Speaker Application
Our Call For Speakers At TBEX AFRICA 2023 and the Speaking application will open soon.
Latest News
Speaker Applications for TBEX Africa are now open!
We are looking for speakers who are committed to sharing valuable, actionable information with the TBEX community, and to being a full participant at TBEX Africa 2023. If you would like to be a speaker for one of our Breakout Sessions, please read this information thoroughly before submitting a speaking proposal. *Note – If you have been a speaker at a previous event you still need to fill out the full application.
Time Commitment
Speaking at TBEX is a lot of fun and is a way to grow your influence and continue to establish your expertise. It does, however, require a commitment from you. To help you decide if you can make the commitment that speaking at TBEX involves, we offer some preliminary information:
Speakers should plan to arrive in Durban, South Africa no later than October 17th early afternoon (VIP party that evening October 17th) and depart October 21st morning. Conference sessions are on October 19th and 20th.
We recommend that speakers who are also content creators allow a few days before and after the main conference dates to enjoy the pre- and post- tours and activities (October 17th – 18th on a first come first serve sign up once tours released) along with Creator FAM TRIPS (starting October 21, 2023 full application process). Information about these opportunities will be announced soon.
Selecting a Topic
Your submission is your chance to make a great first impression, and understanding our programming format and our professional development needs will help you do that. Here are some more in depth tips to help you WOW us with your idea:
TBEX break out sessions are 50 minutes in length and should allow between minutes for questions and answers.
We seek advanced topics with practical information and examples. Attendees should leave your session with a step by step guide on how to action your ideas. They are looking to improve what they are doing, rather than looking for a primer or basic how-to. We are looking for narrow topics, with a deeper focus on specific best practices and new breakthroughs.
Advanced sessions are for attendees who have mastered core competencies in a subject matter, who have likely been blogging for some time, and who have created a business that incorporates their blogging activities in some way. Demonstrating that you understand what an advanced session is will be a key factor when we review submissions. We seek sessions that view a website as a business and not just a blog.
A great way to get our attention is to submit a topic that you haven’t seen covered before or that you would like to tackle from a new angle. It is much harder to have a submission accepted when there are dozens of potential speakers submitting the same idea. For reference, working with brands is the topic we get the most submissions on.
If you’d like some assistance in fine tuning your topic idea, we are happy to help. You can email us, shane@tbexcon.com and we can discuss via email, phone call, or Skype chat. This is not a guarantee that your session idea will be selected, however we can help point you in the right direction.
TBEX is a media conference, not a consumer event. We do not schedule consumer travel content.
Submitting Your Proposal
All speaker submissions must be submitted via the submission form.
To fill out the form, you will need basic biographical information, links to your social media accounts, a headshot, along with other information to help us understand your expertise in the subject area.
Prepare a short and catchy description of your session idea. This should be developed enough so that an attendee will understand what the session is about.
List a minimum of 2-3 takeaways that someone would be able to implement shortly after returning home. We are looking for specific and actionable items that you will share with your audience, rather than secret tips that you aren’t willing to reveal.
Consider the best format and presentation style for your session. We can accommodate solo presentations, co-presentations, and panels. For presentations with multiple speakers, we prefer to have speakers from different blogs, businesses, etc., as it provides differing opinions and viewpoints on a topic. Keep in mind that we may suggest a co-presenter who we think can help round out the information.
We expect speakers to submit a guest blog post for the TBEX blog, and to promote their participation at TBEX.
What We’re Looking for
There are a variety of things that we look for when we review speaker submissions. Here are some things to keep in mind:
We are always looking for new speakers for our events and are excited to bring fresh new ideas to our community. While it varies at each event, we usually have 40-50% first time speakers on our program every single event. When you attend TBEX you will see some familiar faces on the stage – and you’ll also see a lot of faces new to the TBEX stage.
It helps to be an expert on your topic, but that alone isn’t enough. You also need to be great speaker. We recognize there are a number of different speaking styles, just as there a number of different learning styles, and we don’t want carbon copies on the stage. If you know that you’re a subject matter expert with little speaking experience, partner up with someone who has speaking experience, even if they might not be as knowledgeable as you on the topic. If you’re an experienced speaker, but new to TBEX, consider partnering with a speaker who might have a better understanding of what we’re looking for.
Preference is given to speakers who will attend and participate in the entire TBEX event. If for some reason you are not able to do so, please make a note of this in your submission form. This is not a deal breaker, but we need to know in advance.
Your session should not be a product pitch, nor promotional for your blog, company, or services. Promotion and buzz about your company will naturally flow from delivering a high quality session. Attendees complain loudly – about sessions that are self-promoting. When you try to sell from the stage, YOU ARE HURTING YOUR BRAND.
Other Helpful Information
Our speaker agreement restricts speakers from promoting or attending any events that conflict with official TBEX programming. This includes pre- and post- events and blogger FAM trips. If you have a special situation, please let us know well in advance and we’ll see if we can make it work.
We do not pay a speaker fee.
All speakers receive complimentary registration. We do not cover expenses beyond registration for industry attendees.
Coverage of blogger expenses (round trip economy class transportation and four nights of accommodations) will be discussed upon confirmation of a speaking slot, and will be based on information provided in your submission. Transportation is provided to and from TBEX, and is not covered for personal or other onward travel. Should you not need travel expenses covered, please let us know in your submission.
We want the experience to be just as enjoyable for you as a speaker as it is for all of our attendees. If you have a situation that requires special handling, please let us know on your speaker form or at the time of confirmation. We want great speakers at TBEX and we want you to be successful. If you have questions or need assistance in this process, please ask.
FAM Trips
Speakers are not guaranteed a spot of FAMS. Most FAMS provide for only one person per website, so there are very limited spots available for a second person from the same website or for a partner of a FAM applicant.
Flights
If the country you travel from changes from that provided in your submission, we may be unable to provide you with a round trip economy class flight.
Speaking Slots
In order to provide TBEX attendees with speakers who possess a diversity of skills, knowledge and experiences, we limit the number of speakers per website to one per session. If you believe it necessary for a second person from the same website to also speak in the same season, please state the reasons in your application, though such requests will be rarely granted.
Sponsors Speaking
Flights and Hotel are not provided for sponsors speaking at TBEX.
Sponsors who are provided with speaking spots should be aware that such spots are guaranteed only for the sponsors and not third parties acting on behalf of the sponsors. Any third parties suggested by sponsors are subject to the normal speaker selection process and acceptance of such speakers is not guaranteed.
Spouse / Travel Companion
Flights or other travel for spouses, partners or companions are not provided. Hotel accommodation is provided if the spouse, partner or companion occupies the same room as the speaker.
