We are excited to announce our search for speakers for our biggest, signature event of the year. We're particularly interested in engaging, interactive sessions and workshops that provide meaningful insights into today's professional landscape. The theme of  this year's Business Week Experience is Adaptability: Cultivating Curiosity, Creativity, and Critical Thinking.

So get creative, speakers!

OUR AUDIENCE:

The primary target audience is the students of the Greehey School of Business at St. Mary's University. The majority will be traditional undergraduate students, however we are also interested in sessions specifically tailored towards our MBA students. However, the event is open to the whole campus and may draw students from other disciplines and graduate programs as well as faculty and staff of the university. Sessions have an average of 100 attendees with a mix of these attendance groups. 

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

We seek thought leaders, industry experts, and innovative practitioners who can deliver immersive learning experiences over traditional presentations. Our attendees value sessions that:

• Engage participants through interactive elements, discussions, and hands-on activities
• Offer practical, applicable knowledge they can implement immediately
• Provide authentic glimpses into industry challenges and solutions
• Present forward-thinking perspectives on evolving professional trends

Ideally, subject areas will link to the event theme in some way. However, we are open to other subjects where there is a high potential for interactive engagement with our students and/or demonstrated expertise with both the subject and presenting it.

SESSION FORMATS:

Sessions are typically 75 minutes in length. You will be introduced by a representative of the Greehey School of Business. Most sessions occur within the atrium of the Alkek building where the school is housed, where chairs are typically set up in lecture-style seating. There is a small degree of flexibility in set up depending on the timing and anticipated attendance of the session.

We welcome proposals for:

• Interactive workshops with hands-on learning components
• Panel discussions with audience participation
• Case study presentations with collaborative problem-solving
• Skill-building sessions with practical exercises
• Traditional presentations (must include at least 10 to 15 minutes for audience Q&A)

VIRTUAL OPPORTUNITIES:

We are interested in potentially offering a limited number of virtual workshops during evening slots, primarily designed for our MBA students. A large number of these students are working professionals already established in their careers. Proposals for virtual sessions should include:

• Explanation of how the virtual medium will be used to benefit the attendees
• Explanation of how the attendees will be engaged via the virtual medium
• Topics touching on higher level subjects

SELECTION:

We will be evaluating proposals on the following metrics:

• Potential for audience engagement
• Takeaways for attendees
• Future-oriented, innovative, or emerging subject matter
• Speaker's professional expertise or subject matter expertise
• Previous speaking experience (videos encouraged!)

Willing to cover up to $500 in travel expenses, open to negotiation