As we prepare for AIEA 2027, we look forward to welcoming new perspectives and continuing the conversations that make our community such a valuable source of insight, inspiration, and innovation.

AIEA invites 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.

Who can present? If the chair is presenting, two additional presenters are permitted. If the chair does not present, three additional presenters are permitted.

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.

Who can present? A maximum of two co-facilitators. If the chair is not facilitating, two additional facilitators are permitted. If the chair also facilitates the session, one additional facilitator is permitted.

Lightning Round Talk (7 minutes) – NEW

Lightning Round Talks are TED Talk style, 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.

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

Who can present? A maximum of one presenter, seven minutes, and three slides.

Poster Presentation – 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.

Who can present? A maximum of up to two presenters.

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.

Wherever you are in the proposal process – from just getting started to refining your final submission – we’re here to support you. Explore our resources created to help you strengthen your idea, find collaborators, and submit your proposal with confidence.