First of all, please read our CFP announcement to learn how our programme and CFP process have changed from last year.

What kind of proposals do you want?

We want 45 minute talks, and 100 minute workshops.

What talk types do you want? 

We want experience reports - your real lived experiences:

• Organisation experience. A story that covers in depth one organisation you've worked in, e.g. first steps towards an agile NHS by Robert Macadam
• Career experience. A story that joins the dots between the lessons learned in two or more organisations you've worked in, e.g. e.g. the strategy sprint by Rachel Dubois

Organisation experiences and career experiences need to specify the organisations involved in some way. They can be anonymised if company approval is unavailable ("a large retailer", "a startup fintech"). We don't accept any theoretical talks, as AI has replaced them.

Organisation experiences are labelled by AI usage - no AI (you didn't use GenAI), AI assisted (you used GenAI to review human work e.g. copilot), and AI native (you used humans to review GenAI work e.g. agents). AI disasters as well as AI successes are welcome. It's OK to be an AI sceptic, an AI centrist, or an AI advocate.

What workshop types do you want?

• Game. An all-session interactive event, e.g. Dragons Den product showdown by Muneesh Malik and Mohit Chandna
• Applied Learning. Multiple interactive group exercises, e.g. Liberating Structures toolkit by Nicola Schoonderwoerd

We prioritise games over applied learning, we don't want Lego activities (it's been done), and we don't accept any talkshops (Gwen won't allow it).

What kind of speakers do you want?

Anyone with a great story to tell. We're looking for a range of speakers, so if you have never spoken at a conference before please don't be shy. We allow for 1 speaker and 1 co-speaker per proposal.

We have blind review. Your name, gender, skill set, and location are all unavailable to reviewers. You are scored purely on the merits of your proposal. We follow the Berlin Code Of Conduct and publish a diversity report each year e.g. our 2025 CFP report.  

What are your experience report tracks? 

• Engineering. Microservices, data, GenAI, machine learning, architecture, Continuous Delivery, e.g. migrating from a monolith at Stack Overflow by Connell Sharp
• Design & product. Service design, user research, user experience, product management, e.g. how Dutch Railways made bike sharing a big hit by Veerle Verhagen 
• Teams. Ways of working, leadership, team feedback, e.g. how psychological safety at Rowe helped me to release my true self by Terri Lamerton
• Organisations. Agility beyond delivery teams, e.g. scaling delivery for 50 teams at Just Eat Takeaway by Francesca Salvati

Do you have any proposal hints?

If you want to do a talk, put yourself at the heart of the experience report. Give examples from your experience in the proposal, so reviewers can relate to you. If it's an organisation experience report, mention the one organisation as best you can e.g. it's name or 'at a bank' in the description and outline. If it's a career experience report, mention 2+ organisations as best you can.

If you want to run a workshop, put yourself at the back of the room (metaphorically, if not literally). The less time you spend speaking in a workshop, the better. Make it about what attendees can learn.

Do or don't use AI assistance in proposal creation. Do include some rough session timings in the outline. Don't put any hyperlinks to previous events, blogs in your proposal, as they have to be removed before blind review. 

Do you provide a free speaker ticket?

Yes, for 1 speaker and 1 co-speaker per session. 

If you buy a ticket for yourself before you're confirmed as a speaker, we'll refund it. If you'd like to bring a guest, they need to buy a ticket. 

Do you provide free speaker accommodation?

Yes, for 1 speaker and 1 co-speaker per session, on campus for 1-3 nights. 

You'll have a free room in the student village on the Falmouth University campus. It's a scenic, eco-friendly campus, and a 10 min walk to our AMATA venue. It's basic student accommodation. If you wish, you can book alternative accommodation near the university, at your own expense. 

Do you provide speaker travel expenses?

Yes, for speakers only, who live outside Cornwall.

We're very grateful every year for the long distances that speakers travel to be with us, so we provide a flat fee to speakers who need it. We can't afford to cover co-speakers, or long-haul travel.  

We cover:

• £150 from the rest of the UK to Cornwall
  
• £300 from Europe to Cornwall

And we're a not-for-profit conference with a limited budget, so please check pre-CFP if your employer can cover your travel expenses. It really helps us out.  

Do you publicise your review process?

Yes. You can read all the details in last year's AOTB CFP report. It describes the process, session scores, and diversity data from last year. We had a 50/50 balance between the over-represented majority, and under-represented minorities. 

We'll notify people of the results in mid-December. If you're successful, you'll have a week to accept our speaker invitation. If you're unsuccessful, we'll share some aggregated reviewer feedback and a ticket discount code. 

If you have any questions, we're at cfp@agileonthebeach.com. Ask away!