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20-21 JANUARY/2020DUBAI/UAE

GUIDELINES FORSUBMITTING CALL FORSPEAKER PROPOSALS

Digital Transformation Middle East is the regions platform forstrategists, business leaders and technologist to collaborate andconnect.In 2020, we will bring together industries visionaries andexperts to explore how to maximize the opportunities in 5G.

• 50+ CxOs connecting in a collaborative environment

• Senior participation from the region’s top 10 Communication ServiceProviders

• 72% of attendees from Communication Service Providers

• A two-track conference split into strategy and technology

500+industry decision

makers

35+Unique communication

service providers

45+speakers

29countries

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Digital Transformation Middle East providesopportunities to collaborate, educate andinfluence the telecoms industry.

500+ telecoms executives are gathering at Digital Transformation MiddleEast from 20-21 January in Dubai to explore and discuss creating a 5Gsmart society.

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e Event:Digital Transformation Middle East

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Diversity &Inclusion

TM Forum is a globalcommunity and committed toincrease diversity and inclusionin the speaker makeup for ourevents to ensure a varied mixof stories. Please keep

inclusion, gender, ethnicity anddiversity in your minds whendeciding on your speakers andthe content of your topic

proposal. If you are planning tosubmit a panel session, please

try to ensure that thepanellists reflect the world at

large.

Quality overQuantity

The “quality over quantity” ruleapplies both to the number ofproposals you submit and thenumber of panelists you

propose when submitting for apanel session. We would like toask you to limit the number oftopic proposals you submit tofive. For the panel sessions, the

number of panelists is limited to four.

Putting your BestSpeaker ForwardSeniority of proposed speakersis important, however, dynamicspeakers who can capture theaudience’s attention is equallyimportant. Experience hasshown that our audiencesvalue engaging presentationsthat provide practical insightsand lessons learned fromchallenges they face, not

theory and speculation. Pleasekeep in mind that the bestperson to deliver your storymay in some cases be theperson who has been in

the “trenches”.

Original Content

We want to hear originalcontent that is new and

exciting, don’t reuse previouspresentation given at other

events.

Is our proposed speaker the best fit for the format and the story you want to tell?

Does the job title/s of our proposed speaker/s establishcredibility with the audience?

Would it bring even more value to the audience to get our customer tell our story on their own?

You may have great speakers within your organization,but don’t limit yourself by putting forward the samenames from within, nominate amazing speakers fromoutside your company

Do we want to co-present with our customer and whichspeakers from our company and the customer companywould best be suited to present our story?

Take a moment to think about the story you want to tell at Digital Transformation Middle Eastand why it matters in terms of audience value and how it can help move the industry forward?

Step 1: What is your story?

The best talks tend to focus on a singleclear message, objective or idea.Carefully consider your message andwhat you would like to convey with thestory you want to tell.

Is your story one that imparts newknowledge and insights, or are you looking toinspire the audience to think differently ordo you want to share the lessons learnedduring a recent project or implementation?

Step 2: Who is the best person to tell your story?Your chosen speaker/s plays a huge part in the success of can make or break your story, both at the speaker submissionstage and on stage at the event. We encourage you to think about the following when proposing speakers:

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Format Description

Keynote This format allows for a 20-25-minute topline address into a topic that will motivate,energize and inform the audience from a senior expert speaker or visionary.

Presentation Share your story in a 20-minute slot on a topic of your choice that will provide usefulinsight and key takeaways to our delegates.

Case Study Case Studies are 20-minute presentations that deliver insights and best practicesthat the audience can take away and implement themselves.

Lightning Talks This format includes up to three 10-minute talks that share a common contextfollowed by a 20-minute moderated discussion and audience Q&A

Panel SessionPanel Sessions are structured 40-minute discussions with no more than 3-4 paneliststhat explore important industry topics in an informal and dynamic manner withdiverse perspectives of different stakeholders with at least two from CSPs,enterprise from another industry vertical or OTT

InterviewThese moderated interviews are designed to bring out an in-depth perspective on animportant topic. To promote authenticity, there are no slides. This format can includeup to 2 interviewees with at least 1 being a senior executive from a CSP, enterprisefrom another industry vertical or OTT

Industry and research insightThese 20-minute presentations deliver thought leadership on industry trendsand/or research into specific topic areas or technologies. We ask that research isbeing delivered exclusively for the first time at our event.

Demo These sessions are an opportunity to give a 10-minute live demonstration ofground-breaking new product, solution, app or service on an open mic platform.

CampfireThese intimate peer-to-peer led discussions are a chance to come together in a smallgroup without presentations to discuss a problem and collectively try to answer it. Inthis format the speaker is more of a facilitator with an opening 5-minute talk beforefielding the discussion for a further 25-minutes.

Challenge us We’re always looking for ways to improve our content and excite our audiences. Doyou have an inspired idea for a new session format not listed above? Let us know!

The audience wants to gain actionable takeaways, different perspectives and freshideas from a great story. In order to maximize your chances of delivering a memorableand impactful story, it is essential that you get the format and delivery of your sessionright. We therefore ask you to carefully consider which format and delivery style willbest convey the message you want to deliver to audience.

How do you want to tell your story?

5G roll out and use casesSecurity & trustEcosystems & partnershipsLeveraging new technologies (AI, IoT, Blockchain, etc) e digital transformation journeyData analytics and monetizationCulture, workforce and new ways of working Simplification and automation of IT and networksPlacing innovation at the core businessCustomer Experience RoI, design thinking and governanceLeveraging existing assets to create new revenue opportunitiesMoving to Cloud native ITNetwork evolution & transformation Automation, ML & AIInnovating with microservices, serverless technology & APIsManaging legacy and hybrid networksEdge Computing

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In order to ensure that you share your story with your target audience, it is essential thatyou submit your topic proposal for the relevant theme. Please review themes:

Where does your story fit?

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This question is regularly asked by topic submitters.Here is our recommended criteria to ensure yoursubmission gets the highest consideration:

How do I increase myodds of getting selected?

Insights from CSPs, OTTs, FAANGs andIndustry verticals

Innovative, brand new content

Formats that have a wow factor

We welcome vendor submissions, but it iscompulsory to have an end-user co-presenter

Seniority matters

Proposed speaker(s) confirmed at the time of submission

Advanced and Expert level content

Fresh new speakers

When writing your proposed topic proposal, pleasemake sure that you provide a concise outline,preferably in bullet point format, that gives thereviewers a clear understanding on how yourpresentation aligns with the track content and how itadds value to the agenda.

Get to the point!

18 October

TOPIC PROPOSAL ACCEPTANCE EMAIL The Conference Produc�on team will be sending out emails to inform submi ers whether their proposals have been accepted. In case your topic proposal/s have been accepted, we will contact you with an ini�al offer of a slot, subject to speakers being confirmed by.

18

1111 October

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL DEADLINE All proposals must be submi ed via the website. Proposals submi ed directly to the team will not be considered. Deadline extensions of up to 2 weeks can be granted at the discre�on of the relevant track’s Conference Producer.

15 October

EVALUATION All proposals are evaluated by the Conference

Produc�on team and the Subject Ma er Experts for each of the tracks. Each submission is considered on the merit of its content or

speaker/s. In case we need more detailed informa�on to make a decision regarding your

topic proposal, we will contact you.

15

31 October

CONFIRMATION & ANNOUNCEMENT

Once offers are accepted, session content and speakers have been confirmed, we will

announce speakers on the event website and in marke�ng communica�ons. On occasion, we

will announce speakers while the session content is s�ll in development.

31

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This timeline illustrates the milestones and deadlines of the Call forSpeakers process. Missing any of these deadlines may impact yourchances for consideration and inclusion.

Call for speakers timeline