Tell Your Story at ASLA 2023

Boom Island Park, Minneapolis, MN / image: Lane Pelovsky, courtesy of Meet Minneapolis

There’s one week left for the Call for Presentations for the ASLA 2023 Conference on Landscape Architecture in Minneapolis! Help us shape the education program by submitting a proposal by Wednesday, February 22, 2023, at 12:00 PM NOON CT.

If you’re an ASLA member, make sure you have your unique ASLA Member ID or username handy—you should use it to log into the submission system. If you’ve not yet logged into the submission site, we strongly encourage you to do so this week. Once you start your submission, you can edit your proposal until the deadline. Proposals cannot be submitted until all speakers accept the speaker terms and agreement.

Explore the track descriptions for topic ideas to help you get started (though you are by no means limited to the examples listed, of course). The Annual Conference Education Advisory Committee selected these seven tracks as priority areas for the 2023 Conference education sessions: Biodiversity; Changing the Culture in Practice; Climate Action; Design and the Creative Process; Design Implementation; Leadership, Career Development, and Business; and Planning, Urban Design, and Infrastructure.

Our session submission guides, linked below, provide detailed information on what you need to include, with expert tips on putting together a winning proposal:

Education Sessions: Education sessions are 60-, 75-, and 90-minute sessions that deliver a selection of relevant and timely topics. Session includes a minimum 50 of minutes of instruction followed by 10/15 minutes of Q&A, maximum three speakers.
Deep Dive Sessions: Deep dive sessions are interactive, in-depth, 2.5-hour programs that explore specific landscape architecture topics, maximum five speakers.
Field Sessions: Multiple speakers offer education combined with a field experience, highlighting local projects. Field sessions are organized through the local chapter.

Education session speakers selected from this process will receive a full complimentary registration to the ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture.

The field session “New Mobility in the Urban Landscape: A Bicycle Tour of Alameda Island” at the ASLA 2022 Conference on Landscape Architecture in San Francisco. / image: Ryan Booth, ASLA

Need a few more reasons to submit a proposal for #ASLA2023?

Pride in the profession: The ASLA Conference is a chance for our discipline to shine! Your project or research is making a positive impact that others can learn from and that can inform the profession.
Bring collaborators to the table: Including your collaborators from allied disciplines, even well beyond landscape architecture, increases the breadth of knowledge of your panel. Share your unique project approach with others! (Allied professionals are encouraged to submit presentations and are not required to be members of ASLA.)
Make connections that support you long after the conference: You will inevitably connect with attendees who are passionate about the subject matter you’re presenting. These conversations can lead to new business opportunities, professional networks, and friendships.

Speakers Ellen Garrett, ASLA, Katie Lyon, and Ashton Hamm presenting the education session “Building a Worker-Owned Practice: Cooperatives, Stewardship, and Collective Design“—available as a recording via ASLA Online Learning—at the ASLA 2022 Conference on Landscape Architecture. / image: ASLA/Korey Davis Photography

Here are our top tips for submitting a winning proposal:

Assemble a diverse team. To promote a new and diverse group of speakers, sessions that include speakers who did not speak at last year’s conference will be viewed favorably. Panels that include voices from outside the profession are also strongly encouraged.
Get creative! Be creative with your proposal and how your passion and projects fit within our seven education tracks, including two new tracks: Biodiversity and Climate Action.
Direct application. Consider, “what can I share with attendees that might have direct application to their practice or business after attending my session?”
To err is human–to edit, divine. Take advantage of the submission guides and templates to collaborate with your co-speakers and to draft and edit your proposal before you submit online. Always proof your submission for any errors.
Don’t procrastinate. Submit your proposal early, so there’s time left in case anything goes awry. Proposals cannot be submitted until all speakers accept the speaker terms and agreement.

Visit the submission site to learn more about the 2023 education tracks, submission criteria, review process, and key dates. Questions? Contact speaker@asla.org.