Presenter Guidelines & Information
FAQs about NIRSA presenter information and requirements
Presenters at NIRSA professional development events can include collegiate recreation and higher education practitioners, researchers, faculty, students, corporate partners, and guests from outside the industry who have a desire to contribute new knowledge, lessons learned, and highlight emerging trends within the field of collegiate recreation.
Below you will find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions of potential NIRSA event presenters.
- You’ll have the opportunity to connect and network with recreation professionals. NIRSA’s annual conference attracts approximately 2,500 collegiate recreation professionals each year, with our institute series attracting more focused groups (100-300 attendees), to provide for more intimate learning environments.
- You can bolster your résumé and portfolio with a contribution that’s respected across the industry.
- You’ll have an opportunity to mentor, coach, and give back to the field of campus recreation professionals.
- You gain visibility and open new opportunities to enhance your professional standing.
- You’ll earn 0.4 NIRSA PICs if you present a program that meets NIRSA CEU requirements.
- Your presentation will be featured in event marketing materials.
- Select presenters may be invited to write preconference articles or share short videos to help promote the conference.
Please note: Although we do appreciate the time and expertise of lead and co-presenters at the NIRSA Annual Conference, NIRSA is unable to offer financial compensation—including registration discounts—to Annual Conference presenters.
YES. For educational content proposals to be considered, lead presenters and co-presenters must hold current NIRSA membership (professional, life professional, emeritus, student, or associate) at the time the program proposal is submitted through the end of the event.
An exception to the membership requirement may be requested by a NIRSA member who is serving as the lead presenter if they are collaborating with a co-presenter who is a non-member. That request may be made by the lead presenter through the submission of a Presenter Exemption Request Form.
For requests to be granted, non-members must meet one of the following three categories.
- Is not a collegiate recreation professional.
- Is not employed within a collegiate recreation setting (even if employed by a college, university, etc. that has a collegiate recreation program).
- Is not a full-time or part-time student enrolled in a leisure studies, recreation, collegiate recreation, or related academic program.
Complimentary conference registration will be provided to allow eligible exempt presenters to attend ‘same day’ educational sessions. Exempt presenters who are interested in attending additional days will be required to register.
Submitting the Presenter Exemption Request Form by the presentation proposal deadline is required for full consideration. Requests will be evaluated by NIRSA’s Executive Director or a designee and granted based on budget and membership considerations.
YES. When the Association needs to provide content that may be outside the expertise areas of our members, or when the content team would like to include some perspectives from outside the field, NIRSA does welcome proposals from non-members as guest presenters.
If you are a member who has a recommendation for a keynote or other guest speaker, please submit your recommendation here. If you are a not a member of NIRSA, but you are a speaker/facilitator who wants to be considered for a keynote or guest speaking engagement, please email NIRSA Director of Professional Development Kristen Gleason.
YES. All presenters must register for the event. All confirmed lead presenters and co-presenters for the NIRSA Annual Conference must register for the conference at least two weeks prior to the event.
Unless otherwise noted on the event’s website, generally NIRSA will provide access to the following audiovisual resources:
- A microphone
- LCD projector and screen
- house sound
- internet access
Presenters are responsible for any other equipment—including but not limited to laptops, adapter cables, and presentation remotes. The standard projector hookup is by VGA display cable. If your computer or tablet does not have a VGA port, you must bring your own adapter or bring and present from a device that does have a VGA port.
Additional internet information
Wifi is the technology that allows a PC, laptop, mobile phone, or tablet device to connect at high speed to the internet without the need for a physical wired connection.
While it is available at events, we strongly suggest that you do not rely on wifi access for your presentation. Typically, wifi provided in convention centers and hotels is at basic browsing speed, usually limited to 512Kbps (fast enough for Prezi, but not streaming video). Please download what you need (short videos, web pages, or other media) to a flash drive from the internet prior to your session.
All NIRSA education events provide members with opportunities to grow the competencies that are needed to be successful in the field. You can review NIRSA’s Core Competencies here. Your educational program should be designed to facilitate such a learning experience.
In addition to addressing the core competencies in your program, some of our event committees may be looking for specific topics in emerging or trending areas. If so, this information will be communicated on the event’s website so presenters may tailor their program to meet the event’s needs.
YES. NIRSA prohibits selling from the podium at educational events. Educational sessions may not be used for the promotion or sale of a product or service. If you hold a proprietary interest in a product, instrument, device, service, or in any material discussed during your session, please disclose this in your proposal and, if accepted, to the audience at the beginning of your presentation.
We expect presenters to familiarize themselves with the Association’s Mission and Vision and Strategic Values since doing so will help you better understand the organization and our audience.
We also expect presenters to help us create a safe-and-harassment-free learning environment. The Association is strongly committed to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion for all members, attendees, speakers, exhibitors, staff, and volunteers.
One way that NIRSA demonstrates this commitment is by providing a harassment-free environment at all its events for everyone, inclusive of diverse social identities including gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, physical appearance, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, and all other represented identities as well as the intersection of these identities. For more information see the NIRSA Statement for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. We expect presenters to keep this value in mind and help us to create a healthy and inclusive learning experience at our events.
Reminders for a successful proposal
Proposals that are designed to support growth in NIRSA’s Core Competency framework are preferred.
If you are not a NIRSA professional member (a member presently employed and directly associated in the administration of recreation, intramural, and/or wellness programs, or employed within a higher education setting), proposals that include a professional member are preferred.
Proposals that describe a sales pitch are not desirable.
Proposals that are complete and clearly written are preferred. Proposals that are incomplete and list “TBD” will not be reviewed.
Proposals with clear learning outcomes and that inspire learners to take action are preferred.
Content that is current and practical in the campus recreation field is preferred.
Proposals that include presenters representing diverse cultures, backgrounds, viewpoints, institutions, and regions are preferred.
Presenters who have subject matter knowledge and experience facilitating learning experiences and/or speaking to groups are preferred.
Proposals that provide engaging plans for delivery, utilizing best practices in adult learning theory in their outline, are preferred.
Proposals that demonstrate a program that is innovative, informative, and interactive are preferred.
If accepted, presenters are required to present the program that was submitted and accepted. We’ll be happy to work with you on slight modifications and refinement of your program if needed, but it is expected (and is very important to attendees) that the session description being communicated to attendees in the final conference program materials represents the actual presentation that will be delivered.
Thank you for your interest!
For more information about presenting an educational session at NIRSA events, please contact NIRSA Professional Development staff. For more information about upcoming NIRSA events please visit the ‘GROW’ page of the NIRSA website.