Call for Speakers

It’s that time of the year again, where we are excited to open the Call for Speakers. We trust that we will, like in previous years, receive many interesting and deeply valuable talk applications for WordCamp Nairobi 2019. We have to admit it’s our favourite task to read all of your applications and select those who will be speaking at the biggest WordPress event in Nairobi.

What topic should you apply with?

We accept ALL topics related to WordPress and beyond, and encourage them. The charm of WCNAIROBI is that we welcome a diverse lineup of talented speakers to provide value to our broad audience.

One of our focuses for this year is to lineup more technical talks. We’re hoping to receive a wide variety of development-focused talks. If you are a developer or have a technical talk that you would like to share at WCNAIROBI, please apply, because it’s you our audience is looking for.

Besides development, we are of course looking for diverse topics and inspirational stories. If you’re not sure what to talk about and need some ideas, here are topics most asked about in our survey:

• Advanced development
• Design
• SEO
• Business
• Blogging

If you have a topic you’re passionate about or are an expert in something we haven’t mentioned, don’t hesitate to apply! We are accepting talks from all areas of expertise and are also hoping to attract relevant experts from outside the WordPress world.

How long should your presentation be?

We are planning the following session formats:

• Long talks – 40 minutes in total, breaking down to around 30 mins for talk & 10 mins for questions.
• Lightning talks – 10 minutes each, grouped with related topics.

We are planning to have two tracks. Each slot on the schedule will be an hour long. Content will take up 40 minutes of each hour, which gives attendees 20 minutes after each session to switch between tracks, grab a cup of coffee, and chat with other attendees.

Do I have to be an experienced speaker to apply?

WordCamp Nairobi in 2017 & 2018 was the largest WordPress related conference in Africa and WCNAIROBI 2019 should follow the same path, so it is recommended that you have some speaking experience. Speaking in front of a large audience can be overwhelming even for more experienced speakers, which is why we want to lend a helping hand. This year, the Content team will be sharing resources and tips on how to put together a successful presentation as well as how to be more comfortable on stage.

When reviewing speaker applications, we will take your previous speaking experience into account. If you have a few WordCamps lined up to add to your speaking experience before WordCamp Nairobi, but after you send in your application, make sure you tell us that too.

What is our application deadline and process?

The Call for Speakers will be open until November 20th, so please make sure that you send in your application in time.

Here is what our application and selection process look like:

• Call for speakers is open now
• Call for speakers close November 20th
• We’ll be selecting speakers and workshops in the last week of November.
• Selected speakers will be informed late-November

Are you ready to speak at WordCamp Nairobi?

People come to learn from speakers and to get inspired. We love that we have been able to bring experts and motivational people to our stage year after year, and we encourage you to share your amazing talk ideas for WCNAIROBI 2019 with us.

Are you ready to speak on the biggest WordPress stage in Nairobi?

If you’d like to propose multiple topics, please submit the form multiple times, once for each topic.

If you’d like to propose multiple topics, please submit the form multiple times, once for each topic.