Every successful event starts with a strong lineup of speakers. 

But if you’ve managed a Call for Papers (CFP) or Call for Speakers process, you know how chaotic it can be. From tracking submissions in messy spreadsheets to chasing down missing details via email, the process can quickly become overwhelming.

With Sched’s Call for Papers feature, you can say goodbye to manual work and disorganized submissions. Now, you can easily collect, review, and approve speaker proposals all in one place.

Even better, using Sched’s Call for Papers is completely free for anyone! This tool is at your service when you want to deliver first-class speakers for your attendees. 

At a Glance: From Submission to Stage | Call for Papers Made Simple

Managing speaker submissions is easier than ever with Sched. 

You can collect, review, and approve proposals—all in one platform.

Whether you’re organizing a conference, training workshop, or industry event, you can:

✅ Simplify speaker submissions with a fully customizable form
✅ Review and approve proposals effortlessly with built-in filtering and evaluation tools
✅ Eliminate back-and-forth emails by collecting all necessary details upfront
✅ Automatically add selected speakers to your event schedule in just a few clicks
✅ Add multi-speaker sessions and allow committee members to review and comment on submissions

Why Event Organizers Love Sched’s Call for Papers

Sched removes the pain out of managing speaker submissions. Here’s how it helps:

  • One centralized hub: All submissions are stored in one place, so no more digging through emails or lost forms.
  • Customizable submission forms: Collect exactly what you need from speakers, from bios and headshots to detailed session descriptions.
  • Seamless multi-speaker management: Have multiple speakers for a session? No problem. Sched makes it easy to collect, review, and organize details for co-presenters in one go.
  • New committee review tools: Invite trusted reviewers to provide feedback and recommendations before finalizing your speaker lineup.
  • Easy review and approval: Quickly filter and evaluate submissions to build the best event schedule.
  • Smooth integration with your event schedule: Once speakers are approved, their details automatically sync into your event lineup, saving hours of manual work.
  • Eliminates back-and-forth emails: Speakers submit their details upfront, so you don’t waste time chasing missing information.

“Sched’s interface has always been clean and easy to use. It has the most amount of usefulness and tools in it — a one stop shop.” —Craig Lawson, Pender County Schools, NC

Sched Removes The Pain Out Of Managing Speaker Submissions In A Centralized Hub

Committee Review Makes Getting Top Speakers Even Easier

When you run a Call for Speakers or Call for Papers, having a committee review helps share the workload and the decisions. It makes sure that the best speakers get chosen fairly on their merit.

With Sched’s Committee Review feature, you can:  

  • Generate multiple reviewer groups
  • Select applications per each reviewer group
  • Control the field visibility for unbiased review
  • Set a maximum number of reviews per application
  • Invite reviewers using a secret link
  • Allow committee members to display their reviews only in particular groups

The benefits of a committee review for a Call for Papers are numerous: 

  1. Keeps content relevant and high-quality: A review committee helps maintain high standards by selecting papers that align with the event’s theme, objectives, and audience expectations.
  1. Brings diverse perspectives: Having multiple reviewers ensures a well-rounded evaluation, reducing bias and ensuring a mix of innovative and practical content.
  2. Creates a fair and transparent process: A structured review process increases transparency, ensuring that submissions are judged based on merit rather than personal connections or preferences.
  1. Encourages knowledge sharing: By curating high-quality submissions, the committee helps surface cutting-edge research, fresh insights, and thought-provoking discussions that add value to the event.
  1. Makes reviewing submissions more efficient: A review committee can distribute the workload, making it easier to assess a high volume of submissions efficiently while maintaining a thorough evaluation process.

Overall, a committee review process improves the integrity, diversity, and quality of selected papers. It lets you create more engaging and impactful events.

Sched’s Call for Papers Works for Any Type of Event

The Call for Papers feature isn’t just for academic conferences. Here are some of the most common event types that can benefit from using Sched to streamline speaker submissions:

🎤 Industry Conferences

Easily gather expert speakers and panelists for corporate, tech, or trade conferences. Whether you’re curating a lineup of thought leaders or selecting from hundreds of session proposals, you can organize, review, and approve submissions using Sched.

📚 Educational Events

Simplify proposal collection for professional development workshops, academic symposiums, and research forums. From keynote presentations to hands-on workshops, your school or university can efficiently manage session submissions to select the right speakers. In return, you’re able to create a more engaging and valuable experience for your attendees. 

🎟 Festivals & Creative Events

Organize submissions for artists, performers, and panelists at events like film festivals, book fairs, or creative summits. If you’re organizing live performances, panel discussions, or speaker sessions, Sched’s Call for Papers makes the submission process nice and easy. You’ll have everything you need to curate a diverse, well-rounded event lineup.

💼 Corporate Training & Internal Events

Collect speaker proposals for leadership training, sales kickoffs, and company-wide meetings. Companies hosting employee development sessions or specialized training can use Sched to gather presentations from internal experts and industry leaders. This can make your internal events more interactive and valuable.

From Submission to Schedule in Just a Few Clicks

Sched’s Call for Papers feature doesn’t just improve the speaker selection process.

It automates the process from submission to session scheduling. Instead of manually copying and pasting speaker bios and session descriptions, everything flows smoothly into your event schedule. And if you need to personalize the submission process, you can customize your forms by adding an introductory description. Use this description to provide clear instructions and help potential speakers submit stronger proposals.

Conditional questions allow you to tailor the submission process, making sure you collect only the most relevant details from each speaker. Organizers and attendees can also rate and leave feedback on speakers. This helps event planners refine future lineups based on real engagement and performance data.

Lastly, once a speaker is approved, their details sync instantly into the event schedule. Instead of scattered documents and last-minute changes, Sched provides an organized, simple way to build a high-quality speaker lineup. 

Event Organizers Love Sched'S Call For Papers

Simplify Speaker Submissions and Build a Standout Event With Sched

Sorting through speaker proposals doesn’t have to be a time-consuming, frustrating process. With our Call for Papers feature, you can ditch the spreadsheets, stop chasing missing details, and focus on what really matters: curate an incredible lineup for your event. 

Everything is in one place, from submissions to approvals. In simple words, Sched simplifies speaker management without the back-and-forth headaches.

The best part? You can try it for free. Give Sched’s Call for Papers a test run today and see how simple it is to manage speaker submissions, build a strong speaker lineup, and create an impactful experience for both your event team and attendees. Try Sched’s Call for Papers for free today.