Deadline: Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Speaker Guidelines
Q: What is the submission deadline?
A: Tuesday, September 5, 2006. We are no longer accepting speaker proposals.
Q: What makes a good submission?
A: To have your proposal reviewed by the Advisory Board, complete the form and include a syllabus/extended abstract. Incomplete submissions that are commercial or marketing in nature will not be considered.
Write your abstract so that it is easily understood. The Advisory Board has to read several hundred abstracts. Get to your point as quickly as possible. Consider what the proposal is about. Why is it interesting? How is it important to game development? What will game developers get out of the session?
Concise language goes a long way. Use of conventional writing standards such as topic and supporting sentences also helps. Please write in third person present tense. For example, "This lecture focuses on 3D graphics." Not, "I want to talk about 3D graphics."
Q: What do I need to provide in my submission?
A: The submission form will ask you for these five key items:
- Contact information
Please provide full contact information and include a short biography.
- Concise presentation description
A description of your presentation as you would have it appear in the conference program in 100 words or less.
- Intended audience and prerequisites
In 40 words or less, describe what section of our audience would best benefit from this session. Is prerequisite knowledge necessary for understanding the content of the session?
- Session takeaway
In 40 words or less, describe what attendees will learn from your session.
- Extended abstract
Provide a description of your presentation in greater detail, absolutely no proposal will be considered without it. You can either enter your extended abstract in the provided text box, or upload a text file (in .txt format). For submissions using the input box, please limit your expanded description to 500 words. For submissions using the file upload, limit your expanded description to one to two pages.
Session Formats
Q: What are the session formats?
A: There are five different conference session formats. They are:
Session |
Duration |
Description |
Lecture |
45 minutes
|
Lectures are issue-oriented, provide concrete examples, and contain both practical and theoretical information. |
Panel |
45 minutes |
Panels take many different viewpoints on a topic or issue and combine them in one venue. Debate among panelists is welcome and audience participation should be accounted for. |
Roundtable |
45 minutes |
Roundtables are small peer discussion groups led by one or two moderators and limited to a maximum of 50 attendees. Moderators should facilitate conversation and keep the flow of discussion moving. Do not lecture or dictate. Constructive controversy and debate are welcome in roundtables. Topics that are open-ended in nature and promote an exchange of ideas generally work best in this format. |
Poster |
45 minutes |
Poster sessions are presented on a one meter sized poster that the presenter is responsible for creating and bringing to the event. This is similar to a traditional lecture, however, it is presented in front of the poster (a slide presentation is not needed) to a smaller group of attendees. This type of format gives presenters one-on-one interactions with the attendees. |
Speaker Expectations
Q: What does the Serious Games Summit expect from speakers?
A: When you agree to speak at SGS GDC, you are making a commitment to deliver a well prepared talk and to speak on the topic you have proposed.
We expect our speakers to submit a presentation for the online conference archives.
The submitter also agrees to be available to present his/her session during any day of the Serious Games Summit.
Q: What is the selection process for submissions?
A: We will email you a confirmation when we receive your proposal. If you do not receive this confirmation, contact Evelyn Donis at edonis@cmp.com. The Advisory Board will review submissions in the coming months and you will receive a notification in November as to the status of your proposal.
- Concept: This is the basic idea of your proposal. Is it interesting? Is it relevant? Will it be beneficial for game development professionals to hear? There's plenty of room for innovative ideas and also the tried and true.
- Depth: Has the idea in your proposal been well considered and fleshed out? To what extent will the audience gain insight? The more in-depth, the better.
- Organization: Are your ideas organized in a fashion conducive to present in front of an audience? Will the Advisory Board "follow" what you are trying to say? Organization helps.
- Credentials: How do your credentials qualify you to speak on the topic you've proposed?
A composite rating is then drawn from these four categories and then the decisions are made from them.
Q: What are the benefits to speaking?
A: The benefits to being a speaker include:
- Complimentary registration
- Includes breakfast and lunch
- Extensive exposure
- Your name and presentation featured in our conference program and web site
- The opportunity to influence your peers and community
Q: How do I propose a vendor-specific session?
A: We want our talks to be opportunities for professional game developers to share their ideas and experiences. Proposals that are commercial or marketing in nature will not be considered. In general, content specific to proprietary products and technologies is considered sponsored material. The Advisory Board and conference management reserve the right to exercise their editorial discretion. If you would like to publicize a product, please contact our sales team for information on exhibiting and other vendor opportunities, including sponsored sessions.
Q: When will I be notified of the status of my submission?
A: You will receive an automated email response once your submission is received. We will notify you of the status of your submission in November 2006. If you do not hear from us, please contact Evelyn Donis at edonis@cmp.com.
Business/Mgmt Track
