Developer Advocacy CFPs

A call for proposals (CFP), also called a call for papers, is an invitation to submit a talk, workshop, or other session for an event. Organizers review the proposals to select speakers and build the event program.

Speaking at events lets GitLab team members share what they have learned, connect with developers, and increase GitLab’s visibility in technical communities. Preparing proposals and speaking at events are part of a Developer Advocate’s job. The Developer Advocacy team also supports team members across GitLab who want to share their experience, whether they are new or experienced speakers.

Our events list

Each year, the Developer Advocacy team prioritizes events in our ecosystem and coordinates participation through issues linked in event epics. The calendar below shows speaking engagements, events, and CFP timelines in UTC.

CFP Management

The Developer Advocacy team manages CFP coordination, including event priorities, submission tracking, and results. Team members can track their speaking engagements in CFP issues and optionally ask for help with a proposal or presentation.

Track your speaking engagement

1. If you have been invited to speak on behalf of GitLab, check the Corporate Communications speaking requirements.
2. Find the event’s CFP issue.
   • Open the relevant Developer Advocacy event epic and find the event in its tables.
   • If the event is not tracked yet, create a CFP issue using the cfp-meta template. The template automatically applies the correct labels and sets the parent epic.
3. Add your proposal to the CFP issue.
   • Fill in any missing event details, submission due date, and proposal requirements.
   • Add the speaker names, talk title, abstract, and status to the Submissions table.
4. Submit your proposal through the event’s CFP submission form.
   • Adding it to the GitLab issue does not submit it to the event organizers.
   • Update the Submissions table after submitting.
5. Keep the CFP issue up to date.
   • Record the organizers’ decision and follow the template’s speaker checklist for accepted talks.
   • After the event, add feedback, slides, and recordings when available.

The cfp-meta template keeps an event’s CFP details and speaker submissions together. To ask for support from the Developer Advocacy team, use the separate request template.

Issue Workflow

For an optional view of open, submitted, and accepted CFPs, use the CFP issue board. The Developer Advocacy team uses scoped CFP labels to track each event through these stages. Follow the CFP workflow when updating labels and due dates.

Requesting help with a CFP or presentation

You can ask the Developer Advocacy team for proposal ideas, a CFP review, presentation feedback, or a practice session. Asking for help is optional; you can contribute your speaking engagement to CFP tracking without requesting support.

The developer-advocate-request template tells the team what help you need, who the audience is, and when you need it. It includes request details, event and CFP issue links, and a checklist for requests from other GitLab teams.

1. Open a Developer Advocate request issue.
2. Fill in Request.
   • Add your name, the date you need help by, and the event details.
   • Link the CFP issue and any separate event issue you already have.
3. Under Request Type, select Speaker Enablement and the relevant option for a CFP submission review or speaker coaching.
4. Use Request Details to explain the help you would like.
   • Link your draft abstract or slides.
   • Include the event’s submission requirements and CFP due date so the team can plan feedback before you submit.
5. Complete the triage information.
   • Under Request Triage Information, add the audience and recording details you know.
   • Follow the Non-DevAdvocacy Team Request Checklist if you are on another GitLab team.

Requesting a Developer Advocate to submit a CFP

To request that a Developer Advocate submits a proposal for an event:

1. Open a Developer Advocate request issue.
   • Under Request Type, select Speaking and Speaking engagement / event coverage.
2. Fill in Request and Request Details.
   • Include the event details, CFP link, submission due date, suggested topics, and why the event is relevant to GitLab.
3. Complete Request Triage Information.
   • Add the audience and recording details you know.
   • Follow the Non-DevAdvocacy Team Request Checklist if you are on another GitLab team.
4. Label the issue with CFP.

Speaking resources

1. GitLab-branded slide templates: Create a copy of the template for your presentation and follow the slide guidance.
2. developers.events: Find developer conferences and CFP opportunities.

Proposal templates

Submission forms differ. One event may ask for a 1,000-character abstract, while another asks for a short biography or specific learning goals. Check each event’s requirements before submitting. The Developer Advocacy team uses Google Docs to draft and review abstracts. Keeping your biography and headshot links in one document can also save time when preparing submissions.

1. CFP abstract template
2. Speaker biography template

Tips for CFP submissions

Help the selection committee understand what you will teach, why it matters to the audience, and what experience you bring to the topic.

Here are some steps to go through when writing a CFP:

1. Research the event. Read the CFP, suggested topics, audience description, and submission requirements. Check the due date and time zone.
2. Choose a useful topic. Connect your experience to the event’s themes. Be specific about the problem you will explore and what attendees will learn.
3. Look at past sessions. Review previous programs and recordings to understand the audience, session formats, and level of technical detail.
4. Draft a title and outline. Start with a working title and the main lesson. Describe the situation, the problem, and what you learned from addressing it, then turn that outline into an abstract.
5. Review and submit. Check the length and required fields. If you would like feedback, ask a colleague or request help from Developer Advocacy. Leave time to revise before the due date.

Helpful links

1. Lachie’s 7 step guide to writing a winning tech conference CFP
2. Make me an offer I can’t refuse – Writing an abstract for a CFP

View page source - Edit this page - please contribute.