We've just announced Civo Navigate London 2025, happening on September 30th, 2025, and our Call for Proposals (CFPs) are now open! Whether you're a seasoned speaker or looking to give your first talk, submitting a CFP is your chance to share your experience, spark ideas, and connect with a forward-thinking tech audience. A CFP is your chance to pitch a talk for the event. It outlines what you want to present, why it matters, and how it will benefit the audience. This year, we’re especially interested in talks that explore areas like AI and infrastructure, developer experience, platform engineering, open source, security, and real-world engineering lessons.

In this blog, we'll guide you through the best practices for submitting a successful CFP and increasing your chances of being accepted to speak at our conference.

What is a CFP?

If you're considering speaking at a tech conference like Civo Navigate, you'll need to submit a CFP to propose your presentation idea. A CFP is a document that outlines what your session will look like and why it's valuable for attendees. Your submission will typically include a title, an abstract of your idea, a definition of how it will benefit the community, your bio, and your company's bio.

Submitting a successful CFP is crucial for getting accepted to speak at a conference. By following the guidelines provided by the conference organizers and providing a compelling proposal that meets the needs of the audience, you'll increase your chances of being selected to present.

Once you've submitted your CFP, the conference committee will review it and notify you via email if you've been selected to speak. The selection process can be competitive, so it's important to put your best foot forward and make sure your proposal meets the needs of the conference organizers and attendees. By following these best practices, you'll increase your chances of being accepted and sharing your expertise with a wider audience.

7 steps to submit a great CFP

To get a CFP selected, you will need to follow a number of steps mentioned below:

Step 1: Consider the conference theme and focus

Before starting your CFP, read the conference instructions to understand how your topic aligns with the conference theme and the audience you'll be speaking to. If the conference focuses on Kubernetes, for example, make sure your presentation relates to this topic.

Step 2: Create a clear and concise title

Your title should be focused and help the reader understand the topic you'll be presenting. A good technique is to write your abstract first and use it to guide the creation of your title.

Step 3: Write a compelling abstract

Your abstract should give attendees a sense of what they'll learn from your session, without giving away too much information. Remember that the abstract is like a trailer for a movie, so make sure it's intriguing and leaves attendees wanting more. Consider starting with a story and ending with a call to action.

Step 4: Highlight the benefit to the community

Explain how your talk can benefit the community, whether it's helping attendees get started with technology or offering insights on industry trends. Make sure to differentiate your presentation from others taking place at the conference.

Step 5: Include relevant resources

In the resources section of your CFP, you can add slides or recordings from previous conferences or upload a video to YouTube explaining a particular topic. This helps the review committee evaluate your speaking skills and could impact the acceptance of your proposal.

Step 6: Get feedback from industry experts

Before submitting your CFP, revise it and get feedback from industry experts. This could help you avoid repeating talks from previous years and ensure your content is fresh and engaging. You can find industry experts on Twitter or other professional networks.

Step 7: Proofread your CFP

Before submitting your CFP, make sure to proofread it for errors and inconsistencies. A polished and professional CFP could make a big difference in the acceptance of your proposal.

Civo Navigate London 2025

This year’s event will take place in London, UK on September 30th, 2025, and we’re looking for inspiring, practical, and thought-provoking talks from across the tech landscape. We’re open to a wide range of topics from AI and infrastructure to developer experience, platform engineering, open source, security and observability, and real-world team challenges and solutions. Whether it’s a lightning talk, case study, or deep dive, we want your perspective.

“Civo Navigate was an awesome and fresh event and conference! I start to enjoy these smaller conferences more than the big flagship conferences I normally visit! The mixture of speakers was very good and you had the chance to create your own tailored agenda towards your interests! - Engin Diri”

👉 Submit your CFP for Navigate London 2025

Speakers from our past events

At our past Navigate events, we’ve welcomed over 100 speakers across a huge range of topics, including:

Summary

This blog shares practical tips for submitting a strong CFP to speak at Civo Navigate London 2025. From choosing the right topic to writing a compelling abstract and getting feedback, these best practices will help increase your chances of being selected to take the stage and share your ideas with the tech community.