Here’s to building the best AgileAus program yet!

Excitement is building as we get ready to open up for expressions of interest (EOIs) from those who would like to speak at this year’s AgileAus23 Conference!

After a relatively calm start to planning for this year’s AgileAus Conference, AgileAus Reviewers and Chairs can’t wait to see what the EOI process will uncover!

This year’s theme Reflect, Adapt and Flourish was explained a little in our last blog – so in this blog we are going to outline a bit more about what we are thinking in terms of designing the program.

What is work and the way we are working is changing so fast – but how do we make sure it is going in the direction we want it to go? That is what the AgileAus Conference is all about and this year we have an emphasis on people sharing stories so that we can reflect on what is happening which can buoy us to adapt and find ways to flourish.

Fourteen years ago at the first AgileAus Conference we had to hunt around to find an example of a co-located team (thank-you Adam Boas!), and now teams are everywhere-located! The last few years have seen many businesses fundamentally change the way they work, but also redesign products and services to meet the changing needs of their users. At AgileAus23 we want to provide a platform for the leaders adapting to these changes.

After experimenting with different length talks over the years, this year we are going to try a blanket 30-minute talk with some 5-minute Lightning talk sessions. We also plan to include more Deep Dive Q&A sessions in the program for those talks that could benefit from more interrogation following their presentations.

We have invited some speakers already with stories to tell to help us reimagine our futures, and we are looking forward to seeing what stories the open EOIs to speak will bring in. In past years we have received 100s of submissions, and many on the last day! Our advice is to get in early if you want reviewers to have time to give you feedback – allowing you time to iterate before submissions close. This year submitters are welcome to provide a short 2-minute video outline as well as (or instead of) their written one – bearing in mind that reviewers will be under the pump to get through all the submissions.

We are also upping the ante in 2023 on supporting all speakers, and inviting them to be part of a full-day speaker bootcamp in May. We are conscious that over the last few years we have had limited opportunities to speak in front of a live crowd and so we want to ensure all AgileAus speakers are ready to get the most out of the Conference experience – meet other speakers, hone their presentation skills, and make sure they are as ready as they can be to deliver at the Conference.

To submit an EOI to speak at AgileAus23 visit agileaustralia.com.au/2023/be-a-speaker/