SUMMIT 2022 Call for Knowledge Experts is Open!

February 28, 2022

Posted By: Jackie Bloom in Blog,

The Women in Manufacturing Association (WiM) invites industry professionals to submit speaking proposals for the 2022  SUMMIT  to be held on October 10 - 12, 2022. To ensure that the entire community can participate, the 2022 SUMMIT will be a hybrid conference, with both a virtual experience and in-person sessions at the Omni Atlanta Hotel CNN Center in Atlanta, GA.

The Women in Manufacturing SUMMIT is the highlight of WiM’s busy calendar of year-round programming dedicated to supporting, promoting, and inspiring women in the manufacturing sector. The WiM SUMMIT brings together manufacturers of all types and welcomes individuals from every job function. The event features exclusive tours of leading manufacturing facilities, professional development sessions, roundtable discussions, and inspiring keynote presentations, as well as social and networking events. More than 900 attendees are expected to participate this year.

WiM seeks presenters who share cutting-edge ideas, inspire enlightening discussions, and offer the latest innovative concepts and trends that are changing how we work in manufacturing. Proposals are encouraged on presentation topics related to professional development, personal development, technical innovations and training, manufacturing business trends, strategic leadership, and diversity, equity and inclusion.

To be considered to speak at the 2022 SUMMIT, please complete the online application form by  Friday, April 29, 2022. 

Selected speakers will be notified by email  by July 15, 2022.

Submit your presentation proposal here.
*This online form must be completed for consideration.

Speaker Benefits

Each presenter will receive one complimentary registration to the SUMMIT
Your name, company and title of your presentation will be published in the conference program and on the conference website and will be featured on social media
Your presentation provides an excellent marketing and business development opportunity by highlighting your company’s leadership, best practices and successes
As a speaker, you are recognized as a leader in your field and to the WiM community

The Evaluation Process:

All proposals are evaluated based on the following criteria:

Overall quality
Relevance to the industry
Well-defined focus within the program track structure
Practical applications of the material
Timeliness of the topic
Speaker qualifications

To be considered as a conference speaker, your program must be educational in nature, sales presentations will not be accepted. The final program selections and notifications will be made by mid-July. You will be notified by email if your presentation is selected.

Our events team is working hard to establish safety protocols to make in-person/hybrid events possible. While we look forward to welcoming members back to face-to-face education and networking, we are also planning for the contingency of needing to hold any of these events entirely virtual.

As a result of this uncertainty, we are asking our prospective speakers to be flexible and be prepared to speak both in person and virtually. We will only be hosting in-person gatherings when safe to do so.

Session Formats:

Keynote - The main, featured addresses at the conference. The topics of keynote addresses fit closely with the conference theme. Keynote speakers are all well-accomplished in their fields. (30 minutes – 1 hour in length)

Breakout Session - Smaller group sessions focused on specific topics or discussions that attendees choose to attend. These sessions are normally run concurrently with other sessions. (45 minutes – 1 hour in length)

Panel - Panels are moderated sessions of no more than four panelists, plus one moderator. The moderator should have a predetermined set of questions and incorporate audience questions and feedback into the discussion. Panel presentations should be designed to engage with the audience. (45 minutes – 1 hour in length)

Roundtable - A speaker presents a topic and leads discussion. At roundtables, participants could visit more than one roundtable discussion during the session.

Workshop These sessions are meant to provide conference attendees with practical tools and approaches, featuring
interactive components that will engage participants in learning activities throughout the time block. (1-1.5 hour in length)

Learning Pathways:

Professional Development
Personal Development
Technical Topics
Sustainability
Innovation & Transformation
Allyship
Manufacturing Business Trends
Strategic Leadership
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Audience Learning Levels:

Foundational: focus on awareness and factual recall; appropriate for those with limited experience of the subject area seeking introductory understanding of the content areas.

Applied: focus on understanding and comprehension; appropriate for those with some experience seeking to build on, apply, or enhance existing knowledge using content in practical applications to master concepts

Strategic: focus on application and implementation of highly technical or detailed topics; appropriate for those with substantial prerequisite knowledge seeking the most up-to-date information to heighten expertise.

Instructional Design:

Women in Manufacturing Association (WiM) seeks proposals that reflect adult learning principles and reflect the best thinking in the field, informed by theory, research, and practice.

To deliver exceptional learning experiences, preference may be given to proposals that demonstrate an ability to:

Reflect innovation and cutting-edge content
Stimulate and provoke discussion and audience engagement
Facilitate knowledge transfer and development of new competencies
Provide diverse approaches for different types of learners
Present a business case with evidence supported by research or data
Provide concrete examples and relevant takeaways that can be utilized immediately
Use methods that draw out relevant past knowledge and experiences
Motivate learners with goal- or outcomes-focused design
Demonstrate relevance of lessons through “real-life” case studies as they relate to current business environment.