Speakers & Program
Call for
proposals
Our call for proposals is now open! Until April 13, you have the opportunity to submit a talk / presentation proposal to be part of the Service Design Global Conference 2025, taking place October, 15-17 in Dallas, Texas and online. Below we have compiled information that hopefully help you prepare your proposal and explain what it means to be a speaker at SDGC.
©Denise Jaouadi
About SDGC
The conference will continue with its 3-day format, starting on October 15 with workshops, followed by two full days of a brilliant program around the theme: “Business Transformation by Design: Leading Modern Organizations through Service Design”.
The conference ticket includes attendance to the conference days (October 16-17) and doesn't include the workshop day (October 15). Registration for workshops will be open at a later stage.
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We'll be wrapping things up with a party! If you can stick around on Friday, please make sure you register for a ticket that includes the closing event.
Our theme
The SDGC25 theme, "Business Transformation by Design: Leading Modern Organizations through Service Design", emphasizes the active role service design plays in driving holistic, cross-functional transformation and cross-disciplinary design across various types of organizations. This year’s conference explores how service design is uniquely well-suited to help organizations identify and create value in today’s service-driven economy.
Topics we're interested in
From influencing strategy, operations, and customer experience to transforming entire organizations to deliver service experiences more effectively, we’re seeking stories of bold transformation, hard-won lessons, forward-looking visions and cutting-edge methods related to the following:
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Addressing a Strategic Gap: Bridging service design with strategy, operations, technology, and governance.
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From Design-Led to Business-Aligned: Making service design an essential tool for strategy, not just execution.
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CX Strategy & CX Culture: Embedding customer-centricity in organizations and aligning teams around exceptional experiences.
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Relevance Across Sectors: Expanding beyond traditional business contexts to public sector, healthcare, education, etc.
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Success Stories of Real Value Creation: How service design drives impact across business, public sector, and social innovation.
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Service Mapping & Navigating Complexity: Visualizing ecosystems, aligning stakeholders, and driving action across sectors.
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Service Design as a Strategic Driver: Demonstrating how service design operates at strategic, operational, and tactical levels.
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Design Leadership in Large-Scale Transformations: Leading change, influencing strategy, and shifting culture.
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Measuring Service Design Impact: Aligning service design with business objectives, proving ROI, and ensuring execution.
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Mission-Driven Innovation: Exploring service design’s role in addressing societal challenges and leading innovation in public and governmental organizations.
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Service Design as a Differentiator: Moving beyond the basics—how organizations can use service experiences to stand out.
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From Policy to People: How service design is shaping social innovation, regulation, and mission-driven transformation.
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Transformation by Design: Exploring intentional transformation and the role of designers in driving change.
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Lessons from Ongoing Business Transformations: What’s working, what’s not, and what we can learn from organizations embracing service design.
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AI-Accelerated & Enhanced Service Design: How AI is reshaping service design—from ideation to implementation.
Whether you’re an industry veteran or an emerging voice, your insights matter. Join us in redefining how organizations lead, innovate, and create lasting impact through service design.
©Denise Jaouadi
Presentation and submission details
All speaker slots are 45 minutes in total, 30 minutes for the presentation and 15 minutes for Q&A.
If you’re interested in speaking, please complete the form below to submit your proposal by April 13, 2025. All proposals should be submitted in English.
1 / Think about structure and language
Consider how you will present your session and how you will address the audience. You can adopt a traditional structure – outlining a problem and a solution space, and building a chronological sequence of events, ... – or you can think of new ways of sharing your voice. As for the language, please consider the diversity of the global community you will be speaking to and focus on making your presentation inclusive.
2 / Fresh perspectives
The audience is always looking to learn from new perspectives - think about what insights, viewpoints, or unique experiences you can bring to the table that will offer a fresh take on familiar topics. Consider how your talk can challenge existing ideas or introduce innovative concepts that spark curiosity and discussion.
3 / Thought-through connection
We are also looking for a thought-through connection to this year's conference theme, ensuring that your talk not only resonates with the overarching narrative but also adds depth and relevance to the theme.
4 / Make it engaging
The conference is a great opportunity for fostering interactions among participants. Plan for discussion time, and think of ways you can connect to your audience. We welcome ideas to actively involve the audience during your talk - this enriches the experience, and makes the event more insightful for everyone.
Speaker terms
By submitting the information to present at SDGC25, and if your proposal is accepted, you agree to the following:
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Attend a speaker onboarding call before the conference
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Provide presentation materials to event organisers by the designated date (more information will be provided)
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Present content as submitted / approved by the event content team
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Maintain your allotted presentation time window
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Be present during the event to participate as an audience member
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Promote the event through your social / professional networks
We reserve the right to not accept presentations that may be considered sales or capabilities presentations, brand or product commercials, or generic or pre-canned content. If your brand would like to present skill-building, training, or educational content about your product or service, limited sponsored speaking opportunities and (physical and virtual) workshops are available. Please contact us at conference@service-design-network.org
The selection process
Once the call for speakers is closed, our Speaker team begins their hard work on reviewing all the submissions. We ask for your patience as every year we receive a large number of brilliant proposals and it takes a few weeks to review them all. After all proposals are processed, our team will get back to all of the submitters with an update on the acceptance status. Please expect an answer by the end of May, 2025. If you are not selected as a speaker, you will still be able to purchase an Early Bird ticket to attend the conference.
We evaluate all speaker submissions based on four key criteria:
Uniqueness
Does the topic bring a fresh perspective or cover well-explored ground? We look for original insights that will captivate and inspire attendees.
Relevance
Does the talk align with the conference theme and address important trends or challenges in the field? It should resonate with our audience and contribute to meaningful discussions. edit the text.
Quality
Is the talk well-structured and clearly communicated? Strong storytelling and a logical flow are key to an engaging presentation.
Presence
Can the speaker engage the audience effectively, whether in person or online? Confidence, clarity, and the ability to connect with attendees are essential.
What selected speakers can expect
Accepted speakers will, as a first step, receive a confirmation email. Shortly after we ask you to sign a speaker agreement. We will be with you along your speaker journey all the way up to the conference, during, and also afterwards. To know in more detail what to expect from SDGC25, we will provide all speakers with an onboarding document. Please be prepared to also have an call with our speaker team prior to the conference, which will be a chance for you to connect with the team and get answers to remaining questions.
Depending on the program structure, speakers may also be invited to take part in panels, roundtables and discussion groups
Speakers will receive a free conference ticket, a one-year professional SDN membership and a honorarium of 300 USD (paid after the conference). Please note that in case of co-presented talks, we are able to provide these benefits only to 1 speaker per presentation. Accommodation and travel expenses unfortunately cannot be covere
Timeline
March
April
April-May
June
July-August
September
October
Call for speakers opens.
Call for speakers closes 13 April 2025.
Our team reviews all the submissions. Try to be patient, it takes a few weeks to review them.
We will get back to you by mid-June. If your talk is selected you follow below timeline. If your talk is not selected, we hope to still see you at the conference!
Selected speakers are confirmed and we start to publish them on our channels. At the same time, our team is creating the program for the conference.
Our team will provide you with onboarding information. The team is also arranging an onboarding call with you where you can ask all questions you might have. We will also provide the opportunity to connect with other speakers prior to the conference.
The team is here to help you. We can go through your presentation together, spar on some elements etc.
Your time to take the stage at SDGC25!Your honorarium will be paid after the conference.
Thank you for being part of this community! We truly appreciate your time and support in helping it grow and thrive.