Call for Speakers

Call for Speakers is closed. Submissions are no longer possible. Sorry.
finished 722 days ago

DevConf 2022

event starts

5 Apr 2022

event ends

7 Apr 2022

location

Cape Town & Johannesburg, South Africa & Online

website

devconf.co.za


DevConf is a community-driven, professional software engineer focused, one-day conference that is hosted annually in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa; that is one day for Jo'burg (7th April 2022) and one day for Cape Town (5th April 2022). The Johannesburg event will be live-streamed, providing an option for those who cannot attend in person to enjoy the conference from a location of their choice.

The aim of the conference is to provide professional software engineers with vendor-neutral and technology agnostic content on tools, practices and principles applicable to tackling current and future challenges faced by software engineers in South Africa.

DevConf is an event where attendees can learn, network and be inspired regardless of their specific technology stack and programming language of choice.

Style of Talk 👩‍🏫

We have a single style of talk: a 40min presentation style session i.e. stand on stage, a big screen to show your slides, video and code, and the audience sitting in cinema-style seating. The 40min is the TOTAL time is for everything, including Q&A.

The DevConf audience collectively covers a wide range of skill levels, from junior developers to senior management. We encourage talk submissions from everyone from hobbyists to professional developers, students, non-developers and first-time speakers. We have a goal to make DevConf an inclusive and diverse haven for all speakers and attendees. There is no specific tech or vendor association with DevConf - we welcome all technology and tools!

The majority of attendees are professional software engineers so we find that talks that help them in their career and focus on exploring tech or solving problems are really well received. 

Java, JavaScript and .NET are very popular in South Africa but we would love presentations about other technologies too. Security talks have been consistently rated highly. 

Talks that share experience and soft skills are highly valued and we have dedicated slots for these talks.

We also have a small number of slots for more entertainment-focused content which is still relevant to developers. These are great for sharing knowledge and experiences that are not so work-related, for example: flying a drone with VR, machine learning & brewing beer, or integrating hardware to Kerbal using JavaScript are all great talks.

Please see our YouTube channel to get a better idea of the content from previous years: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuzlYYs3p-_4y5_EKjN3pAA

When 📆

DevConf 2022 will take place for the sixth year in Johannesburg on the 7th April 2022 and, for the fourth time, in Cape Town on the 5th April 2022. The Johannesburg event will also be live-streamed.

All speakers will be selected to speak at both events. If you are only able to attend one of the events, please let us know so we can plan correctly (the notes field is great for this).

Accepted Proposals 🌟

All selected speakers to DevConf receive a pass for the events where they'll present, and an invitation to the speakers-only dinner. Travel and accommodation will also be included for full-slot presenters.

International Speakers 🛫

Due to COVID, we will not be accepting international speakers for DevConf 2022. We hope to welcome international speakers back for 2023.

Process ✅

  • We are accepting papers from 11 October 2021 0:00 SAST
  • We will close the call for speakers on 12 November 2021 at 23:59 SAST
  • Every talk will be scored by a diverse panel of reviewers.
  • Based on the scoring, a proposed agenda will be drafted in January.
  • Selected speakers will be emailed by 1 January 2022 (please make sure you check your spam folder).
  • Speakers to confirm, by email by 14th January 2022. Any speaker who does not confirm will forfeit their slot.

Additional events for speakers 🍽

In addition to the presentation on the days of the event, we will have additional functions for speakers which we believe add massive value:

  • The day before each event we will have a tech check at the conference venue from 4 pm. It should take no longer than an hour.
  • The night after the events we will have a speakers dinner near the venue and we would love for you to attend and meet the other speakers.

Important: These are highly valuable but we can work with you if you cannot attend them. Do not let this stop you from submitting! 

finished 867 days ago
Call for Speakers
Call opens at 12:00 AM

11 Oct 2021

Call closes at 11:59 PM

12 Nov 2021

CFP closes in South Africa Standard Time (UTC+02:00) timezone.
Closing time in your timezone () is .

What type of content are we looking for? 🔎

Anything that is relevant to developers, be it about code, platforms, technology, methodologies, how to work with people or just things that are cool. We want transparent and real experiences - this isn’t a place for a sales pitch. We want all types of speakers - first-timers or experienced! We have an opportunity for all to speak.

Non-developers are especially welcome to present topics that have relevance for the audience. Talks relating to security, database, UI and other technical experts sharing information that developers should know are often fantastically well attended and rated highly. 

We have a track record of helping new speakers and helping make all speakers have the best experience!

Talks we love? 😁

  • You can bring a diverse view to a subject
  • Content-focused on the South African audience is preferred 
  • You present your own experiences from the field
  • Live demos over just slides (if you have a technical talk)
  • We do often get multiple talks on the same topic, so add something that makes your talk stand out from other talks. Infuse it with your unique take and experience! 
  • We do not penalise talks that have been presented elsewhere, so if you have a talk you've done at work or your user group and you ❤ it, then submit it!

Have a look at talks from previous years to get inspired for the content

Talks we won't accept 😢

  • Topics that have been covered often - unless there is a twist or deep experience.
  • Marketing or sales pitches - rather get a client to share their experience using the tech!

Anonymous Review 👻

This is an anonymous review process so please do not enter personally identifying info in the description.

If you can represent a diverse view please make sure you state that in your notes as we actively aim for having a very diverse set of talks.

How are talks ranked? 🥅

We encourage each reviewer to use their own experience and knowledge to rank each talk. We use the sessionize ranking system, which you can see (and play with) in the test event.

Hints for submission 💡

  • Please use normal text in the fields, unfortunately, markdown or HTML is not supported.     
  • You only need your talk ready next year and you can adjust before then if you are selected.
  • The notes field is meant for any special requirements or information which doesn't fit into the description of your talk. Please do not put personal information in that section.
  • The track field is used as an aid for the planning, pick which you feel your talk fits best; it won't impact your selection.

Important Notes 📜

  1. By submitting a CFP, you will be added to our mailing list. This is so we can keep in touch with you, especially if our direct emails end in your spam. You can always unsubscribe from a link in the mails (although this is discouraged if you are selected, as we use the same platform to communicate important speaker information leading up to and post the event).
  2. You are allowed to submit at most two talks.

travel

expenses covered

accommodation

expenses covered

event fee

free for speakers

We cover the full expenses for travel and accommodation for speakers. If you can assist with costs, please let us know as we are a non-profit and every bit helps.