Share your work at IEEE Smart Cities
We invite industry professionals, researchers, public-sector leaders, educators, entrepreneurs, students, Women in Engineering (WIE), Young Professionals (YP), and community stakeholders to submit session proposals for IEEE Smart Cities. This is an in-person regional event designed to share practical insights, case studies, emerging research, tools, and lessons learned across the smart-city ecosystem — from semiconductors and AI infrastructure to energy, mobility, governance, and community impact.
Important dates
All deadlines are shown in Central Time (CT). These dates are mirrored in the Sessionize submission portal.
| Milestone | Date | Website / Sessionize instruction |
|---|---|---|
| Call for Speakers Opens | Tuesday, August 25, 2026 | Show the Submit Speaker Proposal button and route it to the live Sessionize page. |
| Priority Proposal Deadline | Friday, September 18, 2026 | Optional early-review deadline. Use this to encourage early submissions and begin reviewer assignment. |
| Final Proposal Deadline | Wednesday, September 30, 2026 11:59 PM CT |
Public final deadline. Configure Sessionize closing date/time to match. |
| Review Period | Thursday, October 1 – Thursday, October 8, 2026 |
Independent reviewers evaluate proposals against the published rubric. |
| Speaker Notifications | Monday, October 12, 2026 | Send accept / waitlist / decline decisions. Update website banner to “Speaker notifications in progress.” |
| Speaker Confirmation Due | Friday, October 16, 2026 5:00 PM CT |
Accepted speakers confirm in-person participation and final session details. |
| Preliminary Speaker Lineup Published | Monday, October 26, 2026 | Publish only confirmed speakers and confirmed session titles on the Speakers page. |
| Final Speaker Bio / Headshot / Session Copy Due | Friday, October 30, 2026 | Collect final website-ready material from accepted speakers. |
| Final Presentation Slides Due | Friday, November 6, 2026 5:00 PM CT |
Collect final slides two weeks before the event and load a backup copy on the venue system. |
| Final Public Agenda Published | Friday, November 13, 2026 | Publish final session order, speaker names, room assignments, and venue details. |
| Final Slide Revision Cutoff | Wednesday, November 18, 2026 5:00 PM CT |
Only minor corrections after this date; no major content changes. |
| Conference Live Event | Saturday, November 21, 2026 | Final website should show venue, check-in, agenda, and speaker information. |
Who should submit
You do not need to be an IEEE member, an academic, or a previous conference speaker to propose a session. We are looking for people doing the work.
We welcome proposals from people working in industry, startups, research, education, government, nonprofit organizations, and community programs. Students, first-time speakers, Women in Engineering members, and Young Professionals are encouraged to submit when they have relevant technical work or an applied project to share.
Session proposals
Submit an in-person technical presentation or case study. Final session lengths and the detailed program structure will be confirmed after proposals are selected.
| Proposal | Focus |
|---|---|
| Technical presentation | Methods, architectures, results, engineering detail, or emerging research. |
| Applied case study | A real deployment: what you built, what it cost, what went wrong, what you learned. |
Topic tracks
Choose the track that best matches your proposal. The committee may move a session to a closer-fitting track while assembling the program.
What to prepare before you submit
Have these ready before you open the submission portal. Most applicants need 20–30 minutes to complete a proposal.
- Session title — short and public-facing.
- Abstract — 150–300 words.
- Speaker bio — 100–150 words.
- Topic track — one of the eight tracks above.
- Presentation approach — technical presentation or applied case study.
- In-person availability — confirmation that you can present in Plano.
- Audience takeaways — 3–5 bullet points.
- Target audience and technical level.
- Primary UN SDG plus a 75–150 word explanation of the connection.
- LinkedIn profile or website — recommended.
- Headshot — optional now, required if accepted.
- Prior speaking link or short video pitch — optional.
Every proposal should identify at least one UN Sustainable Development Goal and briefly explain the connection. A short, specific explanation is more useful than a general one.
Submission requirements
Each proposal should include a presentation title, 150–300 word abstract, speaker bio, topic track, presentation approach, audience level, 3–5 attendee takeaways, and a brief explanation of how the session connects to at least one UN Sustainable Development Goal. LinkedIn profiles, prior speaking links, headshots, and short video pitches are optional but welcome. Commercial sales pitches will not be accepted.
How proposals are reviewed
Each proposal is assigned to an independent reviewer who applies the rubric below. The review considers relevance to the event theme, practical value to attendees, speaker experience, originality of the topic, and clarity of the abstract and learning outcomes. Organizers use the completed reviews to make final program decisions.
| Criterion | Weight | What reviewers look for |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance to smart cities and the event theme | 25% | Fits one or more event tracks and clearly connects to smart cities, infrastructure, technology, sustainability, community impact, or “chips to cities.” |
| Practical value to attendees | 25% | Offers lessons learned, frameworks, case studies, tools, or actionable insight rather than generic statements. |
| Speaker credibility and experience | 20% | Relevant professional, academic, public-sector, student, startup, or community experience appropriate to the session. |
| Originality and freshness | 15% | A timely, distinctive, cross-disciplinary, or emerging perspective; avoids generic or recycled content. |
| Clarity of abstract and takeaways | 15% | Title, abstract, and learning outcomes are understandable, structured, and appropriate for the stated audience. |
Each criterion is scored 1–5, where 5 is a strong accept and 1 is not appropriate for this program. Depending on program fit and available space, organizers may accept, waitlist, request a revision to, or decline a proposal. A strong topic from a first-time speaker is welcome — a clear abstract with specific takeaways matters more than a long speaking history.
No sales pitches: sessions must be educational. A proposal centered on a product or service may be declined or returned for revision as an educational case study.
What happens after acceptance
Accepted speakers confirm participation by October 16, 2026, provide final speaker details by October 30, 2026, and submit final presentation slides by November 6, 2026. Final slide revisions are due no later than November 18, 2026.
- Confirm your participation by Friday, October 16, 2026, 5:00 PM CT — including your final session details and in-person availability.
- Send final speaker material by Friday, October 30, 2026 — website-ready bio, headshot, and final session title and description.
- Submit final slides by Friday, November 6, 2026, 5:00 PM CT. The committee retains a backup copy to protect event-day continuity.
- Confirm recording permission — optional. Sessions are only recorded or shared with your written consent.
- Keep the session educational — no commercial sales pitches, as agreed at submission.
- Send minor slide corrections by Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 5:00 PM CT. No major content changes after this point.
Accepted speakers will receive check-in, room, and audiovisual instructions before the in-person event at Collin College – Plano Campus Conference Center.
Submit your speaker proposal
Proposals are submitted and reviewed through Sessionize, our submission portal. The portal closes Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM CT.
The button opens Sessionize. You can save a draft there and return to it before the deadline.
Privacy. Information you submit is shared only with authorized organizers and the independent reviewer evaluating your proposal, and is used to plan the program and contact you about your session. Only the name, organization, bio, headshot, and session details of confirmed speakers are published on this website, and only with your consent. Phone numbers and email addresses are never published.
Questions about submitting?
Email the conference committee before the September 30 deadline if you need clarification.