Speaker Know Before You Go

We look forward to having you present at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2025! Below you will find all logistical details needed to prepare as a speaker.

If you have any additional questions, please refer to your Speaker Guide to answer many common questions or reach out to the public speaker Slack channel #1-kubecon-speakerhelp.

Please read and abide by our Code of Conduct, which is strictly enforced. We ask that speakers especially review and are careful to be inclusive in the words and images used during their presentation.

Sessions will be video recorded and uploaded to our CNCF Youtube Channel within two weeks after the event. There is no virtual component to this event.

• All speakers must supply their own computer, HDMI adapter, and power adapter to use during their sessions.
• IMPORTANT: Ensure you are presenting in Light Mode. Presentations in Dark Mode may darken and remove blue light to create a warmer, yellowish or orange tone that may not be desired.
• An AV tech will be present during your presentation. Please visit the AV table 10 minutes before your session to review microphone options and get help with connecting your laptop if needed. All speakers should review the Connecting Your Laptop To Present section below.
• Breakout rooms will include a screen, projector, hexagon countdown timer, and microphones for speakers and panelists.
• Please repeat any questions asked during Q+A for the audience to follow along.
• We recommend viewing seasoned CNCF speaker Bart Farell’s in-depth speaker training video and accompanying guide ahead of traveling to the event.

Please take a moment to review our Health + Safety Protocols before your arrival to the venue.

Venue

Georgia World Congress Center, Building B
285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA 30313

Speaker Lounge

• Located in Building B | Level 3 | B310
• Open Tuesday – Wednesday: 9:00-6:00pm | Thursday: 9:00-4:00pm

If you plan to use speaker notes, please follow the steps below to ensure your laptop is set up correctly. This will allow you to view your notes while the audience sees only your slides.

Use “Extended Display” mode (not Mirrored)

Please visit the t-shirt pick-up counter at the CNCF Corner Store in the Solutions Showcase and bring your badge to pick up your speaker gift.

Speaker gifts are only available to speakers of the main KubeCon + CloudNativeCon event.

• All speakers are encouraged to join the public speaker channel #1-kubecon-speakerhelp in the CNCF Slack workspace. 
• If you are not yet a member of the CNCF Slack workspace, please sign up to join the workspace here: http://slack.cncf.io/

If you have not uploaded your slides to Sched.com, please submit a PDF copy of your slide deck as soon as possible.

• Our branded PowerPoint template is optional but encouraged to use.
• Presentations must be formatted in 16:9.
• Please review this helpful step-by-step guide if you have any questions.

We encourage all speakers to add their session’s provided QR code to the end of their presentation to encourage attendees to score and leave feedback, which will be sent via email after the event.

If you need your QR code, this can be generated by adding your session’s direct link from Sched.com to the end of the following URL and pasting into a browser:

• https://image-charts.com/chart?chs=300×300&cht=qr&choe=UTF-8&chl=

(example: https://image-charts.com/chart?chs=300×300&cht=qr&choe=UTF-8&chl=https://sched.co/1HyPN)

Lightning talks, as the name suggests, go very quickly and we ask that you please come practiced, prepared, and on time.

Setting You up for Success ONSITE

• Please check in at the Lightning Talk Check-in Desk in the room no later than 4:30pm to let the staff know that you are there and ready to present.
• Lightning talks will take place during the event, each lasting a maximum of 5 minutes. Please refer to the schedule for the confirmed date and time. Lightning Talks selected from the CFP will be presented as plug-and-play using your own laptop at the podium, following the same Session Logistics and Connecting Your Laptop sections outlined above. An emcee will introduce each Lightning Talk, and they will be presented in the scheduled order.

Each Contribfest session will have an AV tech in the room to assist with any technology questions with connecting your laptop to the main screen. Please direct all AV-related questions to the tech in the room.

Setting You up for Success ONSITE

• Prepare Ahead of Time – It is up to the presenters on how to spend the 75 minutes, but please remember that the point is to get contributions from attendees. To get the most out of your session, please confirm the overall goal with your contributors ahead of time to avoid giving mixed signals. We also highly recommend having your repo ready to go ahead of time and that somebody in the room has the ability to merge PRs.
  If you have any mechanism to track success (e.g. labeling, copying the commits or PR in a doc for sharing, etc.) please have this ready before your ContribFest session begins. 
• Beginning your Session – At the beginning of the session, you are required to give a brief introduction to the issue you want to solve. This is important to familiarize attendees with the problem in case they are new to your project. After your introduction, we encourage you to interact with the attendees as much as possible to network, collaborate, and find meaningful solutions. This is your chance to work closely with contributors to your project and make lasting connections.
• Room Layout – Unlike other breakout sessions or tutorials, the Contribfest room will have shared tables to facilitate a more casual conversation between attendees to work together in achieving the goal at hand.

Please refer to the Poster Session section of the speaker guide for instructions, technical specifications, and best practices.

Setting You up for Success ONSITE

Bring your Presentation For Tech Check

• Please bring your poster presentation on a USB-A flash drive to connect to the LED monitor and complete a tech check on Tuesday, November 11, from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM at the Poster Pavilion in the Exhibit Hall.
  • Tuesday – 12:30 call time / 13:30 presentation
• We recommend saving your poster in 1-2 additional locations as backup.
• Please check your poster session title on Sched.com and use the map to find your assigned monitor location.

Schedule and Check-in Time

• Arrive 30 minutes prior to KubeCrawl + CloudNativeFest to check-in at your assigned monitor location. 
• You or your co-presenter must staff at the poster booth on Tuesday, November 11, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

Recommended Attire

• Please dress comfortably or opt for business casual attire. We suggest wearing comfortable shoes since you’ll be primarily standing.

Please reach out to Elna Vogel for any questions regarding poster sessions.

If you have any other venue, speaker, or schedule-related questions, please reach out to the #1-kubecon-speakerhelp Slack channel.