Call for Speakers

Theme: A Shared Flexible Future

2026 Flex Connect will explore the next generation of demand flexibility by focusing on the tools, strategies, and integrations that enable a more resilient, customer- and community-centered energy future. We invite presentations that highlight how energy efficiency (EE), demand flexibility and demand response (DF and DR), and distributed energy resources (DERs) work together to deliver practical, scalable solutions for utilities, system operators, implementers, and communities across diverse regulatory and market contexts.

The event centers on real world applications, cross functional collaboration, and actionable insights that help the industry build a shared flexible future one program, one technology, and one customer at a time.

Content should address the programmatic, technical, and strategic aspects of integrated demand management, including policy, planning, program design, implementation, customer engagement, and evaluation.

 Areas of interest may include, but are not limited to: 

Flex in Action: Customers, Programs, and Impact 

Focus: Real-world examples and proven approaches that show how demand flexibility, DER integration, and energy efficiency come together to deliver measurable benefits for customers, utilities, and the grid. Sessions in this track should emphasize implementation, outcomes, lessons learned, and what it actually takes to make flexibility work at scale.

Example Topics: 

• Flex in Practice: Real-World Program Results and Customer Impacts
• From Pilot to Scale: Lessons from Successful Flexibility Programs
• Virtual Power Plants in Action: What’s Working and Why
• Managed EV Charging and Fleet Electrification as Grid Resources
• Integrating Solar, Storage, and Smart Controls for Customer and Grid Value
• Collaboration That Delivers: Utility, Implementer, and Vendor Success Stories
• Gas Demand Response and Whole-System Flexibility
• Measuring Impact: Evaluating Performance Across EE, DF, and Equity Goals
• Customer-Centered Flex: Engagement Strategies That Drive Participation 

Flex Foundations: Rates, Strategy, and Tech  

Focus: The essential building blocks that enable scalable, durable demand flexibility. This track centers on strategy, rate design, policy alignment, and enabling technologies that support integrated approaches across efficiency, DERs, and demand flexibility.

Example Topics: 

• Designing Rates That Enable and Reward Flexibility
• Strategic Planning for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings (GEBs)
• Aligning Policy, Technology, and Program Design for Flexible Systems
• DER Enablement Platforms and Data Infrastructure
• The Evolving Role of EE in Advancing a Flexible Grid
• Planning for Regulatory, Market, and Customer Needs Through Flexibility
• Integrating DF, EE, and DERs into Long-Term Utility Strategy
• Beyond the Silos: Human-Centered Design for Flexible Energy Systems

Flex Labs: Tools, Tactics, and Training 

Focus: Hands-on, interactive sessions designed to build practical skills and share tools attendees can immediately apply. This track emphasizes applied learning, co-creation, and real-world problem solving across demand flexibility programs and technologies.

Example Topics:

• Designing Flexibility Programs Using Real World Scenarios 
• Tech Lab: AI, AMI, and Emerging Tools for Load Optimization
• Integrating Heat Pumps, EVs, and Storage into Flexible Program Designs
• Pairing EE and DF for Maximum Program Impact
• Making Data Work: Turning Insights into Action
• Building Trust: Practical Strategies for Customer Recruitment and Retention
• Flexibility for Residential and Small Commercial Customers
• Tools for Measuring Impact and Continuous Improvement
• Workforce Skills for Delivering Integrated Flex Programs 

We are particularly interested in case studies with real results, practical, replicable solutions, and collaborative approaches across utilities, implementers, vendors, and communities. We want to illustrate how EE, DF, and DERs come together to create flexible energy futures and provide strategies that help attendees move from ideas to application.

Successful proposals will emphasize actionable insights, innovation, and lessons learned in bridging silos and building integrated solutions.

Let’s build our shared flexible future together.

Theme: A Shared Flexible Future

Submittal Requirements:   

• Presentation title  
• Preferred session format  (presentation, discussion, or learning lab) 
• Track (Integrated Strategies for Flexible Futures, Innovation & Program Implementation, Interactive Learning Labs)
• Presentation descriptions (shortened version for the conference agenda, and then an expanded version for the abstract judges to review)  
• Three (3) learning objectives  
• Speaker information, including a bio and optional resume   

Our goal is to meet the needs of differently-abled people throughout the abstract submission and agenda creation processes and to make the final on-site content fully accessible. Please contact Jenny Senff at [email protected] for assistance in making the process and content accessible. 

Submittal Guidelines: 

• A maximum of five (5) submitted abstracts will be considered from any single organization. If more than five (5) are submitted, your organization will be asked to reduce the number. Please work with your colleagues to select and submit your best proposals.
• The program planning committee will limit each organization to two (2) accepted presenters throughout the conference agenda to ensure a wide representation of organizations and perspectives.
• A single speaker can only participate on the agenda in one (1) session during the conference (although a speaker may submit multiple abstracts).
• Complete your submission by the deadline – abstracts received after March 18 or incomplete abstracts will not be considered. Submit early to avoid technical snafus at the deadline! 
• Explain why your abstract topic is relevant, innovative, and important to the AESP audience 
• The presentation and/or content has not been offered at a previous AESP conference or large industry event 
• The presentation and/or content should showcase the latest innovations, best practices, and trends impacting the industry. New or unrefined concepts or lessons learned from other industries may be considered 
• The suggested speaker(s) should be considered experts on the proposed topic and experienced public speakers 
• An submission that appears to be selling a product or service will not be accepted 
• Preference may be given when utilities are part of the presentation
• Session-specific guidelines:
  • Presentation Sessions: If submitting more than one speaker, the two speakers MUST be from different organizations, and there is a preference for at least one utility representative
  • Discussion Sessions: If multiple panelists and moderator are submitted, they MUST be from different organizations.
  • Learning Labs: No more than two (2) facilitators/speakers from one organization should be submitted as part of a single learning lab.

Similar to the communities served by utilities and the energy industry across North America, AESP is made up of clean energy professionals that represent different races, ethnicities, genders, gender identities, geographic backgrounds, sexual orientations, educational backgrounds, vocations, ages, abilities, career stages, socioeconomic backgrounds… and more. As you submit your abstract, we encourage you to be inclusive in your selection of presenters to reflect the diversity that contributed to the information you intend to share. AESP believes that human diversity should be celebrated, respected, and represented in every way.   

The following session formats may be featured at AESP’s FlexConnect:  

Presentation Sessions: Speakers may submit as individual presenters and will be combined into a moderated session. An accepted presentation speaker will be part of a session that includes 3 to 4 total presentations (10-15 minutes each), based on similar topics. All presentations should provide clear takeaways and learning objectives that are summarized in the submission. Typically, presentations are conducted by one subject matter expert, but up to two speakers may be submitted. Please note that the two speakers MUST be from different organizations, and there is a preference for at least one utility representative. If space does not permit both speakers, you may be asked to select one to lead and one to support. Speakers typically show slides, videos, or similar visual content to support their presentation. 

Discussion Sessions: Discussion sessions will foster and stimulate discussion and debate between the panelists and the audience, with a moderator keeping the panel on topic and providing questions to facilitate discussion. Discussion sessions typically include a moderator and 3 to 4 panelists and may choose to use slides as references, but should mainly be discussion-based. Speakers interested in being a part of a discussion session may submit themselves and their topic of interest to be combined with other speakers, or may submit a full panel of recommended speakers and moderator. If multiple panelists and moderator are submitted, they MUST be from different organizations. 

Learning Labs: Similar to a workshop, this format is meant to be highly engaging and emphasizes participant interaction. Learning labs are facilitated experiences designed to immerse attendees in interactive discussions and exercises. These are generally smaller in size to ensure that every person in the room can engage with the facilitator(s) and get the most out of the experience. No more than two (2) facilitators/speakers from one organization should be submitted as part of a single learning lab. 

Flex Connect is AESP’s more intimate, niche annual event, attracting 300+ energy professionals from across North America. As a speaker, you will have the opportunity to: 

• Increase your organization’s image and visibility
• Position yourself as a leading expert
• Grow your professional network, connect with peers, and make new contacts
• Contribute your expertise to this rapidly changing industry
• Gain knowledge from others in your session and at the full event
• Enjoy the sights, sounds, and tastes of Montreal
• Receive a highly discounted registration rate for the full conference

A distinguished panel of AESP Planning Committee members, who are energy professionals with subject matter expertise, will review and score abstracts submitted. These individuals are selected based on their subject matter knowledge. AESP also ensures a strong mix of utility representation, geographic representation, and diversity of Planning Committee members. Judging is completed in a fair and objective process. Judges are bound by confidentiality and are required to declare any conflict of interest in entries over which they deliberate, in which case they will recuse themselves. 

Abstracts are scored on a 1 (low) – 5 (high) scale on the following criteria: 

• Thematic coherence, assessing alignment with the conference theme – “A Shared Flexible Future”
• Innovation, gauging the novelty and freshness of the topic within the AESP community 
• Relevance and Impact on conference attendees and the AESP membership, considering the potential to inspire the audience and stimulate Q&A sessions
• Speaker’s Qualifications, ensuring the presentation maintains a high standard. This involves reviewing the speaker’s resume and, if available, video materials
• Overall Impression, encompassing the strength of the abstract composition, clarity of direction, and coherence of the presentation as a whole

The judges will also apply their own experience to assess the quality of the abstract. After initial judging, the Planning Committee will participate in a virtual meeting to review scores and abstracts. A highly collaborative planning session will take place, where Planning Committee members select the final abstracts to be included as part of the agenda. If a topic area is missing, AESP may curate some content to balance out the remaining agenda. 

The AESP Program Planning Committee reserves the right to:

• Build unique sessions based on ideas presented in the abstracts. For example, an abstract submitted as an individual presentation for a presentation session may be modified and incorporated into a multiple-speaker panel on the same subject. Abstract authors and proposed speakers will be allowed to accept or reject the reconfiguration of their abstract. 
• Accept no more than two (2) presenters from the same organization. The Committee’s goal is to provide diverse opinions, speakers, and organizations on the program agenda. 
• Reserve session slots for hot topics, late-breaking industry news, and/or invited speakers. 
• Curate sessions to fill content gaps not addressed by abstract submissions.  
  

Panelist, Speaker, and Moderator Requirements:

• All speakers must have superior public speaking, presentation, and / or training skills.  
• All speakers will be required to use an AESP template if using PowerPoint slides. 
• All speakers identified in abstract submissions must confirm their availability to travel and present, prior to submittal. 
• All speakers must register for the conference unless attending only their session. AESP sincerely appreciates our speakers’ efforts in developing and delivering exceptional presentations, but unfortunately AESP is not able to pay speaker fees or travel / lodging expenses. AESP does, however, offer speakers a significant conference registration discount.