Events | May 8-9, 2017: Session Proposals

We're preparing our next big 2-day event on May 8-9 (Monday-Tuesday), 2017,

This time the event is taking place at the brand new (and old at the same time) Flanders Meeting & Convention Center Antwerp,
better know as the Elisabeth Center Antwerp.

Here's more info regarding the nearby hotels and reduced rate room-reservation.
Details about the venue and how it can be reached are available here.

On previous occasions, we had outstanding speakers (2016) and also in 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010.

We want to see you do a presentation too.
Let us know if you have a great topic you would like to talk about.

We have 3 different types of presentation

• Normal sessions take 45 or 60 minutes (depending on the slot in the schedule).
  Please allow about 5 minutes for Q&A.
• new Short sessions last 20 minutes.
  Depending on the number of submissions, we will fill the 45 minutes slots with 2x 20' (and a 5' break in between, to set up).
• new Round-Table discussions: 30 minutes, No slides, no presentation or laptop!
  10 people can sit around the table, with a max. of 10 people standing around.

All sessions have to be presented in English. We prefer you bring your own laptop/tablet for doing the presentation.
All rooms are equipped for projection, and have wireless internet connection (we hope it is very reliable).

There will be 6 tracks:

• Business & Strategy
• Administration & Deployment
• Development
• new Big Data & Analytics
• Emerging Technologies
• Commercial (gold/platinum sponsors only).

Please submit your session proposal before February 28th. This will allow us to sort through the submissions. We should be able to announce the accepted session by mid March.

Some of the criteria for being approved are:

• Originality (if 5 people want to talk about Installing Connections, we're not going to approve them all)
• Timeliness (don't submit a session about using formula language in Notes)
• Interest and Relation to all thing IBM Collaboration Solutions & Analytics/Big Data (Jumla development might be interesting, but not that many attendees will be interested, nor is it relevant)
  Note that, we are open to topics that broaden existing solutions (e.g. modern JS frameworks, emerging technologies)
• Availability of slots (we can approve around 60 sessions)
• Track record as a speaker (note that we have had first-time speakers at every Engage event, so go for it!)

Session Proposals are no longer accepted. Announcements by mid March!

Abstracts are closed as of Feb. 28th.
*All submitted sessions are subject to the Engage's approval

Important: Some guidelines about your Speaker Picture and Bio.

Contrary to previous year, we most likely will not be able to cover the hotel-expenses for non-commercial, non-IBM speakers.
The venue is very expensive this year. But who knows our budget is bigger than anticipated! We will try our best.
You have to book a room yourself (use the hotel link above). We'll tell the hotel 2 weeks up-front, if we can cover 1 or more nights, and for whom.

We are known to treat our guests very well, and want to keep this tradition going (yes, we will have chocolates in serious quantities again).

An exciting VIP Dinner (for all speakers and main sponsor representatives) is planned, for MONDAY evening at the main venue itself. Details soon!
The reception itself will give you butterflies :-)

For those speakers that are still around on Tuesday evening, we have an evening activity scheduled.
Every year we try to find something exciting, and I can guarantee you, it's going to be awesome again!
We can only accommodate 60 people!

Many cities in Belgium and The Netherlands (Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, ...) are well worth visiting, so extend your stay and enjoy.
All of the interesting cities are relatively nearby, and can be reached by car or train in less than an hour and a half.