Here are a few guidelines to providing a quality submission:

Guidelines for a quality presentation

• Contains practical information or a case study that will help industry practitioners gain revenue, gain efficiencies, and/or meet their business objectives.
• Covers a new, specific topic relevant to the convention sales and services part of the industry.
• Speaks to one of these target audiences:
  • Small, mid-sized and/or large destination organizations
  • Business events strategists
  • Sales and services practitioners
• Does not promote products or contain any kind of sales pitch. If industry vendors are submitting a proposal, the proposal must include a case study and a Destinations International member speaker. Any speaking proposal focused on product promotion will be disqualified. Discussion about general product categories is acceptable if there is clear intent to educate and not sell.

Guidelines for a quality speaker

• Knows their session’s intended audience and engages with attendees. More information is retained when interactivity is a part of a lesson.
• Is collaborative in every sense of the word. This includes collaborating with panelists for an engaging conversation about all angles of a topic. This also includes collaborating with Destinations International to ensure all learning objectives and deadlines are met.
• Has a passion to present.

A few additional notes

• As always, participation in summit education is an unpaid, voluntary speaking opportunity. Complimentary registration is not provided.
• We are interested in different session formats:
  • Round table discussions - interactivity and collaboration aids knowledge retention and provides attendees with additional networking opportunities.
  • Instructive presentation
  • Panel interview or fireside chat
• Educational sessions are 45 minutes long.
• Submitters will be contacted about six weeks after the submission deadline.

A few topic suggestions

• How the ever shifting and largely remote workforce has impacted the DMO sales process
• How changing technology has disrupted the industry and driven innovation
• How the public health crisis, political upheaval, and other trends drive changes in societal norms, and what that means for the industry 
• Shifts in the sales process due to concerns of crime and safety
• Best practices for the inclusion of EDI strategies in the sales and servicing cycle
• Collaboration best practices with groups who are considering cancellation due to factors outside of the CVBs control (legislation, social and human rights issues, etc)
• The evolution of the role and responsibilities of the convention services professional
• The Pre-Promote: Valuable asset or funds that could be put to better use?
• Economic impact and other KPIs/metrics
• Partnerships and sponsorships
• Leveraging community capital
• Funding innovation, new markets, new business verticals
• Workforce development
• Creating a welcoming environment 

Thank you for your interest in submitting a speaking proposal.

Submit Proposal