Lightning Talks are BACK

Remember Lighting Talks? By popular demand… We’re bringing them back for BoS Conference Europe (March 31-April 1). What are Lighting Talks? Why should you consider applying for a Lightning Talk? What makes a great Lightning Talk? How do you apply and how do we select the speakers?

What are Lightning Talks?

• Lighting Talks are a difficult, fun, and entertaining opportunity for our attendees to share something they care about with other attendees.
• Attendee Lighting Talks follow a fixed format. 15 slides, without animations, that advance automatically every 30 seconds to deliver the nugget of an idea that get people to think.

Why should you consider applying for a Lightning Talk?

• Speakers from previous years have gone on to give regular talks subsequently.
• Giving a Lightning Talk offers an unprecedented opportunity to meet people at the conference. Most people you will meet will generally be in awe that you’ve agreed to subject yourself to this strange form of torture.
• Don’t forget the other presenters – there is nothing quite like a shared challenge to bring people together and build camaraderie.
• Lightning Talks give you a rare opportunity to spend time thinking about a specific topic of your own choosing and distilling it down into something you can quickly and effectively communicate to others.
• One of the biggest obstacles to participation is clearly the fear of having to speak on someone else’s clock. And it should be a fear, because it is a serious challenge.

Here’s what Joe Corkery, a previous Lightning Talk speaker had to say.

What makes a great Lightning Talk?

• Generally a combination of a great idea, presentation skills and practice. Lots of practice. Speaking while slides advance automatically can be distracting.

Better than explaining, watch some of the previous talks, we’ve selected some great examples:

Des Traynor – Product Strategy Is About Saying No

Patrick McKenzie – Marketing to Minorities – Hello Ladies

Kirsty Woolsey – Solving the Right Problem. Workplace Strategy That Works

Tania Katan – It Was Never a Dress

How do you apply and how do we select the speakers?

• You submit your idea here by February 28 2025.
• We select a short list of talks first week in March.
• From the applications, we select a maximum of five talks to speak on stage.
• In the event that we have too many great quality applications, we will select a smaller group of the potential talks and invite those speakers to participate in a bake off during day one of the conference at which one of the speakers will be invited to speak on the second day.

Submit your Lightning Talk here. Deadline February 28 2025.