So You Wanna Host a Panel?

It's almost time for panel applications to open up for your friendly neighborhood convention! Here's an inside scoop on what it takes to get a panel considered for the upcoming year:

Before you start you need to ask yourself the following question:
"Do I really want to do this?"

This is important because if you only give a half-hearted answer, it's better to just walk away now. When you get added to a schedule, you are officially apart of a convention's programming and if you don't show up, your friendly neighborhood convention staff has to scramble to figure how to fill the unexpected gaping maw in their schedule and appease a crowd of disappointed attendees. Not showing up for a panel you agreed to host is the fastest way to get blacklisted from ever hosting an event at that convention again.

So make sure you REALLY are excited about being a panelist.
Are you sufficiently hype? Cool. Let's keep going...

1. Fill Out an Application: The first and most obvious step of getting a panel approved is to actually fill an application out. It's not enough to casually mention on a convention's social media page that you'd like to see a certain type of panel at a con. We can only have panels that we can get hosts for. Take the reins! Be fearless!
2. Be Timely - Much like in real life, it pays to fill out an application early. In most instances, we begin scheduling before the panel application closes so if you're serious about hosting, you need to put your application in as soon as possible. We often get panels that are very similar in description and sometimes the easiest (and fairest) way to pick which one makes the cut is to pick the one that was submitted first.
3. Be Creative - Programming directors have to weed through stacks and stacks (Or spreadsheet cells and spreadsheet cells in my case) of panel applications. It gets tedious and it becomes incredibly easy to accidentally overlook panels. Come up with a catchy name and an interesting description. Make your panel stand out and stick in the mind of the program director. If they get excited about your panel, it's more likely to get green-lighted
4. Be Descriptive - Don't assume that whoever is reading your panel application knows what's going on in your mind. If a programming director can't figure out what your panel is supposed to be about, then they're more likely to leave it sitting on the cutting room floor.
5. Pick Something Other Than a Q&A - Q&A panels are popular among panelist but not necessarily among attendees. Remember that improv is an art and not everyone will understand you and your friends' inside jokes or personal favorite "ships". They are also notoriously difficult to coordinate if you have to find cast members. Find a way to incorporate the role playing elements of the Q&A into a different style panel or take the theatrics to the next level and enter into a skit contest. 
6. Choose a Good Title for Your Panel - The name of the panel is usually the first thing a programming director sees so make it a good one. It should be creative but don't get TOO out of control. You want someone to still be able to tell what your panel is about by reading it. Programming directors can and will change your panel's name to something entirely different.
7. Remember That You're Filling Out an Application - Treat a panel application the same way you would treat a job application: write in complete sentences, limit the grammatical errors, and be clear and concise. Panel applications are the first impression and a poorly filled out application may indicate a lack of seriousness on the part of the panelist. If we get the impression that you're going to flake, we won't pick you

Hopefully you're now armed with the information you need to get the panel of your dreams through the approval process!