This chapter covers
- The value of converting your post to a conference talk
- How to identify and compare conference opportunities
- Tips for the end-to-end process—preparing a proposal, creating your deck, and following up after the conference ends
As much value as reading (and writing) blog posts offers, it doesn’t corner the market on learning. There’s nothing like a conference—people gathering to share, learn, connect, refresh their t-shirt supply, and commiserate over unidentifiable buffet food. Options range from KubeCon to FOSDEM, PyCon to QCon, and Monktoberfest to Wasm I/O, which makes it hard to claim that there’s not a good fit for your focus and preferences. Moreover, virtual conferences provide global access to similar experiences without travel (or the associated approvals and hassles).
As we teased in the previous chapter, a successful blog post provides a great glide path into conference speaking. It helps the conference organizers assess whether you’re a good fit and gives you a distinct edge against other candidates who are simply sharing a short abstract full of fuzziness. Plus, you have a head start on thinking about the topic, creating the storyline, and even responding to common questions that could arise.