This is a page for speakers at this year’s conference. If you’re attending the conference and want to know more about the program, please return to the main conference page.
Hi there!
Thanks again for agreeing to be a speaker at this year’s conference. It’s no exaggeration that 80% of conference success comes down to having great speakers, which is why we’ve asked you to present.
Our goal is to make your speaking experience both enjoyable and productive. To that end, we aim to give you plenty of support, while keeping the administrative hassles down. (We’re also one of the few conferences that surveys speakers, not just attendees, after the conference to find out what we can do better next year.)
On this page, we’ve provided a range of resources for you. If you have any questions whatsoever, don’t hesitate to email us at [email protected].
On this page
- Conference location
- Conference dates
- Important deadlines
- Complimentary registration
- Getting your flight paid for
- Your speaker “buddy”
- Preparing your presentation
- Invite to the speakers dinner
- At the conference
- Presenting on the day
- Post-Conference
- Spreading the word about the conference
1. Conference location
Aerial UTS Function Centre. Building 10, Level 7/235 Jones St, Ultimo NSW 2007 Australia
2. Conference dates
| Date | What’s happening |
|---|---|
| Wednesday September 11, 12.00pm – 2.00pm | ‘Exclusive access’ session for Step Two Forum members to meet keynote speakers. All speakers are welcome – please RSVP to attend. |
| Wednesday September 11, 6.00pm | Speakers dinner |
| Thursday September 12, 7.30am – 8.30am | AV check for morning speakers 7.30am AV check for afternoon speakers 8.00am |
| Thursday September 12, 8.45am-5pm | Conference |
| Thursday September 12, 5pm-7pm | Informal drinks and networking (we expect all speakers to attend) |
3. Important deadlines
In order for us to best promote and organise your session and our full programme we will need a few things from you, please send them to [email protected] or to your Step Two conference buddy.
| Date | What’s due | More information |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday July 18 | Finalise title, outline and bio | |
| Thursday July 25 | Submit draft session slides | Our preferred format is PowerPoint or PDF |
| Tuesday August 13 | Cut-off date for return of travel reimbursement forms | If you are eligible for a travel-related payment you will have been sent a travel reimbursement form |
| Thursday September 5 | Final session slides | Presentations will be submitted via a dropbox link that will be shared with speakers closer to the conference date |
4. Complimentary conference registration
All speakers are entitled to complimentary conference registration. If you have any dietary requirements please let us know in advance.
5. Covering your conference expenses
If you’re traveling to the conference from overseas, interstate or more than 3 hours drive from Sydney we will help with some of your travel-related costs, as follows:
- Accommodation details are as per your individual speaker agreement. The official accommodation provider for DEX is the Four Points by Sheraton Sydney, Central Park.
- Meals will be catered for on conference day and the speaker dinner.
- If you’re eligible for a travel-related payment, please return the travel reimbursement form alongside your flight confirmation details (no later than Tuesday, August 13).
- Any other expenses (including other meals and ground transport) will need to be covered by you.
6. Your speaker “buddy”
We want you to be a rockstar at our conference! Ok, that’s a big ask, but we definitely want you (and the audience) to enjoy the experience.
To help with this, a Step Two team member will be assigned as a “buddy” to each speaker to assist with the preparation of your session. This may involve session structure, assistance with content, delivery techniques and run through opportunities.
The involvement of your buddy will be at your discretion, depending on your experience and confidence. We’re here to help in any way we can, and your buddy will be allocated in the coming weeks at which point you’ll be contacted by them directly.
7. Preparing your presentation
The quality level is high and our experience is that the more successful sessions are generally the more visual presentations.
We do not require you to put any conference branding on your slides and prefer you to make the session your own.
To create your presentation,
- We request that you stick to using PowerPoint. Avoid using Prezi, Sway or other similar presentation software.
- Contact us ASAP if you need to use your own device rather than the conference laptop.
- Our conference is a vendor free event, we do not allow canvassing in any way and prefer that our speakers keep their sessions to an informative manner and avoid over-promotion.
We will be planning session times over the coming months and you will be advised of the timing and duration of your session in due course.
You can browse presentations from past conferences to get an idea of what’s expected.
8. Invite to the speakers dinner
We believe in making the conference worthwhile for speakers, not just for the participants on the day. To provide an opportunity for speakers to make connections, we’ve organised a pre-conference speakers dinner.
When: Wednesday September 11, 6.00pm – 8:00pm
Where: TBC
This will be a special evening for speakers to get to know each other prior to the conference. It’s also completely free – our thanks to you for speaking at the conference!
Please advise the conference buddy if you will be in attendance, as well as any dietary requirements (we’ll understand if your travel bookings mean you can’t make it to the speakers dinner.)
9. At the conference
A few important details for the conference itself:
- It’s important that you actively participate in the conference, and we expect all speakers to attend the full event including the informal drinks and networking. Please do make yourself available after your talk to answer questions sparked by your rock-star presentation!
- You are expected to be at the conference venue at 7.30am for the AV check for morning speakers and 8.00am for afternoon speakers.
- When you arrive at the conference, check in at the registration desk to collect your badge and touch base with the conference team.
10. Presenting on the day
- Please be on time for your AV check. It’s important that you attend, to ensure you and the AV team are fully prepared and for you to meet the person chairing your session.
- The room will be set up with tables in open rounds, with dual projector screens.
- We’ll provide you with a headset microphone, clicker and comfort monitor. Ideally your clothing should be able to attach the battery box to your waist. Outfits with belts or waistbands that can support the battery box are best.
- We’ve discovered that dangly earrings make a tinkling noise against the headset microphone so please avoid!
- Please note that we will not be providing a lectern unless specifically requested.
- There will be a technician in the room to assist with any needs.
- To facilitate the smooth running of the conference, we discourage speakers from using their own laptops. Instead, your presentation will be pre-loaded on to the presentation system in advance (please also bring along a copy on USB just in case.)
- Please ensure that all fonts, audio & video are downloaded and embedded in your presentation. Audio or video snippets should be submitted as separate files on delivery of your presentation.
- The equipment we use has standard fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman, Courier New, Verdana, Tahoma, Trebuchet MS, etc. If you use a non-standard font, again you will need to provide it to us with your presentation.
- Note that using your own laptop is only permitted if pre-approved by the conference team. In this case it is your responsibility to have a HDMI port or adapter.
- There will be a presenter screen/comfort monitor running in speaker mode at the front of the stage, showing your speaker notes (if any).
- Please advise the conference lead if you have any special requirements or challenging elements in your presentation e.g. internet, sound, video, etc.
11. Post-Conference
After the conference we ask that speakers provide a shareable version of their presentation. This will be distributed to conference delegates only and we will only share if we have your express written permission to do so.
12. Spreading the word about the conference
While we’ll be shouting from the rooftops about this year’s conference, we do encourage you to promote your session and involvement with the event.
The hashtag will be #DEX2024
Please feel free to promote the event and encourage everyone to attend.