Practical info for speakers

General Festival info

• What does the set-up of the Festival look like?

  This year’s conference marks the 9th edition of our UXR event.

  • April 14 (in-person): half-day highly interactive program. Monday will take on a fresh twist in 2025, with even more focus on collaboration and turning insights into action.
  • April 15 and 16 (hybrid): conference days with talks, live Q&As, networking sessions, break activities, sponsor demos and more.

  All talks and Q&As on April 15 & 16 will be live broadcast and recorded during the Festival. Recordings will be available for all festival ticket holders for the entire year. The program on Monday, April 14, is not recorded.

• What kind of audience can I expect?

  Audience Festival 2024
  500+ participants (250+ in-person & 250+ online)
  From 34 countries across 5 continents, mostly from Europe
  59% UX researcher, 16% UX designer, 15% manager/lead, 10% other

• Where does the Festival take place?

  City: Leiden, the Netherlands.

  The city is close to Amsterdam and famous for its university, museums, waterways, and quest for knowledge and freedom of expression. The historic canals, the beautiful buildings and alleyways have surrounded many who have made important discoveries over centuries.

  Venue: Stadsgehoorzaal
  Breestraat 60
  2311 CS Leiden
  The Netherlands

  The Stadsgehoorzaal Leiden is a monumental building in the centre of Leiden. It was built in the 19th century as a concert hall in an impressive Neo-Renaissance style, rare in the Netherlands.

• How do I get to the venue?

  It is easily accessible by train and car. From Leiden Central Station, it is a 15-minute walk to the Stadsgehoorzaal, or you can take any bus that stops at the Breestraat. You can park your car at P+R Haagweg or in one of the other (paid) parking garages in the city.

  More information about the venue, including how to get there, will soon be available on our website. And of course, we’ll send you all the details you need closer to the Festival.

• What is the time zone of the event?

  Central European Summer Time (CEST) – the live program will likely occur between 9:30 and 17:00 CEST

• What does the timeline for creating my talk look like?

  1. First draft of talk – deadline January 15
  Create and send in your talk’s first draft/outline.

  • What is your main message
  • How would you like to structure the story?
  • What is your high-level supported evidence?
  • What would you like to discuss (e.g. what (not) to include)?

  You can create slides or use any other format/tool for this outline. Please note that we use slides for the final presentation. Send your draft to debbie@uxinsight.org.

  2. Coaching session 1 – between January 15 – 31
  During a video call, we can get to know each other, discuss your talk’s draft outline, and provide feedback and tips.

  Schedule your coaching session (60 min) before January 10.

  3. Pilot version – deadline February 28
  Prepare your talk in more detail, create the presentation and complete your story. Send your pilot version to debbie@uxinsight.org to discuss during coaching session 2.

  4. Coaching session 2 – between March 3- 14
  You’ll present your talk during a video call. We discuss final adjustments or tips, if applicable.

  Schedule your coaching session [link soon] before February 15.

  5. Final presentation – deadline April 1
  Finalize your slides and send them to debbie@uxinsight.org.

  6. UXinsight Festival 2025, April 14-16
  You present live at the UXinsight Festival in the Netherlands on April 15 or 16. Your talk and live Q&A are recorded and shared with all ticket holders afterwards.

• How do I keep track of all the deadlines?

  This page hopefully helps you keep an overview and gives you an idea of what is expected of you upfront. We’ll also email you to remind you about important upcoming deadlines.

• How can I help promote the Festival?
  • Share the UXinsight Festival 2025 on your social media or add it to your newsletter (if you have one). Please do that multiple times during ticket sales: January 28-April 14. In January, we’ll create a shared folder with promotional materials you can use.
  • Engage with (like, share, comment, tag) our social posts on LinkedIn to improve our reach
  • Send us a 30-second video with a tip related to your talk, which we can use to promote the Festival.
  • Reach out to us if you have other ideas to help promote the Festival. We’re always open to suggestions! 🙏

Travel and hotel

• How will my travel be arranged?

  We ask you to book your flights/train to travel to the Netherlands yourself. How costs are compensated, you’ll find under the section Reimbursement. If you’re travelling by plane, we can arrange train tickets from the airport to Leiden Central train station and vice versa according to your travel itinerary.

  Please provide us with your travel details as soon as possible, but not later than February 12.

• How will my stay in Leiden, the Netherlands, be arranged?

  We will make hotel reservations for two nights* in a comfortable hotel in Leiden. By default, this will be the night before and after your talk. If you prefer other nights, please let us know as soon as possible. Changes are always subject to availability.

  Fletcher Hotel Leiden
  Bargelaan 180 | 2333 CW Leiden | the Netherlands

  • Check-in: from 15:00 CEST
  • Check out: until 11:00 CEST (noon)
  • Breakfast included: 07:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Mon-Fri) | 08:00 AM – 11:00 AM (Sat-Sun)

  *When living in the Netherlands, 1 night on Tuesday, April 15.

• How do I get from the airport to Leiden?

  We can arrange a train ticket from the airport to Leiden and vice versa. Please indicate this in the Travel details form.

  We’ll order these tickets the week before the Festival and send you the digital tickets, including instructions, by e-mail. These digital tickets are valid all day on the relevant date, so no worries if your flight is delayed.

Reimbursement

• What do I get as a speaker at UXinsight Festival 2025?

  In return for your contribution, we offer you the following:

  • A fixed overall reimbursement for compensation of travel expenses, time investment and materials:
    – € 550 for speakers living in the Netherlands and Belgium
    – € 700 for speakers living in other countries in Europe
    – € 1600 for speakers living outside of Europe
  • Two nights* in a comfortable hotel in Leiden (by default, the night before and after your talk)
  • Free access to the in-person conference
  • Invitation to dinner activity on Tuesday, April 15
  • 2 free online tickets to give away to your UXR friends
  • 1:1 coaching sessions

  * 1 night (April 15) for speakers living in the Netherlands and Belgium

• How do you arrange the reimbursements?

  Please fill out the reimbursement form with all the necessary details.

  Preferably, we will handle reimbursements after the festival to ensure that all charges are correct and complete.

  If you want to receive the refund before the festival, complete the form before March 1. For refunds after the Festival, the deadline is May 1.

• Will there be a speakers’ dinner?

  You are invited to join UXinsight by Night on Tuesday, April 15. This evening activity includes food and drinks for attendees who have a ticket, speakers, sponsors, and the UXinsight team. We plan a team activity to encourage everyone to mingle and connect.

Guidelines and tips

• What is the speaker process on the day of my talk?

  Presenting

  • On the day of your presentation, you will be invited backstage during the break before your speaking slot.
  • You will meet the host(s) and will be able to check the stage and set-up.
  • The tech crew provides a clip-on microphone; the battery will be attached with a clip on the back. There is also one clicker to click through the presentation.
  • There’s a standing table with water and one for keeping your notes or anything else
  • In front of you is a screen showing your presentation and one for your notes.
  • The host will introduce you and invite you to the stage.
  • Most talks are scheduled within a 30-minute timeslot. After the introduction, there are 20 minutes for the presentation, and the rest is for Q&A.
  • If you’re doing a short talk, you have 10 minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes for the Q&A.

  After the talk

  • We invite you to the ‘Speaker’s Corner’ in the break area during the first break after the presentation.
  • We’ll make sure there’s coffee/tea/snacks, and participants can approach you with questions.
  • Let us know if you want to bring something additional to the speaker’s corner (e.g. books, handouts, posters). There will be a table in the Speaker’s Corner.
• What does the stage set-up look like?

  You’ll be standing on a large stage with a large screen behind you where your presentation is shown.

  There will be two screens at the bottom of the stage, one for your presentation and one for the speaker notes.

• What should my presentation look like?

  The final presentation needs to be a slide deck in Google Slides (16:9).

  There is no default template for you to use; you can use your layout for the slides. We ask you to keep the bottom right corner of your slides empty to create space for the technicians to create a view for our online audience. See an example in the slider below, photo 1.

  You don’t need an introduction slide: UXinsight creates one for each talk. The second photo in the slider is an example of the 2024 Festival.

• Can I add speaker notes?

  It’s possible to add some speaker notes; however, keep in mind that:

  • It’s not possible to scroll through during your talk, so only the first lines are visible
  • The notes will be shown on the screen before you, which is 1,5m away. We advise keywords, not too small
  • If you want to bring notes, there will be a standing table. Some speakers use their mobile phones for notes.
• Can I add a poll question to my talk?

  If you want to add questions to the audience, let us know. We will incorporate this in the (online) poll as well. Also, if you want to show the poll results to the audience, we need to know upfront. Please also indicate via the Talk details form.

• What are characteristics of a good talk?

  Based on our experience and UXinsight Festival attendee feedback:

  • • Focus on experienced UX researchers – most of our audience are experienced researchers, so it is best to keep them in mind when preparing your talk. 

  • Bring a new perspective – consider what makes your talk unique. Why is your experience or view different from that of others? What can others learn from this unique experience or viewpoint?

  • Better to go deep than to go wide – you might have 1000 things to talk about. But will the audience remember if you touch upon them briefly? …Better to pick one message and dive deep into all the nitty-gritty details.

  • Bring proof – did you test your solution? Is it based on scientific evidence? Did you record the effects of your idea? Researchers generally like to know about what happened behind the scenes. 

  • Relatable – think of a challenge that UX researchers might experience (e.g., lack of resources, time, buy-in) and how you can solve this challenge.  

  • • In addition, don’t be afraid to be transparent about your failures. The most valuable lessons to learn are often in the things that DIDN’T work out. 
  • Practical: what is the one thing that the listener can do differently tomorrow after listening to your talk? How can they apply the learnings? Help the listener in making the transition from your theory to their practice. 
    • Do you have a concrete case study/example(s)/framework to show? Or a template to share? 

  Practice, practice, and practice some more 😉 – the UXinsight team is there to help you build your story and provide tips. One thing that always works is to practice your talk with peers, friends & family. Recording and watching back can also help. 

  Resources for inspiration on storytelling:

  • How To Tell Stories Like TED Speakers
  • Two Tips for UX Storytelling
  • 9 Classic storytelling techniques for engaging presentations

  Speaker tips for presenting

• Is there a dress code?

  We don’t have a specific dress code; wear what makes you comfortable. Generally, we advise against wearing stripes or busy patterns. Striped clothing may create a weird optical effect called a moiré pattern on the recording.

  Mind that the microphone battery will be clipped to your back, e.g. on your belt or pocket.