By Claire at Slayte
Let’s be honest: managing a Call for Proposals (CFP) can feel a bit like trying to organize a music festival without knowing which bands are showing up. You’ve got deadlines, decision-makers, speakers-to-be, reviewers with day jobs—and if you’re lucky, one spreadsheet that isn’t already breaking. So if CFP season makes you want to light your inbox on fire, you’re not alone.
But there’s a better way. Here’s how some of the most organized (and calm) event planners we work with approach it.
1. Start With the End in Mind
Before you write the first submission form, ask:
What kind of content do we want in the program?
Are you trying to balance research with practitioner case studies? Do you want fresh voices or past crowd favorites? Should sessions be peer-reviewed, staff-selected, or a mix?
Once you're clear on the outcome, it becomes a lot easier to design forms, reviewer rubrics, and communication plans that actually support that vision - rather than just collecting proposals for the sake of it.
2. Make Submission Easy - But Not Too Easy
No one wants to wrestle with a clunky form. But there's also value in making submitters pause for a second and think.
The most effective CFPs we see are short, structured, and purposeful. They ask for:
- A clear session title (with a character limit)
- A well-scoped abstract (300–500 words is the sweet spot)
- Presenter bios that are actually usable for marketing later
- Learning objectives—especially if education credits are involved
Less is more. But incomplete or vague submissions? That's more work later.
3. Reviewers Are Busy. Respect Their Time.
The more decisions you expect people to make, the fewer of them you’ll get.
If your review committee is made up of volunteers or board members (read: people already doing too much), your job is to help them fly through evaluations, not slow them down.
That means:
- A rubric with clear, bite-sized criteria
- An intuitive interface (even if it’s just a clean PDF + form)
- An easy way to see conflicts of interest or missing info
Some of our customers limit each reviewer to 10–15 sessions max, then rotate assignments. It keeps things moving and improves quality.
4. Build in Breathing Room
Planners often underestimate the time between "submissions are in!" and "the schedule is ready!" There’s reviewing, score normalization, decision-making, approvals, speaker outreach, edits... It adds up.
If you’re back-planning from your event date, add a two-week buffer wherever you can. Especially if you have a board vote or program committee review in the mix.
Trust me - you’ll use it.
5. Communicate Like a Human
This might sound obvious, but it’s easy to forget: people are nervous when they submit. They want to know:
- Did you get my proposal?
- When will I hear back?
- What happens next?
Templates help (and yes, Slayte has them), but tone matters too. Be warm, be clear, and follow through. Even a quick “Thanks for submitting! Here’s what’s next.” goes a long way.
And when it’s time to send decisions? If you can personalize rejections even slightly, it builds trust. You might be rejecting them today - but you’re also inviting them back next year.
So, Is It Chaos-Proof?
Not quite. Things will still come in late. Reviewers will still forget to log in. And yes, someone will inevitably submit a 3,000-word proposal titled “Session Title TBD.”
But when you’re clear on the process, kind to your reviewers, and thoughtful with your tech - it makes all the difference.
And hey, if you need a hand with that tech part?
You know where to find us.
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