Speaking slots are not reserved for senior people. They go to whoever proposed something specific, early, to the right person.
Short answer: most speaking slots are filled from open calls for sessions and from direct proposals made months before the event, not from the audience. Send a specific, short proposal to the programme contact early, and offer something the programme is visibly missing rather than something it already has.
Three routes, in roughly this order:
Open calls for sessions or abstracts. Published alongside the main call, often with an earlier deadline, and frequently undersubscribed for workshop formats.
Direct proposals. Someone emails the programme committee with a specific idea. This works far more often than people expect, because programme committees are actively looking to fill sessions and most of what they receive is vague.
Invitation. Reserved for people already known — which is what you are working towards.
Short. Four elements:
Half a page. Programme committees read a lot of proposals and reward clarity for the same reason selection panels do.
A workshop, a roundtable or a case presentation is easier to place than "a talk about my work". Committees have gaps in the schedule shaped like formats. Filling one is a favour to them.
A lightning talk, a poster, a five-minute case in someone else's session — all are speaking slots, all appear on the programme, and all make the next proposal easier. The person invited to a main panel usually did three smaller things first.
Ask a good question in a session, and introduce yourself to the chair afterwards. Chairs shape next year's programme, and a specific question is better evidence of substance than a business card.
Yes. Workshop and roundtable formats are frequently undersubscribed, and open calls for sessions are far less competitive than delegate applications.
As early as possible — session calls usually close months before the event and well before delegate applications.
Email the programme contact with a short, specific proposal anyway. Committees are usually filling gaps and vague proposals are the norm, so a clear one stands out.
Yes. It is concrete evidence of contribution rather than attendance, which is exactly what selection panels score highly.
Every event page has its own registration form. Places on each programme are limited.
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