2026 schedule

What a heat day looks like

A 7MT heat is a single public afternoon, not a three-day summit. Typical shape, local time:

• 12:00 — Speakers check in, badge, quiet room. Slide already locked from the file you sent; this is not a redesign window.
• 13:00 — Tech rehearsal in draw order: microphone, timer sightline, walk to the mark. Two minutes each, not a second performance.
• 14:00 — Doors. Hosts, students, press, and a standing overflow if the hall is small. Phones stay out; the talk is public.
• 14:20 — First seven-minute talk. Thirty to ninety seconds of changeover. No Q&A on stage at heat level except a producer’s time check.
• ~17:30 — Last talk. Judges leave for closed session (usually 20–30 minutes). Audience votes for People’s Choice during that window.
• ~18:15 — Three names, one People’s Choice, certificates for heat finalists. Photographs. Speakers who advance get a travel packet before they leave the building.

Speaker count per heat is typically eight to twelve. If a city is over-subscribed at video stage, we cut at screening rather than run a two-day heat. If a speaker misses their slot without notice, the slot is empty; we do not reshuffle the clock for a late train.

Who attends

On stage: the shortlisted speakers. In the front row: the panel described on Judging — technical specialist, founder or operator, communicator, and any host-city seat. In the hall: students from the host, alumni of previous heats, local press, and anyone who walks in when doors open. Sponsors may sit in the room; they do not get a private demo. Family are welcome in the audience, not in the quiet room. We do not sell tickets. Livestream, when the venue allows it, is announced two weeks prior. The archive of talks that advance is released after the finale unless a speaker requested the 90-day delay in the Terms.

How advancement works

Each heat sends its top three speakers by mean panel score to the corresponding semifinal. People’s Choice at heat level is a certificate, not an extra ticket, unless that person is already in the top three. Asia-Pacific heats (Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Singapore) feed the 28 September semifinal in Singapore. Europe-Americas heats (London, Berlin, Boston) feed the 12 October semifinal in Berlin. Each semifinal sends speakers into a pool of twelve for 14 November in Shanghai. There is no wild-card except a single producer seat if a finalist withdraws. A speaker who cannot travel after selection forfeits; we do not run a remote heat. Scoring method: Judging. Rules: Compete.