Poster Presenter Guidelines

Overview

Poster presentations at Dros 2026 will consist of two parts:

• Live Poster Sessions: Most submitted abstracts will be scheduled as posters. Authors will be assigned a designated time to present their posters. All abstract authors who are not selected for a platform session MUST display a poster in person.
• Virtual Poster Files in the App: Poster authors will be invited to upload a poster pdf with an optional 2-minute audio overview, which will be available to conference registrants via the App between March 4 and April 30, 2026. Presenters will upload their posters between February 23 and February 26, 2026. Attendees will be able to leave questions as comments on the poster entry in the App. Please note – poster presenters are not required to upload a pdf of their poster. For more information on their poster you can contact the author through the conference app.

Please read the following information to find out the specific day and time for your presentation.

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.

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 5

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 6

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 7

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

4:00 p.m. – “S” posters must be removed

Important Dates:

January 15: Registration deadline for all presenters.

February 23: 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 26, 8:00 p.m. EDT: Deadline to upload poster to the Conference App. This deadline applies to all poster authors.

Poster presentations

Authors will display their posters and present based on the schedule above. Authors are expected to be at their poster during the one-hour times listed.

Poster session schedule

Posters can be displayed as early as Thursday, March 5 at 8:00 am (hall can be accessed as early as 6:00 pm on Wednesday, March 4) and must be taken down by 4:00 p.m. on March 7. Posters that are not removed by 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 7 will be recycled.

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. Posters will be displayed throughout the duration of the meeting and may be viewed at any time between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. daily, March 5-6, and 7:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on March 7.

IMPORTANT: Poster size and format

Each author is allotted one-half of a poster board and posters should be no larger than 46″ wide by 44” tall. Larger posters will be removed.

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. Poster numbers will be placed on the poster boards. Please do NOT move the poster numbers. 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 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 one to three principal messages and then consider the most effective way to convey those points. 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 including 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.

For increased accessibility, authors are encouraged to include a QR code to a digital version of their poster for poster viewers to access. This may also link to a folder which includes additional resources, reference documents, and/or other items at the author’s discretion.

Uploading poster files to the App

Presenters may 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 Dros 2026.” 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 March 4 and April 30. 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 30.

You can view a sample 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 23

Poster upload deadline: February 26, 8:00 p.m. EST

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 March 10.
• 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 an audio overview, 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 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.

Privacy and recordings

All oral presentations will be available for registered attendees to view online until April 30, 2026. Although sharing of results without permission is a violation of the Code of Conduct, you should be aware that we cannot monitor whether attendees take photographs, screenshots, audio recordings, or video recordings during your presentation.

Code of Conduct

All registrants agree to abide by the GSA Conferences Code of Conduct. Our Code of Conduct was established to communicate a transparent set of standards and guidelines for acceptable behavior at GSA Conferences and to provide a positive, safe, and welcoming environment for all attendees. Note that all sessions will be moderated and actively monitored for disruptive behavior. Any attendees disrupting the session will be removed from the webinar by technical support staff.