SaaStock18 Call for speakers now open

Content comes first at SaaStock. Every talk on every stage matters. Period.

Content comes from speakers that are achieving milestones in significant strides and are openly sharing the steps. We had 60 amazing speakers in 2016 and 120 in 2017. We will have 100+ in 2018.

Half of those exceptional individuals we find ourselves - through our observations, research and surveying of our community. The other half find us - through the call for speakers we put out. That was the formula that worked in 2017.

Curating the speaker list is a fun job and one I’ve not yet fully relinquished in my role as CEO of SaaStock. One day we may have a head of conference content, but right now I am still enjoying pulling together one of the most critical pieces of our product.

The central question I ask myself as I curate the agenda is:

Will each talk be of practical value to our attendees?

Is the content original and sincere, helping them build better SaaS companies?

The answer can only be yes. We want to deliver ROI through every facet of SaaStock so you get at least 10X on your ticket. Content including.

I have a wish list of the speakers who could give those kind of talks. I have built it over several years of observation, learning, and participation in the SaaS space. I am after all a bit of a SaaS geek. So I personally invite many of the speakers on that list.

Not everyone on the list will accept. It’s harder for those based in the US. Take Ryan Smith, CEO of Qualtrics for instance. The formula for getting Ryan onboard a 16-hour flight for SaaStock17 was:

Email that resonated + EMEA HQ visit + Opening of Qualtrics Paris office = 5 Tips on Building a SaaS Unicorn. His love for Dublin sealed the deal.

The stars need to align more often than not. If it is not the stars, it will be the days of meetings scheduled that will have to align. We are, after all, bringing the SaaS Universe to Dublin for the week.

But the SaaS universe is vast, and we do not always know where the valuable lessons lay. Which is why the other half of our agenda is built from open call submissions.

We welcome applications from founders, execs, and VCs with tangible achievements and willingness to share how they got there. Individuals who put an effort to be part of a community of learning rather than come on stage with a sales pitch.

This year we are adding a twist to our Open call. A little experiment. The applications will be presented to the steering committee blindly. They will not see the name of the person or their company. They will see the title of the talk and a short abstract. The committee will judge on those merits alone.

Why do this?

To push the bar for the quality of talks even higher.

To give an equal opportunity for everyone.

To foster diversity.

If you want to speak at SaaStock18 and follow in the footsteps of Ryan Smith, David Skok, Des Traynor and more, then apply here today…and let me know in the comments below, who you would like to speak at SaaStock18 and why.