First-Timer's Guide: Curating a Tech Conference Track
Curating a technical conference track, especially for the first time, presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities. While resources for first-time track hosts are scarce, particularly within software development conferences, the experience can be profoundly rewarding, offering a chance to shape industry conversations, expand professional networks, and contribute to the technical community.
The journey of curating a track, such as the “Performance and Sustainability in Practice: How to Make Software Greener” track for QCon London 2025, highlights several key lessons. Despite lacking prior experience in conference organization or an extensive network in the specific domain, the endeavor proved highly valuable.
Defining Your Track’s Narrative
A clear thematic narrative is crucial. For the QCon London track, the core message was that sustainable software development is accessible to everyone, including in AI, and inherently leads to high-performing systems. This guiding “story” facilitates discussions with the conference’s Programming Committee, enabling them to suggest potential speakers from their networks or point to relevant online profiles.
Strategies for Sourcing Speakers
Building a robust speaker lineup doesn’t necessarily require an expansive personal network, especially when regional or demographic constraints apply. Effective strategies include:
Podcast Research: Exploring podcasts focused on the track’s theme can uncover experts. For instance, the “Green IO” podcast led to discovering Ludi Akue, CTO at Lunii, who shared insights on decarbonizing tech stacks.
Conference Speaker Lists: Reviewing past speakers from conferences on related topics provides a rich pool of candidates. Even without talk recordings, abstracts and slides can indicate expertise. This method helped identify Holly Cummins and Alex Good, a core contributor to Automerge.
Leveraging Mutual Connections: Utilize professional networking platforms like LinkedIn to identify mutual connections. A warm introduction from a trusted contact significantly increases the likelihood of engagement. This approach facilitated connecting with Jade Abbott, CTO of Lelapa AI, a company known for its resource-efficient AI.
The Imperative of Starting Early
Speaker selection is a process that cannot be rushed. Conferences like QCon London typically provide strict timelines, with initial speaker confirmations required months in advance. For the 2025 event, the first speaker needed to be confirmed by October 14, 2024, and the last by January 27, 2025, for an April conference.
Starting early offers several advantages:
Higher Acceptance Rates: In-demand speakers often have busy schedules. Early outreach increases the chance they won’t have conflicting commitments.
Time for Preparation: Speakers developing entirely new talks require ample time—months, not weeks—for research and content development.
Contingency Planning: If a first-choice speaker is unavailable, early planning allows sufficient time to research and secure alternative candidates. It’s also advisable to ask declining speakers if they can recommend others in their network; this led to connecting with Alex Good after an initial speaker declined.
Navigating Constraints in Planning
Conference organizers often impose constraints to ensure diversity and relevance. QCon London, for example, mandated regional representation (e.g., specific quotas for local, European, and international speakers) and encouraged demographic diversity across gender, race, nationality, company type, industry, and professional background.
These constraints necessitate a strategic approach to speaker invitations. Prioritizing topics with a smaller pool of known experts early in the process allows more flexibility for broader topics later. For instance, securing speakers for niche areas like “sustainability in AI” or “advocating for tech sustainability at a leadership level” was prioritized over areas with more readily available talent, enabling a more adaptable invitation strategy.
Effective Speaker Outreach
Once potential speakers are identified, the next step is effective communication. Leveraging the conference’s Programming Committee network can be a valuable starting point for introductions. LinkedIn serves as another primary tool, either for direct messages or using connection notes to indicate the purpose of outreach. Personal websites, BlueSky, and Twitter can also be avenues, though with varying success rates.
When initiating contact, a clear and concise message is essential. It should:
Introduce yourself and the purpose of your outreach.
Briefly describe the conference, its topics, and target audience.
Crucially, state the benefits offered to speakers upfront, such as travel, accommodation, and a conference pass. This addresses common concerns for speakers who may not receive financial support from their employers.
Setting clear response deadlines in initial emails is also highly recommended. This allows track hosts to manage their timelines effectively and pivot to alternative candidates if a response isn’t received within the specified period.
Sustained Communication with Organizers
Maintaining open and consistent communication with the Programming Committee and conference organizers is vital. Regular updates on progress and any anticipated unavailability ensure they are informed and can offer assistance if needed. A lack of communication can lead to concerns about track viability and potentially prompt organizers to seek replacements, especially as deadlines approach.
A Rewarding Endeavor
Hosting a technical conference track is an incredibly rewarding experience. It provides a unique opportunity to delve into new areas of expertise, connect with thought leaders globally, and elevate critical discussions within the technical community. The process of curating a track not only expands one’s professional network and knowledge but also allows for direct participation in shaping the future trajectory of the industry. For those considering the role, even without prior experience, the opportunity to learn, teach, and contribute to the collective conversation is invaluable.