Inspire the Conversation

WorldatWork Newport Beach Summit is your opportunity to share insights, spark meaningful conversations, and connect with fellow Total Rewards and Compensation professionals who are shaping the future of work.

We’re looking for practitioners, thought leaders, and innovators to lead engaging discussions, share real-world successes, and explore fresh solutions in Total Rewards, Compensation, Benefits, and Workforce Experience. Whether you want to present on an emerging topic, share a recent business success, or collaborate on a solutions panel, we welcome your perspective.

Prefer a more interactive approach? Facilitate a roundtable on a topic of your choice and engage in dynamic discussions with peers. Your voice matters, and we invite you to be part of shaping the future of Total Rewards!

You don’t need to be a professional speaker—just someone with valuable experiences, challenges, or ideas to share. This is your chance to contribute to an inspiring dialogue, exchange knowledge, and help advance the profession.

Go to the Applicant Resource Center for information and tools to help you craft a stand-out submission, or if you're ready, click the Complete a Submission button below.

Submissions are due by March 13, 2026. If you have any questions, please reach out to speakers@worldatwork.org.

Our Commitment

We are committed to embracing diversity in all of its forms at WorldatWork events. WorldatWork has pledged to increase diversity in terms of gender, nationality, experience, and thought in our speaker lineups, and we are passionate about welcoming a broad array of voices. If you have not spoken at our event before, we encourage you to step forward and share your unique perspective. Your voice matters, and we value the richness that diverse experiences bring to our events. 

Three Ways to Submit

Option 1: Submit a Full Session Proposal

Have a session ready to go? Great! You can submit a full proposal including:

  • Session title and abstract
  • Key takeaways
  • Target audience
  • Format and duration
  • Speaker bios

Option 2: Submit a Story

If you have a compelling experience, we'll help shape it into a session. All you need to share is:

  • A short description of the situation or challenge
  • What actions you or your team took
  • What others could learn from your experience
  • Any co-presenters or collaborators, if applicable

We’ll review your idea and, if selected, work with you to refine and co-create a full session.

Option 3: Submit a Topic

Not ready to build a full proposal? No problem. Share with us:

  • A topic
  • What problem you're helping to solve
  • What's unique about your perspective
  • Any co-presenters or collaborators, if applicable

We'll review your submission and, if selected, work with you to co-create a compelling session. 

Please note there are new guidelines for Consultant and Service Partner submissions.

First-time Speaker? We’ve got you.
If you’ve never presented before, don’t let that stop you. We’re committed to elevating new voices and will support you through speaker coaching and content development.

Still not sure?
If you’re wondering whether your idea is “good enough," it probably is. Sometimes the most powerful sessions come from honest stories, not perfect ones.

Let’s build this together.

Complete a Submission
Applicant Resource Center

Call for Content Office Hour

Join us on Monday, March 9 from 3-4pm ET to learn all about the Call for Content.

Whether you're thinking about submitting a proposal or just want to better understand the process, this time is for you. Get tips and tricks for crafting a standout submission and answers to your questions.

Don’t miss this opportunity to set yourself up for success!

Add to Calendar

Hear From Our Past Speakers

"As a first-time speaker at a WorldatWork event, I appreciated the level of information, guidance, and resource availability provided to me in advance of the conference (speaker resource site, session review, "what to expect" sessions, etc.)."

"I had a fantastic experience. The support along the way and the experience was wonderful.

I truly enjoyed the entire process, from selection to presentation. I think the timing was quick, communication was thorough. I am hoping to be a speaker at next year’s conference."

"The overall organization of the speaker process was exceptional and the best part for me. The deadlines and milestones were clearly communicated and scheduled early enough to realistically balance with work demands. From the session review process, I especially appreciated the opportunity to walk through my material. Guidance helped clarify expectations and fine-tune my delivery. I felt well-prepared going into the event and knew what was expected from both a content and delivery perspective."

"I had a great experience speaking, and I look forward to returning."

Frequently Asked Questions

Submission Requirements & Evalution

The Applicant Resource Center has information about the types of questions you will answer as you complete your submission including topics, available session formats, and the types of speakers we who generally participate.

Our selection process is highly competitive. An advisory committee reviews submissions and makes selections to craft a program that balances topics, session formats, and speaker profiles.

The information you will provide in the submission form is critical to the selection process. The committee relies on this information to understand precisely what will be delivered to participants, and WorldatWork's marketing team uses it to ensure optimal attendance at your session. Additionally, the speaker information asked for in the submission form is essential to understanding the speaking style, professional expertise, and diversity of perspective of applicants. 

Additional information on selection criteria is available on the Applicant Resource Center. 

You can complete as many submissions as you like while the call is open; however, due to the limited number of speaking spots available, we encourage you to carefully craft each submission with a clear vision, strong application message, voice(s) of authority and experience, and connection to the practitioner audience. The more specific and detailed your submission, the better. 

You can make edits to your submission anytime while the Call is still open.

Yes, but there are specific guidelines. Please visit the Consultant & Service Partner Guidelines page for full details. 

Submitters

  • Submit a complete proposal including names of all speakers who will be a part of the session. 
  • Before submitting a proposal to speak, make sure all speakers are available and holding the event dates until notified of your submission status. 
  • Communicate the accept/decline status of the session proposal to all presenters.
  • Please note the submitter is considered the primary point of contact for each submission. All notifications associated with submissions will be sent only to the submitter. 

Yes. However, we ask that you receive confirmation from all speaker(s) that are included in your submission(s) that they are interested in speaking at WorldatWork Newport Beach Summit and have the event dates held prior to submitting.

Intent to bring additional speaker/s will not be considered in the assessment of submission. Only those whose details are provided in full will be considered as a voice and perspective to the submission.

Note that you will be required to provide all session and speaker details for the proposal.

Yes. If interested, please get in touch with Julie Aten at julie.aten@worldatwork.org for more information about the opportunities or process.  

You can make any edits to your submission(s) prior to the Call deadline.

If your submission is accepted, any speaker changes from the original accepted submission must be approved by WorldatWork. WorldatWork reserves the right to cancel a session if the speaker line-up changes from the original accepted submission.

Speakers

  • Be available to present in-person at WorldatWork Newport Beach Summit in Renaissance Newport Beach Hotel, Wednesday, June 10, 2026.

  • Create fresh, original, unique, and current content aimed to solve today’s problems. Please, no replays of webinars or other presentations. 

  • Tailor content and delivery to address participant needs.  

  • Attend speaker training and preparation meetings, be open to feedback, and meet all deadlines.

  • Refrain from selling or lead generation in content sessions. WorldatWork offers several paid, sponsor-led sessions to feature your organization and showcase your solutions, as well as booth and networking opportunities. If interested, please get in touch with visibility@worldatwork.org for more information about the opportunities or process.  

We are so grateful to our speakers for both their time spent in preparation and their willingness to share their expertise. As a WorldatWork Newport Beach Summit speaker you will receive:

  • If you are a Practitioner, Academic (with no other source of employment), or Nonprofit Organization Representative, you will receive a complimentary event registration so you can engage and network with other participants throughout the event. Consultants and Service Providers will not receive a complimentary registration.
  • Visibility and recognition for you and your organization as a thought leader.  
  • A chance to give back to the profession and help peers devise solutions to current and emerging business challenges.
  • Access to exclusive, complimentary speaker coaching and resources to help bring your session to life. 
  • WorldatWork recertification credits. 

Notifications

Submission status notifications will be emailed to submitters no later than March 16.

Your session date and time will be included in the submitter notification. Room placements will be sent closer to the event.