Info for Presenters at IEC 2022
1. Be familiar with Integral Theory
We ask our presenters to familiarize themselves with Wilber’s Integral Theory. Some are experts in it, and some only know the basics so they can refer to it lightly. You don’t need to be a Wilber follower – just be able to reference Integral Theory. An applicant who has never heard of Integral Theory and hasn’t made the effort to familiarize him- or herself at least to some degree might not be accepted to present. Presenters are invited to skillfully apply, deepen integral understanding, lightly refer to, wisely criticize, mindfully correct, offer alternatives to Integral Theory, or present their own models, findings, theories, and practices – whatever feels true for them. All applications for all categories from all corners of the planet are welcome.
Come, take a chance, and step up!
2. Bring your topic and relate it to the conference title
When offering a presentation, we bring our own topic to share with the integral world while at the same time putting it in the context of the theme of the conference. Try to integrate these two purposes, without contrivance, leaving space for creative emergence.
3. Time zones: How to meet globally at the same time
At an online conference we have a special situation, where people can only participate according to their waking hours. Therefore, instead of following the structure and variety of presentations we know from the live IEC events, we will focus mainly on one type of presentation format: a 90-minute presentation slot in which theory and practice should be combined. In that way, whether someone joins from Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, or Australia, they will be able to participate in at least some of the sessions live and enjoy the exchange in breakout rooms, while watching other presentations as a recording in the afternoon and evening hours of CEST (Central European Standard Time zone, CET or CEST), which includes Paris, Berlin, Budapest, etc., because that is when most people are awake all around the globe and have the most chance to get together. But presentations and events are also ongoing throughout the day in Europe, from 8 am CEST to 12 midnight.
All sessions are recorded, and those who have joined the conference and purchased a ticket can access them later.
4. The conference platform
Zoom is our online conference platform. For some keynote presentations and community processes we will have a main hall—which in 2022 will be an actual hall in Budapest—and for other presentations we will have 4 or 5 parallel Zoom rooms. Within the IEC team, a whole subteam hosts these calls with both a technical host and a facilitator host. If you present, you will be contacted by your host to prepare the session well for a smooth experience. If you are an experienced online facilitator and would like to become part of the hosting team, please email us.
5. Presentation formats
At live IEC conferences, there is a complex format with multiple types of offerings, slots, and events, with two days of pre-conference workshops, keynotes, and 20-minute TED-style talks in the mornings, long experiential workshops in the afternoons, and community events in the evenings. Therefore, there are multiple formats to apply for in different categories.
For the Online IEC we made it much simpler to accommodate different time zones and the online Zoom format. There is only one main type of 90-minute presentation slot, and there are no thematic categories in the application. Please review your options below.
a) Standard presentations: 90-minute presentation
Presenters will all have a 90-minute Zoom session. We ask all presenters to combine their lecture with some experiential exercises and opportunities to share in breakout rooms. The nature of a mature integral experience includes both the mind and the body, sense and soul, understanding and feeling, verbal and nonverbal, even sometimes altered states. Often the presenter is also a facilitator, facilitating We-Space practices, relational practices, helping people to connect more deeply and authentically, leading guided meditations, having people stand up and move, etc.
b) Keynote presentations
Keynote presentations are 30 minutes long, and selected by the conference organizers by invitation. There are only a limited number of these slots. Therefore, there is no formal option for applying for a keynote presentation. Nevertheless, if you feel your offering would fit a keynote, or you wish to suggest a new speaker, you can email our team to inquire.
c) Morning practices
You can also offer morning practices via Zoom, such as meditation, yoga, movement, etc. to start the day with some centering, purifying, spiritual practice. This means CEST morning time, but anyone can join from other continents, for them it might be a daytime or an evening session.
d) Art presentations
The presence of beauty through art is very important to us for a truly integral experience. If you are an artist and have ideas how this can work in an online format, please apply through the online form (and if you have an idea how to integrate it into a workshop or otherwise, email us directly). We will probably not have an online gallery like last time, but we are still open to creative ideas and input.
e) Musical interludes
If you are a singer or musician and would like to contribute one or more short musical contributions between keynotes, please apply including a video clip of your performance. Please make sure that you have a large bandwidth internet connection and are able to broadcast your music via Zoom.
6. How to apply to present
Please fill out the application form here.
Also, we strongly suggest you sign up for our newsletter emails so you are informed about what is going on leading up to IEC. Many things develop on the go and some might change. Our communication channel is our newsletter. To stay in the loop and be informed, put your email here: https://integraleuropeanconference.com/join-us/.