Join ODF

Call for Conference Session Proposals

We are welcoming presenter proposals for our 2024 Annual Conference

Submission Deadline: October 20, 2023

Conference Theme: Festival of Organization Design – Where big ideas meet real-life applications

Overview: So much is happening in the world of work right now; it’s exciting and inspiring and daunting at the same time. There is no shortage of radical thinking and sage advice for responding to the new challenges.  But how do we take these bold ideas and convert them into practical and impactful changes in our organizations? This is the theme of our 2024 conference: converting bold new ideas into practical actions that have positive impact.

Conference Dates:  May 7 – 9, 2024

Format:  The conference program is comprised of keynote plenary presentations and concurrent peer-led sessions (where attendees can choose between two sessions running in parallel). This call is for Peer Presentation sessions.

  • Session duration up to 90 minutes
  • Delivered in-person (remote presenters may be considered under special circumstances)

Additional details, criteria and ideas for submitting your proposal can be found below the application form. If you have any questions during your application, feel free to contact us at [email protected]

How You Fit In:  We are looking for passionate practitioners, trailblazers, and provocateurs who can engage our conference participants in diverse conversations and experiential learning.

Session leaders should adopt the format that best inspires, educates, and connects participants.

We want you to be creative and adventurous in your proposal design, however features that will grab our attention include:

  • The application of truly bold ideas to real-life situations
  • A practitioner focus, with practical takeaways (e.g. tools, methodologies, worked examples)
  • Highly interactive sessions
  • Case studies delivered by or with the client or end-user
  • Co-learning sessions that leverage the knowledge in the audience
  • Sessions that work for an in-room audience

To apply, please complete the application form below and submit by October 20, 2023

We look forward to receiving your proposal!

Annual Conference Presenter Application Form

8 + 3 =

Additional details, criteria and ideas for submitting your proposal

Evaluation Criteria for Submissions:

  1. Relevance of Proposed Topic to Our 2024 Theme (‘Where big ideas meet real-life applications’): Topic must be relevant to the theme of the conference. We are looking for subjects that address the practical applications of leading theory and ideas, and also provide thought leadership on future trends.
  2. “Draw” of Specific Topic: Specific content that is likely to be of high interest to participants – appealing to a diverse audience and offering ideas, case studies, etc., that can be adapted and executed in organizations of all types and sizes.
  3. Experiential/Action Learning: The extent to which the proposal offers experiential exercises with tangible, practical information / skills / tools. Or, alternatively, a collaborative session that will engage participants as solution architects for an interesting, current organizational challenge.
  4. Interactivity of Session: Sessions that include audience interaction and idea-sharing. We recommend limiting your speaking to 15-20 minutes between group conversations and/or participant exercises.
  5. Presenters’ Qualifications/Experience: Relevant knowledge, experience, and/or qualifications in relation to the proposed
  6. Presentation Skills: We don’t want to restrict the pool of potential presenters, however we need to be confident that presenters have the skills to hold an audience and deliver an engaging session. (If helpful, ODF can provide additional presentation coaching support.)

Benefits of Presenting:

  • The opportunity to connect directly with a diverse audience of organization designers.
  • The opportunity for peer review of new Organization Design methodologies, processes, and tools.
  • Raising your personal profile across a receptive community of Org Design professionals, both at the conference and in pre-conference promotional material.
  • The opportunity to influence representatives from major corporations and organizations who are very supportive of Org Design, and influence their design-related decisions.
  • Authors can market and sell their books and resources throughout the conference.
  • Assistance from an assigned coach who will help you tailor your presentation to ensure a successful outcome at the conference, making it a win-win for the presenter and the audience.

We do not offer speaking fees or reimburse travel expenses.  However, we will waive the general conference registration fee for one presenter for each concurrent session, as a token of our appreciation and to encourage participation in the entire conference.

Conference Presenters / Workshop Leaders Agreement:

Conference Design: Presenters agree to deliver their session on any one of the three days of the conference, as decided by the conference organizing committee.  Schedule requests may be made for special circumstances, however the organizing committee cannot guarantee that they will be able to fulfil the request. Presenters of successful proposals will be notified of their scheduled date well in advance of the conference.

Coaching Agreement: Presenters agree to work with an assigned conference coach who will advise on the design of the presentation experience so that it integrates into the theme and flow of the conference and delivers an engaging and interactive session.

Education Focus: It is intended that every conference session will be designed as an educational offering aimed at advancing the skills, knowledge, and tools of practitioners. Presenters must commit to keeping their sessions interactive, with significant practical, adaptable examples, tools, and case studies. They also agree to refrain from including any sales messages for design services in their presentations.

Access to Materials: Conference presenters agree to provide electronic submissions of (i) their presentation and (ii) associated handouts on or before the deadline provided by the organizing committee (usually around a week before the conference). 

Copyright: Presenters will retain the copyright of original work, however they will need to grant permission to ODF for the downloading or distribution of their content as a .pdf file via ODF’s website and the conference collaboration platform. 

Handouts:  Presenters are responsible for the production of hard copies of handouts and supporting materials required for the presentation. 

Equipment: Projectors and screens are available.  Presenters will be asked to bring their own laptops to their session along with any other equipment required for the session.

Marketing: Presenters agree to start a conversation within ODF’s LinkedIn Group (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1924080/) during a predetermined time frame and to participate in conversation threads encouraging interest in their presentation, and in the conference.

Conference Participation: Presenters are strongly encouraged to attend and participate actively in the entire three-day conference.

If you have any questions during your application, feel free to contact us at [email protected]