Call for Speakers San Diego 2020! May 2 & 3, 2020

Call for Speakers

Here you come to save the day! Apply to speak at WordCamp San Diego May 2-3 and share your wisdom with hundreds of WordPress explorers of all ages. Ok!

“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”

Galadriel

Don’t be shy! We welcome first-time speakers, veteran speakers, and anyone with something valuable to share. We’re pulling out all the stops with talks, panels and workshops, so there’s something for every fanatic. What’s your poison? 

Speaking at WordCamp San Diego 2020 

Because WordCamp is a conference about WordPress, your talk should be about WordPress or related in some way. We also welcome outside content that would interest a WordPress user. And of course, any comic or pop culture references are highly desired. 

Keep in mind that WordCamps are volunteer-driven! Your decision to speak is considered volunteering. This isn’t a paid gig, but you will discover enough value to rival the one ring that rules them all. Speakers also receive a coupon for a free ticket to WordCamp San Diego 2020 so they don’t have to pay to get in. 

Here’s what we’re looking for in our speakers: 

  • You’re not required to be a professional speaker. HOWEVER, you must know what you are talking about.
  • You should desire to give back to the community.
  • Have a good story to tell, knowledge, enthusiasm, and passion.
  • Your command over the subject matter is more important than your ability to present or your experience speaking at events.
  • New speakers of ALL ages and backgrounds. We also would love to see veteran speaker submissions.
  • Know how to spell WordPress properly (capitalize the P!) and respect the WordPress logo/trademarks.

Tips to Apply to Speak at WordCamp San Diego

While we wish we could select every topic submitted, that isn’t realistic. You can make your speaker application stand out by following a few simple tips. 

  • If it’s not apparent, let us know how your talk relates to a WordPress audience.
  • Adding your story to your talk rather than just giving out instructions will make your session more interesting and even more likely to be picked if others apply for the same topic. For e.g. instead of applying with a topic like “Developing a WordPress Plugin” you could do “Developing my first WordPress Plugin” or “What I learnt while publishing over 25 plugins on WordPress.org”
  • Carefully craft your bio and the talk description. Talks with more robust descriptions are generally more likely to be chosen. 
  • Ask a veteran speaker to look over your submission before you apply. 

Some Rules for Speakers

  • Speakers are vetted by volunteers, they may not be able to reply to everyone or accommodate everyone, so be thoughtful and nice.
  • No one is a celebrity at WordCamp San Diego.
  • If you are distributing any WordPress derivatives which include WordPress Plugins and Themes, they need to be 100% GPL.
  • Prepare to submit speaker slides OR review your presentation with the WCSD speaker team PRIOR to the event.
  • If you are not using slides for your presentation, you need to at least submit an outline or points you will be covering.
  • As mentioned above, speaking is not a paid gig. Speakers are not paid to speak at WordCamps or paid by organizers to travel. They have to either fund themselves or ask their company to do so.
  • As always, be kind.
  • Before applying, please review our Code of Conduct. All attendees should be familiar with the behavior that is and is not acceptable at a WordCamp and how to react should you need to report a violation. Your safety and comfort is our top priority. 

First Time Applying to Speak at a WordCamp?

If this is the first time you’re applying to speak at WCSD, we’re so glad to have you! We encourage you to watch some videos of past WordCamp Talks. Notice how the talks are casual, given by knowledgeable people, and don’t include self-promotion. 

“A day may come when the courage of men fails… but it is not THIS day.”

Aragorn

Don’t be afraid to reach out for help with your application or your talk preparation. We can pair you with a veteran speaker to guide you through to Mordor… or at least through your first ever WordCamp talk. 

Types of Presentations at WCSD20

We’re planning on a variety of session types at WordCamp San Diego this year. Single speaker sessions aren’t the only thing we are looking for. Feel free to be creative and apply with ideas for group discussions, Q&As, Demos, Workshops and anything that you could manage in an auditorium / classroom environment.

Regular speaking sessions and panels will be 35 min in length with 10 min for Q&A for a total of 45 min. Workshops will have varying lengths.

WordCamp San Diego Topics

While you aren’t limited to the list of topics we provide here, these are some ideas we believe the San Diego WordPress community would love to see. Whatever you choose, try to aim your presentation at Beginners, Developers, Designers, or Business owners.

Topic ideas (Including but not limited to):

  • Intro to Gutenberg
  • Advanced Gutenberg
  • Accessibility and WordPress
  • Freelancer and/or Business Topics (Managing Client Expectations, Best Practices, Hiring Team, Team Onboarding, etc.)
  • Advanced WordPress Development Topics (Coding Themes, Plugins) 
  • Web Design / Theme Design
  • Best Practices on Keeping Your site Secure
  • Any Beginner topic ideas for People New to WordPress
  • Trends for 2020 and Beyond
  • Social Media and WordPress
  • Diversity in the WordPress Eco System
  • Work/Life Balance
  • Anything SEO (for beginners or for Advanced Users)
  • Page builders (Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder, etc)
  • Content Creation/Blogging Strategy
  • Designing for non designers
  • Best Practices for Advertising Your WordPress Based Business
  • PHP, JavaScript, HTML
  • Non Profits and WordPress: Museums, Libraries, Public Works
  • React and modern JavaScript for WordPress (great topic for people interested in Gutenberg development but higher level)
  • Headless WordPress development
  • Starting your first WordPress business
  • What’s new in PHP 7.4 (just released a few weeks ago!)
  • Maximize your earning potential in the WordPress space
  • WordPress for enterprise clients 

If you have an idea that is not on this list, please submit it!

We want to hear from you. If you’d like to propose multiple topics, please submit the form multiple times, once for each topic. You are limited to three overall speaker submissions per person. 

“The board is set, the pieces are moving. We come to it at last, the great battle of our time.”

Gandalf

Our speaker application closed on Sunday February 16th, 2020.