Norwescon typically invites panelists and pros in the early fall (around September) and solicits ideas for panels, presentations, and workshops from September through October or November. If you’re interested in participating in a panelist, we recommend contacting us by mid-summer. We schedule in December, and then send the whole ball of wax off to our Publications department, so they can proofread, format, and print it up. The program for Norwescon 35 is finished, so we’re not looking for additional panelists for this year’s convention.
If you would like to do a presentation or workshop at Norwescon, we will ask for a title (no more than 8 words) and description (no more than 100 words) of the panel, along with any technical requirements, and information about yourself and why you’re qualified to give this presentation.
If you’re interested in being a panelist, take the time to introduce yourself, tell us what you’re good for, and why. Programming gets lots of e-mails from people volunteering to be panelists, but what we really want to know is: What kinds of panels can we put you on? Why are you an expert? What qualifications do you have?
Norwescon typically fields interest from hundreds of qualified people who want to be panelists, and has space for just over 200, so it can be competitive. We’re always looking for a good balance of skills and specialties, and therefore might turn down impressively qualified people if their skill set overlaps too much with too many people we’ve already invited. Contrary to popular belief, there is no set list of pros who are automatically invited back every year—in fact, we are actively trying to cycle through the large number of highly qualified pros available to us, to give space for new points of view, and to keep our content fresh.
What we’re truly looking for in an attending professional is someone who:
- Is a genuine expert in their field
- Is an engaging and charismatic speaker
- Shows up to their panels on time and prepared
- Conducts their business with the convention in a businesslike manner.
Still interested? We’re set for Norwescon 35, but feel free to start thinking ahead for Norwescon 36 in 2013! Until then, you can always ask questions by sending a message to Programming through our contact page.
