NAFTZ has a long and rich history of members volunteering for committees, task forces, working groups – all critical resources for the association to further our mission.  One of the hardest working committees is our Program Committee.  They meet throughout the year, sometimes every other week, and use their professional networks to identify subject matter experts to speak at NAFTZ in-person events, webinars, and for the offerings of the Fundamentals coursework. 

However, as the association grows we need to find new ways to support the work of the committee.  So we are implementing a Call for Speakers and Presentations process.  NAFTZ employed a similar process in the past, and we are bringing back a modified version with tech systems support.

Member input is still critical in gathering topics for presentations:

• Members provide feedback from in-person events as well as suggestions for future topics
• The Program Committee takes all this input as well as suggestions from committee members, other NAFTZ committees, working groups, staff, etc. to determine which topics will be presented at each in-person event, webinar, etc.

Here is where the new steps come into play:

• The Program Committee then adds additional information and recommended content for each topic.  They also determine length of time for the presentation and may suggest skill levels or key takeaways or learning objectives.  The committee may assign speakers at this time if they have a key subject matter expert in mind, or (most likely) include the topic and additional content details in the Call for Speakers and Presentations.
• The Call for Speakers and Presentations is then opened to the entire membership for their consideration to submit a proposed presentation.  The topics are posted to the NAFTZ website, with respondents responding through the Call for Speakers and Presentations on-line system.   
• Program Committee members then review, evaluate and score the proposed submissions from the Call for Speakers system and make final selections of the speakers and presentations for the event.

NAFTZ believes this new process will better enable our Program Committee to identify new speakers, provide the opportunity present to all members and constituents, and help us to continue to deliver high-quality content and information to our attendees and members. Anyone interested in presenting is highly encouraged to submit a proposed session though the Call for Presentations! 

This new process is being put in place for the 2025 Spring Seminar May 18-20 in Savannah, Georgia. Our top priority is making sure we're addressing the latest FTZ developments with knowledgeable and experienced FTZ presenters – which could be you! 

Spring Seminar 2025 Call for Presentations and Speakers

NAFTZ will fill nine (9) break-out sessions slated for the Grantee, User/Operator and Advanced tracks through the Call for Speakers and Presentations process. 

Here are the steps to be considered to present:

1. Review the session topics and content guidelines on the Call for Speakers and Presentations website: https://www.naftz.org/2025-spring-topics-call-for-speakers/.
2. For each session you'd like to be considered as a speaker for, prepare a submission for the Call for Speakers and Presentations. Each submission will need to include:
   • Your presentation title
   • A brief paragraph summary (up to 300 words) of your proposed presentation
   • A complete list of co-presenters or panelists (including yourself) and basic information about each (Name, email, designations and company/organization affiliated with). Each co-presenter / panelist will be sent an email from the Oxford Abstracts system which will request each to separately submit a brief bio, prior speaking experience, etc.
   • Three learning objectives that session attendees will take away from attending your session
   • Session information such as target audience, experience level, materials to be shared with participants, if the content has been presented elsewhere, etc.
     
3. Go to https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/75869/submitter
   • Create a new account in Oxford Abstracts.  Note that NAFTZ log-in information is not connected with Oxford Abstracts so you will need a separate log-in and password with Oxford Abstracts. 
   • Enter your submission information.  Oxford Abstracts does allow you to return to your submission to make amendments, additions or changes.  However, you must first submit information in all required fields, keeping in mind that you can return to update your submission later.  All submissions need to be fully completed by the November 13^th deadline.
4. Note the Call for Speakers and Presentations deadlines:
   • Session submissions for consideration deadline: Wednesday, November 13th
   • Outcome notification deadline: Tuesday, December 31^st, 2024 or sooner if possible

The program committee members will evaluate submissions on the following criteria:

• Learning objectives
• Session design including any interactive learning elements
• Speaker(s) experience and knowledge of the subject matter
• Speaker(s) presenting experience
• Overall session quality and alignment with desired session content

We look forward to this new process and invite you to consider speaking at Spring Seminar 2025!

Questions? Comments? Contact NAFTZ VP of Events, Victoria Cartwright or NAFTZ President Jeff Tafel or call the NAFTZ office at 202-331-1950.