AIEA welcomes submissions that engage with the strategic leadership of internationalization and offer insights, tools, and perspectives relevant to international education leaders across roles, institutions, and global contexts. Sessions should encourage thoughtful discussion, practical learning, and leadership-oriented exchange among participants.

We especially encourage sessions that address the following subthemes:

Submit a Proposal

Submission Deadline: August 1

Share your insights, spark meaningful dialogue, and help shape the conversations fueling the future of international education leadership.

Panel Session (50 minutes)

Panel Sessions bring together multiple presenters to explore a topic, challenge, strategy, or emerging issue relevant to international education leadership. Sessions should move beyond institutional “show and tell” presentations and instead provide broader lessons, comparative perspectives, practical tools, or strategic insights that participants can apply within their own contexts. Proposals should clearly demonstrate audience engagement and interaction opportunities.

Facilitated Roundtable Discussion (50 minutes)

Roundtable Discussions are highly interactive, discussion-based sessions designed to foster peer exchange and collaborative learning. These sessions should center participant dialogue rather than formal presentations and should not rely on slide decks. Facilitators are encouraged to prepare guiding questions, prompts, scenarios, or activities that create meaningful conversation and shared learning among attendees.

Lightning Round Talk (7 minutes) – NEW

Lightning Round Talks are fast-paced, high-impact presentations designed to share one compelling idea, strategy, tool, framework, or insight with the audience. Selected presenters will participate in a curated 50-minute session led by an emcee. Each presenter will have exactly 7 minutes and may use up to 3 slides. There will be no individual Q&A following presentations. Talks should be concise, engaging, and accessible, similar in style to a TED Talk format.

Examples of appropriate Lightning Round topics may include:

• A key research finding with leadership implications
• An innovative strategy or framework
• A practical tool or resource
• Lessons learned from a challenge or initiative
• An emerging issue or trend in internationalization

Scheduled Poster Presentations – NEW

Poster Presentations provide an opportunity to share research, assessment, data, innovative practices, or emerging initiatives in a visual and conversational format. Posters will be displayed during dedicated poster presentation hours, allowing attendees to engage directly with presenters and discuss ideas in an informal setting.

Poster proposals are encouraged from both researchers and practitioners and may focus on completed projects, works in progress, assessment efforts, or innovative models relevant to international education leadership.

How to Submit a Proposal

Proposals must be submitted through the Omnipress CATALYST portal.
Before beginning your submission, please have the following prepared:

• Abstract (75 words)
• Session outline and description (up to 500 words)
• Chair and presenter bios (75 words each)
• Contact information and required form fields

Be sure to save your proposal and reference number before submitting. You will receive a confirmation email upon successful submission.

You may submit multiple proposals, but only one incomplete submission may be in progress at a time.

Proposals will be reviewed by the Conference Review Committee using the following criteria:

• Relevance to the strategic leadership of internationalization and the needs of international education leaders
• Alignment with the conference theme and its implications for the field
• Strength, originality, and clarity of the central idea
• Applicability across diverse institutional and global contexts
• Inclusion of multiple perspectives
• Diversity of presenters (institutional type, geography, background)
• Intentional session design that supports engagement and dialogue
• Focus on substantive insights, lessons learned, and practical implications (not product promotion)
• Presenter expertise and experience
• Alignment between proposal and selected session format

Note: Proposals that promote a specific product or service will not be accepted. Sponsored Spotlight Sessions are available separately.

The Review Committee will also consider balance across topics, regions, and audiences when building the overall program. Proposers may be asked to collaborate with others submitting similar ideas.

If you are interested in presenting but do not yet have a full panel or co-presenters, AIEA offers a space to connect with others.

You invite you to use this shared document to:

• Share your proposal idea
• Find others working on similar topics
• Connect with potential collaborators

Do presenters need to register?

Yes. All presenters must register for at least one day of the conference.

When will I hear about my proposal?

Notifications will be sent by late October.

Can I request a specific session time?

No. Due to scheduling complexity, specific requests cannot be accommodated.

Will sessions be virtual or live-streamed?

To be determined.

How many sessions can I participate in?

Presenters may participate in a maximum of two sessions.

Do presenters receive a registration discount?

No. Early registration is recommended for reduced rates.

Will AIEA help connect me with co-presenters?

Yes. Please use the shared collaboration document above to connect with others.

What about presentation logistics?

Presenters must bring their own laptops (and adapters if needed). Handouts should be provided digitally whenever possible. AIEA encourages environmentally sustainable practices, including use of QR codes and electronic materials.

August 1, 2026, 11:59 PM EST – Deadline for submitting proposals

Submit a Proposal

Submission Deadline: August 1

Share your insights, spark meaningful dialogue, and help shape the conversations fueling the future of international education leadership.