Presider Information

Presider Check-In

We ask all presiders to check-in at the Speaker Ready Room in the Convention Center, Room B1. All presiders are required to check-in 30 minutes before their sessions begin to ensure each session has a designated presider. In each meeting room you will find a “Yellow” folder which contains your session’s presentation check-in sheets to determine the talks within your session. These sheets will be in the order in which they will be given and the name of the person giving the presentation. You should make note of all papers presented and any speaker name changes on the sheet and leave the Presider Check-in sheet inside the yellow folder on the podium. These lists are provided to assist you in running an effective session.

To assist you, a short podcast posted on OSA’s Pod blog; featuring Dr. Ben Eggleton (CUDOS, Univ. of Sydney, Australia) gives tips on how to be a great conference presider. If you haven’t already seen the video, you can find it at http://osapod.libsyn.com/.

In addition, please see Dr. Eggleton's most important points in .pdf format. If you have any questions about the video or the notes, please feel free to contact mbirch@osa.org.

If you are unable to preside or are unsure of which session you’ll be presiding over, please contact OSA as soon as possible.

Guidelines

Remember to introduce yourself as the presider and announce the session. The total amount of time allotted for each paper will be listed in the Conference Program online. Generally, invited talks are allowed 25 minutes for presentation and five minutes for discussion. Contributed talks are allowed 12 minutes for presentation and three minutes for discussion. A 60-minute mechanical timer will be available for your use. We recommend that the timer be set five minutes prior to the end of the presentation time in order to provide a warning to wrap up the talk and start the discussion period. Notify the authors of this warning system. It is also important to remind the speaker to repeat the questions asked from the audience.

Maintaining the scheduled timing of papers is very important. In cases where the paper is withdrawn or the speaker does not show, use the time for an extended question period for authors of previously presented papers or call a break. PLEASE DO NOT START TALKS EARLIER THAN THEY ARE SCHEDULED. All requests to modify the program schedule should be directed to a program chair.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Due to licensing restrictions, the use of music in presentations, including video presentations, is prohibited. If a speaker uses music during his/her presentation, please inform Meeting Management immediately.

The total amount of time allotted for each paper will be listed in the Advance Program.

Guidelines for Poster Presenters

To give your poster presentation more exposure, we’ve extended the time for your posters to be left up. Please review the schedule and plan accordingly.

Poster Session Set-up/Teardown Schedule:
Posters will be on display during the Poster Session Hours according to the following schedule:

Poster Session I: Exhibit Hall 2 - Tuesday, May 18, 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Poster Set-Up: 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Poster Tear Down: 4:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
 
Poster Session II: Exhibit Hall 2 - Wednesday, May 19, 12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m.
Poster Set-Up: 10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Poster Tear Down: 4:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m.

Poster Session III: Exhibit Hall 2 - Thursday, May 20, 1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Poster Set-Up: 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Poster Tear Down: 3:30 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

A four-foot-high x eight-foot-wide (122 cm x 244 cm) bulletin board, a sign indicating your paper number, and push-pins or adhesive tape will be provided. Presenters should display the paper title and authors and affiliations on their poster.  Please note that poster papers are not supplied with electricity or audiovisual equipment. 

As a general rule, poster presenters should plan on posting their paper at minimum one hour prior to the poster session and taking down their paper within one hour before the conclusion of the Exhibit Hall closing day. All Posters must be removed at the documented close time.  We will not save any unclaimed posters at the end of the day.

Suggestions for Poster Format
Posters should be readable by viewers five feet away. The message should be clear and understandable without oral explanation. The following guidelines have been prepared to help improve the effectiveness of poster communications.

Initial Sketch: Try various styles of data presentation to achieve clarity and simplicity.

Rough Layout: Enlarge your best initial sketch, keeping the dimensions in proportion to the final poster. The rough layout should be full size. Print the title and headlines. Indicate text by horizontal lines. Draw rough graphs and tables. This will give you a good idea of proportions and balance. If you are working with an artist, show the poster layout to your colleagues and ask for comments. This is still an experimental stage.

Balance: The figures and tables should cover slightly more than 50% of the poster area. If you have only a few illustrations, make them large. Do not omit the text, but keep it brief. The poster should be understandable without oral explanation.

Simplicity:  Resist the temptation to overload the poster. More material may mean less communication. Prepare a 6-inch high headline strip that runs the full width of the poster. Include the title, authors and affiliations on the strip in letters not less than 1-inch high. Post a large typed copy of your abstract.