Guidelines for Chairpersons

 

Attendance & Programme

• Be in the session room 15-30 minutes prior to the start of the session.
• A printed final programme will be available for you on the head table on stage.
• The room attendant will inform you of any last minute changes or presentations not uploaded.
• The most up-to-date scientific programme is available through the online programme and constantly synchronised with the congress app. You will be informed to download the app as soon as it is available in App stores.

 

Room attendant

• In case you have any questions or technical problems feel free to ask the room attendant.
• He/she is responsible for
  • explaining the Q&A tools to you
  • explaining the timer tool to you
  • help you with any additional questions

 

Speakers

• All speakers will be onsite; remote speakers are not planned
• Please note that some speakers might be stressed with public speaking, have had a bad journey to the congress, be junior speakers or just be overwhelmed by the session room (e.g. Plenary Hall). This does not impair their academic value and your contribution helps to get the best out of the presentations and discussion times by avoiding conflicts and unnecessary stress.
• As chairs, you can focus the content of the session. If you detect conflict or redundancy between abstracts, you can liaise with speakers in advance and try to harmonize the presentations’ content.

3Rs for your Session’s Speakers

• Replace:
  Make sure all expected speakers will be there
• Reduce:
  Make sure all speakers will upload their presentation in advance and they are aware of their presentation time (incl. discussion time), of the chronological order of the presentations, and of the session’s timeline
• Refine:
  Welcome speakers before the session, making sure they know what to expect and creating the least stressful atmosphere possible. Create a smooth transition between speakers by introducing each speaker before their respective presentation.

 

Introducing the session and the presentations

• In advance of the congress, contact each presenter and request 3-4 lines of info (bio sketch) you will use to introduce them. E.g. title, position, affiliation, area of scientific expertise
• Please start the session exactly on time. Introduce your co-chair and yourself
• Please introduce each presentation by announcing the name of the speaker, their very short bio (e.g. title, position, affiliation, area of scientific expertise), and reading the title of the presentation

Plenary Hall: include the virtual audience

• Make sure to include the whole audience: As all sessions in the Plenary Hall are live streamed onto the virtual platform, always greet people in front of their screens as well by saying something like “welcome to everyone at home we are happy that you tuned in“.
• To make hybrid a success we strongly encourage you to address people at home regularly and encourage them to submit their questions via the congress app.

 

Speaking times

• The speaking times have to be strictly followed; there will be a timer to help you with this task
• It is your responsibility to observe them and inform speakers in case they exceed the time limit
• If a presentation is running over its agreed length, it is the duty of the chairpersons to stop the presentation and to move to the next speaker without any discussion/Q&A time for the overrun presentation.

The speaking times differ from session to session: a detailed session run-down is available via the printed final programme available on your head table including the foreseen speaking and discussion timings of each session.

It is important to avoid any delay and time overrun: breaks are not meant to be buffers but are important for delegates, speakers and chairpersons likewise to get the chance to network with exhibitors. Furthermore, ePoster sessions take place during coffee breaks, sponsored workshops during lunch breaks. Finishing the session on time is therefore crucial.

 

Voting tools

• Voting via the congress app is possible for specific sessions/workshops only; the relevant session organisers have been contacted accordingly and will receive separate guidelines.
• Please note that voting/polling and subsequent showing of results is not possible without previous consultation and confirmation by the organising office (due to technical specifications/implications).

 

Discussion

• You as chairperson are asked to moderate the discussion after the presentations
• Depending on the session structure, time for questions is allocated after each presentation or as collective time at the end of the session. Please moderate according to the session structure mentioned in the detailed session run-down:
  • Make sure there is at least one question for each presentation. If there is no question from the audience, one of the chairpersons should ask a question
  • Please mix between your own questions and the questions from the audience
• Make sure to always prepare at least one question per speaker during their presentation

Q&A tools

Q&A in larger session rooms:
Plenary Hall, Les Goudes 1, Les Goudes 2, Callelongue & Auditorium

• Guidelines for the Q&A tool can be found in printed form on your head table in the session room
• The audience can ask questions either via
  • The microphone stands placed in the aisles of the session room
  • The Q&A function within the congress app
• You will see all incoming questions from the congress app on the iPad placed on the head table

Q&A in smaller session rooms:
Morgiou, Sormiou, Riou & Samena

• The audience can ask questions via
  • the wireless microphone handled by the room attendant in the session room
  • the microphone stand placed in the session room

The room attendants are available for any question you might have in regards to the tools.

 

Closing the session

• Please make sure to announce the upcoming scientific & industry sessions that can be easily found in the printed final programme placed on the head table as well as in the online programme.

 

Trouble-shooting

• Technical problems might arise even though all equipment and connections have been tested thoroughly: Do not hesitate to address the room attendant to communicate (and translate) to the respective technician(s). Note that there might be several technicians in the room with different responsibilities (sound, light, video, data) and the room attendant will know whom to address depending on the nature of technical problem.
• Worst case scenario: If anyone is misbehaving in the room, do not hesitate to ask the room attendant and security to evacuate them from the building

Guidelines for Chairpersons of e-Poster Sessions

 

Attendance & Programme

• Be in the ePoster area a few minutes prior to the start of the session!
• Use the time to become familiar with the ePoster station and its presentation system.
• The most up-to-date scientific programme is available through the online programme and constantly synchronised with the congress app!
• The posters corresponding to your session will be pre-selected on the screen.
• Alternatively, choose the topic of your ePoster session in the main overview. The posters of your session are now accessible and can be presented.

 

e-Poster Help Desk

In case you have questions or technical problems, support from the POSTERWALK by ESTENSIS team will be onsite and happy to help.

 

e-Poster Presenters

• All presenters will be onsite; remote presentations are not planned, nor possible.
• In case an ePoster presenter from your session is unavailable and does not show up, please move to the next speaker.
• The time allocated to each presentation is 3 minutes including discussion; speaking times have to be strictly followed.

 

Introducing the session and the presentations

• Please start the session exactly on time.
• Introduce yourself and do a short introduction to the topic of max. 2 minutes.
• Please introduce presenters by reading their name and the title of the ePoster.
• It is your responsibility to observe and inform presenters in case they exceed the time limit.
• If a presentation is running over its agreed length, it is the duty of the chairperson to stop the presentation and to move to the next ePoster presenter.