Call for Content

DTECH is North America's premier event for the electricity transmission and distribution industry, featuring a robust conference program and Utility University courses. DTECH 2026 will take place in San Diego, California, Feb. 2-5, 2026.

You can submit abstracts for the DTECH 2026 conference program (50-minute presentation and/or panel) or Grid University courses (half-day or full-day technical workshops/courses).

The call for content for DTECH 2026 will be open from May 19 to June 20. Late submissions will not be considered. 

• Utility Participation: Always include transmission and/or distribution utility speakers/presenters. Identify utility participants in the title and description so that they are easily recognized by the advisory committee. Vendor-only submissions must clear a very high bar for quality to be accepted.  

• Non-Commercial: Sessions should be non-commercial, speaking to a challenge faced by the electric utility industry instead of advocating on behalf of product or company.  

• Focused Topic: The submission must be focused, technical, and relevant to the industry-- sessions offering a high-level trend overview or those aiming to address too many unrelated topics are not a fit for the DTECH conference program.  

• Clear and Concise: Avoid jargon and marketing fluff—get right to the point of your topic and clearly explain the value proposition to the audience. You’re speaking to industry experts, so skip the high-level scene-setter.  

• Deliver Value: What makes your submission different from the rest? How is it innovative? Don’t play it safe—what should the industry be talking about that it isn’t already? What are we getting wrong? Submissions rehashing old topics face an uphill battle.

Select the topic(s) that best describe what will be discussed in the session. Sessions are reviewed by subcommittees of the advisory committee, meaning ambiguity or misalignment could result in your session being omitted from the conference program. Don't try to cover too many topics in a single session.

Each session will be 50 minutes long, including time for Q&A. More detailed format updates will be available in the submission portal. The advisory committee may decide to combine certain abstracts into single sessions.  

You will select one of the following levels: 

• Introductory/Basics 

• Technical 

• Thought Leadership/Executive 

 

Specify the key audience for your proposal, such as: 

• Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs) 

• Municipal Utilities 

• Electric Cooperatives 

• Government/Regulators 

• Diversity in gender, background, and industry roles. 

• Subject matter experts with hands-on experience. 

• Thoughtful representation from utilities and industry partners. 

Confirmed speakers will improve your chances of being selected. “Utility speaker TBD” will not satisfy the requirement for a utility speaker.  

• Proposals must include a course title and description that will be used in marketing materials. 

• Select whether the course is a full-day (8 hours) or half-day (4 hours). 

• Clearly define the purpose and value of the course. 

• List key takeaways and consider uploading a syllabus. 

• Specify target students and functional areas. 

• Identify prerequisite knowledge. 

• Provide references who can speak to your teaching ability. 

• Assign a lead instructor (up to two co-instructors may be included). 

• Submissions must be complete with all information outlined in the above section. Due to the length of the Grid University course, incomplete or unclear submissions will not be accepted.  

• Topics should be relevant, innovative, and practical. Attendees participate in Grid University to gain tangible skills and knowledge.  

• Successful submissions often include an interactive element. Grid University participants enjoy engaging with their peers, working through problems, and breaking up the standard lecture format.  

Submissions are made through our official speaker management system, SessionBoard. You can do so here:  https://app.sessionboard.com/submit/distributech-2026/692c691d-d73a-42e1-ab26-b8c9c0d22d0c

• Read the welcome letter – Contains key information and deadlines. 

• Complete the Session Info page – Title, description, format, etc. 

• Enter speaker details – Ensure all panelists are confirmed before submission. 

• Review key dates – Submission deadlines and notification timelines. 

• Submitters will be notified by mid-September if their proposal has been selected. 

• The conference program will be finalized by late October. 

For any further inquiries, contact dtechconference@clarionevents.com.   

We look forward to your submissions and seeing you in San Diego for DTECH 2026!