MEDA 2022 Annual Conference – Speaker/Presenter RFP

The Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) is seeking speakers for its Annual Conference, to be held on April 24th – April 26th, 2022. 

The theme of this year’s conference is: The Future of Social, Physical, and Economic Infrastructure

Nationally, communities are contending with changing social, physical, and economic infrastructure needs and demands. This conference explores the ways in which Maryland communities and organizations are enhancing their resilience to the threats of today and protecting against the uncertainty of tomorrow. This RFP process for the 2022 MEDA Annual Conference aims to identify creative and innovative thought-leaders who can speak to these challenges and re-evaluate, redefine, and fortify these critical systems. The conference topics noted below are intended to provide a framework for idea generation. 

List of Potential Topics:

• American Infrastructure Bill 
• Entrepreneurship 
• Financial Equity 
• Transportation (planes, trains, roadway vehicles, bikes) 
• Resiliency 
• Broadband 
• Talent Pipeline 
• Housing
• Baltimore – Regional Influence
• Infrastructure Subjects Pertinent to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

COVID-19 Considerations:

At this time, MEDA is planning an in-person Annual Conference to be held at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay, Cambridge, Maryland. However, if circumstances change, a fully virtual conference will be conducted, but the dates will not change. 

Submission Process:

Please complete the online form (below) no later than Friday, November 12th, 2021, at 5 PM EST. 

Please do not submit sales-oriented content, product promotion, and consulting services for the MEDA Annual Conference. Should a respondent wish to promote a product or service, please take the opportunity to sponsor the event using this link: https://www.medamd.com/partnership/#panel2-3. If a commercial representative wishes to speak at the Annual Conference as a speaker or panelist, MEDA asks that they speak broadly about industry best practices with only minimal focus on their particular commercial entity, and only as it relates to the topic or project being discussed. Given our deadlines, we cannot consider late submissions.

MEDA’s educational sessions are typically 1 hour in length. It is strongly encouraged that any proposed session meets the conference theme. To ensure that MEDA presents a balanced conference with varying viewpoints, MEDA’s Annual Conference sessions typically include 6-7 panels and 2 keynote speakers to ensure that MEDA presents a balanced conference with varying viewpoints.

MEDA’s Program Development Committee reserves the right to add or substitute speakers at its discretion. Thank you for taking the time to submit an RFP response, and we ask that you not extend any invitations to additional speakers as MEDA will make final decisions on speakers and invite them directly.  

Contact Information:

Any questions regarding this process may be directed to Pam Ruff at pamr@medamd.com or Sandy Dubay at sandy@medamd.com.