Speaker, Presentation and Workshop Application

Event Info

Fat Con Dates: January 16th- January 18th, 2026
Fat Con Location: Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square
Need help? Contact us at fatconprogramming@gmail.com

Introduction

Thank you for your interest in presenting a panel, presentation, round table discussion, or workshop to our 400+ enthusiastic and gorgeous attendees! We always aim to create a fun, informative and diverse event that has content revolving around every aspect of the fat experience. 

Fat Con uses a “Track” system to categorize events and help inform attendees when they are choosing their schedules for the weekend.  Fat Con's programming is broken down into one of THREE tracks. Each track is dedicated to a different aspect of Fat Liberation and are as follows: 

Health, Community and Culture (HCC)

This track focuses on the everyday experiences of life in a fat body. From actual doctors showing attendees how to navigate the healthcare system to fat yoga classes, this track is for the attendee looking for advice, guidance, instruction and support by and from other fat humans. 

Policy, Business and Legislation (PBL)

The brain of the Fat Liberation Body, PBL is for those looking for calls to action. Are you passionate about changing the world around us to be more accessible for fat bodies? Are you a small business owner looking to give tips on building a fat-friendly business? Angered that the person-of-size policies never seem to have consulted an actual person of size? This is your track.

Visual Arts, Performing Arts, and Fashion (VPAF)

If HCC is the body of Fat Liberation, and PBL is the brain, VPAF is the beating heart. This track follows our creative outlets and guides us into making our own fat magic. From acting to burlesque to fashion design, there is room for you here.

Please make sure your presentations are centered around fatness and the fat experience. If you are doing a presentation on writing, for instance, perhaps center it around writing fat protagonists instead of being more general.

What we are looking for? How do we choose?

Fat Con looks for all sorts of content, and we firmly believe that everyone has a story. We want all perspectives of the fat experience to be represented. Fat Con is very queer, community focused and diverse. We want to tell those stories. We want you to tell YOUR stories. Our application process is NOT first come/first served. Take your time. Fill out everything clearly, have a friend proof-read your answers if needed. 

Things that make an application stand out:

• Be an authority/expert in your topic. You can’t teach others without knowing what you’re talking about. If you’re talking about mental health, are you a mental health expert? If you are talking about buying fat clothes, do you make them? Find a topic that makes you the most qualified person in the room to talk about it.
• Be inclusive. We are a very queer friendly, gender-neutral, BIPOC uplifting event. Your audience will be a melting pot of life experiences and orientations. Speak to everyone, not just people like you.
• Be prepared. Know what you are presenting and put the effort into explaining it to us. If we don’t understand what you’re describing to us, we won’t approve you.
• Tell a great story but more importantly tell an audience how to replicate your success. If you started a fat-centered book club in your city, tell us how we can take that idea and make one in OUR city. Give a match to light the flame in other locations and really help make a difference.
• DON’T give us another “love your body” pep talk. Those are a dime a dozen. Be specific, be intentional and be different. 

If you are looking for inspiration, our theme for 2026 is Fat Defiance. If you have an idea that caters to the theme, we’d love to hear it!

Here is some of our copy so you get a feel for the vibe:

”We. Are. Fat. Living in a fat body means we defy perceptions every day. We defy that a person can be reduced to just one word. We defy that the number on the scale makes us less than. We defy the certainty that we are lazy. We defy that illness means we have done something wrong. We defy that disability means we are incapable. We defy expectation with our intelligence.

But we also defy our culture as we love our bodies; love our lives; love each other and ourselves. We live in Fat Defiance with our love. Love in Fat Defiance with us at Fat Con.”

IMPORTANT NOTE: FAT CON  WILL NOT ALLOW PROSELYTIZING OF DIETING, INTENTIONAL WEIGHTLOSS OR DIET CULTURE. PLEASE KEEP Fat Con A DIET FREE ENVIRONMENT.

Fat Con does not allow presentations about the following content:

• Diet/Intentional weight-loss advocacy or the promotion of weight-loss culture
• Multi-Level Marketing
• Artificial Intelligence

Applying as a speaker does not guarantee acceptance to present. 

Presenters/speakers are not paid, and are not to be confused with our Keynote Speakers and Invited Guest Speakers. This is not an application to become a Keynote Speaker or Invited Guest Speaker. Keynotes and invited Guests are invitation only.

In exchange for content, presenters who are accepted by Fat Con get, at NO COST, entrance to the convention for the entire weekend, and access to the VIP suite on the day(s) they are presenting. This applies to up to FOUR speakers per presentation. Additional speakers can be added on a case-by-case approval basis.

Final acceptance is at the sole discretion of Fat Con.