In-person Poster Presenter Guidelines
Important Dates:
January 17: Registration deadline for in-person presenters
February 20: Watch for an email from Alerts@ATIVsoftware.com with individualized poster upload instructions for the Conference App. IMPORTANT – do not forward this link to someone else to use as it is specifically meant for you.
February 23, 8:00 p.m. EDT: Deadline to upload poster to the Conference App. This deadline applies to all poster authors. Poster award judging will be based on the uploaded poster.
Overview
In-person poster presentations
Poster session schedule
Poster size and format
Preparing in-person posters
Uploading virtual poster files to the App
Upload PDF
Record poster audio
PDF preparation tips
Audio overview tips
FAQs
Overview
Poster presentations at Dros23 will consist of two parts:
- Live Poster Sessions: Most submitted abstracts will be scheduled as posters. If attending in person, authors will be assigned a designated time to present their posters. If you will be attending the meeting online, please view the Virtual poster presentation guidelines. All abstract authors who are not selected for a platform session MUST display a poster either online or in-person.
- Virtual Poster Files in the App: Poster PDFs with an optional 2-minute audio overview, which will be available to conference registrants via the app between February 24 and April 6. Presenters will upload their posters between February 20 and 23. Attendees will be able to leave questions as comments on the poster entry in the app. Please see the online poster presentation instructions for additional details.
Each poster presenter will need to do the following:
- Register for the conference by January 17 if you will be attending in person. If you do not register by the deadline, you will not have board space at the meeting.
- Register for the conference by February 15 if you will be attending online only. If you do not register by February 15, you will not be sent the link to upload your PDF. See the Online Poster Presenter Guidelines for more information on uploading your PDF.
To find out your specific day and time for your presentation, please access your poster number here. The schedule, based on the letter accompanying your poster number, is listed below.
In-person Poster Presentations
Authors will display their posters and present based on the schedule below. Authors are expected to be at their poster during the one-hour time listed.
Poster Session Schedule
T Posters
Thursday, March 2
8:00 a.m. – “T” Posters can be displayed
2:00–4:00 p.m. – “T” Poster presentations
2:00-3:00 p.m. Even number presentations
3:00-4:00 p.m. Odd number presentations
10:00 p.m. – “T” posters must be removed.
F Posters
Friday, March 3
8:00 a.m. – “F” Posters can be displayed
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – “F” Poster presentations
2:00-3:00 p.m. Even number presentations
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Odd number presentations
10:00 p.m. – “F” posters must be removed
S Posters
Saturday, March 4
8:00 a.m. – “S” posters can be displayed
1:30 – 3:30 p.m. “S” poster presentations
1:30-2:30 p.m. Even poster presentations
2:30-3:30 p.m. Odd poster presentations
6:30 p.m. – “S” posters must be removed
Posters for the in-person session should be no larger than 48″ wide by 44” tall. Posters that are larger will be removed. To allow for maximum spacing between each poster, each poster should be placed in the middle of the board.
Please keep personal items with you at all times. GSA cannot be responsible for items left in the hall including but not limited to poster tubes, purses, backpacks, etc.
All posters will be located in the exhibit and poster area at the conference site. You must be wearing your official meeting badge to enter the exhibits and posters.
Health and Safety
Masks should be worn at all times when inside the conference center. That includes during your poster presentation. Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the meeting space. For more information on health and safety policies at the meeting, please check our Conference Policies. Since poster presenters will be masked, poster authors are encouraged to include their photo on their poster.
Update February 15, 2023. Posters for the in-person session should be no larger than 48 inches wide by 44 inches tall. To allow for maximum spacing between each poster, each poster should be placed in the middle of the board. Posters will can be displayed beginning at 8:00 am on the day you present and must come down at the end of the day. Posters using more space than allotted will be removed. The GSA staff, facility staff, and personnel breaking down the boards will not be responsible for posters left up by their authors. Please remove your poster promptly after your session concludes. Posters that are not removed in a timely fashion will be recycled.
As shown in the list above, authors have been assigned specific time slots during which they are expected to be at their poster for discussion. If a presenter is unable to attend their poster at the designated time, GSA asks that they find an alternate person to present in their absence. GSA will also place a sign on your poster board that will include your poster number along with two other poster numbers (the other two posters listed will use the same board space in different time slots). Please do NOT move the sign indicating poster numbers and times on the board. If the number is moved or removed, we will not be able to consider your poster for the poster award competition.
GSA’s Code of Conduct states that photos should not be taken of posters without the presenter’s permission. To remind poster viewers, it may be helpful to include this icon on your poster.
Preparing effective in-person posters
Here are some tips for ensuring your poster presentation is effective:
- PLAN: An effective poster requires careful thought and preparation. It is not sufficient to enlarge an abstract and add a few figures. First identify your one, two, or three principal messages. Then work out the most effective way to convey those points and choose a headline to help highlight each message. Your poster should be self-explanatory so that you are free to answer questions and expand on particular points.
- TEXT: Your poster text should be easily readable and the design well organized. Use a type size that can be read easily at a distance. Text that is too small is the most common problem in poster design. Keep the text succinct.
- GRAPHICS: Summarize current research with clear and self-explanatory graphics: charts, tables, micrographs, diagrams, etc. Simple use of color can add emphasis.
- TITLE: Prepare a heading at the top of your poster indicating the abstract title, authors, and affiliations. Make the title large enough to be read easily from a reasonable distance (~4 feet). Authors may opt to include a picture of themselves to allow people to find them to discuss their work after the day of their presentation.
- METHODS: Details of methodology should be brief and placed at the end of the legend.
- CONCLUSION: Many successful posters provide a bulleted list of conclusions and questions raised.
- REFERENCES: Some references should be provided, but they need not be as extensive as those in papers.
- ACCESSIBILITY: We encourage presenters to use color blind-friendly palettes and accessible fonts. An online tool such as Coblis will help you prepare posters that are more accessible to all.
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Uploading Virtual Poster files to the App
Presenters must upload a PDF version of their poster to the Conference App using the personalized link that will be sent via email from alerts@ATIVsoftware.com with the subject line “Invitation to Add Content to DROS23.” We suggest you add alerts@ATIVsoftware.com to your email contacts to ensure the message does not end up in your junk folder.
Poster materials will be made available to all conference registrants via the app between February 24 and April 6. Attendees can leave questions for you in the App, so be sure to check the “Discussion” section at the bottom of your poster entry in the App by April 6.
You can view a sample Virtual Poster in a test App to get a sense of how attendees will view your poster file. Read instructions for viewing sample Virtual Poster ≫
Poster upload invitation sent to presenters: February 20
Poster upload deadline: February 23, 8:00 p.m. EDT
File size limit: 10 MB
Browser requirement: Latest version of Google Chrome
Upload PDF
- Ensure you are using Chrome as your web browser.
- Click the “Portal Login” link in the email from alerts@ATIVsoftware.com, which will be sent on February 20.
- Log in to the portal using your registration badge number and last name. You can find your badge number in your conference registration confirmation email, which was sent from the address NoReply@Convention-Mail.com.
- Click on the blue plus sign next to “Virtual Poster” to upload your PDF.
- It may take a few minutes for the upload to complete, depending on your internet connection.
- You can now record audio, if desired.
- If you don’t want to include audio with your poster, simply click “Done” without recording.
Record poster audio
When you upload your poster PDF, you will have the option to record a 2-minute audio overview that attendees can listen to while they view your poster on the app. Because the file is limited to two minutes in length, we recommend you practice your timing before you start recording. You must use the web browser Google Chrome for uploading your poster and recording audio.
- After you upload your PDF file, click the red microphone button to record your audio.
- When you’ve finished, click the stop button.
- You can replay the audio using the blue play icon or delete the file and start again using the trashcan icon.
- Press the “Done” button once you are happy with the recording.
PDF preparation tips
- Your PDF file must be smaller than 10 MB. For maximum accessibility by all attendees, we recommend making the file as small as possible.
- The poster will be displayed as a single page.
- Remember that people will be viewing the poster on a computer screen. To aid legibility, we recommend using large font sizes and a landscape page orientation. As a reference, many laptops have a screen aspect ratio of 16:9; so for example, this ratio would match a 36″ high by 64″ wide physical poster.
- Viewers will be able to zoom in to inspect any part of your poster, but there is no scroll function. For this reason, we do not recommend long, portrait-orientated posters.
- Divide the poster into discrete, well-labeled sections (large font size) to help people follow along while listening to the audio overview.
- You can read more tips on how to create virtual posters in this article from the app developers.
- You can view a sample virtual poster (PDF with audio) in a test App to get a sense of how attendees will view your poster file. Instructions for viewing sample virtual poster ≫
Audio overview tips
- You can’t describe every aspect of your poster in two minutes; you should instead provide an overview of key points and highlights that will encourage viewers to learn more by reading your poster or attending your live session.
- As you discuss different parts of your poster, refer to the sections using their titles, so that viewers can focus on the relevant part of your poster.
- Practice the timing to make sure you can cover your key points within the allowed two minutes.
- Speak slowly and clearly to ensure you are easily understood, including by attendees whose first language is not English.
- For best audio quality, use a headset or external microphone if possible.
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