AOR is seeking proposals for conference sessions and workshops for Sustainable Oregon 2020, AOR’s 42nd annual conference, which will be held June 10th - 12th at the Salishan Resort in Gleneden Beach, Oregon. Proposals are due 9/25, and will be decided on by our Conference Planning Committee. Selected proposals will be selected and speakers notified no later than December 13, 2019.

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL

This year we are seeking enthusiastic and dynamic presenters that can share ideas and innovations in the recycling, waste reduction, and resource and materials management industry or workshops on issues impacting our industry. We are especially interested in presentations from outside Oregon to bring new, fresh perspectives to our attendees. 

Session & Workshop Specifics
Sessions are comprised of multiple 15-20 minute presentations totalling 60 minutes with an additional 15 minutes of Q&A/Discussion time. The AOR conference committee will combine proposals that address similar areas and topics to form a full 75-minute session.

Workshops are intended to be hands-on and interactive, with attendees leaving the workshop with tangible skills they can take back to implement in their workplace. Past/suggested workshop ideas include: using social media to promote programs; how to develop end-of-year giving campaigns; how to identify and track metrics to gauge program success. This is by no means an exhaustive list, the ideas are endless, so long as they leave attendees with a new found skill/s to enhance their work productivity.
Workshops are generally held the morning of the first day of the conference and are 2-3 hours in length.

Suggested Session Topics and Concepts

• Markets
• Industry Challenges and Barriers
• International and Diverse Perspectives
• Facility and System Operations
• Relationship to Manufacturing
• Policy and Government Relations
• Industry Funding
• Materials and Resource Management
• Compost and Recycling Stream Contamination
• Reuse and Repair
• Food Waste and Recovery
• Organizational Partnerships
• Reducing Consumption
• Diversity, Inclusion, Equity

Presentations Should:

• Think outside the box! Be captivating and engaging for the audience. We want presenters to think about TED/TEDx style talks. They should be entertaining as well as informative. We are not looking for the standard conference presentations.
• Utilize compelling visuals. Multi-media presentations are great but are subject to the technology limitations of the venue.
 • Describe innovations, ideas, and projects related to influencing people to increase recycling, composting, waste reduction and reuse efforts
• Focus on key insights. The goal is to share that “ah-ha!” moment.
• Highlight tangible results. Use real-world examples.
• Provide a take-away solution that could be applied by other attendees.

Presentations Should NOT:

• Present detailed case studies.
• Describe ongoing activities.
• Promote a business, organization, product or service.
• Use a lot of PowerPoint slides with heavy text.

If you can craft a presentation that will actively engage participants, deliver a solid message about a key issue facing the industry, and send attendees away with identifiable lessons learned, then we invite you to submit your proposal!

Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on their overall alignment with this year’s conference theme and provide new and innovative content to attendees. 
In addition, proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Does the proposal include tactical and relevant information for an hour-long presentation to an audience of recycling and solid waste industry professionals?
• Are there ample opportunities for discussion and interactivity among participants?
• Are the presenters knowledgeable in the topic area?
• Does the workshop represent a diverse experience, point of view, or somehow draw on the perspective of communities not represented in other workshops?
• Will the presentation deliver tangible learning takeaways to participants in a fun and engaging format?
• Does the presenter avoid self-promotion, negatively portraying specific members of the industry, and selling of products?

Presenter Benefits and Responsibilities

• Speakers receive free admission to the conference on the day of your session.
• AOR is not responsible for speaker travel and accommodation costs.
• If a confirmed presenter is unable to attend the conference, they are responsible for notifying the AOR office at the earliest opportunity and for finding a replacement with similar skills and qualifications.

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL
If you have questions about submitting, please contact Amy Roth.