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2017 Workplace Summit Call for Workshop Proposals

Thank you for your work in advancing LGBT workplace equality in your corporation, agency, or organization! Workshop presenters drive the programming at our annual Workplace Summit. We look forward to reviewing your workshop proposal and have developed this toolkit to guide you through our submission process.

Benefits of Presenting

  • Discounted registration
  • Private presenter lounge (private work area, printing, complimentary beverages and snacks, opportunity to network with other presenters)
  • Visibility for your company
  • Recognition as an industry thought leader

WORKSHOP DEADLINES

March 1: Registration/workshop proposals open
May 12: Deadline for submissions
May 15-31: Committee reviews applications
June 15: Workshop Acceptance Notifications
Aug 10: Workshop Presenter Town Call

EDUCATION PRINCIPLES

  1. Commitment to Diversity. Out & Equal seeks to promote a diverse group of presenters and workshops that reflect the Workplace Summit audience. We seek to mirror the diversity of participants at the 2016 Summit, with special attention to the workplace experiences of people of color, transgender people, and bisexual people.
  2. Peer-to-Peer Education. The Workplace Summit is renowned for the education opportunities it provides. Our focus on peer-to-peer education, which centers those working in Fortune 1000 companies or the federal government, allows for sharing of best practices from those living and working on issues of LGBT workplace equality.
  3. Focus on LGBT Workplace Equality. While the Workplace Summit offers opportunities for networking and professional development, the bulk of the Summit is dedicated to sharing best practices in order to create and sustain LGBT-inclusive workplaces.

HOW TO GET ACCEPTED

Out & Equal is committed to highlighting innovative, peer-to-peer education that showcases best practices in LGBT workplace equality. In order to maximize the chances of your workshop being accepted, keep the following in mind:

  1. Relate content to workplace equality. There are a very limited number of openings for workshops geared toward professional development. Your proposal will have a stronger chance of acceptance if it relates directly to diversity & inclusion within the LGBT community and business sector.
  2. Present a new workshop. Consider proposing something that has not been previously offered at Summit. If submitting a previous proposal, be sure to edit the proposal to reflect updates, changes in takeaways, etc.
  3. Provide concrete, substantive takeaways. Highly rated workshops usually include a handout or other supplementary materials. Proposals that clearly articulate takeaways have a much higher acceptance rate.
  4. Include presenters from multiple organizations. The strongest workshops include voices and perspectives from more than one company. Consider inviting colleagues at other organizations to join you in leading the workshop.
  5. Present dynamically. While most workshops are best formatted as a panel, others can be presented as a lecture, debate, roundtable or other format.

SUBMITTING A WORKSHOP PROPOSAL

Prior to submitting your proposal online, please ensure you have the following information at your disposal.

  • Session title (10 word max)
  • Session abstract (125 word max)
  • What is the value of the workshop? (300 word max)
  • Specific workshop objectives (300 word max)
  • Expanded description/outline (300 word max)
  • Specific takeaways
  • Presenter names/titles/emails
  • Presenter bios (75 words)

The application system has a 15-minute time limit on each page, though you can always save and return to editing your proposal BEFORE submitting. We recommend saving your responses in a Word document and pasting them in the application. We are selecting a possible sixty proposals this year and may ask you to combine your workshop with other relevant proposals. In order for our review committee to accurately review your submission, please make sure you complete all sections of the application.

Proposals are not editable once submitted.

NOTE: PAPER & EMAIL PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Download the Workshop Kit PDF   Submit A Workshop Proposal Here

OUR VISION

Global workplaces where all people are equal, belong, and thrive.

OUR MISSION

Out & Equal is the global convener, thought leader and catalyst actively working to achieve workplaces of equality and belonging - supporting LGBTQ+ employees and leaders who thrive in their careers and lives and achieve greater impact on the world.