Planning for the Conference

Who will my audience be?
BuildingEnergy Boston is attended by the NESEA community, a group of professionals and practitioners who:

• Appreciate rich data and proven results
• Seek innovative materials and ideas
• Prefer discussion and interactivity over lecture
• Are eager to learn from mistakes as well as success stories

People attending your session may include architects, builders, building owners, building operators, designers, engineers, installers, lenders and financiers, policy professionals, property managers, and sustainability officers, ranging from emerging professionals to heralded experts.

How should I plan my presentation?
Your session’s Curator will schedule a call to discuss your session’s format and content. We encourage active learning formats that move beyond lectures with slides. We also request that you avoid marketing, sales, or product endorsements in your presentation, and that you limit your company’s branding to the first and last slides only (this is a requirement for sessions to be eligible for AIA credit).

How will slide presentations work?
You will need to submit your slide presentation to your session's Curator, who will load it onto the computer in the room where you are presenting. If you plan to include video, please embed the video in your presentation (the Westin’s internet may be unreliable for streaming online videos).

Note that we will make all slide presentations available to conference attendees, unless you specifically ask us not to.

Speaker Benefits

Do I get free or discounted registration for speaking?
Yes! We offer a sliding scale for speakers, starting at $0 (you decide what you and your company can afford). You will receive an email with a detailed set of instructions on how to register yourself. If attending the conference presents a financial hardship, please reach out to Ben Sachs-Hamilton, Conference Director, at bsachs-hamilton@nesea.org.

Does NESEA cover travel expenses?
No. If you need lodging, NESEA has arranged a reduced-rate room block at the Westin Boston Waterfront. You can book your room when you register, or directly at this link.

Will I be able to attend other conference sessions?
Yes. As a speaker, you may attend all conference sessions for the days you are registered for. See our pricing page (coming soon) for full details on what is included with your conference pass.

What about food?
Your conference registration includes lunch on the day(s) you are attending. Coffee and tea will also be available all day to all attendees on the trade show floor.

Will my session be evaluated?
We will be collecting feedback from attendees both during and after the event, and will do our best to share this feedback with you.

Do you expect anything else from me besides showing up to speak?
We want your BuildingEnergy Boston conference session to be a phenomenal success, so we expect you to participate in at least one conference call to coordinate with your session’s Curator and the other speakers. We also encourage you to spread the word about your presence at the conference. You will find marketing language and images in our event Media Kit. You can also contact Ian Reed at ireed@nesea.org for additional assistance in promoting your session.

At the Conference

What can I expect about the room where I will be presenting?
Most session rooms will have a podium with a gooseneck mic, a panelists’ table with a wireless mic, and a projector/screen for slides. A NESEA staffer or volunteer will serve as your room host and will make announcements to start the session.

Will flip charts be available?
NESEA will have a limited number of easels, flip charts, and markers on hand. Contact Conference Director Ben Sachs-Hamilton at bsachs-hamilton@nesea.org to reserve a flip chart.

Will you record my session?
Some but not all session rooms will likely be recorded. Please let us know if you do not want your session to be recorded.

Need more information?
For questions about your session’s content or format, contact your session’s Curator. For questions about logistics or registration, contact Conference Director Ben Sachs-Hamilton at bsachs-hamilton@nesea.org or (413) 213-5525. You can also view our Conference Attendee FAQ page.