Call for Lightning Round Proposals

The Florida Library Association Conference Planning Committee is now accepting proposals to present Lightning Round sessions live at the
2025 Annual Conference at Hilton Doubletree SeaWorld in Orlando.

Date: The lightning rounds will be held during the conference on Friday, May 16, 2025, 9:30 AM -10:30 AM.

Description: A Lightning Round is a time-limited and slide-limited presentation format. Each presenter gives a 5-minute PowerPoint presentation accompanied by 15 slides that advance automatically every 20 seconds.

The meeting room for the event will be equipped with a computer, projector, screen, and microphone. Presenters will be asked to send their presentation and any accompanying handouts prior to the conference. All presentations will be preloaded onto the meeting room computer before the start of the event to reduce transition time between presenters.

General Submission Information

FLA 2025 Lightning Rounds Proposal Submission

 The deadline for submitting proposals is 11:59 PM FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2025.

• All Lightning Round presenters must be registered for the conference (either the full conference or for the day of the event).

• Proposals for presentations should be related to the 2024-2025 FLA President's theme of “Overdue for Fun: Celebrating Libraries and Ourselves.” For more information on the conference theme, please visit 2024-2025 President's Message (flalib.org)

• Lightning Round proposals submitted by vendors will not be considered. 

 Selection

Selection will be made by members of the FLA Lightning Rounds Subcommittee:

• Amber Priester, Chair
• Becky Greer, Vice Chair
• Renee Gould

Acceptance emails will be sent outby FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2025.

 FAQs

1. What is a Lightning Round?

Each speaker is allocated five minutes of presentation time and is accompanied by 15 PowerPoint presentation slides. Each slide in the speaker’s presentation is displayed for 20 seconds before automatically advancing to the next. 

 2. What do presenters need to provide?

The meeting room for the event will be equipped with a computer, projector, screen, and microphone. Presenters must email their presentation and any accompanying handouts to the Chair by Friday, May 2, 2025. All presentations will be preloaded onto the meeting room computer before the start of the event to reduce transition time between presenters. The conference app will make a copy of the presentation and handouts available.

 3. Can I use multimedia in my presentation?

Yes. However, due to the size of the room, it may be difficult to hear audio slides.

4. Can my presentation run longer than five minutes?

No. Your session will be cut off at the end of your allotted time.

5. Where can I learn more about the Lightning Round format?

Lightning Rounds are similar to Pecha Kucha (http://www.pechakucha.org/) or Ignite (http://igniteshow.com/) sessions. Google “best pecha kucha” for tips on creating your presentation (http://blog.indezine.com/2012/05/10-tips-to-create-and-present-pecha.html)

 6.  When will I know if my presentation has been accepted?

Acceptance emails will be sent out by FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2025.

Presentation Tips

• The key to a great presentation is to present something you are passionate about.

• 20 seconds is not a long enough time for people to read large blocks of text.  Be selective in how much text you put on each slide.

• Practice to ensure that the timing of your presentation matches the content of your slides. The slides will advance automatically so you can’t pause or veer off-topic.

 For more information, contact the Lightning Rounds Subcommittee Chair, Amber Priester: [email protected]