What makes a great dbt Summit presentation? (And why yours belongs on stage)

The call for papers (CFP) for dbt Summit is now open, and we hope to hear from you.

You might notice a new name for this event. Coalesce is now dbt Summit. Same event, same vibe, new name. dbt Summit is the world's largest gathering of dbt users to shape the future of data & AI. We’re looking for real stories from real practitioners. If that’s you, the dbt community wants to hear your story.

Who we are looking for

You don’t need to be a data superstar to speak at dbt Summit. But spoiler: you might become a data superstar after you speak at dbt Summit.

We welcome, and encourage, first-time speakers. And we value the diverse perspectives that reflect the dbt community.

dbt is the trusted standard for analytics engineering in the age of AI, and is used by 80,000+ companies and one million engineers. From multinational companies to data teams of one, we want practitioners and data leaders with real problems and real solutions that improve data quality, accelerate workflows, and optimize data costs.

What makes a great proposal

The dbt Summit call or papers is open through March 31.

We want you to share your data story, and we want to make sure you are able to put a spotlight on the work you do.

We have two great options for sessions:

Breakout sessions

• Format: Traditional knowledge sharing sessions with slide presentations
• Duration: 30 minutes
• Delivery style: Presented content (can be single presenter, co-presenter, or 3-person max panel)
• Speakers: Can be delivered by dbt community members, dbt Labs employees, or sponsors
• Purpose: Share best practices, technical deep dives, use cases, and how-tos

Peer exchange sessions

• Format: Facilitated, discussion-based sessions focused on peer-to-peer learning
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Delivery style: Interactive conversations with no formal presentation slides
• Purpose: Shared problem-solving and exchange of real-world experiences to foster community building and knowledge sharing

At its core, a great dbt Summit session proposal:

1. Starts with a specific problem
2. Shows how you solved (or tried to solve) the problem
3. Identifies what you learned along the way and what you’d do differently in hindsight, and
4. Teaches the audience something new that they can take back to their teams.

It’s important to keep it real. Be authentic, use your own words and lived experience. Avoid marketing speak; we’ve all heard enough of that for a lifetime (and I say that as someone in marketing).

Think about the “before and after” of your story, and even better if you can provide a measurable impact: data platform optimization metrics, hours saved resolving data errors, whatever you’ve been able to demonstrate to your organization that your data team is making an impact. Steer clear of product pitches; dbt Summit attendees want to learn.

Speaking of attendees, think about your audience in your proposal. See if you can answer:

• Who’s this presentation for?
• Why will they stick around for your talk?
• What’s the ONE THING you want attendees to walk away knowing or being able to do?

Session topics we’re excited about

There are so many great data stories we’ve seen and heard at dbt events. Take a look at some of last year’s sessions.

This year there are a few areas we want to focus on, based on the requests of the dbt community:

• Analytics development best practices
• Data modernization (those "before and after" stories)
• Scaling dbt at the enterprise
• AI and the structured context layer
• Building agentic workflows
• Self-service analytics with governance
• Cost optimization and efficiency

There’s so much room to work in those topics. Regardless of the specific challenges and wins of your data team, there will be a lot relatable to other data teams. Just remember to keep it specific and show concrete steps.

Never done this before? Perfect.

Every year, we get data practitioners and leaders speaking about their work publicly for the first time. We love this. It’s an absolute joy to put a spotlight on the great work being done, and we’re here to help you share your data story.

dbt Summit track leaders work with speakers to develop their sessions, provide feedback during session prep, and help ensure your talk will have the highest impact possible with the dbt community.

Peer exchange sessions will be paired with a dbt Labs employee to help moderate the discussion.

The community wants YOUR unique perspective. Not sure if your idea fits? Join #dbt-summit-pitch-party in dbt Community Slack.

What you get as a dbt Summit speaker

• First, a comped dbt Summit conference pass (value: $1,695).
• Access to a dbt Summit track leader to help your story shine.
• Exclusive promotion kit for your network to highlight your work
• And most importantly, a platform to share your data story with the largest dbt community gathering in the world.

Submit your dbt Summit talk now

The dbt Summit call for papers (CFP) is now open. Don’t wait, submit your talk now. the CFP closes March 31. Submit here: https://sessionize.com/dbt-summit2026

Remember, the dbt community wants to hear from YOU. We can’t wait to hear your story.

Questions? Reach out to dbtsummit@dbtlabs.com.