Guidelines for Organizers & Speakers

Tips for Organizers and Speakers

If you need to upload a presentation at the conference the Speaker Ready Room is located in Sunset 2, in the hallway between the Pacific Ballroom Foyer (where breakfast is held) and the Town & Country Foyer. 

Workshop Organizers

In Advance

• Obtain a copy of the abstract, and familiarize yourself with the talk.
• Obtain a biographical sketch of all participants.
• Prepare a "brief" introduction for each speaker.
• Ensure that workshop abstracts have been entered online to reduce "title not available" and "abstract not available" entries in the Online Program.
• If speakers have handouts, arrange for someone at the session to help distribute them at the appropriate time.

At the Meeting

Before Session Begins

• Be in the room AT LEAST 10 minutes prior to the session start time.
• Check the condition of the room, especially lights, microphone, slide projector, overhead projector, etc.
• Know where the lights are, and how to operate them.
• Check that all of your speakers are present.
• Introduce yourself to the speakers in your session.
• Check speakers' names (pronunciation), titles, and affiliations.
• Explain to the speakers how much time they have to speak.
• Explain to the speakers that you will either stand, or hold up a card indicating when their time is up.
• Ask your speakers to please comply with the time constraints.

During the Session

• Start on time.
• Keep introductions brief.
• Suggest that all speakers use the microphone.
• Make sure that speakers do not block the screen when presenting slides or overheads.
• Take charge of the time (it is your responsibility!) and hold each speaker to the time allotted, and remind speakers about remaining time (5 minute and 1 minute warnings).
• Do not start the next talk until the appropriate time.

Presentation Tips

• If a speaker ends early, use that extra time for questions and comments from the audience.
• Do not start the next talk until the appropriate time (this is especially important since there will be parallel workshop sessions).
• In floor discussions or questions, keep questions and comments brief.
• Restate the question -  they often cannot be heard by all the audience.
• End on time - Urge the audience to continue their discussion elsewhere, such as in the hallways or at the coffee break.

Speakers

In Advance

• Send a brief biographical sketch to your session chair.
• Send any handouts you would like distributed.

Presentation Tips

• Make sure all powerpoint slides are readable.
• Very small font is not recommended.
• Prepare your talk for the appropriate time allotted.

At the Meeting

• Upload your presentation media files 24 hrs in advance in the Speaker Ready Room, Sunset 2
• Arrive in the appropriate room for your talk at least 10 minutes early.
• Introduce yourself to the chair, make sure the chair has the information for your introduction.
• Check that the appropriate equipment you require for your presentation is present in the room.
• Stay aware of the time allotted for your talk.
• Speak slowly and clearly, and loud enough to be hear in the back of the room.
• Stay for the entire session (before and after your talk), as there may be questions pertaining to your presentation at the end of the session.

Presentation Projection Information / Speaker Ready Room

Projecting Your Presentation

A computer projector will be available in all workshop rooms. Personal laptops CANNOT be plugged into the projectors.

You must submit your electronic files to the Speaker Ready Room (see below) in advance of your talk, preferably 24 hours in advance or earlier. 

All session meeting rooms are equipped with the following audio visual equipment:

• LCD projector
• Computer (networked to a central server)
• Laser pointer
• Projection screen

If you require any additional capabilities, no matter how basic, you must contact your workshop organizer as soon as possible to determine if arrangements can be made to accommodate your needs.

Speaker Ready Room

We are located in Sunset Room 2 (formerly known as Terrace Salon 2), near the Pacific Foyer (where breakfast is held). Please come to upload your talk the day before it is scheduled or earlier.

You can download a meeting room map here, if you are not familar with the conference center.

Hours

Speaker Ready Room Procedures

• Take your presentation to the media technician.
• The technician will supply labels to properly label your presentation with your name and workshop (please supply a separate media type for each presentation - see list of acceptable media types below). ALL media will be dropped off for processing.
• The technician will log in your presentation for processing, which will take up to 24 hours.
• You will schedule a time to return to the Speaker Ready Room to review your presentation; please allow the technicians adequate time to process your presentation.
• The technician will copy your data into the network so that you can see exactly what the presentation looks like before arriving in the meeting room. The technician will help you with any difficulties.
• You are responsible for reviewing the presentation in the Speaker Ready Room before your scheduled presentation time.
• Speaker Ready Room personnel are not responsible for your devices, i.e., memory cards, disks.
• Personal laptops CANNOT be plugged into the projectors.
• Internet access will be available in all workshop rooms.
• Presentations should be in the16:9 aspect ratio format.

All Electronic Files Must Be Submitted In One Of The Formats Listed Below

• PowerPoint 2010 or higher
• Microsoft Office 2010 or higher
• We use Firefox 70.0 Internet Explorer 11 or higher; Plug-Ins: QuickTimev10 or higher;
• PDF Reader: Adobe Acrobat DC or higher
• Unix Users: Bring HTML Files or Adobe Acrobat 6 or higher

Acceptable Media Types

• Memory stick / Flash Drive
• CD (not recommended, often difficult to read)