ASCENT’s Annual Educational Conference is the premier event for otolaryngology practice professionals and their staff. More than 300 ASCENT members and otolaryngology practice professionals will gather for education, professional development, and networking to help them advance their careers and grow their practice. 

ASCENT is seeking presentations for educational sessions on the latest topics and trends in otolaryngology practice management. Proposals that adhere to the following guidelines will receive higher scores from the reviewers.

CONTENT

•  Reflect innovative, cutting-edge content that has practical applications for attendees
•  Present a business case with evidence supported by real life, research or data

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

•  Promote discussion, audience engagement, and outcome-focused design
•  Facilitate knowledge transfer and development of new competencies
•  Use methods that builds upon current knowledge and experience

DO’s and DON’Ts

•  DO provide a complete response to all the questions
•  DO describe the educational content and value of your proposed session
•  DO explain tools and resources that attendees will take away from the session
•  DO complete your submission prior to the deadline
•  DON’T provide incomplete information
•  DON’T assume that the Call for Presentation process does not apply to you
•  DON’T sell your services or mention your products

PROPOSAL PROCESS AND SELECTION CRITERIA

Deadlines – these will be updated once we have a firm schedule

•  Call for Presentations Opens: Jan. 18
•  Call for Presentations Closes: Feb. 16
•  Session Invitations Sent: April
•  Speaker Agreements and Financial Disclosures Signed and Returned: End of April-Mid May

Process

• Peer Reviewers- Volunteers will serve on an adhoc committee to ensure that educational sessions meet the needs of otolaryngology professionals. They review sessions anonymously.  PLEASE DO NOT PUT ANY IDENTIFIERS IN YOUR ABSTRACT OR DESCRIPTION MATERIALS or IT MAY BE DISQUALIFIED.
• Education Committee- The Educational committee will select from the submissions received, based on ratings from the peer reviews, and identify gaps, if any that staff will address through additional content development strategies. They will create a conference program that is timely, relevant, and targeted to attendees’ needs.

SPEAKER EXPECTATIONS

You will be asked to confirm your agreement with the following statements before submitting your proposal.

1. DEADLINES: I agree to conform to all program deadlines, guidelines, and timelines provided by ASCENT.
2. NO SELLING FROM THE PLATFORM: I agree and understand that I am strictly prohibited from “Selling on the Platform.” My presentation must be educational in nature and ASCENT educational programming is not a venue for selling products, services, etc. This includes but is not limited to the distribution and sale of promotional materials and promoting commercial ventures which may personally or financially benefit me, as the speaker, or my company. I also understand that violating this clause will result in becoming ineligible to present at future ASCENT Conferences.
3. YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO NOTIFY: I agree to notify ASCENT immediately by phone 412-243-5156 and by email at hkarlinski@cmemanage.com in the event that I am unable to meet the time and/or date for my speaking commitment.
4. PRESENTATION CONTENT: I understand that the content of my presentation must be my own words and accompanied by my own images. To the best of my knowledge, my materials, electronic or otherwise, do not violate any lawful or proprietary regulation or other lawful acts including copyright, trademark, and privacy rights.
5. INFORMATION CONSENT: I consent to the use of my name, personal photo, bio and/or credential information to be used by ASCENT in conjunctions with the annual educational conference, future learning materials, conference mobile application, website and other ASCENT educational resources.
6. RECORDING CONSENT: I understand and provide consent that ASCENT may record my presentation and make it available to attendees and in future learning materials. I authorize ASCENT to live stream, record, reproduce, and publish my presentations in whole or in part, including handouts and or electronic presentation materials with proper credit. I grant this permission with the understanding that the aforementioned actions are royalty free and copyright is retained by the original creator of any such materials
7. REQUIRED PRESENTATION MATERIALS: (a.) I agree to provide a PowerPoint presentation. (b.) I agree to provide a PDF version of the PowerPoint presentation and or a handout displaying most of the information from the presentation and any collateral materials
8. VENDOR REQUIREMENTS: All speakers who are affiliated with an exhibitor company must ensure that their company is registered as an exhibitor at the ASCENT Annual Educational Conference and is paid in full within 15 days of receiving their session approval email. Speakers affiliated with an exhibitor company who do not comply to this deadline will be removed from the program.
9. ROOM SETUP: All concurrent sessions rooms will be equipped with the following: (a.) LCD projector and screen. (b.) Presenter microphones - Presentation teams of 1-3 will have lavalier and/or podium microphones for all presenters. Panels or teams of 4 presenters will have 1 lavalier or podium microphone for the moderator and a tabletop microphones for the panelists.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

Review these questions before starting your application. Please note you are limited to five (5) session proposal submissions, and you cannot return to your proposal form and edit after the deadline.

Your contact information including:

•  First, Last Name, Credentials
•  Title, Company Name, Company Address
•  Email Address
•  Work phone, Cell phone
•  Bio
•  Headshot upload
•  Will you have co-presenter(s)?
•  Please list co-presenters names and emails and they will be asked for the same information above via a separate email

Session Title

Provide a concise, easy-to-understand and attention-grabbing presentation title that will prompt reviewers and attendees to be interested in learning more about your session. This is the first impression of your session and your one-line opportunity to hook reviewers and attendees.

Session Track

Please select the track that best applies to this session proposal

• Essentials -These sessions provide tools and resources to perform the day-to day operations: the “essentials” needed to succeed. Attendees should be able to apply the information learned immediately.
• Strategic – These sessions are for practice administrators planning growth and positioning or looking to address an issue within their practice. They focus on what is needed to move a practice forward in the coming year and provide knowledge and tools needed to develop strategy specific to a practice’s need.
• Healthcare Today- These sessions focus on new initiatives and emerging trends and how to prepare for change.
• These “hot topic” trends or “current happenings” may be frequently talked about, but only a few practices have begun to implement them.

Primary Topic Area

ASCENT is seeking proposals on the following topics. Proposals on other topics will be accepted but the topics below will be given priority.

•  Ancillary development
•  Business development
•  Coding
•  Compliance
•  Culture
•  Customer Service
•  Analytics
•  Finance
•  Leadership
•  Human Resources
•  Marketing and Communications
•  Operations
•  Technology
•  Value-Base Care
•     ENT Related

Primary Sub-Topic

Please provide a sub-topic (4 to 5 words max) related to the Primary Topic identified above. These are words that further define your specific area of focus. For example, if Marketing and Communications is the Primary Topic you might specify Social Media or Digital Marketing as the sub-topic.

Learning Format

Please select the learning format that best suits this session proposal.

• Lecture – The standard session format where the speaker(s) shares experience and knowledge with attendees
• Panel-Interested in speaking on a topic but want to present with a group? Select this option and we’ll help pair you with other people for a panel discussion – please identify the target panel participant you are looking for.
• Open discussion/Town Hall - Interested in hearing about a specific item and how everyone handles it? Select this option and we’ll help pair the topic with a best practice session. 
• Other, specify

Session Length

Consider the most appropriate session length based on your session content. If selected, please note that the session length you indicate below may not match your session assignment.

•  30 minutes
•  45 minutes
•  60 minutes
•  Other specify

Presentation Summary

Provide a brief summary of your presentation. If selected, this description will be modified and used in the conference program, website, app to market your session to attendees. Make it engaging. What will attendees learn and why is it relevant. Please do not include the speaker, company, or products in the session description.

Speaker Expertise

Please explain your expertise on the subject. Do not include any identifying information in this section such as your name or company name.

Is any advanced preparation/ pre-requisite knowledge or experience required of participants before attending your presentation?

•  Yes (if yes, explain)
•  No

Additional SessionFormats

ASCENT may offer some unique learning formats to provide education in a creative way. If you would like to be considered for any of the learning formats below, please tell us why you think you should be selected. If the topic is different from above, please tell us in 2-4 sentences what you would like to present.

• Lightning Session - Fun, fast paced 5-minute presentations focused on 10 slides of content in 5 minutes. At the end of five minutes, you are done, whether you are ready or not!
• TED-Style Talks - Short, powerful lectures on inspiring or motivational topics, each delivered in less than 20 minutes.
• Pre or Post Conference Workshop – a half day or full day workshop where content leaders provide practical instruction to enhance the capabilities/skills of attendees on a particular topic.

Speaking Fees

• Please note, we do not pay ASCENT member speakers.
• If a professional speaker, please tell us about your fees. For example: one talk is $750 and half day is $800.
• Do you need paid expenses in addition to your fees? If yes, what?
  
• Will you require any fees/compensation for this presentation? (check all that apply) Please note: All fees/compensation are awarded at the discretion of ASCENT and will be negotiated if this proposal is selected.
• If your expected fee is greater than $600, please have a current W-9 to upload.