SpeakING
oPPortUNITIES
2025
at MTF, we believe that sharing knowledge is the key to forging a strong tech ecosystem
We also believe that you can’t be what you can’t see! That’s why we create a number of opportunities across the year for our tech community to come together and share knowledge through tech talks, panel discussions, round tables and more!
We hold a continuous Call for Papers, allowing anyone from our community to submit a talk to our core conference or to one of the many events we hold throughout the year.
SPEAK AT MTF25
Each year we welcome over 150 speakers to our core festival in September. Throughout the two weeks we have opportunities to join panels discussions, speak or run workshops. Here’s the low down:
Speak on our main stage
Our main stage stage seats 500 attendees and hosts the hottest topics in tech. Delivered to everyone from graduates to CTO’s the talks on our main stage are catered to all.
This year you will share the stage with no other than Ex-NASA CDO Ron Thompson which means competition is hot – only the best applications make it to our main stage
Our cyber security day attracts cyber security practitioners – that means we are looking for in depth techie talks involving the latest advancements in cyber defense. Don’t shy away from the technical aspects or worry about covering specialised concepts.
Our Women in Tech day promises content that is Raw, Authentic and Brutally Honest. We want talk that speak to women in tech and cover the topics people are often too worried to talk about. Talks that have gone down a storm previously include “LGBTQ+ Women in Tech”, “Harness Hormones for Success” “FemTech and Data Privacy” and talks on communication styles.
Our AI Conference is designed for those working in the world of AI and so we want talks that go beyond the surface-level hype. We want to delve deep into the tools, challenges and breakthroughs shaping the future of AI. Think machine learning, generative models, AI infrastructure, responsible deployment and everything in between!
Our Leadership Day caters to over 200 senior leaders and this year we have only a limited number of slots available. We are looking for thought provoking talks that leave leaders with practical tools to implement in their companies.
This years theme for software development is Success by Code. We want to dive deep into what truly makes software succeed from technical choices and architectural strategies to team dynamics, tooling, and process. We want applications from success and failures – and we want them to talk straight to our communities developers!
Run a Workshop
Across the festival we have a number of opportunities for you to run a workshop.
Each of our track days (Cyber Security, Women in Tech, Ai Conference and Software Development) offer the opportunity to run a 45 minute workshop for an intimate gathering of 16 people. We therefore look for workshops that are more in depth and hands on.
Our Core Conference Workshop space can hold upto 50 people. These workshops are targetted towards all areas of our ecosystem and are not as indepth as our track day workshops. We therefore welcome applications in all areas.
To apply,fill in the form below and highlight that your application is for a workshop.
Additional Opportunities
Throughout the year we provide a number of speaking opportunities at our lead up events.
Throughout the year, MTF creates regular spaces for 120+ techies to meet, network and knowledge share. Typically held at DiSH MCR, each event consists of two community speaking opportunities. These last 20 minutes each and are open to anyone within the tech community.
Some of our mixers are entered around a specific theme but if this is not specified – then we welcome talks from all corners of the community!
Check out our Social Events Calendar to find out more.
If you are new to speaking, or want to try out a new topic – our 99 second talks are perfect for you! Take to the stage and have your moment in the spotlight! All we ask is you keep it to 99 seconds… and you will be timed!
There is no formal application process for our 99 second talks, simply attend your chosen event and tell one of our volunteers you wish to speak!
FAQ's
Discover more about speaking at Manchester Tech Festival.
Manchester Tech Festival is all about inclusion, whether you have spoken publicly before or attended a panel makes no difference to us. We encourage you to submit your ideas if there is something you feel passionate about, you’ve made a discovery, or you just want to share your experience in the tech industry. No idea is a bad idea!
Each year MTF receive an extremely high volume of speaking applications. Therefore we are unable to feedback on your application to speak. We will keep your application on file for up to 12 months and will only be in touch with successful applicants.
Manchester Tech Festival is a community project that is entirely sponsor funded. Therefore, we are not able to reimburse expenses associated with speaking. This ensures we can reinvest as much money as possible into making our events the best they can be.
Yes! We know that you may have a lot you want to talk about or expertise in more than one area, that’s why we welcome more than one submission per person. However, due to the number of applications we receive each year, we limit applications to a maximum of three per person.
Apply to Speak
Fill in the form below to submit a talk – please ensure you highlight which events you would like to speak at