How to be Competitive - Proposals 101 There are a lot of ways to be competitive in the Conference proposal space - but I will add the note that proposal reviews have a lot of dynamics - and not leveraging the “most optimal” scenario does not mean you will not be competitive.

Ensure your abstract and benefits to the ecosystem are aligned and don’t contain “fillers”. The abstract should be written to draw attendees into your presentation. Benefits to the Ecosystem should be written to get straight to the point - why does this matter and how is it different from past presentations on the subject. Do your research - you can’t predict who will submit a similar proposal to yours for the same event - but committee members are responsible to attempt to ensure the proposed content is not recycled from a previous presentation. Present new and interesting information. This is a space where we can particularly shine. We’re constantly producing and implementing new use-cases for tools and technology that would benefit the ecosystem. We also represent a group more often than not that is categorized as an “end-user” of some technology (IE Kubernetes). We can leverage this to shine light on these unique perspectives that might resonate with others (who knows, another hero/influencer could be present). Collaborate - find partners (company/industry/open source) who would be willing to collaborate on the proposal. This adds an element of diversity to a proposal that helps ensure the lens is crafted for non-marketing focus. Select appropriate categories for the presentation - what technical level is the content for the audience and what category does the information fall in. Selecting these accurately will lead to better success in the review process. While hard to explain without adding a flair of negative connotation - how well does the experience and credentials of the presenter align with the content to be presented. It is expected that the level of technical content is supported by that of the presenter themselves.