Choosing talks is part art, part science; here are some factors we consider when trying to assemble the best possible program for our local audience:

• Broad appeal: How will your talk play out in a room of people with a variety of backgrounds? Technical deep dives need more levels to provide value for the whole room, some of whom might not use your specific tool.
• Storytelling: Share your own experience (good, bad or ugly) with our audience. Tell us what you learned and share what worked and didn’t.
• New local presenters: You are the only one who can tell your story. We are very interested in the challenges and successes being experienced in our local Toronto area communities.
• Under-represented voices: We want to hear all voices, including those that may speak less frequently at similar events. Whether you’re in a field not typically thought of as a technology field, you’re in a large, traditional organization, or you’re the only person at your organization with your background, we are interested in your unique experience.
• No third-party submissions: If a PR firm or your marketing department is proposing the talk, you’ve already shown that as a speaker you’re distant from the process. This is a community-driven event, and speakers need to be directly engaged with the organizers and attendees.
• No vendor pitches: We value vendors and sponsors, however we cannot accept a talk that appears to be a pitch for your product. If you’d like to demo your product or service, please consider sponsoring the event to secure your company a table.

We strongly encourage potential speakers to submit more than one submission on more than one topic. The more submissions you contribute, the more options you give us to pick you. Be sure your talk title and abstract define the exact topic you want to talk about and what you hope people will learn from the session. In previous years, some submissions sounded interesting but we just didn’t have enough detail for them to make the final cut.

If you’re interested but hesitant to become a speaker, please take a look at the wonderful http://weareallaweso.me or better yet reach out to us at organizers-toronto-2019@devopsdays.org because we’d love to help!

We’re committed to assisting speakers by providing the following, but please let us know if we can help make it easier for you to join us!

• We offer travel and accommodation support for out-of-town speakers
• We are happy to provide childcare or financial assistance that would help with the time obligation
• If your employer won’t pay you for your participation for the days you attend the conference - we can help!
• We’ll have a speaker coach available to assist with material, delivery or practice
• Each speaker gets a free conference pass
• All meals, receptions and activities are included at no cost
• Invitation to our private speakers and volunteers event the night before the conference (hosted at the Broadview hotel near the venue)
• Comfy and quiet private speaker lounge at the venue