Call for speakers
A call for speakers, from proposal to speaker kit
Open a call for speakers on an event (or a whole series) and people propose a talk at /e/<your-event>/speak: name, title, abstract, bio, links and your own questions. Your team scores each proposal on your criteria, blind if you like. Accept one and the speaker is added to the event with their own promotion kit; decline and they get a kind note in your words.
What it does
Call for speakers in Programmable Talk
A proposal form with dates
Name, email, talk title, abstract, bio, up to three links, and questions of your own. It takes proposals between the dates you set, and the event page links to it while it's open.
A private status link
Each speaker gets a confirmation email with a private link to their proposal's status. The link goes only to the address typed, so typing someone else's email gets you nothing.
Team scoring
Each reviewer scores 1 to 5 on your criteria (up to 8) and keeps notes. The list shows the average across reviewers.
Blind review
Turn it on and names, emails, bios and links stay hidden until a proposal is decided.
Accept into a kit
Accepting makes them a speaker on the event, with a speaker kit (their link, QR code and card) emailed to them.
Decline kindly
Declines send your own template, with the speaker's name, talk title and event filled in.
How you use it
- 1
Open the call
On the Program tab, set the dates, the criteria and any questions of your own. Use one call for a whole series if you like.
- 2
Share the link
/e/<your-event>/speak, from the event page, your newsletter or a meetup group.
- 3
Review
Score as a team, blind if you want. On your own AI key you can ask for a summary and a score; no name or email is sent to it.
- 4
Decide
Accept to add the speaker and send their kit; decline to send your note.
Good to know
- Reviewers are your team
- Scoring by several reviewers needs teammates, which are on the Pro plan.
- Up to 1,000 proposals a call
- Enough for a large conference; the form closes when it's full.
- No public voting
- Proposals are scored by your team, not voted on by the public.
Works with
Speaker kits
Accepted speakers get a kit with their own link and card, so what they share counts to them.
Your AI key, optional
Proposal summaries run only on your own AI key, never ours. Without one, the button isn't shown.
Event websites
Accepted speakers appear on the site's Speakers page and in the agenda.
Questions
What's the difference between a call for papers and a call for speakers?
Mostly the audience. Academic conferences say call for papers and ask for written papers; industry events say call for speakers or CFP and ask for talk proposals. Talk collects talk proposals: a title, abstract, bio and links.
Can several people review proposals?
Yes. Each teammate scores every proposal 1 to 5 on your criteria, and the list shows the average. Notes are kept per reviewer.
How does blind review work?
The name, email, bio and links are hidden from reviewers until the proposal is accepted or declined, so talks are judged on the title and abstract.
Do speakers need an account?
No. They fill in the form and get a private link to their proposal's status by email.
Can one call cover a series of events?
Yes. Make it for the series and every event in it shares it. An event's own call, if it has one, takes priority.