Frequently Asked Questions
Conference Information
Interested in Speaking?
Where is the conference venue exactly?
The conference will take place at the Kellogg Conference Center at Gallaudet University which is located at 800 Florida Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002.
What is the date and time of the conference?
The conference will take place on Monday, October 23, 2023, between 8:30AM - 5:30PM.
what is included in the ticket price?
In addition to access to the event itself, your ticket also includes catered food throughout the event to include breakfast, lunch, and snack.
Will the conference be catered?
Yes. You we will have catered Breakfast, Lunch, and Snack throughout the day. There are Vegetarian and Gluten Free Options.
will there be a virtual and an in-person format this year?
Our goal is to create an engaging experience for members of the agile community to share experiences and ideas as well as engage one-to-one either across a table, over coffee, or in impromptu conversation in the hallway… settings that benefit from physical proximity. Therefore, there will be no virtual format.
is there a group discount available?
No, we do not have any group discounts available. We have made the price as low as possible thanks to our generous sponsors and support of the volunteers. Also note that after all expenses are covered all funds are donated to nonprofit organizations.
What is Agiledc doing in response to covid to keep attendees safe?
This year, we are limiting attendance to based on venue restrictions and will follow CDC Guidelines.
What is the covid policy?
We are following the CDC Guidelines. Please check their website for the most up to date information.
Is there parking at the event?
Yes. You will need a parking pass which has been emailed to all attendees, volunteers, and speakers (You can print the parking pass at the bottom of the FAQs Page). Once you arrive on campus ( 8th and Florida Street Entrance) make a left at the first stop sign by the gate house. Follow the road around to your right and make a left at the second stop sign ( in front of Alumni House). Park in the parking garage and walk back to the Alumni House the Kellogg Conference Center is right next door.
Metro is also an option, the shuttle will also pick up Union Station. The pick up site is on the second floor of the Union Station garage where all of the buses pick up and drop off. Take the escalator up to the Amtrak/Commuter Level (Mezzanine Level), head north through the sliding glass doors and take the escalator/stairs to the bus deck level. The Gallaudet Sign is the first shuttle bay (#27) when you exit Union Station.
is there a reduced hotel room rate?
No, we typically do not have enough out-of town attendees to negotiate a discounted rates.
can i earn seus for scrum alliance for attending agiledc?
SEUs can be earned at a rate of one credit per hour of participation at AgileDC for Professional Development and Presentation Skills.
Presenting, coaching, and attending sessions all count as SEU-eligible activities.
Additionally, because Scrum Alliance recognizes the value in impromptu ("hallway") discussions at Scrum Gatherings, SEUs for attendance are earned at the same rate. A maximum of 8 SEUs may be earned per day.
See more at the Scrum Alliance.
can i earn pmi pdu credits for attending agiledc?
By attending sessions at AgileDC you may be able to earn Professional Development Units (PDUs) for Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and other certifications from the Project Management Institute (PMI). Please consult the CCR Handbook from PMI for details. Make sure you keep your name badge and registration confirmation as documentation to submit to PMI.
Interested in Sponsoring?
what are the sponsorship options for agiledc 2023?
This year, we are offering a Platinum Sponsorship option:
Cost of Platinum Sponsorship: $5,500.00
Platinum Sponsorship Features:
Two (2) complimentary passes.
A single rectangular table (6ft long, 30 inches wide, and 30 inches in height) and 2 folding chairs. Table location will be offered FIFO (first to sponsor, first to choose).
Sponsor placement on the AgileDC 2023 website.
Inclusion in the Platinum Sponsor recognition rollup at the kickoff of the event.
Ability to provide a prize(s) in the post-event raffle
We are also offering a Website Sponsorship option for those organizations that are committed to supporting the agile community, but do not plan on having a physical presence:
Cost of Website Sponsorship: $500.00
Website Sponsorship Features:
Sponsor placement on the AgileDC 2023 website.
Inclusion in the Website Sponsor recognition rollup at the kickoff of the event.
Ability to provide a prize(s) in the post-event raffle.
will the venue provide electricity and internet access for sponsors?
Power and WIFI access will be provided by the venue.
will platinum sponsors be able to ship packages to the venue?
Shipping to the venue is possible, please talk with our sponsorship chair to work out the logistics. Make sure to bring the record locator for tracking on the day of the conference.
WILL PLATINUM SPONSORS BE ABLE TO SET-UP THE NIGHT BEFORE THE EVENT?
Yes, setup the night before is an option, more information about the start time will be provided a head of the event.
AS A PLATINUM SPONSOR CAN I CHOOSE MY LOCATION FOR MY COMPANY’S TABLE?
Yes. The choice of location will be offered to Platinum Sponsors in priority based on a “First Paid, First Choice” basis. In other words, each Sponsor will be asked to select their preferred location in the order in which payment has been received.
what is the deadline for submitting a presentation proposal?
We are currently working on the presentation proposal timeline… stay tuned!
how many speaking slots are available?
There are 8 rooms available for presentations. We are planning 6 presentation timeboxes over the course of the day in each room. The presentations will take place in parallel during the respective timebox. In total, there will be 48 speaking slots.
who is the conference audience?
Historically, the conference has attracted a broad spectrum of agile practitioners spanning Team, Program, Portfolio and the Enterprise from both commercial organizations as well as federal and state entities. This includes Scrum Masters / Release Train Engineers, Product Owners, Coaches, Technical SMEs and Lean-Agile Leaders.
how do i submit a proposal for consideration?
Proposals can be submitted via Conference Engine. If this is your first time submitting a proposal to our conference, you will need to create a new profile by clicking on the link “Conference Enging”. Then, confirm you are in the AgileDC 2023 Dashboard and either click on “(+) ADD PROPOSAL” – top-center of the page – or click on the “(+) PROPOSE SESSION” link in the “Call for Proposals” widget (center right-side of the screen).
what is the “powerball” method for selecting proposals this year’s conference?
This year’s selection process is based on the work of Adam Cronkite, of Democracy Research, and Mike Lauer, of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), explored in the Revisionist History Podcast: The Powerball Revolution. Rather than rely exclusively on the organizing committee to determine who should be part of the program, this method randomizes the selection of submissions, which removes the potential for bias in the selection decision.
The process works as follows:
First, the organizing committee will review submissions against the following criteria:
Is the proposal related to Agile Software Development or the use of Agile principles in other fields?
Does the proposal abstract and title sell the audience on attending your session?
Is the proposal outline/structure clear and detailed enough including a description of the content, concrete examples, good time management, and balance theory and experience?
Then, all submissions that meet the minimum proposal criteria will be added to a lottery for random selection;
The randomly selected speakers will be asked to interview with one or more organizing committee members before the final schedule is determined.
The podcast is available here: Revisionist History Podcast: The Powerball Revolution.
why change to the “powerball” selection process?
One of the hallmarks of successful Agile practice is to try experiments, pay close attention to the results of those experiments, and adjust based on what you learn. We, the AgileDC organizers, have always tried to offer a diverse lineup of excellent sessions. We think we've done a pretty good job, for the most part, but we can be biased. And, in fact, all humans are biased. That's part of what makes us human.
Rather than pretend that we can review proposal submissions and pick out the ones that will be most valuable to all attendees, we're going to inject an element of randomness into the session selection. Randomness is, by definition, unbiased.
IS THERE A LIMIT TO THE NUMBER OF PRESENTATIONS EACH INDIVIDUAL CAN SUBMIT? WHAT ABOUT SUBMISSIONS FROM INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PART OF THE SAME ORGANIZATION?
There is no limit to the number of submissions by an individual. However, the Organizing Committee will choose only one presentation for each presenter to be vetted for consideration. Upon being vetted and approved as a candidate, that presentation would then be included in the Powerball selection process.
The Organizing Committee may, at their discretion, limit the number of submissions by an organization in order to ensure a company isn't overly represented as well. If the Organizing Committee is unable to decide between two presentations that are selected by the "randomizer algorithm" from the same company, we may then reach out to the company POC to choose which of the two presentations they would like to represent their organization.
As noted, this year there are only 48 presentation slots and we typically receive north of 400 submissions. The above guidance ensures that everyone who submits a proposal, whether a single proposal, or multiple proposals, has the same chance of being selected by the "Powerball" algorithm for selection.
what is the email notification frequency configuration?
The email notification frequency configuration controls how the Speaker Committee can communicate with you. This should be set to either “Instant” or “Daily” to ensure timely communication. Instructions for change the configuration are on Confengine’s Account Management page.
Interested in Volunteering?
Can i volunteer at this conference?
Yes! Please reach out to Ricardo Abella to discuss limited options to volunteer at AgileDC 2023 ricardo-abella@hotmail.com.
I still have questions. who do i contact?
Please don’t hesitate to send us an email: info@agiledc.org.