WTA’S Educational Planning Committee Seeks Session Topics and Speakers for the WTA Fall Educational Forum.
WTA’s Educational Planning Committee invites you to share your knowledge and expertise with the attendees at the Fall Educational Forum, October 4-7, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Sonoma, Santa Rosa, CA . WTA has always offered a remarkable lineup of education and networking opportunities targeting the needs and concerns of the WTA membership.
SUBMISSION PROCESS:
The deadline for submitting session proposals for the Fall Educational Forum is June 1, 2026. All proposals must be submitted through the 2026 Fall Educational Session Submission Link. Incomplete proposals will not be considered. A separate proposal must be submitted for each proposed session.
By submitting a proposal, you acknowledge and agree to all WTA policies. This includes a mandatory requirement that all speakers and panelists must pay full conference registration fees. No exceptions, discounts, or waivers will be granted under any circumstances. Submission of a proposal constitutes acceptance of this requirement.
SELECTION PROCESS:
WTA Associate Members may submit session proposals; however, all proposals must be submitted by the deadline. The following core criteria will be used to review proposals:
• Associate Members must be in good standing;
• timeliness of subject matter;
• topic has practical applications;
• clear, focused, and well-organized proposal;
• presenter’s qualifications;
• presentation strategies;
• presentation’s overall quality, and references from other speaking engagements;
• Preference will be given to associate members sponsoring (sponsorship will not guarantee a session).
WTA reserves the right to request modifications to a proposal before final selections are made. WTA will contact you if your session has been selected.
AUDIENCE:
The audience consists of general managers, CEO’s, directors, presidents, managers, and decision-makers from WTA’s national membership. Attendees are experienced and knowledgeable. They require and expect education that provides the most current information and the highest quality of expertise.
SPEAKER COMPENSATION & REIMBURSEMENT POLICY:
Because session presenters typically come from suppliers, vendors, and WTA members, all speakers and panelists are required to register and pay the full conference registration fee. This requirement is mandatory and applies to every individual participating in a session, including panelists. No exceptions will be made.
Conference registration is not covered or reimbursed. WTA does not pay speaker fees or provide reimbursement for travel expenses.
A limited number of hotel rooms are being held for speakers. If a speaker requires a reservation, they must contact Taylor Myers (taylor@w-t-a.org) and guarantee the reservation with a credit card. Hotel accommodations are subject to availability and are not guaranteed.
If you are organizing a panel, you are responsible for ensuring that each panelist understands and complies with the full registration requirement. Do not assume WTA will cover or waive registration fees for any invited speakers.
WTA NON-COMMERCIAL POLICY:
Attendees are seeking valuable education content and are always critical of presenters or sessions that are self-promotional. We cannot emphasize enough that presentations should only advance the educational process. Our policy therefore obliges presenters to refrain from using meeting session as a format for commercial sales pitches, self-promotion, or unwarranted criticism of a competitor. Speakers are not permitted to distribute company promotional literature, brochures, or sales materials in any form to attendees during their session, unless promotional piece has prior approval from WTA and is necessary for the presentation. WTA will not be responsible for printing or providing speaker materials for the presentation. WTA will post all presentations on the WTA website at the conclusion of the Meeting, unless the presenter request in writing, that the presentation not be made available on the WTA website.
