{"id":1734,"date":"2016-06-23T17:00:27","date_gmt":"2016-06-23T17:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.autodesk.com\/autodesk-university\/?p=1734"},"modified":"2016-06-23T17:00:27","modified_gmt":"2016-06-23T17:00:27","slug":"peek-behind-the-curtain-aus-speaker-selection-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.autodesk.com\/autodesk-university\/peek-behind-the-curtain-aus-speaker-selection-process\/","title":{"rendered":"Peek behind the curtain: AU’s speaker selection process"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year, more than 2,000 class proposals are submitted for AU during the Call for Proposals (CFP). And every year, roughly 600 are selected for the event. That leaves about 1,500 quality proposals behind.<\/p>\n

For those wondering why their proposal wasn\u2019t chosen, we thought it might be helpful to explain how the decisions are made. Hopefully we can provide a little insight into how we do things and what we\u2019re looking for, and empower you to create a proposal next year that hits the bull\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s hot, what\u2019s not?<\/strong><\/p>\n

After the big event in Las Vegas every year, you might think that the AU team curls up under their desks and naps for a few months, but it\u2019s not true. We only nap for like a day or 2. Then, believe it or not, it\u2019s back to work planning the next year\u2019s event.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of discussion about what went right and what didn\u2019t, and even more discussion about how we can make AU better next time around. A big part of that conversation revolves around topics that were of interest to attendees and experts. Which classes and forums were crowded, and which weren\u2019t? What did people talk about on social media, and what got ignored? We\u2019re always asking how we can better serve the needs of the Autodesk user community.<\/p>\n

We also find other ways to gather information on what people are interested in. For example, this year we ran the Tournament of Topics just prior to the opening of CFP so people could vote for their favorite topics. Simulation took home the trophy there, and you\u2019d best believe you\u2019ll be seeing plenty of sessions about simulation at AU 2016.<\/p>\n

We also look at AU attendance based on the industries we serve, and plan classes accordingly. The AEC audience at AU is a large 1, for example, so it only makes sense to program enough classes to support that part of our community.<\/p>\n

Priorities, priorities<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the AU team is scrubbing its numbers and analyzing trends, other folks at Autodesk are busy, too. We partner with a host of experts here at Autodesk central to get their take on new trends and industry changes. The decisions they\u2019re making about our software help guide many of our strategies and priorities for the year ahead. No question, we\u2019re a strategic bunch.<\/p>\n

How can you learn what our priorities are? Good question. The answer is in the CFP Guide<\/a>. We mix all the priorities together and combine them where appropriate to create a master list of hot topics. Reading the guide can help you hit the mark with your proposal.<\/p>\n

Making the hard choices<\/strong><\/p>\n

After the CFP closes, we sort through the proposals based on their alignment with our priorities and start tackling a very challenging review process. Because here\u2019s the thing\u2014the CFP is very competitive. For every proposal that\u2019s accepted, 3 are rejected.<\/p>\n

We wish there were room for everyone, but until Las Vegas invents a bigger hotel, this is the way it has to be.<\/p>\n

Other factors <\/strong><\/p>\n

While trending topics and industry priorities are the biggest factors in our proposal review process, we also consider the following:<\/p>\n