IMPORTANT DATES:

SUBMIT PROPOSAL

OrgDev is a three-day learning experience held in Houston from October 20 to 22. During this time, 300+ individuals will come together to learn and network with their peers through educational sessions on topics such as culture, talent strategy and management, leadership and employee development, leveraging AI, building better strategic business partnerships, and more. OrgDev is designed for individuals charged with developing people, organizational culture, and talent management who are focused on learning how to humanize their OD programs and create a productive and engaged workforce.

What we're looking for in OrgDev proposals

We're accepting proposals for sessions that strongly connect to one of the six key topics of the event:

• Culture and People

• Leadership and Employee Development

• Leveraging AI and Emerging Technologies

• OD Strategy

• Strategic Business Partner

• Talent Strategy and Management

This year, there are two session formats you can choose from:

• Insights Session: If you plan to examine a topic in-depth, propose your idea as an insights session. These more traditional 60-minute sessions share knowledge that can be applied immediately.

• Interactive Session: Are you planning a high-energy session where attendees will spend significant time on discussions and activities? Propose it as an interactive session. These interactive 60-minute sessions allow attendees to explore, experiment with, and apply new skills in the session room.

This year's event will take place October 20-22, 2025, in Houston, Texas, and we'd love to have you participate.

Presenting at OrgDev is an opportunity to build your professional reputation and use your valuable insights to help others in the OD, TD, HR and L&D community.

Proposal Submission Fields

Several required fields must be completed before submitting a proposal.

1. Proposal Title

2. Proposal Type

3. Topics

4. Knowledge Level

5. Proposal Overview

6. Subject Matter Background

7. Topic Importance

8. Session Description

9. Session Outcomes

10. Session Agenda

11. Value Add

12. Key Perspective

13. Presented Before

14. Speaker Information

15. Speaker Submission Agreement

16. Video Submission

17. Conference Policies

ATD 2025 OrgDev Conference Proposal Template (PDF)

Session Proposal

The Proposal Overview is used for internal review use only. It should explain the background of your subject matter/topic, what you will discuss in your session, and what prerequisite would be needed to attend. This description should be written so the selection committee can understand precisely what will be delivered to attendees.

The Session Description is designed to be a short description of your session that, IF SELECTED, would be used for the publicly facing program guide, app, website, and any potential marketing pieces. Please consider this requirement's impact, and you should NOT simply repeat what you entered in the proposal overview. Think of this area regarding what would encourage an attendee to come to the session. Text is limited to 750 characters, so please be succinct.

Please write both descriptions clearly and concisely, including all necessary information. The descriptions should focus on the content that will be delivered, not an editorial on the topic or an advertisement for the speaker or topic. Please write in the second person (you) and avoid references to the speaker and his/her published work by title.

Commercial presentations for products or services may be delivered as sponsored sessions. For information on exhibiting and these session opportunities, contact your ATD Sales representative.

Session Outcomes

These outcomes should demonstrate how a learner can apply learning and content from your session content to their work. Please use action verbs and action-oriented statements, such as explore, discover, utilize, apply, etc. When crafting your outcomes, consider how the attendees can immediately use the tools, skills, or concepts learned in your session to impact their organization or career.

Writing Learner-Focused Job Applications (PDF)

Topics

OrgDev focuses on six topics: Culture and People, Leadership and Employee Development, Leveraging AI and Emerging Technologies, OD Strategy, Strategic Business Partner, Talent Strategy and Management. This PDF shares many sub-topics in each topic if you want session ideas.

ATD 2025 OrgDev Conference Topics (PDF)

Knowledge Levels

Most conference participants are individuals charged with developing people, organizational culture, and talent management with various experience levels. Please carefully consider the knowledge at which your content is appropriate. For your proposal, please specify the knowledge level from the list of options.

ATD OrgDev Knowledge Levels (PDF)

Honoraria, Travel Expenses & Complimentary Registration

ATD is a nonprofit educational association with a responsibility to its members to manage its resources carefully.

Speakers will receive two complimentary hotel nights at the conference hotel and one complimentary conference registration for this event.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)