RailsConf 2024 CFP

We are looking for folks to give talks and workshops about all aspects of using, building, augmenting & celebrating Ruby on Rails.

Whether it’s how Rails helped build & grow your business or an esoteric gem you’re using or how Rails supports your team or a deep technical dive into an aspect of the framework, we want to hear from you.

Many years of experience of Rails or of public speaking, while not immaterial to your suitability to present on a topic, are NOT required. Having a new perspective or experience of a topic can be as valuable for the audience as years of arcane knowledge of technology. There was once a young Danish chap who presented a new web framework at a US Ruby event, and that went down quite well at the time.

We’re also looking for technical talks/workshops for different levels of experience across beginner, intermediate and expert. There’s also the opportunity to talk about the human side of working in Ruby on Rails teams and building a career on Rails.

Got something more “out there” or atypical? Get in touch directly and we’ll work with you to see if it fits within the event. We’re open to hear from you if you think the community would benefit from your perspective.

We also have a wealth of experience amongst the chairs, programme committee and Ruby Central organization who’re willing to spend time with you to help you succeed and perform at your best. So if in doubt, submit. If you want some hints on creating a compelling CFP submission we have a blog post for that.

We will also be hosting three coaching calls during the active CFP period. Dates coming soon, so check our website and socials for dates.

We’re going to spread ourselves a little less thinly than in previous years, there’s probably going to be approximately thirty to forty speaking spots—including workshops—but we are going to work with speakers to prepare you and your material to be the best it can be. Please expect us to want to see early versions of your talk and to provide you with feedback.

The flavor of each RailsConf is dependent on the talks that are submitted and what’s happening technologically at the time, but it’s probably worth looking at the extensive back-catalogue of talks on the RubyCentral YouTube channel to get an idea of talks that have been chosen in the past.

Formats

Talks are around 30 minutes, with the opportunity (but no obligation) for a few minutes of Q&A. There’s no shame in coming in under that timing, but generally it’s hard for a room to concentrate for much longer than that in a standard lecture-style. Talks will be in multiple tracks (aside from keynotes) and take place on the first and third (final) day of the conference. There is no live-stream. Talks are normally recorded, but exceptions can be made, they’re typically published on YouTube in the weeks after the conference.

We also have the opportunity for multiple two hour workshops, with short “comfort” breaks. These are typically hands-on sessions where attendees bring their own apps to work on, or are walked through exercises on, their own laptops. Think more structured, focused, training on specific topics. Workshops will be scheduled on the second day of the event and not “against” talks.

All accepted Speakers must comply with our Conference Policies and Speaker Agreement (EDITED:: 2024-31-01). Please read our policies all the way through before submitting a proposal.

How we decide

Our Program Committee is made up of hardworking volunteers representing a variety of experience levels. Our first round of review is anonymous, meaning reviewers will not see your name or biographical information, only the title, description, notes, and track. Please keep any potentially identifying information out of these fields.

Speaker Benefits

You get a free ticket to the event. Any event that is “pay to speak” should be avoided at all costs.

Ruby Central will also cover your hotel stay in the conference hotel for three (3) nights (~$700 USD value) for all individual speakers. If your talk has more than one speaker, this benefit will have to be shared between them.

If you, or your company, wish to donate this back to RubyCentral—the nonprofit that runs these events and maintains vital Ruby ecosystem infrastructure—we’d be delighted to add them as a "friend of RailsConf" sponsor and link them from the website, your talk page and eventual YouTube video.

You will also have the opportunity to be paired with a speaker mentor to help you with talk prep. Mentors are granted upon request but highly recommended, especially for new speakers.

Timeline

CFP closes on 13th February 2024.

Acceptances will be sent between 27th February and 8th March.

Any questions, hit us up on cfp@rubycentral.org or railsconf@rubycentral.org. Good luck!

- The Planning Committee

Stay for 1 speaker for three (3) nights at the conference hotel (~$700 USD value)