Call for Presenters Guidelines ~ Family Roots Expo 2016

Call
for Presenters Guidelines ~ Family Roots Expo 2016
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
F
amily Roots Expo is a one of a kind family history conference, where people of all backgrounds can learn to explore,
preserve, and celebrate their heritage through research and
technology. The Family Roots Expo will offer instructional workshops and classes for all skill levels, from novice to expert.
The first annual conference will be held October 28 & 29, 2016,
at the Dixie Convention Center in St. George, Utah.
CALL FOR PRESENTERS
The Family Roots Expo planning team is calling for dynamic
individuals to present classes at the 2016 conference. Presenters
will inform and educate attendees on effective techniques and
tools for family history research. We are looking for skilled
communicators, passionate enthusiasts, and industry experts to
submit proposals for consideration. We are expecting thousands
of attendees, and would like those qualified, to participate in
this special event.
CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS TIMELINE*
March - June
June - July
August
PRESENTATION CATEGORIES:
We are seeking engaging and innovative speakers and
facilitators to present classes in the following categories.*
DISCOVERY:
Finding and Organizing: Tactics for searching, utilization of
resources, specialized tools and technologies, data mining,
information recall, record sourcing, military and timeperiod research, record types, and organization tools.
Research and Methodology: Land records and surveys,
DNA and genetic science, migration patterns, geographical
research, ethnic and cultural studies, surname research,
enhancement and development of personal research
techniques.
Announce call for presentation guidelines
Speakers Notified / Schedule confirmation
Conference class schedule announced
*Schedule subject to change
PRESERVATION:
Preserving work: Family trees, digital migration, audio and
video solutions, metadata, and artifact preservation, digital
file formats, legalities and research ownership, digital or print
publishing, scanning resources.
Family Tradition and Lifestyle: Cultural arts, food, influential
historical events, health patterns, social customs, and pastimes.
SHARING:
Social Sharing: Social media, tools for collaboration, wikis,
crowdsourcing, community building, blogs.
Stories and Photos: Storytelling and oral histories, interviewing tools and technologies, preserving stories, photography,
photo restoration, movies and presentations, photo editing,
facial recognition tools.
Family
Roots Expo 2016 Call for Presenters page 2
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ENDORSED PRESENTATION PROPOSALS:
Proposals from various organizations and businesses are welcome. We ask
that sessions endorsed by an organization serve to educate the attendees,
without obligation to purchase a particular product or service. Please indicate the name of the endorsing organization at the time of submission.
CLASS SESSION LENGTHS:
Family Roots Expo is a two-day conference, with 45 minute class sessions
offered multiple times each day. A unique offering to our event is a separate
youth focused track available on Saturday, offering classes unique to getting
youth involved and excited about family history.
CLASS SESSION TYPES:
Classes may be presented in one of the following formats:
- Traditional Class Session: Up to two presenters in a traditional class session focus on a single topic, with adequate time
for question and answer periods.
- Panel Discussions: Multiple speakers form a panel for a collaborative presentation on a particular topic, or to answer
questions from attendees. Although the panel moderator is on-site at the conference, panelists can include subject-matter
experts in remote locations who participate via Skype or similar technology tools.
ATTENDEE SKILL PROFILES
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
FAMILY
HISTORY
Beginning attendees need help learning how to interview family members, research family names, create
family trees, preserve family memories, share family history through
social media and other multi-media
tools.
Intermediate attendees have
four generations in their family
tree, understand how to do basic
research, verifying sources, and
data mining from records. They
are curious to find resources to
take them to the next level of
research.
Advanced attendees are extremely
proficient in genealogy work. They
seek advanced tools to help them
break through brick walls. They
are interested in DNA testing,
regional research, new strategies,
and consulting with experts in the
industry.
TECHNOLOGY
- Entry-level technological experience
- Basic file upoloading skills
- Can do simple scanning
- Basic organization skills
- Interested in introductory products
to further their knowledge
- Looking for tech tips and tricks
- Interested in expanded organization and preservation resources
- Want to learn about new face
recognition technology, metadata, cloud storage, basic family
history publishing
- Highly proficient in technology
- Interested in cutting-edge
technologies and expert-level
training in genealogy and
technology from industry
professionals
WHAT TO EXPECT IN RETURN:
While Family Roots Expo does not pay speakers, we realize it can be a financial commitment to participate.
To help alleviate some of the financial burden, we will provide lunch for each day the facilitator presents.
We are open to discussing accommodation needs for anyone traveling more than 100 miles (from their legal residence please contact the Presenter Coordinator to inquire [email protected]).
Family
Roots Expo 2016 Call for Presenters page 3
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CLASSROOM EQUIPMENT:
In each classroom, Family Roots Expo will supply one
of each of the following:
- PC laptop computer
- Wired Internet connection
- Projector and screen
- Lavaliere microphone
- Handheld microphone
In addition, computer labs will be equipped with a
computer station and a wired Internet connection for
each attendee in the class.
You or the attendees must supply all other equipment
required for your presentation in your session. Please
indicate in your course abstract whether attendees
will need to bring something with them to the session.
Attendees will have access to wireless Internet in the
classrooms at the Dixie Center; however, connections
are not always reliable or fast because of the number
of people on-site.
SYLLABUS MATERIALS:
In 2016, we will require all speakers to provide a syllabus for their class sessions in a PDF format. Syllabi will be posted on
familyrootsexpo.com for attendees to preview and download. If printed copies of syllabus materials or class handouts are
needed, the presenter is responsible to provide them.
The purpose of a syllabus is to allow attendees to make informed decisions about which classes to attend during the conference.
Presenters who do not submit a syllabus by the due date may not be invited to present at future Family Roots Expo conferences.
EXPECTATIONS FOR SPEAKING AT FAMILY ROOTS EXPO
Speakers will:
Family Roots Expo will:
Provide a 45 minute class session with relevant content
that educates, motivates and informs attendees.
Provide a Family Roots Expo pass, lunch vouchers on the day
of your presentation, necessary travel allowance, hotel
accommodations as specified.
Present a high-quality electronic presentation that is
easy to understand and visually clear on-screen.
Supply a PC laptop, internet connection, projector and screen,
microphones, and podium.
Supply a syllabus in a PDF format by the specified date
for the conference deadline.
Provide a speaker’s ready room to prepare for presentation before
the assigned class time.
Promote the conference wherever possible (blog posts,
social media, website, and other media).
Promote presenters through Family Roots Expo advertising, digitally
publishing their submitted syllabus materials, and publishing their
bio in the program guide.
Family
Roots Expo 2016 Call for Presenters page 4
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SUBMISSION PROCESS:
Proposals will be accepted on FamilyRootsExpo.com from
March-June 2016. To submit your proposal, click the
submission link on the call for presentation web page, and provide
the following information:
- Session Owner Profile: this is your contact information as the session owner.
- Presentation Title: in 50 characters or less, provide a descriptive title that tells attendees what your class is about.
- Class Description: Using 1,000 characters or less, describe your class session.
The more specific and focused your description is, the better. Attendees
prefer content depth rather than breadth. The review team will use the
description to select classes for the conference.
- Class “Tweet”: Using 140 characters or less, provide a class abstract. This
description will be used in promoting your class to attendees on the Family
Roots Expo website and in the printed conference guide.
- Technology List: it is optional to provide a list of technologies (apps, pla forms, software, gadgets, tools, hardware, and so on) that you are spotlighting in your class. This list should indicate the technology attendees will learn how to use to further their family history activities.
- Class Questions: Submit a list of five questions your session will answer for attendees, for example, “how do I use a census to add names to my family tree?” Each question is limited to 400 characters.
- Class Category: From the list on page 2 (Discover, Preserve, and Share), select the category your topic fits best.
- Session Type: using the descriptions on page 4, indicate whether your class is traditional class session, panel,
or computer lab.
- Skill Level (family history and technology): using the chart on page 5, indicate the preferred skill level of your
attendees. If your topic is relevant to all skill levels, choose BEGINNER.
- Session Length: 45 minutes is the standard for Family Roots Expo.
- Endorsed Sessions: Indicate whether a company or organization endorses your session, and if so, provide the
endorsing company or organization’s information. This is optional if you are submitting your proposal as an individual.
- Proposed Speakers: If you are both the session owner and the proposed speaker, you can prefill the speaker form
with your contact information. If there are additional speakers or panelists, add each on to the speaker list.
For each proposed speaker, include contact information, an email address, a 500-character bio, and a summary
of previous speaking experience. Add proposed speakers only if you have confirmed their willingness to participate.
- Class Outline: It is optional to upload a class outline (PDF or DOC) for the review team to consider. This outline is
not intended for the use of attendees.
- Video Clip: Please include a one-minute video clip of you presenting your material (either from a previous
conference or a clip you have recently created-- if you have not had previous presenter experience.) Please
upload it to YOU TUBE and send us the link.
Unless noted otherwise, all of the above information is required for your proposal if you
have all the required information collected before starting; the submission process takes
approximately 20-30 minutes. After you have successfully completed the process, you will
receive an email from Family Roots confirming your submission. You can submit up to five
presentation proposals.
Family
Roots Expo 2016 Call for Presenters page 5
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
EVALUATION CRITERIA:
The Family Roots Expo content selection team reviews proposals and selects classes using the following criteria:
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Relevance
Innovation
Clarity
Presenter
The session helped those
in attendance discover,
preserve, or share their
family history.
The ideas, subjects and
methods were current
and relevant to those in
attendance.
The class presenter was
knowledgeable and well
experienced in the topic
that was presented.
Technology played an
important role in the
implementation and
presentation of the
topic discussed.
The subject matter
introduced new technology
ideas to the audience.
The class title and class
description were clear,
easy to understand and
matched the content
taught in the class.
The topic spoke to a broad
scope of attendees.
The content was unique
and fresh in the genealogy
industry.
The objectives for learning
were defined and covered
in the class.
Attendees were given
information on the next
steps they can take after
the class to continue their
learning process.
The presenter engaged
the class in the learning
process.
The presenter met all of
the requirements of the
submission process and met
the expectations of their
submission.
If your proposal is accepted, you will be given a window of time to review the speaker requirements and timeline
and accept the invitation to participate as a Family Roots Expo 2016 presenter. You will be contacted by email and
have approximately one week to review the materials and respond by email or confirm by phone.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
If you have questions regarding the submission process or speaking at Family Roots Expo 2016, please contact us at:
[email protected]