(Also sent to all presenters by email)

March will be here before we know it! We hope you are looking forward to the conference. Spring in North Carolina is magical. Below we have outlined some logistical details for the poster session. Remember that early-bird registration deadline is this Friday, February 8th! As always, feel free to reach out to us with any poster-session questions you may have.

This message contains some important information below that will help you in preparation for the poster session. This includes both details about preparing your materials to maximize this opportunity, and also some innovative things we are trying this year to engage everyone in conversations during this session. Please be sure to read all the way to the bottom of this email for full details.

Plan to bring:
– Your Poster
– Business Cards
– Optional: A one page summary of your poster and work
We will have space at each poster devoted to displaying your poster, a spot to leave your business cards, as well as collect business cards from people interested in your work, and a place for people to grab a one page (optional) description of your work.

Poster format:
We have created an example template of a poster format we would encourage presenters to follow (attached). While we recognize the importance of giving poster presenters creative license, as well as addressing the practical, “I already have a printed poster”, we do feel having more uniformity in posters may help conference attendees gain more from the poster session.

In the template we have focused on best practices for conveying information quickly in an inviting and engaging manner. Please feel free to make it your own. If you have questions or concerns regarding this general format, please let us know. Below are a couple sites to help with poster basics.
NYU libraries: https://guides.nyu.edu/posters
Penn State: http://www.personal.psu.edu/drs18/postershow/

Posters should be no larger than 48 inches wide (typical size is 36 X 48 inches). One easel will hold two posters, so please be respectful of your poster-easel-buddy and keep your poster at or under these dimensions. The template attached is set to a landscape 36 X 48 in poster.

Poster Session Event:
The session will occur during Happy Hour on Thursday, March 14th, from 4:30-6:30pm. Our hope is that people will grab a beverage of choice, mingle, and spend quality time admiring your work. We would like poster presenters to be stationed at their poster for approximately one hour (60 mins) to discuss their work with interested viewers. Details on presentation times will be forthcoming. Please, however, plan to attend the entire poster session.

Posters MUST be up in advance of the session. Due to other events during the day, the two time options available for hanging your poster are earlier on Thursday, March 14th, either between 7:00am-8:00am or 1:45pm-3:30pm. You will not have access to the space to hang posters while other activities are underway. Posters may remain hanging through the entire conference, but must be removed by the end of the closing reception. Any posters left on site at the end of Saturday’s closing reception will be discarded/recycled.

During the session:
Expect to be stationed at your poster for at least one hour of the poster session, this will give people a chance to personally connect with and your work, while also giving you an hour to connect with other poster presenters.

Our goal is to thematically organize the posters, partnering similar concepts, messages, and research. We’ll design a map of the posters, which will be available at registration, that we hope will facilitate informed attendees seeking to find posters that are relevant to their area of interest or expertise.

Please consider leaving your poster up through Saturday to maximize the amount of engagement you could receive on your content. We will keep easels and other resources for posters available until the end of the conference.

Optional:
If this is the first time presenting a poster at a conference, or you just want a second set of eyes, please feel free to send your poster to the co-chairs ahead of the conference for review and feedback.