Call for Proposals

The Call for Proposals is now Open!

Associations West is seeking education content leaders for the 2025-2026 program year including the ELEVATE Annual Conference, Seasonal Spectacular, Membership & Marketing Summit, webinars and our regional programs - including the NEW Summits rolling out this Fall and Spring.

To deliver a positive learning experience, Associations West welcomes proposals designed to advance the work of association professionals, business partners, and the industries they serve (see submission tips and prep form below).

Proposals should:

• Offer different learning formats designed for the adult-learner
• Provoke discussion and audience interaction
• Provide relevant strategies and tactics to common challenges

Submit My Proposal

Proposal Submission Deadlines & Program Dates

Please note the following Associations West program(s) your session should be considered for, and note the corresponding deadlines:

• Fall Summits + Seasonal Spectacular 2025 – due June 30, 2025

• ELEVATE + All Other Programs – due September 5, 2025
  
  

Program Dates & Locations

• Seasonal Spectacular: Dec 16 - 17, 2025 – Sacramento, CA

• ELEVATE 2026: April 12–15, 2026 – Newport Beach, CA

• Capital Summit: Fall 2025 – Sacramento, CA

• Bay Area Summit: Oct 17, 2025 – Oakland, CA

• SoCal Summit: Oct 29, 2025 – Costa Mesa, CA

• Oregon Summit: March 2025 – Oregon

• Membership & Marketing Summit: June 2026 – Sacramento, CA

• Online Webinars: Offered throughout the year

Proposal Tips & Prep

• Collect your Thoughts - we recommend you prepare your proposal in Word first, then do your final online submission. We've provided a downloadable proposal prep form for your use. Grammar and spelling count!
  
  
• Content is King - Be thoughtful and thorough when developing your proposal to describe the intent of the session, key takeaways and learning objectives.
  
  
• Make It Compelling - If it's canned, it's spam. Our attendees will expect that the speakers at Associations West events understand the unique needs and challenges of the association industry.
  
  
• Be Authentic & Vulnerable - Speak of failure as well as success.
  
  
• Know Your Audience - Attendees are composed of non-profit association executives, their staff, and industry partners who run the gamut from hotel sales managers to professional service providers and consultants. Learning levels are diverse, with most participants ranging from mid to high-level, or applied to strategic level.
  
  
• No Sales Zone – Sharing knowledge, industry insights and trends is the most effective marketing to promote yourself or your business. Our attendees are savvy professionals. Sales pitches disguised as education will result in poor ratings and lost opportunities.
  
  
• Be Interactive – Associations West members attend events to learn and to network. Thoughtful interaction infused into educational programs is a wonderful opportunity for attendees to learn from the speaker and from each other. 

2025-2026 Proposal Review & Selection

Multi-Step Review Process

While proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis for general programming through the year, the ELEVATE 2026 review process will begin in September 2025 and will conclude in November 2025, following these steps:

• Step 1: Volunteer Peer Review Process – this step is a blind review of the session proposals by Associations West volunteer members. Speaker information is omitted during this phase so the focus of the review is on the quality of the content in the proposal. Do not include your speaker information in the session title, description or elsewhere other than when asked for it explicitly in the submission form – such as in the bio field and in the past speaking experience field.
  
  
• Step 2: STEAK Committee – highly rated proposals from step 1 are reviewed with speaker names revealed. In this step, the proposals are more thoroughly evaluated beyond the content, as the speakers' background, credentials, experience, etc. are all taken into consideration.
  
  

Selection and Timing

• Selections for Seasonal and Fall Summits will be communicated with on a rolling across July and August 2025.
• Selections for ELEVATE will be confirmed in early November 2025.

Honorarium & Travel Reimbursement (if applicable)

• Speakers selected through the Call for Proposals will receive a 50% discounted registration and are encouraged to participate in other programs during the conference. 
• Honorariums are not provided for most Associations West events.
• Travel stipends may be provided in a case-by-case basis.

Associations West is a CAE Approved Provider of year-round educational programs led by experts in the association community including association professionals, consultants, and industry partners. Our members value different learning formats, insights on industry trends, strategies to lead their organizations, new ideas on meetings and events, practical membership models, and other thought-provoking content to advance the industries they serve

Ideas or Questions?

Please contact Megan Denhardt, CAE with any questions about the proposal process.