What we are looking for at AgileAus19!

You may be aware that in 2019 AgileAus will be accepting Expressions Of Interest (EOIs) to shape a program that aims to represent, nourish, surprise and delight the community.

What are we looking for?

Building the AgileAus program is more art than science, and often the most memorable lessons come about in the most unexpected ways.

We have found, however, that over the years the community has landed on some criteria that help encourage the kind of content that has the most potential to deliver value to the AgileAus audience.

When reviewing EOIs to build the Conference program, a team of dedicated stream chairs and reviewers will be considering:

Originality

Is what you are sharing your own or your company’s experience? Is it an original perspective on an ancient topic? Is it an honest reflection with unique insights?

Takeaways

Are you able to articulate one idea well? Is your idea going to equip an audience to share clear lessons with their teams and organisations? Do you have real-life examples to support your idea?

Intention

Are you overtly or covertly trying to sell a product or service? No one wants to see a sales pitch! Vendor-agnostic talks are the go 🙂

Impact

Does your idea have the potential to move the AgileAus community forward? Could it be inspiring, enlightening and challenging to a potentially large audience?

Relevance

Is your idea relevant for the AgileAus audience? Does it address touch on the theme of Seeking The Agile Mindset? Does it speak to topics identified as a ‘must-have’ by the AgileAus community?

Collaboration

While receiving feedback is optional in 2019, being open to feedback and input from peers (which again is optional to act upon), is favoured.

Balance

In the shortlisting and final stages of reviewing, the reviewing community will be taking special care ensure that no constituency is over or underrepresented across the breadth of EOIs, which include (but are not limited to) the following considerations:

• A balance between theory and practice
• A balance between tech and non-tech talks
• A diverse representation of different organisation sizes (from enterprise to startup), and industries (from financial services to NFP)
• A large variance in speaker roles and job titles
• Ample representation of underrepresented groups and individuals.

Our commitment

It’s a two-way street! When reviewing EOIs for AgileAus19 – the reviewing community commits to:

• Honesty, transparency, support and constructive feedback
• Giving submitters every opportunity to create the best talk they can
• Once confirmed, speakers will be given the utmost support to ensure they have all they need to make their message resonate with the audience!

Have a bright idea you’re keen to share with attendees at AgileAus19? Or know of someone whose thoughts you believe the AgileAus community ought to hear?  EOIs to present at the Conference have now opened! 

Not sure if you’ve got an idea that could be turned into a talk? Submit an EOI and get some guidance on how to turn it into a fully fledged talk proposal, or come to a squid tank and get some real time feedback on the potential of your idea.

We can’t wait to hear all your insights!

Adina Thavisin

This blog is part of an AgileAus19 program design series – the next post which will outline the must-have topics that the community is looking for on the AgileAus19 program.