Call for Speakers

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Thank you for your interest in being a speaker at a Georgia Arborist Association Event. The GAA is always looking for great speakers & presenters. There are several opportunities throughout the year to speak at GAA events. Please feel free to forward to industry professionals and/or industry businesses/vendors that you feel would present a valuable topic & presentation to our membership.

Our Mission:

To promote safe and proper arboriculture practices through networking, training and public education. To be a voice for the professional arborists who manage and care for Georgia's Tree Canopy.

Our Audience:

The GAA membership is our primary audience including industry professionals from different sectors of the Arboriculture Industry.  Our virtual events attract industry professionals from all over the world including non-GAA membership.  

  • Consulting Arborists
  • Commercial & Residential Tree Companies (Owners, Production Workers, etc)
  • Educational/Research Professionals
  • Students
  • Municipal/Public Works/Urban Forestry Professionals
  • Landscapers/Landscape Architects
  • Utility/Vegetation Management
  • Suppliers/Manufacturers

Various Speaking Opportunities:

  • Bi-monthly Virtual Trainings:  Bi-monthly trainings take place Jan/March/May/July/Sept/November. These are 1 hr Virtual Trainings via Zoom from 6:30pm-7:30pm.
  • Spanish Educational Workshops:  These events are in-person workshops geared towards our Spanish speaking community, typically lasting one full day and combine classroom presentations with hands on demonstration/live interactive learning. These workshops tend to be skills-based including rigging, aerial rescue, EHAP, safety, etc. We are also looking to implement a Spanish version of our ISA Certified Arborist Exam Prep Courses.
  • Summer Workshop:  This is an in person, 1.5-day event with multiple speakers, usually in 1-1.5 hr sessions, depending on the topic. The event will take place in the Metro Atlanta area in 2023. This year we are structuring the agenda based on two tracks - 

Track 1: Consulting Arborist/Sales

Track 2: Production/Field Staff

We aim to bridge the two tracks with a selection of mutually beneficial topics where the two sectors can come together and learn a little more about each others jobs & improve communication. We will also include a round table panel discussion where everyone comes together to voice concerns, experiences and tips to improve relationships and efficiency as a whole.

  • Fall/Winter Pruning Workshops: (2023 Locations to be determined) This event changes location each year with the goal of bringing necessary education to all areas of Georgia. These workshops are 3/4-day events with various speakers focusing on pruning techniques/safety/equipment holding both classroom presentations and hands-on sessions.
  • Trees Unite Us Conference/Tree Climbing Championship:  (2023 Location to be determined -- Macon, GA or Decatur, GA) The Trees Unite Us Conference is a full-day event preceding our highly anticipated annual Tree Climbing Championship, which brings together professionals from all sectors of our industry. Topics can be a combination of hands-on/outdoor/demo and classroom presentations and last 1-1.5 hrs, depending on the content need. The goal of this conference is to UNITE US AS AN INDUSTRY no matter what our professional title or which sector of the green/arboricultural industry we identify ourselves with. We are all here together for a common purpose!
  • Annual Banquet & Awards Celebration:  This event is an annual celebration where we come together to acknowledge the leaders in our industry, their accomplishments and contributions to the mission of the GAA. In addition, we feature one speaker for a 1-hour educational opportunity during this event. The topic should be presented in a classroom setting.
  • Quarterly Social Events:  These events take place in person once per quarter in various locations throughout Georgia. This event includes a happy hour/social time but also 1-1.5 hrs of education. Depending on the topic requirements & location permissions, this presentation can be in a classroom setting and/or outdoor demo/hands on format.
  • Virtual Lunch & Learn:  While this event has not been implemented just yet, we do hope to add it to our programs offering. This would be a virtual event to cater to our members who cannot make the evening Bi-monthly training events. This event would be for 1 hour over lunch, via Zoom in Feb/April/June/August/October/December.

Selection Process:

The GAA has a volunteer-led Program Committee that meets on a monthly basis to select content leaders for events. Topics/Speaker selection depends on membership needs and requests. The group will review content submissions and member requests to identify matches and extend invitations to potential speakers and content leaders.

Exposure to the GAA Community of Professionals!

Speaking at a GAA event is a marketing opportunity and a chance to share your expertise with other industry leaders. Many of GAA's members look to current and former GAA content leaders when they need to hire a speaker for an event, so speaking at a GAA event is great exposure to the GAA Community

If you are interested in submitting an idea for a presentation to GAA, please complete this form.

Potential Topics:

Education Topics

  • Tree Biology
  • Tree ID & Selection
  • Soil Management
  • Installation & Establishment
  • Pruning
  • Diagnosis & Treatment
  • Trees & Construction
  • Tree Risk
  • Safe Work Practices
  • Urban Forestry
  • Business Operations & Best Practices
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Company Culture
  • Current Trends in Software, Equipment, Tools
  • Equipment Operation/Safety
  • Aerial Rescue
  • Pest/Disease - Prevention/Treatment
  • Wood Waste Management
  • GIS Inventory
  • Tree Appraisal
  • City Ordinances Explained
  • Trees & Law
  • Cabling Systems/Lightning Protection

While we have captured many topic suggestions from our event survey results, the list above is not an exhaustive one! Don't see your topic listed below? Submit anyway! We are happy to receive your creative presentation ideas. 

All submissions should include: 

  • Contact Information: Name, Credentials, Title, Organization, Email Address, Phone, City & State
  • Session Title, Description and Learner Outcomes
  • Speaker Biography

Be sure to let us know if your presentation will include any of the following elements:

  • Live Polling
  • Small Group Discussions
  • Q&A or Panel Discussion
  • Facilitated Roundtables
  • Other Form of Audience Engagement (please provide details)

Tips for your proposals:

  1. Content is king - If you really want to impress the GAA audience, pack your presentation with powerful applicable content. 
  2. Make it compelling - The GAA audience is composed of arboriculture/green-industry professionals. Learning levels are diverse, with the majority of participants being high-level/theoretical to mid-level/practical. 
  3. Be authentic and vulnerable - Don't be afraid to speak of failure as well as success.
  4. Customize - Be sure your content truly speaks to the association audience and is customized to their unique situations.

Knowledge sharing is the most effective marketing - Sales pitches disguised as education will result in poor ratings and lost opportunities.

NOTE: Presentations must be educational. We understand that our speakers wish to network with attendees and showcase their services, but we kindly ask that your presentation not be a sales pitch. Networking time will be made available to speakers, sponsors, and attendees for this purpose. We appreciate your cooperation.

We will keep all presentations and speaker information on file in the event your presentation is not selected for a particular program.


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