TALK TO US:

When in doubt, or you do not agree with something we have put on here, reach out to the organising team for more information! We are all human beings here, so there is nothing we can't have a civil conversation about to figure things out. At the end of the day, this is ran by volunteers trying to bring together people with a shared passion for data. 
Seriously, talk to us.

ABOUT THIS CALL FOR SPEAKERS:

There are a number of optional fields in this Call for Speakers, any context you can provide to help us make an informed decision is greatly appreciated. You can definitely only fill in the required ones, if you think this provides enough information. Feel free to use the notes section liberally!

CODE OF CONDUCT:

https://datamindsconnect.be/code-of-conduct/

All people involved in our event, are required to adhere to our Code of Conduct. There will be options to confide in different persons in case of reporting incidents and violations. Any person breaching the Code of Conduct, will potentially be removed from the event, regardless of their role of engagement. 

COVID-19 GUIDANCE:

dataMinds Connect 2022 will be held as an in-person event, or it will not be held at all. We want to move forward with this event, closely evaluating the local regulations, in close coordination with our venue. Our vision is to host this event in the least restrictive way that is feasible, with respect for everyone's safety and opinions. Whether we request a proof of vaccination, negative test, or proof of recovery can not be confirmed at this time. The same goes for an enforced mask policy. 

GENERAL SESSIONS:

Open for all sessions related to the Microsoft Data & AI Platform, in all possible flavours. Going from your more traditional DBA and BI topics, to modern data topics like Data Lakehousing and Data Virtualization.

Non-tech sessions, contributing to a better and more diverse community, are welcomed with open arms. Think Mental Health for IT Pros, Imposter Syndrome, Amplifying Diversity & Inclusion, Career & Personal Growth, ..

All conference sessions will be 60 minutes (including at least 5 minutes of Q&A), and allocated to a track by the organising team.

PRECON SESSIONS:

Proposals for precon sessions (full day workshops) are very welcomed, but bear in mind that we're also searching for good fits on our own. It may be possible that certain slots will be already booked. 

NEW SPEAKERS:

We wholeheartedly encourage all new speakers to submit a proposal as a Newcomer. To be clear, new speakers are considered to be people who have not yet spoken at a (technical) conference or larger event. User Group sessions, webinars and client/team presentations are not taken into account for this categorization. 

Each new speaker will be paired up with a buddy/mentor, who will provide them with highly valuable tips & tricks. Even more so, we'll provide new speakers with all assistance they need and want whilst preparing for their debut.

Submitting as a new speaker, means you agree to meet with your buddy/mentor and collaborate on your session. 

EXPERT SESSIONS (400+, blow out some brains):

Following the positive reactions on our Experts Track, we're specifically looking for deep dive sessions on advanced, complex topics. When submitting a session like this, please make sure you clearly outline any prerequisites the attendees should have. We're aiming at enough level 400-500 (or higher) sessions, to offer a wide variety in sessions and topics.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

Our target audience can best be described as a majority of technical people, in a variety of data facing roles. Whilst most of our attendees are not budget holders or decision makers, they will have significant influence in the decision making process. Their experience will vary between people just starting out in their current role, trying to absorb all the knowledge they can, and well experienced people just there to broaden their with that one specific extra edge case. 

For example, these are job titles that come back in our post-event evaluation: Database Administration, Database Developer, BI Analyst, BI Engineer, Data Scientist, Data Engineer, Data Architect, Data Analytics Engineer, Azure Data Administrator, ..

As dataMinds Connect, we also work together with a couple of colleges and universities in Belgium and allow students to attend. 

DISCLAIMER:

Speakers will be asked to travel to Belgium for the event, and any exceptions should be discussed with the organising team.

We're moving forward with an in-person event, keeping a close eye on safety and health recommendations. If need be, we will be prepared to cancel at any given time to safeguard the well being of every person involved.  

TIMELINE:

• Monday February 14th 2022: Call for Speakers open
• Sunday June 5th 2022: Call for Speakers close
• Tuesday June 7th 2022: Session selection process
• Wednesday June 8th 2022 Session selection feedback
• Thursday June 23rd 2022: Schedule announcement to public (Precons & Regular Sessions)
• Thursday September 1st 2022: Public Go / No Go for dataMinds Connect
• Monday October 10th 2022: Precon Day
• Tuesday October 11th 2022: Conference Day