagues OR another profession OR professionals

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Features of a Good Topic

• You know or want to know a lot about the topic.
• You can see trying to make something happen
• You have access to the people and knowledge you
  would need
• Working on the topic will help you further your
  own goals.

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The Key PP Move

• Finding a core topic that will keep you going
  through all the proposals

Conference Proposal
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Finding Conference RFPS
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Conference RFP Search Lay of the Land
Call for Papers 2008 Call for Proposals
2008 Call for Presenters 2008
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Lets try it together!

• An area
• An organization
• A role

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Selecting Conference RFPs
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A Taxonomy of Call Status
Past Deadline
Active
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Search
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Search Results
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Past Deadline
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Expired Request
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Past Deadline but Posted
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Understanding the RFP
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Sample

• When submitting conference proposals, please
• Include a 200-250 word description of the content
  of your paper, session, or workshop
• Indicate the type of session being proposed (a
  panel of 3-4 speakers, a single speaker to be
  paired with others, an interactive workshop, a
  demonstration)
• List all presenters (if applicable)
• Specify the grade level(s) addressed in the
  proposal (Elementary, Secondary, College,
  General, or Cross-level)

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Form

• When submitting conference proposals, please
• Include a 200-250 word description of the content
  of your paper, session, or workshop
• Indicate the type of session being proposed (a
  panel of 3-4 speakers, a single speaker to be
  paired with others, an interactive workshop, a
  demonstration)
• List all presenters (if applicable)
• Specify the grade level(s) addressed in the
  proposal (Elementary, Secondary, College,
  General, or Cross-level)

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Format

• When submitting conference proposals, please
• Include a 200-250 word description of the content
  of your paper, session, or workshop
• Indicate the type of session being proposed (a
  panel of 3-4 speakers, a single speaker to be
  paired with others, an interactive workshop, a
  demonstration)
• List all presenters (if applicable)
• Specify the grade level(s) addressed in the
  proposal (Elementary, Secondary, College,
  General, or Cross-level)

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Components

• When submitting conference proposals, please
• Include a 200-250 word description of the content
  of your paper, session, or workshop
• Indicate the type of session being proposed (a
  panel of 3-4 speakers, a single speaker to be
  paired with others, an interactive workshop, a
  demonstration)
• List all presenters (if applicable)
• Specify the grade level(s) addressed in the
  proposal (Elementary, Secondary, College,
  General, or Cross-level)

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Areas

• No areas
• Many areas
• The DCMI 2002 Programme Committee invites papers
  in the following categories
• E-Government
• Search engines and metadata
• Educational metadata improving communication
• Knowledge management .

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Deadlines

• submit by 15 June 2007
• Courses
• Workshops (Organizers)
• submit by 3 Oct 2007
• Workshops (Participants)
• Case Studies
• Doctoral Consortium
• Panels
• Interactivity
• submit by 8 Jan 2008
• Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
• Work-in-Progress
• alt.chi

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Coming Up
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Whats Due

• Yesterday Self-Assessment
• Next Mon Style Workshop 1
• Next week Individual Conferences

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Individual Conference

• Ideas about course in general
• one or more possible conference RFPs (just URLs
  is fine)

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Two Weeks Conference Proposal Draft 1/26

• Locate a conference RFP in an area in which you
  might have something to contribute
• Draft a proposal in response
• include the URL at the bottom of your proposal
• Be sure to follow directions completely

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Conference Sign Up
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Questions?