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Advocacy How-To: Submit a great conference abstract
With registration and call for sessions (CFS) opening on March 5th for the IBM TechXchange Conference 2024 in Las Vegas, and many other User Group conferences opening their call for abstracts, wouldn’t it be great to put yourself on stage or in front of a group of voracious learners in a breakout room?
There is a lot of competition for that coveted speaking position, so it’s important to bring your best material to the selection committees – leave them wanting more (as they say).
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In our recent Quarterly Advocacy Call for IBM Rising Champions Advocacy badge holders and IBM Champions, we featured Chris Muncan, IBM Champion and Conference Chair of IDUG Conference Planning Committee and Bill Primerano, Principal WW Data & AI Technical Specialist Global Sales, IBM, who both sit on conference selection committees and shared some great advice about your conference submissions. We’ve summarized some tips you may want to consider as you begin:
Who are you in the context of the topic?
Be certain to submit a topic you are qualified to present and something you’re passionate about. You don’t have to be the ultimate expert, but you have subject matter expertise you can bring to your presentation. Think about your unique perspective to the topic. It doesn't hurt to have the credentials, extra training, and experience that demonstrates your leadership and knowledge.
Great abstracts are brief and succinct.
The CFS abstract is the brief outline of your presentation (not the presentation itself). Write a compelling title (think ‘headline’ – be truthful, but interesting). If you need title inspiration, look at other interesting presentation titles that have captured your imagination. Then describe the presentation briefly with no more than 3-5 subtopics. The job of your abstract is to tell the selection committee (and ultimately the conference audience) what the participants will learn or take away from your presentation, and why it’s worth their time.
Great abstract submissions are on-time and error-free.
Try to submit your abstract early and if not early, on-time. Our experts advise that early submissions receive more attention. But first: proof-read your submission. Even better, ask a trusted colleague or friend proof-read your abstract, and take the feedback as a gift to improve your content. If someone doesn’t understand your submission, chances are it may have the same effect on the selection committee members.
Submit and stay in touch.
Many conference calls for sessions happen months before the event and things may change in your life. If you leave your job, move, or have an important life event, please let the conference organizers know. This helps them move sessions around, and it’s just helpful and considerate. If you want to present at future conferences, people on those selection committees may remember your thoughtfulness and cooperation.
Wait and think about up-cycling your content.
It’s normal to anxiously wait to find out if you secured that coveted speaking spot at a major conference. We get it! But your conference abstract doesn’t live and die at one conference submission. If your abstract isn’t accepted, think about taking your idea and converting it into a blog post, a LinkedIn article, a ‘how-to’ video, a webinar, or even submitting your abstract to another conference.
HINT: Your content might be super valuable in a discussion thread or a blog post in your favorite IBM TechXchange Community. ;)
cc: @Chris Muncan and @Bill Primerano
/kd