VMware just announced that the Call for Papers for VMworld 2018 is now open until March 13th. Just like last year, this year VMware has opened early compared to the usual March-April period of years past. Remember VMworld US is again back in Vegas this year at the Mandalay Bay from Aug. 26th-30th, VMworld Europe in Barcelona is much later this year, instead of being right after the US event like last year, this year it it pushed out to November (5th-8th). Here are the key dates for the CFP process this year:

• June 12, 2018 – Speaker Resource Center Live (US and Europe)
• June 19, 2018 – Content Catalog Live (US and Europe)
• July 10, 2018 – Presentation First Drafts Due (US)
• July 17, 2018 – Schedule Builder Live (US)
• August 2, 2018 – Final Presentations Due (US)
• August 26-30 – VMworld 2018 US takes place (Las Vegas)
• September 25, 2018 – Schedule Builder Live (Europe)
• September 25, 2018 – Presentation First Drafts Due (Europe)
• November 5-8, 2018 – VMworld takes place (Barcelona)

Last year they ended up extended the deadline a few days, but one thing I can’t stress enough is don’t wait for until the last minute and rush through it, plan it out now and write your submissions up so they are well thought out. From previous experience I can tell you to have a catchy title as it’s your sessions curb appeal. Many people won’t make it past your title and you miss a chance to interest them with your abstract if you have a boring and un-interesting session title. As a former content committee judge I can also tell you to spend some time on your abstract and don’t rush to throw something together without thinking it through. I’ve seen lots of session proposals that lacked any real detail about what the session was about.

If you want to impress both the content committee and public voters who will determine if your session is approved I encourage you to follow the tips listed below for the best chance of getting your session approved. For sponsors in particular I highly encourage you to read this post I did last year entitled: Sponsor sessions at VMware events: If you build it right they will come. In that post I detailed what works and what doesn’t to make your session attractive to attendees, this is based on my personal experience at VMworld last year and how I was able to get almost 1,000 people to register for my session. To summarize the winning formula for a good session tends to be:

• Knowledgeable, technical speaker + educational/technical content – sales/marketing pitch = great attendance

Here are some additional tips that VMware provides:

Tips for Creating Effective Titles for Submission

• Do not use abbreviations or acronyms under any circumstances in the titles of your submissions.
• Do not use competitor or other company names in your submission titles. If you are highlighting other companies within your session, you can adopt these names within the session description.
• Start with the Benefit: Ex: Shorten Adoption Time by Using VMware’s XXX.
• Use clear and concise language that attendees will immediately understand. The agenda will eventually host hundreds of sessions and attendees need to easily identify sessions of interest. Straight forward language like “Introduction to”, “Deep Dive” and “Case Study” are popular examples because they quickly tell the attendee important information about the session.

Typical Reasons for Abstract Rejection

• The abstract is poorly written—ideas are not clear, goals are not established, there are grammatical errors, etc.
• The content is not relevant to the indicated audience.
• The session value is not clearly identified.
• The session topic is not unique or overlaps with another more appropriate abstract.

Tips for Writing Winning Abstracts

• Avoid beginning your session description with the phrase, “In this session we will…”, or “In this session you will learn…”. It does not add value and becomes tedious on an agenda of several hundred sessions. Instead try a rhetorical question, or an interesting industry data
  point to start your session abstract.
• Ensure that what you submit will be what you present. Nothing will upset attendees more than signing up for a session that is not what it is advertised to be.
• Your abstract should generate enthusiasm‐ make sure your content is relevant, but also generates excitement. What invaluable information will be shared during the session?
• Thoughtfully leverage the tags in the system for topics, level, and roles. Who is the target audience? What products or topics does this session cover outside of the track name? What roles would specifically benefit from this session? Do not check every check box if your session is applicable to all.
• Be Original – Attendees want to see new presentations that cover the latest innovations in technology. Take the time to create well‐written titles, abstracts, outlines, and the key takeaways for your submission. A thoughtful proposal will have a better chance of being
  selected and if accepted, will be seen by thousands of attendees once published in the course catalog.
• Be Educational –VMware requires that sessions focus on the educational value of the presentation. Be sure that your proposal doesn’t sound like a sales pitch but rather an exciting opportunity for attendees to learn something new.
• Be Timely – Make sure your topic is relevant to the audience you’re targeting. Review the content topics before submitting a session.

Read the full submission guidelines here and the FAQ here.

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