How to become a BuildingEnergy speaker
Here are the four steps. When you’re ready to submit your proposal, download the proposal form on the sign-up page.
1. Will you offer a workshop or a track session?
Workshops can be a half day or a full day in length. Track sessions are 90 minutes. The tracks, or areas of focus, are determined by a member-driven planning committee during the year before the conference. If you don’t see a track that fits you, by all means get involved with the planning committee!
2. Consider the content we’re looking for
2013 Areas of Interest (potential tracks)
• Renewables
• Next generation technologies
• Moving the marketplace
• Finance and insurance
• High performing mechanicals
• Fundamentals of building science and renewables
• Whole systems in action
• The grid
• Retrofitting for resilience: cities
• Single family housing
• Multi-family housing
• Institutions – campus and community
• Commercial buildings
• What the pros want to know
• Wild cards (other)
Priority content areas
Overall, we are looking for proposals that address or combine one of these elements:
• retrofitting for resilience
• game changing
• renewable energy
• stewardship
• adaptation
• realistic optimism
• whole systems
• high performance
• design
3. Decide on a format
BuildingEnergy features diverse formats. What kind of format lends itself to your material? Here are some typical formats:
• Presentation of a project—single speaker
• Panel presentation of two contributors
• Case studies that track performance data over time (see guidelines)
• Smackdowns—two opposing views go at each other
• Facilitated conversations
• R&D session, i.e. “come help me think this through”
Opposing views or debates are strongly encouraged. Some portion of the workshop or session should engage participants in dialogue and encourage debate.
You can have single or multiple presenters. But ideally there will be no more than two. If considering a third, ask yourself whether that person will really add to the content. Most likely, the participants in the room, collectively, know more than a third presenter. Bios of all presenters are required with your submission.
Introductory, intermediate, and advanced presentations welcome. In your proposal, you’ll need to indicate which level or levels you are targeting and why.
No promotions. Presentations must not promote specific products, services, and/or companies.
4. Complete the two-phase submission process (June/July)
Clear on all of the above? Go ahead and ready your proposal.
Phase one: Open submission of “snapshots”
Submit a snapshot of your idea by completing at least questions 1 to 6 on the proposal form. We strongly encourage you to complete all the questions you can to give us a complete picture of what you are thinking. If you go the extra mile on the snapshot and we then invite you to submit a full proposal, you’ll be welcome to revise for phase two.
Phase two: Invitation
We will invite those whose snapshot ideas we would like to investigate further to submit a full proposal. That means answering all the questions on the proposal form in full.
Expect our decision in September
Proposals are read and assessed by multiple reviewers. Notification of all selected sessions will be made sometime in the first week of September.
Questions? Contact Us
