May 22-26, 2005 - Orlando, Florida USA
CALL FOR PAPERS
PROPOSAL DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 27, 2004     
 After reviewing the requirements below, please submit your proposal here.

Presentation proposals are now being accepted for the 17th Annual DAMA International Symposium + 9th Annual Wilshire Meta-Data Conference scheduled for May 22-26, 2005 at the Renaissance Orlando Resort at Seaworld, in Orlando, Florida.    

This conference is increasingly recognized as the foremost data management educational conference in the world.  Almost 1000 IT professionals over 20 countries attended the meeting in 2004.  For reference, previous events can be reviewed at www.wilshireconferences.com.

Presentations are invited across the entire range of data management fields of interest.  As a guide, key educational themes and topics for 2005 are listed below.

  Submission Requirements Include:

Critical Dates  

September 27 , 2004

 Deadline for Presentation Proposals to be submitted
November 10, 2004 Target date for notifying Speakers as to whether their proposal has been accepted or not. 
April 4 , 2005 Deadline for Final Speaker Presentations to be received by Wilshire Conferences
(in PowerPoint file format).  

Presentation Guidelines  

1.      Presentations may be proposed in the following categories:

2.      Please take note of all the requirements and follow the presentation guidelines carefully.  There is a great deal of competition for speaking opportunities at this conference and based on historical trends, we will be able to accept less than one in every 6 presentation proposals.  Therefore, incomplete or poorly constructed proposals tend to be quickly eliminated from consideration.  If you are unsure of your proposal, you may email us with questions so we can guide you before you make an official submission.    PLEASE NOTE: We cannot tell you if your proposal will be accepted or not. This would not be fair to the hundreds of other potential speakers who have also submitted proposals.

3.   Presentations from corporate practitioners that reflect real-world experience and hands-on implementation will receive priority consideration.  

4.      Special note on panel presentations:  The conference committee will construct a number of panels, generally comprising short (15-minute) talks, followed by a moderated discussion.  In some cases no prepared talks will be given, but panelists will respond to questions from the moderator.  The topics and speakers for these sessions are selected by the conference committee, based on perceived audience interests.   Because of the high demand for the available speaking opportunities at this conference, a speaker who nominates themselves as willing to participate in a panel increases their chances of being selected to participate.

.      Vendor organizations may submit proposals for any presentation category, but please understand that vendor presentations are viewed very cautiously, in light of past experience with sales pitches and commercialism.  Therefore, very few speaking slots are ultimately offered to vendor organizations (vendors interested in promoting their products may purchase exhibit space, product presentation times, or other sponsorships. Please contact Rick Froton, Director of Sales, 603-305-0660.)   

6.      Product presentations and/or demonstrations during conference sessions are not appropriate (Please note point # 3 in Presentation Conditions below). 

7a)  Night School sessions are one hour long and conducted on the first two evenings of the event.  They are lecture format (similar to regular conference sessions) and typically cover the fundamental concepts of new subject areas and new ideas.  They typically assume the audience has no prior experience in the subject matter being presented.  

7b)  Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are one hour long and conducted in the early mornings and evenings.  The typical format is a facilitated session, comprising a 5-10 minute overview talk by the speaker, followed by audience discussion.  SIGs can be for any level of audience experience.  

8.   A short-list of back-up speakers will be prepared from the original presentation submissions.  Back-up speakers will be used to fill any last-minute speaker cancellations.  If you are selected as a back-up, you have the option of registering for the conference at a reduced registration fee, and if eventually called upon to speak then you will receive a refund of your registration fee. 

9.   For further guidelines, see "How to Improve the Chances of Your Proposal Being Selected"

 

VERY IMPORTANT!  
Speaker Presentation Conditions, Requirements & Benefits

1.      All speakers must agree to provide their presentation to Wilshire Conferences in a standard electronic form (PowerPoint is required), no later than April 4, 2005. This is necessary to prepare the event CD and documentation. Speakers who are delinquent in meeting this deadline risk being replaced on the program.

2.      By submitting a proposal, the speaker agrees to the standard copyright and reproduction terms of this event.  These terms provide that copyright in original presentation material remains with the speaker, however Wilshire Conferences is granted the right to record, reproduce and distribute each presentation in all forms of printed and electronic conference materials, including, but not limited to, the conference CD-ROM, printed attendee notes, the conference web site, and audio and/or video recordings (digital and/or analog), without royalties or fees payable to speaker.  Sorry, there are no exceptions to these requirements.

3.      All sessions will be rated by the audience for commercial content.  Any speaker who is judged by the audience to have made an inappropriate sales pitch for his/her own company, book, product or service during a conference session risks having their presentation interrupted and/or halted, and will not be invited to participate at future conferences.

4.      By submitting a proposal, speaker agrees that he/she has permission from his/her company to make the presentation under the terms outlined in this Call for Papers.  If you do not have approval at the time you make the proposal, you must indicate this clearly.

5.      All accepted speakers receive complimentary attendance to the entire conference.

6.      All Conference Session, Panel, Night School and SIG speakers are responsible for their own travel and living expenses.

7.  Workshop and Tutorial speakers receive a fee ($750 for half-day workshop speakers, $1500 for full-day tutorial speakers) plus a expense reimbursement in accordance with the standard conference policies (which may be viewed here).  An expense budget will be established and confirmed with the speaker prior to final acceptance.

 

All questions regarding the Call for Papers may be sent to us at speaker@wilshireconferences.com.   

Thank you!

Tony Shaw
Meta-Data Program Chairman 
Wilshire Conferences      
www.wilshireconferences.com    
 Cathy Nolan
VP Conference Services
DAMA International
www.dama.org

     

Conference Sponsorship, Exhibit and Demonstration Opportunities 
are available.  Please contact Rick Froton at 603-305-0660 
or rick@wilshireconferences.com 

Guide to Possible Topic Areas

 DAMA International Symposium  

 Wilshire Meta-Data Conference

Presentation Proposal Submission Form

Meta-Data/DAMA 2005 Home Page

Wilshire Conferences Home Page