Lightning Talks Submission Page – 2025

ePM • Maryland Product Symposium • Oct 16, 2025

Submit Your Lightning Talk

Teach a sharp lesson, demo a helpful tool, or share your hard-won insights in a 5-minute pre-recorded video. Fast, useful, and memorable.

Featured During the Symposium | Pre-event spotlights (2/day) | Post-event “Product Signals” playlist

Start Submission

See Guidelines

Some Good Examples from the Greats (Keep It Simple!)

Steve Jobs: “Avoid This Disease”

Miro Demos “Create with AI” in 3 min

Melissa Perri’s Product Person Story

Option A — Propose, then Record

Send a quick idea for feedback. We’ll reply within 7 days with accept or edits, then you record.

Title + 1–2 sentence abstract
Primary takeaway (1 sentence)
Choose a theme

Use the submission form ↓

Option B — Upload Your 5-Minute Video

Already recorded? Upload the MP4 and (optionally) one slide. We’ll review and schedule it.

Max 5:00, MP4 (Zoom/Loom/Phone OK)
Optional: 1 slide (16:9)
One clear, actionable takeaway

Jump to upload ↓

Deadlines: Proposals due Sept 30, 2025 · Final videos due Oct 7, 2025

What We’re Looking For

Usefulness in 5 minutes — teach something we can apply next week
Clarity over polish — clean audio/video beats over-production
Credibility — show your context, what worked, what didn’t
Actionable takeaway — one powerful point, one slide max

Suggested Themes

AI-in-PM workflows
High-performing teams
Discovery tactics
Stakeholder alignment
Product ops Innovation culture
Measurement & evaluation
Launches & rollouts
Public/regulated environments

Review Criteria (0–5 each)

Usefulness — clear technique or insight
Clarity — tight narrative, focused scope
Credibility — concrete details or results
Fit — themes + audience relevance

Notifications sent within 7 days of proposal.

Recording Tips (Fast)

Sound first: quiet room, earbuds or headset mic
Framing: eye-level, steady camera, front lighting
Structure: hook (10–15s) → problem → your approach → result → takeaway

FAQ

Can I co-present?

Yes. Co-presenters are welcome. Keep the total under 5:00 and submit one video. List all speakers; designate a primary contact.

Can I reuse a talk I gave elsewhere?

Yes—if you have the rights and it fits our audience. Trim to ≤5:00, ensure no confidential/IP content, and include sources if needed.

Will my talk be edited?

Light edits only (intro/outro framing, minor trims for time/clarity, basic audio leveling, captions). We won’t change your message; we may request a revision.

Can companies submit multiple talks?

Yes. We’ll curate for topic/voice balance; typically 1–2 per company are selected. Branded talks may include one CTA link (demo-first, no hard sells).

Submission Form

Lightning Talks – MD Product Symposium 2025

Submit your lightning talks proposals and vidoes here!

Talk Title(Required)

What do you call your Lightning Talk?

Talk Type(Required)

Practitioner

Branded Talk

Abstract(Required)

2-3 sentences on your talk

Primary Takeaway(Required)

Link to Video (<5 Min, MP4 Please!)

Give us a link to where you have your video stored online – it can be via Google, Dropbox, or any other filesharing service.

Primary Speaker or Point of Contact(Required)

First Last

Your Professional Title(Required)

Email(Required)

LinkedIn Profile

Professional Biography(Required)

Please limit to 50 words

Permissions (Please Confirm Each Is True)(Required)

I confirm content is mine to share (or licensed).

I grant UMD permission to edit, publish, and distribute.

I will provide captions or allow UMD to auto-generate captions.