A Web Directions event Respond 2017 Australia's Front end Design Conference

We want you to present at Web Directions Respond 2017

Respond is our front end design conference, covering sophisticated use of enabling technologies like CSS, design systems, performance, UX, IxD–everything that goes into making first class digital experiences.

And now we’re looking for the next great presenter to share their knowledge of, and passion for, designing and building these experiences.

What we’re looking for

Please note: for these sessions we can only accept speakers from inside Australia.

Our calls for presentations are a little different to many conferences out there. We’re more specific than some about what we’re looking for, and we’re keen to help you improve your skills, no matter whether you’re just starting out, or you’re a seasoned presenter. Each of the presentations we’re looking for will be of 20 minutes duration, giving you the chance to go into detail, but on a very focused area.

Now, for the very best chance of your presentation being accepted (as in, 50 times more likely!) read the following carefully.

Key dates

1. Call for proposals closes Friday March 3rd
2. We'll let you know whether you've been successful by March 6th
3. Respond Sydney May 4 and 5
4. Respond Melbourne May 8 and 9
5. Respond Brisbane May 12

What we need from You

All you need to do is fill in the simple form below, with a little information about you, and the presentation you are proposing.

But please note we’re looking for quite specific sessions. Our sessions aim to be:

• highly usable - techniques and technologies that are broadly applicable today
• about new or under appreciated aspects of design and enabling technologies - if it’s something everyone’s doing, then let’s move on to what’s next!
• Focused. 20 minutes is the ideal time frame for looking at one thing in detail.

To get a sense of what we’ve covered in recent years, take a look at the program from the last couple of events:

• Respond 2015
• Respond 2016

As well as some of the keynotes we've already announced for 2017.

Am I ready to present?

You don't need to be the world leader to bring value to an audience. If you know your stuff, and use it to get real world results, then you're ready to share with your peers. Above all, it's about helping people like you do what they do better.

Sydney and Melbourne (and maybe Brisbane)

Respond 2017 takes place in Sydney (May 4 & 5), Melbourne (May 8 & 9) with a one day highlights version in Brisbane (May 12). We're looking for speakers for both Melbourne and Sydney, where the program will be identical, so you must be able to present in both Sydney and Melbourne, with the possibility of also speaking in Brisbane. We’ll of course look after travel and accommodation when you’re away from home. You may also if necessary attend just the day of your presentation.

Now, read on for some specific ideas of content we’re looking for.

• Experience Design

• From animation to interaction design, and all things that go to making great front end experiences, we're looking for highly focused sessions with actionable takeaways: lessons learned, things to avoid. Share your knowledge with your peers.

• New and emerging HTML/CSS

• While Respond is about much more than just the enabling technologies, they're still very much a key part of the program. Are you using new, or underutilised language features from HTML and CSS, and getting great results? Think everyone should know about these features? Then we want to hear about it! Now, we love the bleeding edge, but we’re looking for practical, real world technologies–so widespread browser support, or progressive enhancement are key.

What happens if my presentation is chosen?

We said we’re a little different, and that doesn’t stop after you submit a proposal. We want to help you become a great presenter!

Presentation workshop

If your proposal is accepted, you'll have the option of attending one of our Speaker Development Workshops (completely free to you), conducted by professional speaking coaches. Even seasoned speakers get a lot out of these sessions. These typically take place in Sydney and Melbourne.

The full speaker treatment

For any presentation chosen for Respond, you’ll be a speaker like any other. You’ll attend the conference in both Sydney and Melbourne (and possibly Brisbane as well), speaker dinners, and for the city (or cities) you don’t live in, we’ll get you there and home, and put you up while you’re there.

Thanks

Thanks for reading this far. Now go and submit a presentation, we can't wait to see your ideas.

Praise for past Web Directions events

Web Directions is the must-attend event of the year for anyone serious about web development.

Phil Whitehouse,
Innovation Lead DigitasLBi

I’ve been admiring the Web Directions events for years, and was honored to be part… What a fantastic event!

Ethan Marcotte,
inventor "responsive Web design"

Out of any conference, Web Directions is far and away our favourite

Dave Greiner,
founder Campaign Monitor

About Us

Code of Conduct

For over a decade, we've worked hard to create inclusive, fun, inspring and safe events for the Web Industry.

As part of our commitment to these values, we've adopted a code of conduct for all involved: ourselves, our speakers, our partners and our audience.