Posted on by jominney

Call for Speakers

Would you like the chance to share your knowledge with the Sydney WordPress community?

WordCamp Sydney 2024 is now accepting speaker applications.

Apply To Speak At WordCamp Sydney 2024

Applications close at midnight AEST on Friday, 2nd August 2024 (EXTENDED).

WordCamp Sydney wouldn’t exist without our incredible speakers and the wealth of knowledge they are willing to share.

Whether you are a seasoned speaker or a first-timer, we would love to hear your ideas on a topic you want to share.

Submission Guidelines

You can submit multiple applications, however, please only submit one topic per form. To ensure thorough consideration, please submit no more than three talk proposals.

Please summarise your talk well and include the main points so we can understand your idea. This will help us decide which talks to choose. Creative ideas are encouraged – the goal is for attendees to come away with new skills and insights. For more information about speaking at WordCamps, check out the WordCamp Speaker Guidelines which include some excellent resources for both new and veteran speakers.

Once submissions have closed, the selection process will start, and we will email you to notify you whether you have been selected.

What Topics Are We Looking For?

Topics should be related to WordPress in some way. This year the theme for WordCamp Sydney is ‘Purposeful Connection’. While we invite submissions about any WordPress related topic, we’d especially love to receive submissions that align with this theme!

Previous talks have fallen into these broad categories:

  • Administration / Sysops
  • Blogging / Podcasting / Vlogging
  • Business / Managing or Scaling a Business
  • Case studies / Show-and-tell
  • Content / Copywriting
  • Community / Meetups
  • Design
  • Development
  • E-Commerce / Memberships
  • SEO / SEM
  • Workflows / Software & Tools

You can look at previous WordCamp Sydney talks for some inspiration, or check out recent WordCamp talks from all around the world on WordCamp.TV.

Topic Lengths

We have two lengths of talks on offer this year:

  • 30-minute talk plus 10 minutes of Q&A (total 40 min session)
  • 15-minute talk plus 5 minutes of Q&A (total 20 min session)

Items To Include In Your Submission

This is an overview of the four sections we’ll ask you to fill out when sending us your proposal: 

1. Proposal: Provide information on the subject of your talk, including title, description, key takeaway, and other notes.

2. Format: Indicate the talk format, category, and level of complexity.

3. Previous Delivery: Tell us if you have previously given this talk at other WordCamps or events.

4. Speaker Details: Let us know a bit about you.

Each section is important and helps us understand what you can offer our attendees. When evaluating your proposal, we’ll take each factor into account.

Here is a more detailed look at those four sections. This will help you prepare a high-quality proposal for WordCamp Sydney and hopefully increase your chances of having your proposal selected. Let’s go!

Section 1: Proposal

a) Title: The title should define the topic you’re presenting, reflect your style, and stay consistent with the summary and key takeaway. There are many websites where you can find tips on how to write good titles for your talk. 

b) Description: Provide a summary of the proposed talk, including a bullet list of the main topics you will cover. This shouldn’t be a copy and paste of your actual talk – just enough for us to get an idea of what you will be talking about. This summary will be shown to attendees to help them decide which talks to attend.

c) Key takeaway: WordCamp Sydney attendees love to learn. Let us know what people will learn from your talk. Be clear and concise about your goal and expectations. What you share here will not be made public, it is simply to help the speaker selection panel to gain a deeper understanding of your talk.

Section 2: Format

a) Talk Length: The standard speaking slot for talks is 40 minutes. That comprises of 30 min for the presentation and 10 minutes for Q&A. There is a 5 minute buffer between speakers. If you’d like to give a shorter talk we can accommodate those too. Short talks (often referred to as ‘Lightning Talks’) are perfect for first-timers!

b) Target Audience Category: What primary category of audience will your talk most appeal to? e.g. UI/UX, Developers, SEO, Business Owners? This will help us ensure that we have a cross-section of talks that appeal to our diverse range of attendees.

c) Audience Skill Level: What skill level will the audience need to be in order to understand and gain benefit from your talk? Don’t be afraid to submit talks targeted at either end of the spectrum!

Section 3: Previous Delivery

We’d like to know if you’ve delivered this talk or a variant of it before. It’s not necessary to have presented this (or any other) talk before to apply, and it will not disqualify your application if you have previously given the talk. This may have been at a prior WordCamp, a Meetup, a conference, or some other event.

If you have given the talk before, it’s a great idea to provide links to any recordings you might have, such as on WordPress.tv or YouTube.

Section 4: Speaker Details

The following information is required:

  • Your Email
  • Your Full Name
  • Your Speaker Bio
  • A Headshot
  • Your Location

Your speaker bio will appear on the website and the room MC will read this out to introduce you before your talk. Make it short, memorable and relevant.

Additionally, you’ll optionally be able to include:

  • Your preferred pronouns (e.g. she/her, he/him, they/them)
  • Your Gravatar email (if different from your email provided)
  • Your WordPress.org username
  • Your Website URL
  • Your Company Name
  • Social Links (LinkedIn, X, Threads)
  • Information about any past speaking experience

Any social or website links you include will also be included on your speaker bio on the website. Sharing your pronouns will help our MCs to know how best to introduce you!

General Guidelines

We have some general guidelines for speakers that you should be aware of before you apply to speak.

Your talk should be.

Why Speak At WordCamp?

Offering your time to speak at a WordCamp has many great benefits.

  • Sharing your knowledge of WordPress will grow the community as a whole, which will benefit everyone.
  • You’ll be able to network with people you may not otherwise have a chance to meet in person. In addition to many local Sydneysiders, people generally travel from across Australia to WordCamp Sydney.
  • Public speaking is a great personal skill to have under your belt. It will increase self-confidence and help you interact better with individuals and groups.
  • You will have a professional video of your talk that you can share as an example of your public-speaking experience, as talks are recorded and published on WordCamp.tv
  • Taking the time to compose your talk and teach it to others often deepens your understanding of the subject matter and helps you develop your expertise and communication skills.

We have heard countless accounts of first-time speakers who say that speaking at a WordCamp was one of the best choices they have ever made!

Everyone Has Something to Offer!

Diverse experiences and perspectives are one of the things that make WordCamps so rewarding. Regardless of your background, your voice is welcome at WordCamp Sydney. If you’re hesitating about applying to speak, consider checking out resources from the WordPress Diverse Speaker Training Group including four self-paced online workshops:

Speaker FAQs

I have no previous speaking experience. Can I still apply to speak?
Yes, yes, yes! We love first-time speakers. Some of our organisers are seasoned conference speakers and are happy to give you tips and help you have an awesome first speaking experience.

I’m not from Sydney or New South Wales. Can I still apply to speak?
Yes, you can. Our focus is on the local community, but we welcome applications from interstate and internationally.

Can you cover my travel or hotel expenses?
No, soz. WordCamp Sydney is a not-for-profit conference, and we don’t have the funds to cover speaker travel or hotel expenses, nor is it permitted by the WordPress Foundation.

Can I choose the date and time of my talk?
We will work with you as best as possible to shuffle talks around to accommodate your needs, however we can’t guarantee you’ll get the requested time slot. If you have specific limitations or requests about when you can or can’t speak, please include this in the ‘Other talk notes’ section of the application or let the speaker lead know as soon as possible if your talk is accepted.

I’m overseas. Will I need a visa?
If you are not an Australian citizen, you will need to apply for a visa to travel to Australia. Visa applications can take a long time to resolve, so if you are interested, apply early.

Can you supply an invitation letter to support my visa application?
If selected to speak, we can supply you with an invitation letter to support your visa application process. Please email the speaker lead your passport number/reference and expiration date once you have received your invitation to speak.

Anything Else?

Do you still have some questions that we haven’t covered so far? That’s okay! You can ask us anything regarding speaking at WordCamp Sydney using the contact form.

Apply To Speak At WordCamp Sydney 2024