You want to speak at Nerd Nite Edmonton, but you don’t know how this all works. Here’s some info for you. If you have a question that isn’t addressed here, send us a message. Chances are someone else wants to know the answer too.
The process for selecting Nerd Nite Edmonton speakers
The first step for all potential speakers is to attend at least one Nerd Nite show to experience the space, the audience, and the types of presentations suitable for Nerd Nite Edmonton. Experiencing a Nite will greatly improve your ability to successfully pitch a talk.
The next step is to contact us with your idea for a potential Nerd Nite talk. For more details on how to pitch a talk for our show, please see the section “Pitching a Nerd Nite talk” (below).
If a pitch is successful, we will meet with you to tailor and refine your topic well in advance of the show. From there we will slot you into a show that works for your schedule and for our speaker line-up. We usually book speakers 3-4 months in advance of a show.
In the lead up to your Nerd Nite show, we will send you more detailed speaker information and work with you (if you would like) on your presentation. We love being the sounding board for your ideas, jokes, and slides. Nerd Nite is your time to shine and it’s our job to make that look and sound great.
Pitching a Nerd Nite talk
At Nerd Nite Edmonton, we welcome talks on all subjects. We believe nerdiness exists everywhere and we like to tap into new and interesting topics and subcultures. They key is to tell us why your topic fits our show! We suggest browsing the previous speaker abstracts and bios to get a sense of who has talked and how your ideas might fit into what we have already done – or what we haven’t done yet.
A successful pitch has a clear topic and key messages. It doesn’t need to be a fully formed idea – we will work with you to shape your idea into a 20 minute talk – but we do need to know the general subject and the particular perspective you will bring to bear on that subject. We don’t shy away from controversy, so be bold in your approach. However, evidence-based and factual talks are important to us.
A few key pointers to remember. Send pitches to us via email (). It’s easy for these things to get lost on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Also, please use our names! It’s hard to devote time and energy to emails that read like form letters. Finally, we like to know that you have done some prep work before hitting send – tell us if you have ever been to a Nerd Nite, show us you have read our website – the more information you can give us, the better!
Good luck! We look forward to hearing from you.