Instructions for e-presenters
This page contains tips and instructions for preparing an e-presentation for the WC11 Virtual Congress.
Last edited: 6 July 2021
Platform
sESSION and presentation FORMAT
PREPARING YOUR PRESENTATION
PRE-Recording and Upload Instructions
DURING THE CONGRESS
Questions
PLAN A REHEARSAL
Platform
The WC11 Virtual Congress will take place on a virtual event platform provided by Congress Compass and is accessible on a web app and a mobile app. The virtual event platform will be accessible for all participants from 10 August 2021. All attendees will receive an invitation via email.
As a presenter, you will get early access to your personal Speaker Dashboard. This part of the platform, which is available to presenters only, is named Eureka. You will receive an invitation to your dashboard before or on Tuesday 25 June 2021. On this dashboard, you will be able to access all your sessions and prepare your presentations. When using your dashboard or the app for the first time, you will be asked to create a Eureka account to fully access the virtual platform. Without an account, you will not be able to use your dashboard or enter the virtual rooms to attend the presentations. Once you have created your account you can edit your profile to your liking and adjust the settings so other attendees can contact you during the event.
Session and presentation format
Please check the WC11 website, your Speaker Dashboard, or the web app's online program for the date and exact timing of your session. The online program in the (web) app has details of all sessions and speakers and will be available from 10 August 2021. Although your presentation will be pre-recorded, you must be virtually present for your entire session to answer questions and take part in the discussion.
Each session will be led by a minimum of one chair. The chair is responsible for introducing the speakers during the session, controlling the timing of the session, ensuring smooth transitions between presentations, and facilitating questions. There will also be a technical facilitator looking after the technical/logistics aspects of the session.
Attendees at the session will be able to use a Q&A box to ask questions during, and right after, presentations. The session’s chair will then select a few questions and will read them to the presenter. The presenter will be able to answer verbally during the session. After the session, you will also be able to answer any remaining questions through the session's chatbox.
All the moderated sessions will be fully recorded and made available for watching on-demand. The recordings will be available during the congress and in the following month, only to those who have registered for the congress. This will allow participants in less favorable time zones to catch up with the content when it suits their schedule.
Summary of Session Format
- 15-minute presentations (unless agreed otherwise with the session chair)
- 30-minute live Q&A at the end of the session
- Pre-recordings will be shown first, afterward a live Q&A
- The total length of the session will be max. 120 minutes (90 minutes of presentations + 30 minutes of questions)
Speaker substitutions are generally not allowed. If for some reason you need to cancel your presentation, please contact us as soon as possible and ensure that you provide a recommendation for a replacement. The Congress Organising Committee will provide the final approval regarding any replacements.
PREPARING YOUR PRESENTATION
The standard format will be a 15-minute slot (depending on how the session is submitted by the session organizer), without discussion or questions. Session chairs will ensure presenters will not go over their agreed time.
Oral presentations should be pre-recorded by the presenter via the Speaker Dashboard of the congress platform. Presenters can decide whether they prefer to present live or broadcast the pre-recording, but the pre-recording must in both cases be provided.
The Q&A session will be live. The deadline for pre-recording your presentation is 10 August 2021. You will receive an invitation to your dashboard on before or on Tuesday 25 June 2021. You are free to use your own presentation format as long as you stay within the allocated time. You can prepare your presentation using the tools you commonly use (like PowerPoint, Prezi, etc). Once you receive the invitation to your Speaker Dashboard there are two ways to present on the platform. You can convert your presentation to a PDF and upload your slides on the platform or share your screen on the platform to use the presentation tool of your choice (which gives you the opportunity to use audio, video, and effects in your presentation if needed – please note: Audio in your presentation will not be played on the platform but via your microphone). Both these options will be available to you as well during your live Q&A session. Please get familiar with the virtual platform/your Speaker Dashboard in advance.
Full instructions on how to use your Speaker Dashboard are available on this webpage: https://support.conferences.cc/en/articles/4387584-speaker-dashboard
Slide presentations should be in widescreen (16:9) presentation format. For your benefit, WC11 has created a PowerPoint Template, which is already in widescreen format, for use by presenters. When using this template, each new slide will be in a predetermined format/style that maximizes readability and usefulness during presentations.
The next chapters in this document provide information on how we will use the Speaker Dashboard during the congress and instructions for pre-recording your presentation.
Slide presentations should be in widescreen (16:9) presentation format. For your benefit, WC11 has created a PowerPoint Template, which is already in widescreen format, for use by presenters. When using this template, each new slide will be in a predetermined format/style that maximizes readability and usefulness during presentations.
Please follow the guidelines below when preparing your presentation, or consult one of the many online guides and tips:
- Keep your message simple, clear, and brief. Communicate ideas, not details.
- Summarize your main points.
- Keep the color scheme consistent throughout your presentation.
- No more than six to eight words per line.
- Ideally a maximum of six lines per slide.
- Use easy-to-read fonts such as Arial.
- Use dark primary colors for text.
- Limit the use of clip art.
- Label graphs clearly with big, readable type.
- When preparing your slides, bear in mind that the majority of people will be viewing the presentations on a computer screen of a size somewhere between 19 and 34 inches and the slides will not be shown full screen.
Please follow the guidelines below when presenting in front of a camera:
- Choose a room with a neutral background for your recording and check whether there is enough light. Natural light will give the best result so consider recording during the day, make sure the light is in front of you, not behind you.
- Recording with the built-in microphone on your laptop can have a hollow effect in larger rooms or rooms with high ceilings. If this is the case, using a separate microphone or headset may be the solution.
- Time and practice your talk.
- Talk at a pace that everybody in the audience can understand.
Pre-Recording and Upload Instructions
All oral presentations should be pre-recorded before the congress. You can record your presentation via your Speaker Dashboard. Invitations to the dashboard are sent to all speakers. Please note: if you are presenting in multiple sessions, you will receive a separate invitation to each session. All presentations will be available within your same account for easy access. Once you have been invited to the Speaker Dashboard you will be able to pre-record your presentation. We kindly request you to finish your recording by 10 August 2021 so we can check if all presentations are ready.
1. The WC11 Virtual Event Platform will send you an email with a link to your speaker dashboard. The sender of the email will be do-not-reply@get-eureka.com. Please check your SPAM filter in case you did not receive the email after 25 June 2021 or whitelist the email address upfront.
2. The links will be sent between 16 and 25 June 2021.
3. Sign in or create an account using the same email address as you have been invited.
4. After clicking this button, you will see the below sign message.
Use ‘continue with email’ to proceed. Log in with email and password. If you log in for the first time, create a password. Afterwards you will enter your personal dashboard.
5. You have now entered your personal dashboard. Complete your account by clicking ‘VIEW MY ACCOUNT’ and add a picture, job title, biography, company name, country of residence, and any contact information you would like to share.
You do not have to save your data. It will be automatically saved. For returning back to the dashboard click the menu button in the top left corner and click on the Eureka logo.
6. The sessions in which you are speaking will appear when clicking on the logo of WC11 (see picture below).
Please click on the specific session to enter the presenter's dashboard if you would like to record the presentation.
After entering the presenters' dashboard, you have a few steps to take:
- In the left below corner click on the button 'Pre-Record'. In this view, you can pre-record your presentation. You cannot hear or be heard by others. Note that pre-recording is only available when the WC11 Virtual Event Platform is not open yet (the WC11 Virtual Event Platform will open on 10 August 2021).
- To start recording, set up your presentation by uploading slides as PDF, or use screen sharing with the button in the bottom-right corner. Pre-recording will record both your presentation and video.
- Once you are ready to record, click 'RECORD' in the bottom-left corner (see picture below). A pop-up window will explain what will happen next. After reading it, click 'Start recording'.
- A timer will then start counting down from 5, after which the recording starts. Do not start talking right after you start or stop pre-recording, but include a pause, to avoid that parts of the recording are cut off. During the recording, you can keep track of the time inside the red Recording tag on the bottom-left corner. You can end the recording at any time by clicking Stop recording. The recording will automatically stop after 60 minutes.
- A ‘STOP RECORDING’ button will appear after hovering over the 'recording tag' button.
Your pre-recording has automatically been saved and added to your session. You can view your recording afterward.
If you are not satisfied and want to record another attempt, first click 'Delete this recording'. After confirming, the recording will be deleted and you can start over.
Please note: you cannot download your presentation. If you need internal approval for your presentation you have to show the video within the platform. The recording will automatically be available to the moderator in the Moderator Dashboard for review and playback during the session.
DURING THE CONGRESS
Once you have been invited to your Speaker Dashboard you will have full access to its functionalities. We ask you to familiarize yourself with the dashboard before the start of the congress, starting with the pre-recording. Your presentation will be part of one of the parallel sessions and will be managed from a Moderator Dashboard by the chair and technical facilitator of your session.
The virtual room will open 30 minutes in advance of the start of the session, allowing attendees to enter. Attendees will see a slide, announcing the session, until the chair starts the broadcast. Once the broadcast has started the session is live and the chair and technical facilitator control what the attendees will see. Please note: once the broadcast has started all presenters/chairs/technical facilitators linked to the session can be heard by the audience. If you are not presenting, please make sure to turn off your microphone. Your technical facilitator will remind you of this before the start of the broadcast.
Following the program, the chair will take the following steps:
- Announce the presenter/presentation and, when applicable, start the pre-recorded presentation (during which attendees can ask questions via the Q&A box). If you wish to present live, please inform your chair during the rehearsal or session briefing.
- Announce the next presenter as soon as the first pre-recording has finished. There is no Q&A at this time.
- Repeat steps 1, 2, etc.
- At the end of all pre-recordings and presentations click the ‘panel discussion’ button. Please make sure all speakers cameras & microphones are switched on.
- Manage the time, after 30 minutes (or at the end of the session) the Q&A needs to be wrapped up.
- After the session is finished the chair will close the virtual room. A recording of the session will be made available on the platform at the end of the day.
The briefings will take place on the day of your session 30 minutes prior to the start of the session. Please access your Speaker Dashboard and join the session briefing with the chair, the technical facilitator, and the other speakers. During the briefing you will be made aware of any last-minute changes and important details to help you with your presentation. Failure to attend or late arrival will make the chairs’ job more difficult and make for a less coherent session.
- Test your access to the virtual event platform no later than a week before the congress. Google Chrome is the preferred browser and provides the most optimal event experience. If you prefer to use your regular browser please remember Google Chrome as a fallback option in case another browser doesn’t work properly.
- Check your internet connection speed. If the Wi-Fi connection is unreliable, check if a cable connection is available.
- Test your audio and video as you join the Speaker Dashboard. When attending the congress, make sure to do so from the same laptop and internet connection you used to previously access the platform (for pre-recording/testing). This way you are sure the connection works.
- Attend the speakers’ briefing in your virtual session room at the appropriate time (30 minutes prior to the start of the session).
- Use a quality headset and a high-quality camera.
- Find a suitable workspace: a quiet place cut off from ambient noise will allow you better interactions.
- Mute your microphone when not speaking.
- Position your webcam at eye level and make contact as much as possible.
- During the session you can click the ‘Audience View’ button to view the session from the attendee's point of view, this means you can use it to watch the presentations of other speakers in the same session. Please note that this option is only available when the session is broadcasting; otherwise, it is greyed out. When the technical facilitator selects you to be the active speaker, you are automatically switched to the Present Live tab.
QUESTIONS
If you have any questions please contact the secretariat via email: info@wc11maastricht.org