Today we have opened the call for speakers for TBEX Europe 2017 in Killarney, Ireland.

We’re always on a search for interesting speakers from around the world for our events. So if you have never applied to speak at TBEX before, we encourage you to do that now.

We need speakers who are committed to sharing valuable, actionable information with the TBEX community, and to being a full participant at TBEX Europe 2017. If you would like to be a speaker for one of our Breakout Sessions, please read this information thoroughly before submitting a speaking proposal.

TIME COMMITMENT

Speaking at TBEX is a lot of fun and is a powerful tool for growing your influence. It also  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 Killarney no later than October 2nd, 2017.
• We recommend that speakers who are also bloggers allow a few days before and after the conference dates to enjoy the pre- and post- tours and activities. We also encourage our conference speakers to apply for one of the Blogger FAM trips taking place after TBEX Europe 2017. 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 as well as our professional development needs will help you do that. Here are several suggestions to help you WOW us with your idea:

• TBEX break out sessions are 50 minutes in length and should allow time for questions and answers.
• We have the most need for intermediate to advanced topics. The majority of our attendees are already familiar with the basics of travel blogging and social media strategies in the travel industry.  They are sophisticated at creating content and running a business. They are interested in finding new ways to improve what they are doing, rather than looking for a primer or basic how-to. Our conference format focuses on streamlined topics, with a deeper focus on specific best practices and new breakthroughs.
• We have four categories of break out sessions, and your submission must fit into one of these categories. For Bloggers: Content (working on and improving our craft), Commerce (building strong businesses), and Community (building robust communities around our craft and business). We also offer content for Travel Industry Professionals in our TBEX Business tracks. We are looking for best practices and case studies in social media strategies and process, working with content creators, creating in house content, and integrating social media into overall brand marketing.
• Advanced sessions are for attendees who have mastered core competencies in a subject matter, have likely been blogging for some time, and have created a business that incorporates their blogging activities in some way. Advanced sessions are designed for bloggers who are looking to fine tune their business; a chance to discover one little thing that can tweak or improve on their overall success. Think of an advanced session as a training camp for Olympic athletes – attendees already know the information – your job is to help them find a new approach for using it. Demonstrating that you understand what an advanced session is will be a key component for consideration when we review submissions.
• 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 example, we receive the most submissions that focus on working with brands as the speaker topic.)
• If you’d like some assistance in fine tuning your topic idea, we are happy to help. You can email us, speakers@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 specific 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. Our goals are to provide attendees with 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 enlist speakers from different blogs, businesses, etc., as this ideally provides a variety 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 on their social and blog platforms.

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 who are excited to bring fresh, new ideas to our travel community. While it varies at each event, we typically have 40-50% first time speakers on our program. 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, or a promotional for your blog, company, or services. Promotion and buzz about your company will naturally flow from delivering a high quality session. Attendees complain – and loudly – about sessions that are self-promoting.

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 demand great speakers at TBEX and we also want you to be successful. If you have questions or need assistance in this process, please ask.

Now, it’s time to hone your great idea down to a manageable 50-minute bite and submit your idea for a great TBEX session.

SUBMIT YOUR TBEX SPEAKER SUBMISSION FORM HERE. SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS Tuesday, July 12, 2017 at midnight, PDT.