SESSION SUBMISSION MAIN PAGE

SUBMIT A PANEL

PANEL SUBMISSION FORM QUESTIONS

The deadline for submissions is February 8, 2013.

Feel free to browse our 2012 program and check out our video archive to see what has been done in years past.

Things to think about when preparing a submission:

• We strive for diversity at Netroots Nation. We favor sessions that offer a range of diversity (ethnicity, gender, age, viewpoints, geography, etc) over those that do not. Panels composed of all white men are automatically rejected. If your session is accepted, we may ask you to make panelist changes accordingly.
• Give it a simple and straightforward title or name. Clever titles and/or descriptions can be unclear and make it harder for people (committee and attendees) to figure out what your session is really about.
• How does the session help the broader progressive movement? Can the case study of your campaign provide lessons for those working on other issues? Does your issue or policy discussion inspire activists to take action and provide suggestions on where to get started?
• Does your session offer a fresh angle? Does it challenge the audience? One of the Netroots’ great strengths is its ability to shun conventional wisdom in favor of a new approach. Each session should offer a Netroots hook and cover interesting topics from new perspectives.
• No astroturfing. A session is not for the sole purpose of selling your book, non-profit, business, software, website idea or Facebook application.
• Does your idea engage an underrepresented community? Does it reach out beyond the traditional areas of the Netroots to other activists who may not yet identify with our community?
• If we have similar ideas that are submitted, we reserve the right to work with both submitters to include the best ideas and most diverse participants.
• Have you built in interaction with the audience? The expertise in the audience is equally as valuable as the expertise at the table.
• Take a look at some tips for writing a successful proposal.

The nuts and bolts of a Netroots Nation session:

• The deadline for session submissions is February 8, 2013.
• Put your best foot forward with your submission. What you write is the only thing the subcommittee will be able to judge. The panel process is incredibly competitive, so sessions which are incomplete, poorly thought out or not clearly written won’t fare well. It’s possible to submit “TBD Speakers” but you’ll be judged against other submissions which are more complete and this could put you at a disadvantage.
• Panel submissions are broken up by category and reviewed by a subcommittee of Netroots experts. We expect to inform submitters in late March, if they have made it through the first round of selections.
• Those panels which advance are passed to the final selection committee who makes the final decision about which panels are presented at NN13. We expect to inform submitters of our final decision in early April.
• The panel will be scheduled for Thursday, Friday or Saturday, June 20, 21, or 22. We’ll do our best to accommodate scheduling needs of panelists, but cannot guarantee timing. Panels are scheduled for 75 minutes.
• By submitting a proposal, you are taking responsibility as the organizer of the session. It is your responsibility to secure commitments from all participants, communicate with your panelists about the panel and Netroots Nation news, monitor logistics for your session (such as exceptional AV needs) and enter all of the data about your session and its participants into our participant portal (details on the portal will be provided at a later date).
• Because of the nature of this submission process, some session organizers may be asked to combine similar proposals.

Organizer roles and responsibilities:

• If needed, speakers and organizers may request up to five complimentary registrations per panel. Speakers and organizers are responsible for booking and paying for their own travel expenses. Information about Netroots Nation’s hotel block can be found here.
• If you’re selected to speak on a panel and you’ve already purchased a registration to attend Netroots Nation, Netroots Nation’s refund policy applies.
• The organizer and panelists should promote and engage the session prior to Netroots Nation. This can include blog posts, tweets, diaries, social networking, etc.
• The organizer will be expected to arrange one or more conference calls with speakers and members of the selection committee prior to Netroots Nation to discuss content and format.
• I understand that as a panel organizer, I will play a pivotal role as an intermediary between Netroots Nation and my panelists. Netroots Nation will do all we can to make ensure you are kept up to date, but you hold the primary responsibility for communicating information to your panelists. We’ll need your help to ensure all speakers are confirmed in a timely manner and submit bios and photos to our web site.

If you have questions, please feel free to email us at panelsNN13 at netrootsnation.org