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2026 Call for Speakers
2026 Southern Public Relations Federation
Annual Conference Call for Presenters
Deadline for proposals extended to Friday, March 13!
It’s time to go LIVE and share your most successful, creative and exciting programs, campaigns, initiatives and best practices at the 2026 Southern Public Relations Federation Annual Conference in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, September 20-22, 2026.
This year’s theme is “PR Roots,” and we are seeking presenters to share successful communication, public relations, engagement, and marketing strategies with fellow public relations professionals. We especially want to offer sessions for our more seasoned practitioners. If you have a session about public relations management; counseling; measurement (something new); innovative ways to approach how we do things; etc.
About The Southern Public Relations Federation
The majority of SPRF Conference attendees are PR professionals with more than 10 years of experience. Collectively, this group The Southern Public Relations Federation is a network of public relations professionals from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida who share a common interest in the public relations profession. SPRF has more than 1,000 members and continues to grow. SPRF is led by a volunteer board of directors and is considered the premier networking and professional development organization for public relations professionals in the Gulf South.
About The 2026 SPRF Annual Conference
Hosted in a different location each fall, the annual conference is SPRF’s largest professional development event, and it consistently attracts more than 150 PR professionals from a broad range of industries and market segments. Attendees include owners, partners, and associates of small, mid-size, and large PR firms; independent practitioners; corporate communicators; and government and non-profit communications professionals, all of whom come to the conference to connect with colleagues, obtain new ideas and perspectives, and share best practices that can immediately be implemented in their respective organizations. The conference will focus on the rapidly-changing world of PR, from the disintegration of traditional media, to social media and cutting-edge technologies and platforms impacting communications strategies, to new ideas for brand awareness and reputation management.
Proposal Guidelines
SPRF welcomes proposals from senior-level independent practitioners, PR firms and corporate communications executives, and well-respected experts in related business functions, including, but not limited to, management/leadership, human resources, finance, legal, operations and digital marketing. This is a call for presentations for breakout sessions and keynote sessions, as described below:
A detailed 60-minute presentation including Q&A on a dedicated PR discipline (e.g., analytics and measurement techniques, crisis communications, employee communications, media relations, community relations, influencer outreach, social media marketing, reputation management, agency administration, etc.), or a PR/communications topic related to a specific industry (e.g., consumer products, entertainment, government, non-profit, educational, finance, healthcare, media, sports, technology, travel/hospitality, etc.).
Keynote Sessions:
The majority of SPRF Conference attendees are PR professionals with more than 10 years of experience. Collectively, this group possesses experience in crisis communications, public affairs, internal communications, media and analyst relations, reputation management, and industry-specific communication tactics. The most successful speakers:
▪ Possess, and effectively convey, demonstrated knowledge of challenges faced by small-to mid-size PR firms, independent practitioners, and public information officers (PIOs).
▪ Provide important takeaways and resources that attendees can implement the day they return to their offices.
▪ Are passionate thought leaders concerning their respective professional areas of expertise, and can inspire audiences to see their business challenges in new ways and take action.
▪ Avoid sales pitches for their product(s) or service(s).
Furthermore, priority consideration will be given to those proposals that are fresh, visionary, and forward-thinking. SPRF Conference attendees are particularly interested in resources and learning opportunities containing one or more of the following elements:
▪ Integration: Strategic approaches to integrated marketing communications and aligning platforms to reinforce campaign effectiveness.
▪ Strategic Planning & Implementation: Case studies or presentations geared toward senior practitioners that demonstrate best practices in the four step process – research, planning, implementation and measurement.
▪ Leadership & Management: Best practices in leadership and management skills
development, team building, conflict resolution and mentoring.
▪ Advocacy: Communicating role and value of public relations; public relations issues.
▪ Tools & Techniques: Skill building, social media tools and techniques, writing, pitching, speechwriting and storytelling.
▪ The Business Case for PR: Educating key audiences about PRs’ roles and outcomes; demonstrating the strategic value of PR; research and measurement tools.
▪ Diversity: Championing diversity of thought, cultures, disciplines, ideals, gender, and age; benefits of diversity; reaching niche audiences.
▪ Education: Lifelong learning; practical and professional guidance; business and management principles.
▪ Ethics: Reviewing current issues having ethical implications for the profession; topical analyses and case studies.
▪ Excellence: Emerging trends; collaboration; innovation; and best practices.
Proposal Content:
Please outline the following information in a Word document, and email your proposal to [email protected] by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 13, 2026. Applicants will be notified of final selections by email in the spring.
1. Name(s).
2. Professional Title(s).
3. Organization/Company Affiliation.
4. Mailing Address.
5. Phone Numbers: Office and Mobile.
6. Email Address.
7. About Me/LinkedIn Profile URLs.
8. Twitter Handle (if applicable).
9. Biography (200 words max).
10. Website Address.
11. Event References: List conferences where you have presented (at least three, with topics provided for each), as well as the name, phone number and email address of a primary contact person at each event. If available, please provide an evaluation form from at least one presentation of a similar type.
12. Fees.
13. Presenter(s) Information:
Note: If chosen, the presenter’s name, title and organization/company affiliation will appear in conference marketing materials as provided in this application.
Presentation Information
1. Session Title.
2. Description and Content (100 words maximum).
3. Three Learning Objectives (“By end of session, attendees will know how to…”).
Would you be interested in presenting this topic as a/an (highlight all that apply)?
1. Breakout Session (you present).
2. Keynote Session (you present).
3. Same-day Keynote and Breakout Sessions (you present).
4. Would you be open to printing a webinar before our conference as “Teaser”? Please indicate if there is an extra fee for this.
5. Other (describe).
Submit proposals and any questions to:
Ginger Guttner, APR [email protected]
225-578-992
LSU School of Veterinary Medicine
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
*Submit proposals by email.
