speaker criteria
F3Fest™ is committed to presenting attendees and audiences with superior content across disciplines. For this reason, we place a premium on adhering to strict and clear standards related to content emanating from our events and productions. Submissions should clearly prove you are a leader in the industry/field for which you are submitting. Below are our guidelines and standards. All sessions must be progressive in thought, offering innovative approaches and, as much as possible, action-oriented solutions and not just performative platitudes.
- Commercial-Free. Our sessions are not for touting a vendor’s brand or product. Speakers should mention specific products only in the context of providing actionable insights. Content must be submitted for review in advance and will be evaluated and judged negatively for overt commercial messaging.
- Stages are programmed based on anticipated audience demand. Speaker stage sizes and placement will be determined solely on the merits of content and audience demand, as evidenced by registrations, without deference to brand size. F3Fest™ will assist, as needed, to help presenters develop relevant, compelling content. Message and demand alone will determine stage sizes and speaker assignments.
- All digital event stages will be promoted equally. There is no “main stage” for digital presentations.
- No Reruns. Speakers at our inaugural event will not be able to present at the next year’s event. On a case-by-case basis we will consider speakers who are booked at similar events on similar topics within a 12-month window. If possible, we would prefer to utilize diverse speakers from the same companies to speak on different topics. All sessions and content should be as fresh as possible. Priority will be given to original topics and presentations.
Diversity + Inclusion is mandatory.
- Executives and founders of privilege shall agree to “yield” their slots to founders and executives who help achieve and exceed diversity inclusion goals.
- No all-male panels nor non-diverse panels. (The only exceptions shall be 1-on-1 sessions with a male CEO/founder.)
- Panels must include either a diverse moderator, co-moderator, and/or panelist if your session is currently not diverse.
- All speakers and hosts shall include at least one diverse member in any discussion, other than solo presentations.
- All speakers and hosts agree their session will be subject to cancellation if this commitment is not met.
- All VC firms with > 2 investing partners shall have a female and/or POC investing professional present with them.
- We reserve the right to cancel non-diverse sessions.
- Speakers are 100% selected by the F3Fest™ Programming Committee.
- Executives at sponsoring companies that are independently selected as speakers shall act as such. They shall not tie any of their content to their sponsorship.
What types of sessions are F3Fest™ looking to present?
- Panels: A group of 2-4 individuals who share their insights and learnings on a topic. We reserve 40-minute sessions for panels. We encourage diverse and cross-organizational panels.
- Solo presentations: A chance for a solo presenter to share tactical insights on a topic. All sessions are 30-minutes in length.
- Workshops: These are 30–40-minute-long sessions where attendees can develop or learn new skills. A typical workshop is broken up into a presentation portion as well as a group discussion or interactive portion.
Cancellations
- Speakers who cancel greater than 60 days out may apply to speak at any subsequent F3Fest™ events.
Speakers who cancel less than 60 days out, without a valid, unavoidable circumstance are asked to not apply to speak again in the next 24 months.