Session information

Expectations for Session (Co-)Chairs

A/V equipment will be set up in the rooms before the presentation. Microphone, projector, and screen will be provided. We will keep 2 seats free at the front of the room. We invite you to sit there, close to the stage.

General expectations for chairs

Before

• Ahead of the conference make sure you have read the papers for the sessions you are chairing. 
• Prepare some questions for each presentation.
• Prepare your introductions, you can use their biography in ConfTool, and make sure you know how to pronounce the names of the presenters.
• Connect with your co-chair and ensure you are aligned on your roles.

During

• Arrive early and make sure you have time to set up, ideally 15 minutes before.
• Make sure that the room is prepared for the session: for example, check that the welcoming slide is showing on the screen, make sure that anyone not there for the session is politely moved on, that previous sessions are tidied away, and that seats / tables meet as expected. 
• Introduce yourself to the Co-Chair assigned to your session 
• Greet the presenters. Validate your introduction(s), and make sure how the speakers like to handle the questions (during the presentation or at the end).
• Confirm with presenters that their presentations have been successfully loaded and display as intended.
• If the session is being streamed, make sure the co-chair is logged into the Zoom call and can see the questions. It is a good idea to bring your own laptop as well, in case of issues with the co-chairs.
• Manage the behaviour and keep the time – let the presenter know when they are nearing the end of their time.
• Moderate the Q&A. We will have mics for those in the room. If the questions are hard to hear, you can repeat the question. 
• If the session is streamed, coordinate with the co-chair regarding any questions from the Zoom call. Make sure to read these out loud. 

After

• Thank your presenters, co-chair, any volunteers and the audience in the room and online.
• Tell the audience what is coming next (i.e., break, lunch, the next session in 30 minutes, etc).
• Close with a round of applause for the speakers and wish them well in their work.
• Make sure the room is left ready for the next session (no rubbish, move back any furniture that has been moved, etc.).

General expectations for co-chairs

Before

• Ahead of the conference make sure you are familiar with the papers for the sessions you are chairing. 
• Connect with your chair and ensure you are aligned on your roles.

During

• Arrive early, ideally 15 minutes before.
• Bring your laptop. If the session you are chairing is hybrid, some of the questions will come via the stream chat. Make sure you are logged into the stream and have access to the questions. 
• Assist the chair in making sure the room is ready.
• Greet the chair and the presenters.
• Assist the chair in managing behaviour and keeping the time.

After

• Close with a round of applause for the speakers and wish them well in their work.
• Make sure the room is left ready for the next session (no rubbish, move back any furniture that has been moved, etc.).