Hi there! First, I'm delighted that you're interested in having me speak at your event. I truly love what I do, and I'm always excited for another opportunity to share my knowledge and viewpoints with others. That said, I do have some requirements and standards for accepting an offered speaking slot, submitting to an open CFP, or engaging in any kind of promotion for an event (yes, including retweets).
Your event must have an explicitly-defined, enforced Code of Conduct linked publicly on your event's website, preferably as a top-level menu item. It should include a clear, readable description of what behaviour is and is not acceptable, as well as at least one way for someone to report a violation. A paragraph of legalese buried in the Terms of Use is not sufficient to meet this requirement. If you're looking for inspiration, the CNCF Code of Conduct is a great place to start.
Across your entire event, there must be an adequate representation of races, gender identities, and expressions. The exact requirements fluctuate a bit based on the size of the event, but generally, at least 30% of your total speaker lineup should be people who are not cisgender white men. I would strongly prefer not to see singular representation (i.e., only one Black speaker). Making room for new speakers is also important to me; I want to see at least one slot reserved for a person who is not already well-known on the speaking circuit.
For panels, Birds of a Feather, or any other speaking arrangement consisting of three or more people on stage at a time, there must be at least one speaker who is not a cisgender white male. All male or all white speaking groups are not acceptable.
I strongly prefer events that clearly communicate each speaker's pronouns, both on the conference website and on badges.
All areas of the event (including any auxiliary events like official afterparties or co-located events) must be accessible to those who require mobility aids, including stages.
Captioning should be provided, ideally live by a trained professional. If there is absolutely no other option, auto-generated captioning is not the greatest but will suffice.
No part of the cost of speaking at your event should lie with the speaker. My employer will cover airfare and hotel for an event, plus a day on either side of the event dates, if the conference theme or attendee demographic is one that aligns with their goals. If your event does not fit (most do, though!), you must cover a hotel near the conference venue, airfare, and transportation between the airport and the hotel. Regardless of whether or not my employer covers the cost of my appearance at your event, you must provide me with a full pass for the event.
If your event is a significant time zone change from me (Central European Time zone), I do ask that my arrival flight be booked to arrive a day or two before my speaking slot.
This policy applies to all speakers at an event.
I eat a plant-based, vegan diet. Please ensure that your catering can provide a vegan option during all meals.
For large-scale, corporate event where the organizing company stands to make a profit, or private internal corporate events: in both of these cases, my fee is negotiable based on the size of the event and whether or not I am a keynote speaker. If I am being paid, all other speakers should be paid as well.