CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS
The Vermont Workforce & Talent Summit is focused on promoting the long-term economic health of our state and providing opportunity for Vermonters. This event will provide tools to support talent recruitment and retention strategies which are essential to business growth and require partnerships between employers, educators, training providers, and government. The people, skills and training that power the economy today and the challenge of ensuring a new workforce generation will be at the heart of this event.
We are seeking presentation proposals for this day-long conference. These 60-minute seminars will provide attendees with solutions to workforce challenges and information about ongoing opportunities. Successful submissions will be informative, relevant, and engaging. Conference coordinators are looking for creative applications that utilize a variety of interactive formats that involve the attendee. We are not accepting proposals that focus on program awareness. The event will be held Thursday, May 28, 2020 at the Hilton Hotel in Burlington. Partners for this event include the Vermont Department of Labor, Advance Vermont, and the Vermont Futures Project.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Friday, February 14, 2020 at 5:00 PM EST
Timeline for Submission and Selection:
- Friday, February 14, 2020 – Proposals Due (please include a short biography and a headshot)
- Friday, February 21, 2020 – Notify proposal submitters of decisions
- Friday, April 17, 2020 – Presenter presentation packets are due
Suggested Topics: We are seeking seminar topics on workforce and talent solutions for educators, businesses and training providers. Suggested topics include but are not limited to:
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Data: Seminars may include data on demographics, education, industry, workforce, common myth busters and how to use that data to set the stage for success.
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Solutions: Presentations would include information on best practices for diversity and inclusion, engaging mature and millennial workers, school-to-work initiatives, and hiring people with traditional and other barriers to employment.
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Recruit and Retain: Attendees will learn about work environment trends, new methods to find workers, recruiting for diversity, training trends, and work-based learning opportunities.
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Sharing Success Stories: Presentations will showcase current initiatives that work and what other states are doing to find talent.
Audience Demographics and Interests:
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Attendees will include businesses, educators, training providers and government officials. CEOs, business owners, HR Directors, and talent providers will attend this event to learn how to strengthen their workforce and solve their talent challenges. Educators and career counselors from both the secondary and post-secondary levels will be interested in this content as they help prepare students for the workforce. Workforce training providers including tech centers and certificate program administrators will want to hear what businesses need. Together these audiences will close the gap between supply and demand and help match workforce with talent for economic growth.
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Best practices and latest trends are well-received as attendees are often so busy with their own work that they seek learning opportunities that showcase high level introductions to trending business concepts. A subsequent deeper dive into a few case studies exemplifying business strategies is also helpful within a seminar.
Submission Form and Additional Information:
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The attached submission form should be completed and submitted no later than Friday, February 14, 2020 at 5:00 PM EST to be considered. Please also include your headshot as well as a short biography.
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Please make sure the seminar name and description are enticing to encourage attendance.
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Presentation materials for your attendees should be sent to us in PDF format by Friday, April 17th to be uploaded into our conference app. This allows our attendees to print and bring their handout with them or follow along on their electronic device.
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A direct sales pitch is not appropriate. Attendees appreciate learning new information and gathering actionable information. If attendees think the speaker is knowledgeable and is providing worthwhile points, they will remember the company brand for these reasons.
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There are up to 20 seminar slots to be filled with audience sizes up to 50 attendees per seminar. All seminar rooms will be set classroom style. Please bring your own computers as needed. There will be a 10 minute break in between seminars to set up for yours. Please stay on time. Seminars will be 60 minutes and should be 45 minutes of presentation and 15 minutes Q&A.
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Vermont Chamber Members will be given preference.
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Please visit www.vtchamber.com for more information.