Program Committee

Roles

Talks Lead (Mandatory)

  1. Program development: Collaborates with all the program leads, specially Workshops and Panels teams to design, plan, and execute the technical program in line with the conference’s topics and aligned with the other program teams.
  2. Content curation: Selects talks that provide value to attendees by evaluating proposals, communicating with speakers, and ensuring the diversity of topics and perspectives
  3. Speaker support and coordination: Be the main contact for selected speakers and support speakers. For example:
    • Answer questions from speakers regarding schedule changes, equipment support requests, tech check
    • Ensure speaker deliverables: speaker has bio and photo, speaker uploaded their talk video, send reminders 2 weeks before and one week before due date
    • Prepare emails to speakers:
      • Acceptance email with information and detail about the presentation (Details about AV needs, tech check sessions, deadlines to submit videos)
      • Rejection emails
    • Maintain waitlist in case of cancellation
  4. Talk Promotion: Work with communication team to announce selected talks:
    • Blog posts, and social media announcements

Workshops Lead (Mandatory)

  1. Program development: Collaborates with all the program leads, specially with Talks and Panels teams to design, plan, and execute the technical program in line with the conference’s topics and aligned with the other program teams.
  2. Content curation: Selects talks that provide value to attendees by evaluating proposals, communicating with speakers, and ensuring the diversity of topics and perspectives.
  3. Speaker support: Be the main contact for selected workshops and support the presenters. For example:
    • Answer questions from speakers regarding schedule changes, equipment support requests, tech check
    • Prepare emails to workshops presenters
    • Acceptance email with information and detail about how to conduct workshop
    • Rejection emails
    • Maintain waitlist in case of cancellation
    • Ensure presenter deliverables: speaker has bio and photo, (no recording needed), confirm schedule
  4. Talk Promotion: Work with communication team to announce selected workshops:
    • Blog posts, and social media announcements

Panels and Keynotes Lead

  1. Program development
  2. Speaker support
  3. Propose topics and find speakers

Sprints Lead (Optional)

  1. Sprint CfP
  2. Selection of Sprints

Processes

CFP (Call for Proposals) and Talk Revision

The Programs Committee is responsible for designing and managing the CFP process. This involves creating and promoting the CFP announcement, setting deadlines for proposal submissions, and coordinating the review and selection of proposals. Committee members should review and evaluate the submitted proposals based on predefined criteria, such as relevance, quality, novelty, and diversity. If necessary, they should also provide feedback and guidance to speakers to refine and enhance their talk proposals.

The platform for CFP

The Programs Committee should research and select a suitable platform or software to manage the CFP process efficiently. This platform should facilitate the submission, review, and selection of proposals and enable effective communication with the speakers.

Program Creation

Once the talk proposals have been selected, the Programs Committee collaborates to create the conference program. They should consider various factors, such as the themes of the conference, the target audience, and the overall flow of the event. The committee should aim to create a balanced and engaging program that covers various topics and appeals to beginners and experienced Python developers.

Contact with Speakers

The Programs Committee serves as the main point of contact for the conference speakers. They should promptly communicate with speakers regarding the status of their proposals, acceptance notifications, and any additional information required for their participation in the conference. Committee members should also work closely with the speakers to ensure they have all the necessary resources and support leading up to the conference.

Overall, the Programs Committee plays a pivotal role in shaping the content and success of the PyLadies Con conference. Through their efforts in defining the conference program, managing the CFP process, and maintaining effective communication with speakers, they contribute to creating a vibrant and inclusive event that fosters learning, networking, and community building within the PyLadies community.