Instructions for Speakers

• For best results, prepare your slides using Microsoft PowerPoint, using widely available Windows-compatible fonts and minimizing fancy transitions.
• Please format all slides for 16:9 in Microsoft PowerPoint. This is the industry standard and is (usually) the default for PowerPoint 2010+
• Please title the file to your talk using the following filename convention: Room_Day_Time_Surname.pptx (e.g. Chaudiere_Monday_1415_Smith.pptx)
• Visit your presentation room the morning of your talk between 8:30AM and 9:00AM with your talk on a USB key and load it onto the laptop
• If you are doing a computer demo that requires the internet, please have a backup plan in case of network issues.
• This year nearly all talks are 15 minutes in length (including questions and speaker changes), to make it easier for attendees to move from one session to another if they wish. Please be respectful of other speakers and help moderators keep your session on time.
• There will be a Windows PC (not Mac) presenting your slides. The hotel is supplying someone to help with A/V technologies during sessions and breaks.
• Because we are partnering with iDigBio to record sessions, you may be asked to wear a clip-on microphone, and you will need to use the trackpad on the computer as your pointer. A mobile microphone should be available for audience members to ask questions that may be heard during the session.
• Remember this is a diverse international audience who may not be familiar with customs, acronyms, and jargon used in your speciality. Help everyone appreciate your work by speaking clearly and explaining potentially unfamiliar terms.

Need more tips on preparing your presentation?

• Use sans-serif fonts (e.g., Arial, Verdana)
• Provide high contrast between text and background
• Avoid color blindness traps (e.g., requiring viewers to distinguish between reds and greens on your chart)
• Do not use all uppercase letters
• Minimize the amount of text on each slide
• Minimize the number of slides in your presentation (ca. 15 = about 1/minute)
• Use high quality graphics/images but no larger (file size) than necessary for the screen resolution
• Present a story for your audience and put your work in context
• Practice your presentation and make sure you have time for questions
• See http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-tips-for-preparing-a-professional-presentation/ and,
• https://www.presentationpoint.com/blog/best-powerpoint-screen-resolution/ for additional tips

Instructions for Poster Presenters

Your poster should be approximately A0-sized (33" x 47" or 84 cm x 119 cm) or no more than 48" on the widest side. The boards are Velcro and Velcro sticky dots will be provided.

Posters can live on for years at your institution after being presented at a scientific meeting. Your poster allows you to speak informally with other conference goers who are interested in your work. Figure out a short overview to start a conversation when you are standing by your poster: what question were you trying to answer and why is this important? Your poster should tell a story visually, with fewer words than a journal article and possibly even fewer than were in your abstract. Text should be able to be read from 2–3 m away and the poster self-explanatory for when you are not nearby.

• How to create a research poster http://guides.nyu.edu/posters
• Creating a poster design http://www.craftofscientificposters.com/design.html
• Design and Layout https://www.makesigns.com/tutorials/poster-design-layout.aspx
• Designing conference posters http://colinpurrington.com/tips/poster-design
• Scientific poster design http://hsp.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/ScientificPosters.pdf

Printing in Ottawa

Staples
https://storelocator.staples.ca/stores/en_CA/ON/Ottawa/131
403 Bank Street
Ottawa, ON K2P 1Y6
P. 613.235.2525
20 minute walk from conference hotel, directions
Max width 42”, any length
More than 3 days in advance: $5.99CA/sq.ft
Express (less than 3 days in advance): $7.79CA/sq.ft

Instructions for Moderators

• Every session must have a moderator (symposia and workshop organizers are responsible for choosing a moderator(s) for their sessions).
• Moderator responsibilities (non-workshop)
• Bring a working stopwatch to time presentations
• Make sure you know how to switch between talks on the presentation computer
• Arrive at session at least 10 minutes before the start of the session
• Confirm that all presentations are loaded on the computer
• Start the session on time and remind speakers of their time limits and that they be courteous to speakers who must follow them by not exceeding their time limit.
• Keep session on time. Announce how you will let authors know when their time is running out (e.g., raise three fingers within sight of the speaker to indicate 3 minutes remaining; stand at one minute; do what you can to keep speakers within their time limit)
• Questions may be asked within the allotted time, but if time does not allow, ask questioners to seek out speakers after the session