There’s a whole section on the website for Tracks and Track Captains, but who are they and what do they do?
Track Captains
A track captain is an important piece of the SASW puzzle because, without you, we wouldn’t have a conference. You don’t have to publicly speak (if you don’t want to), but we need your help with securing speakers and events for the conference. The community views you as the champion of your track, so we trust you to put together the most desirable events.
A track is a “category” for the 2 events during the conference. For example, a Smart Cities track will have 2 events that are related to that topic such as IoT, energy innovation, infrastructure and more.
We’re so grateful to the Track Captains we worked with last year, we decided to bring this back. And Track Captains don’t have to do it alone, and we hope this article provides you with all the tools you need to be set up for success!
THIS YEAR’S THEME: Reconnect, Rebuild, Revive, Reboot
What is your industry doing to rebuild? What new realities have you come face-to-face with, and how did you find a way to navigate through the crisis? What’s next? We want to highlight stories of perseverance and courage of your organization or industry. This doesn’t mean you have to have all your events COVID-related, but we feel there can be a lot of universal themes that come from it. We believe in the power of storytelling, and the truths that come out of discussions from different points of view.
Expectations of a SASW Track Captain:
- Plan at least 2 events to secure your track
- Coordinate with your awesome speakers
- Keep in touch with a SASW committee member to talk about progress, answer questions, etc.
- Promote your events on your social media and encouraging your network to attend
What the SASW team will take care of or can help you out with:
- Shareable promotional templates
- Checklist for best practices before/during/after
- Venue & AV needs (if applicable)
- Scheduling for the agenda
- Extract speaker bios if they’re not submitted
- Connecting you to other speakers
Track Captain and Tracks FAQ:
How long are presentations/panels?
- Single presentation – 30 to 45 minutes, with 15 minutes for Q&A
- Panel/workshop – 45 minutes, with 15 minutes for Q&A
When’s my time slot?
- This gets discussed simultaneously as we secure speakers and sessions. The ideal plan is to have your Track at the same time on multiple days, but if there are scheduling conflicts, we can see what we can do.
How do people build their schedule on Whova?
- It really depends on the person. Some people will choose one day to go and go to every talk on that one day. Some people will build their schedule around the topics they are most interested in. Some people are cherry-picking for the most popular events. The great thing about building your schedule is that it will send you a reminder! At the point, you can make the decision to attend or not.
Where are the venues?
- Since we are mostly virtual, it can be right in your home(s), your office or wherever you may be hunkering down — just be sure you and your speakers have reliable internet connection for the day of your event.
How do I get high attendance to my event(s)?
- Promote, promote, promote. Share it on your social media. Share it with your network. Ask your speakers to share it with their network. If you’re part of a professional organization, ask them to send it out in a newsletter. If you mention us on any platform, we’ll be sure to share it on ours.
We’re here to be your support!
