Speaker, Presentation and Workshop Application 2027

Event Info

Fat Con Dates: February 5th-February 7thh, 2027
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 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. Even after submitting, you can edit your application up to the submission deadline. So if you think of something or need to add a presenter, you can do that.

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, Large Fat centering 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, obviously, 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.

Things that will get your application denied:

• DON’T give us another “love your body” pep talk. Those are a dime a dozen. Be specific, be intentional and be different. 
• Discussing physical or mental health from a medical perspective (or anything that requires licensing/specific education to perform) without the bonafides. 
• Not knowing what you're going to present; it's fine if you haven't totally polished your solid idea, you have several months to polish your presentation before the big day...but sending us the text version of some finger guns and moonwalking away is going to get you rejected. Don't waste your time or ours, please. 
• Requiring different room set-ups other than what is offered. Fat Con can only offer so many layouts for presentations. Pay attention to what we offer and write presentations that work within those parameters. While your hybrid classroom/powerpoint/yoga workshop sounds fun, we simply don't have the ability to host it. Yet.
• Submitting Burlesque specific workshops when you are NOT a performer in our sibling event Fatlesquefest Northwest. 

If you are looking for inspiration, our theme for 2027 is Fat Pride. If you have an idea that caters to the theme, we’d love to hear it!

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. All decisions are final.