Stand up. Speak out.

ISACA Call for Speakers Process

(Please note: the following information is specific to education events ISACA produces at the ISACA Global level. Local ISACA chapter events are not subject to this procedure. Please contact your local ISACA chapter for additional information regarding local education events.)

ISACA issues a specific Call for Speakers for each educational event it produces at the ISACA Global level, as well as a general call not related to a specific event. Speakers may submit up to three (3) abstracts per conference.

Each Call for Speakers clearly identifies:

• Target audiences
• Learning objectives
• Education delivery methods
• Event structure
• Possible topics

ISACA’s subject matter experts identify elements within the Call for Speakers (listed above), then review the proposals, vet the speakers, and make final topic and speaker selections. Our conference team along with the subject matter experts work with the selected speaker throughout the session development process to ensure compliance with the stated objectives and to avoid overt commercialism.

Speaker Concierge
Speaker FAQs

Learning Objectives and Education Mission

Continuing professional education is best accomplished in a setting that encourages dialogue, discussion and debate, both formally within the sessions and informally.

ISACA seeks innovated session proposals that not only speak to the technical issues, but also provide context. Speakers should offer real-world examples, case studies, successes and failures, examples of actual tools and working papers used (including mapping to ISACA frameworks where appropriate), and insights on emerging issues. Sessions should be designed to encourage interactive audience participation by including small group discussions, exercises and other activities to interject energy and promote dialogue. ISACA is not looking for lectures, but rather innovative and exciting sessions. ISACA expects learning objectives for proposed sessions to reflect actions and abilities the attendees can employ from participating in the session. The learning objectives must be clear and measurable. Learning objectives need to complete the following sentence: “After completing this session, the participant will be able to…”.

The speaker must provide additional resources such as bibliographies, white papers, relevant articles, tools, guides, sample programs and other information that extends the learning beyond the session and adds value to the event. Presentation material including additional resources is subject to quality review by the subject matter experts and must be ready in its final form approximately 10 weeks prior to the event. Please carefully consider, if selected as a speaker, whether you would be able to comply with the deadline.

Industry-specific sessions are welcome to make guidance more specific. Proposals from a team or a panel are also encouraged in order to share multiple perspectives on a topic. Speakers are expected to have read and be familiar with portions of COBIT 5, Cybersecurity Nexus, and other ISACA thought leadership that are relevant to their presentations. Speakers should consider how presentation content supports CISA, CISM, CGEIT, CRISC and CDPSE knowledge objectives.

How Speakers Are Chosen

Proposals are reviewed by ISACA’s subject matter experts. During the process, we vet the potential speaker, not the speaker’s company or organization. ISACA expects the speaker to honor his or her commitment to present the proposed session at the subject event.

The proposals are evaluated in whole or in part on the following criteria:

• Subject matter is cutting-edge or presents new ideas, presented in a creative and engaging way
• Topic is timely for the industry today and will attract attendees
• Abstract and title of the session demonstrate the intent concisely
• Learning objectives and learning level are well-defined and support each other
• Attendees will able to relate to the content and apply what they’ve learned in their roles
• Technical accuracy
• Context of the issues including real-world case studies, examples, and stories
• Potential for audience interactive participation
• Speaker presentation skills and experience
• Speaker is knowledgeable, engaging and experienced on the topic submitted
• Speaker industry leadership
• Education focus devoid of overt and covert commercialism
• Overall quality of the written proposal
• The content provides a thought-leadership perspective for the conference attendees

Benefits of Speaking

An international professional organization with more than 180,000 constituents in more than 188 countries, ISACA is a leading provider of knowledge, certifications, community, advocacy and education on information systems assurance and security, enterprise governance of IT, and IT-related risk and compliance. ISACA education is recognized throughout the industry. Speakers associated with ISACA education events are similarly recognized as industry leaders and subject matter experts.

• All selected speakers receive a complimentary registration to the event (not including optional workshops).
• Speakers gain increased visibility throughout the ISACA international community.
• Speakers and their companies and organizations are included in promotional information sent to regional and international constituents via hard copy brochures and other marketing material, the ISACA web site, press releases and other publicity outlets.
• Speakers have the opportunity to network with peers and other professionals at specifically designed points throughout the event.
• Speakers can prove their value, expertise, knowledge and acumen by presenting relevant and timely subjects in an effective manner, often leading to business development.

Top Rated Speaker

The top five (5) rated speakers per conference, receiving an average score of 4.75 or higher, will receive special formal recognition of their accomplishment from ISACA and will be named Top Rated Speakers on the Conference web page at the conclusion of the Conference. This score will be calculated from the average score of the questions on the mobile app session survey that are specifically related to the speaker and the presentation. At least twenty percent (20%) of attendees must respond to the session’s survey in order to qualify. Further, the Top Rated Speakers of the Conference may be invited back to present again at future ISACA Conferences.

Speaker Expense Reimbursement

ISACA is a not-for-profit organization serving the IT assurance, information security management and IT governance communities. Most speakers and their companies recognize the importance of being part of ISACA’s educational events and embrace a philanthropic spirit by funding travel and lodgings. ISACA education events provide speakers the opportunity to demonstrate their expertise, knowledge and experience, as well as to network with constituents for business development purposes. In appreciation for all the hard work and effort, ISACA offers speakers one (1) complimentary registration for the conference per session. Complimentary registration is not transferable or able to be used as a credit. (Registration for the pre- and post-workshops are not included) If multiple speakers are presenting, ISACA offers one (1) additional complimentary conference registration if presentation materials are submitted by deadlines outlined in the speaker agreement. In addition, ISACA recognizes speakers and their companies as “conference supporters” in conference literature distributed to delegates.