Open your call for speakers

Each event has one call for speakers. It stays closed until you open it, and every submission lands in Submissions.

Write what speakers see

On Call for speakers, the What speakers see card holds the text above the questions:

• Title: the heading of the form. It starts as your event’s name.
• Welcome text: what you’re looking for, who should submit and your key dates. Leave a blank line between paragraphs.
• Closes on: the last day speakers can submit. The call closes at 11:59 PM that day in your event’s timezone. Leave it empty to close it whenever you like.

The preview beside the editor shows the form as speakers will see it while you type. Your changes show on the form straight away, whether the call is open or not.

Choose the questions speakers answer

Under Questions speakers answer there are two lists: About the session and About the speaker. They use the same fields as the rest of Sessionboard, so an answer lands on the session or the speaker’s contact, where you can filter, export and use it.

• Title, Description, First name, Last name and Email are Always asked.
• Turn Required on or off for every other question.
• Change the order with Move up and Move down, or drag a question by its handle.
• Select Add a session question or Add a speaker question, then choose From your fields to pick one you already have (Format, Track, Job title, Company name, Headshot and more), or A new question to write one: short text, long text, single choice, multiple choice, yes or no, link or number. A call can have up to 15 questions of your own; the card shows how many you’ve used.
• Remove a question with its button. If speakers already answered it, Sessions says how many; their answers stay stored.

Select Save questions to put the changes on the form.

Note

Questions that appear only after a certain answer (conditional questions) are part of the Sessionboard platform. Sessions asks every speaker every question.

Open the call

Go to Call for speakers

Select Call for speakers in the sidebar.

Open it

Select Open the call. The card says Your call is open, and when it closes if you set a date.

Share the link

Select Copy link under Link to share, or View to see the form as a speaker does. Put the link on your website, in your newsletter or wherever speakers will find it.

You can open the call during your trial; no card is needed.

What speakers do

Speakers open the link, sign in or create an account with their email, then fill in two steps:

1. Their session: the questions under About the session.
2. About them: the questions under About the speaker. They can add co-speakers.

They check everything on a review step and select Submit. They see a thank-you page with a link to submit another session, and get a confirmation email.

Note

To tell speakers about your decisions, see Accept, waitlist or decline submissions. Speakers of an accepted session get the invite from the speaker email plan.

Close the call

Select Close the call at any time. The link then shows the call as closed, and the submissions you already have stay in Submissions. You can open it again later.

One call per event

A Sessions event has one call for speakers. More forms, conditional questions, more questions of your own, applications and submission fees are part of the Sessionboard platform.