Oral Presenter Information

All presentations are handled by our on-site presentation management system, LaunchPad. Personal laptops may not be used for presentations. The following guide will give you an overview of how to upload your files to our system, and what to expect when you get to the meeting.

1. Getting your files ready

  • Don’t worry, we’re not going to make you convert your files. In fact, our system handles just about any kind of presentation file, whether you made it on a Mac, PC or Linux machine. There are no limits on file size.

    Please note: PDFs cannot be used.

  • We encourage presenters to use colorblind-friendly palettes and accessible fonts. An online tool such as Coblis will help you prepare slides that are more accessible to all.

  • Please be aware that the meeting will be utilizing 16:9 aspect ratio projectors and screens in all rooms.

    To utilize the full screen, you should create your presentation in “widescreen” format. If you’ve already made your presentation and do not want to change it, it will still work, however you will simply have black bars on either side of your slides in the meeting room (similar to watching old Seinfeld episodes on your new flat screen).

  • LaunchPad supports any media file type, and once again there are no size limits.

    Important note– please bring all media files with you when you upload your talk, even if

    you’ve embedded them in your talk. While we can help with many aspects of your talk

    on-site, we can’t “fix” a missing media file.

2. Uploading your presentation

All plenary and platform speakers are required to check-in 24 hours in advance of your session in the Speaker Ready Room located in Sheraton I of the Sheraton/Chicago Ballroom at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk Hotel.

NOTE: You may NOT upload in your session room or use your own device to present. All presentations MUST be uploaded in the Speaker Ready Room.

There will be technicians to help you with uploading your talk to one of our upload kiosks. Please bring your file(s) with you on a USB flash drive. You can make changes in Speaker Ready Room, and you can update your files as many times as you’d like. Most presenters are in and out of the Speaker Check-In in under 10 minutes, however it’s good to allow some time in case your files need special attention.

Speaker Ready Room Hours (CT)

Wed, Mar 4
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Thur, Mar 5
7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Fri, Mar 6
7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Sat, Mar 7
7:00 am - 4:00 pm

3. Presenting

Microphone
You will be using a podium microphone for your presentation.  It is a multi-directional microphone so will be able to pick up your voice even if you turn slightly but do try to face the audience so there is no distortion.

Screen
The screen(s) in each room in a 16:9 aspect ratio. There will be empty space on the left and right side of your presentation if you use 4:3.

Computer
When it’s your turn to speak, approach the lectern, look for your name in the session’s speaker list and simply click it to begin your presentation.If your name isn’t immediately visible, ensure that you are in the correct session.

If not, click on the “Change Session” button on the right-hand side of the screen, select your session from the list, then click on your name to launch your talk. If a previous presenter’s slides are still open, click the red “End Presentation” button in the top-right corner. This will return you to the session’s speaker list so you can access your presentation.

When you're finished presenting, make sure to click the end presentation button.

Pointer
You will use the pointer in the program in which you made your slides. When you create your slides, set the pointer to appear as large as possible in your settings. 

Timer
The timer keeps track of the remaining time for your presentation. The light will turn from GREEN to YELLOW when you have to wrap up and go to Q&A and take questions  When the light turns to RED, you must stop.  Your time is up. Keynote and Plenary talks will not have Q&A so the timer will go from GREEN to YELLOW (2 minute) to RED.

Confidence Monitors
All concurrent scientific sessions will have a confidence monitor for speakers to reference during their presentations.

Movies
Movies should be tested beforehand in the Speaker Ready Room in Sheraton I.  If your movie is not set to play automatically with the slide advance, please use the mouse or trackpad to click on the video on the laptop and play it.

Presenter Arrival Time
Please arrive in the room and check with your session moderator 30 minutes before the start of the session (not your specific time but the overall session).

Talk Times

  • Keynote: Length of talk is 60 minutes.

  • Plenary/Award Talks: Length of talk is 25 minutes

  • Oral Platform Presentations: Length of talk is 12 minutes + three minutes of Q&A (total time 15 minutes)

4. Questions?

If you have any questions about the above information, please feel free to email us.