Tips for Crafting a Winning SOCAP Open Idea
Submit Your SOCAP Open Proposal Here
If you have a powerful idea you want to bring to the stage at SOCAP16, SOCAP Open is the official platform for submitting your proposal. We invite anyone who has an important piece of content to share with the SOCAP audience, and who is prepared to develop that idea and bring it to the conference in San Francisco, to propose your panel, workshop, curated experience, or other type of content through SOCAP Open.
We are often asked to tell the secrets of crafting a winning SOCAP Open proposal. But there are no secrets. We will gladly share with you a list of tips we have put together based on years of reading proposals, watching voting patterns, reviewing, and selecting SOCAP Open content. This guide will help you craft a winning proposal so you can increase your chances of seeing your idea up on stage at SOCAP16.
Choose your topic carefully.
Your proposed content should provide obvious appeal and value to the SOCAP community.
SOCAP brings together people from a wide variety of sectors who are all focused on using the power of markets to make a positive impact on the world. SOCAP convenes the marketplace at the intersection of money and meaning, bringing together values-aligned investors, creative foundations and government agencies, service providers and intermediaries, and some of the most innovative social entrepreneurs from around the world. Keep this unique audience in mind as you select your topic.
Share a key insight, explore a complex problem, illuminate a hidden opportunity, issue a call to action. Don’t advertise or self-promote.
Write for a specific audience.
When you write your description, think about the people you want to reach. Tailor the description to the people who are most likely going to be interested in your topic. Tell them in clear language what will they will learn or do in your session. Session proposals that are too broad or general are less successful than sessions that have a clear topic or headline.
Be inclusive.
The social capital market is being built by individuals from around the world, diverse in gender, generation, ethnicity, race, culture, expertise, opinion and more. Make sure that your panel reflects the diversity of the conference. We will require that all SOCAP16 panels include gender diversity, as well as racial or ethnic diversity, so consider this early as you think through your panel composition and topic.
Write a compelling title.
This may be the only thing some attendees read! How can you be concise and catch attendees’ interest?
Describe your idea and its value clearly.
No matter how familiar you may be with your topic, remember that most of the people reading your description will not have the same field of reference. Avoid jargon, and be straightforward about the potential value. Be only as detailed as you need to be to clearly explain your topic.
Choose a moderator for your panel.
Moderators are highly suggested for panels, and are usually the anchor member of a successful session. The moderator understands the topic and the relationship to each panelist, and keeps the session focused and dynamic as they engage the participants.
We strongly advise against blatant advertorial content.
SOCAP is about exchanging ideas and pushing the field forward. Most of us come to SOCAP for authentic conversations and explorations, and thus shy away from overly advertorial topics. If you have a product or service that you think SOCAP audiences need to hear about, think deeply about whether or not your session only serves to promote that product or service. Exceptions we’ve found to be successful at SOCAP are panels around the launch of a recent study or report, and workshops that give participants a sample framework or tools that may be part of a broader service.
Check with potential panelists before submitting your proposal.
Propose panelists that you already have a relationship with and are very likely to accept your invitation to participate. Also think about who in your network would be a draw, attracting attendees to your session. We ask that you do your best to confirm that speakers are interested in participating before you submit your session idea. The speakers listed for a session will have an impact on the selection process.
While we strongly recommend that you confirm your speakers before you make your entry, you can still enter the name and fill in the information about your relationship with the speaker (including if you do not know them) in the unconfirmed box.
Promote your proposal through your networks.
Promote your proposal on your blog and through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other social media channels. Rallying your friends and associates to vote for your session proposal demonstrates energy, motivation and organizational ability. All of these skills are important when it comes to organizing a successful session for SOCAP. Please remember that high voting totals alone will NOT guarantee you a speaking slot and that online self-promotion is best when done appropriately and in moderation.
Engage with comments from voters.
When submitting your idea, we have created a default opt-in for you to receive an email notification when people comment on your idea. We highly encourage monitoring your idea’s comment feed and engaging with the people who are interested in contributing and discussing your idea.
Check out previous SOCAP content for inspiration and guidance.
If you have never attended SOCAP, it is very beneficial to read prior session descriptions and watch programming from previous conferences before drafting your proposal. You can view the full schedule, with session descriptions and speakers, from SOCAP15 on our community site. You can also watch a selection of video excerpts from past SOCAP events by visiting the SOCAPmarkets YouTube Channel.
We look forward to reviewing your proposal!
In 2015, we received over 200 submissions through the SOCAP Open platform. After a round of public voting, and final review by our expert panel, over 30 winning sessions were selected for presentation at SOCAP15. In 2016, we hope to see even more strong submissions, from an even wider network than any year before. And if you have submitted in the past, please keep those great ideas coming! Good luck crafting your proposal. We are excited to read the ideas that you want to bring to SOCAP16.