Session Chair Info

Session Chair Information

In this Section

All speakers must pay the registration fee to speak and attend the Annual Meeting.
All sessions will take place at the Phoenix Convention Center (PCC).

General Information

On behalf of the Joint Technical Program Committee for the 2019 Annual Meeting, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for your agreeing to serve as a session chairperson for the upcoming meeting. The success of the technical program relies to a large degree on efforts such as yours.

We encourage you to attend a Session Chair Orientation provided on-site for all session chairs. These sessions are designed to assist session chairs with tips and to answer all questions in order to ensure their sessions are successful. It would be helpful to have at least one chairperson from every session attend an Orientation Session.

Please watch these training videos prior to coming to Phoenix:

Watch
Session Equipment Tutorial
[ 6:07 ]
Watch
Podium Software Tutorial
[ 2:07 ]

Please check the Technical Program Schedule to view presentation titles and times of your session.

During each orientation, instruction will be provided on:

  • Speaker timer (D’san Limitimer)
  • Projector operation
  • Laptop/LCD projector operation
  • Light, sound, and temperature control
  • No-show speakers
  • Use of student volunteers
  • Chairperson Attendance Form
Orientation Hours
Phoenix Convention Center, Room 231ABC, North Building
Saturday 21 Sept. 3:30–4 p.m.
Sunday–Tuesday 22–24 Sept. 12:15–12:45 p.m.

Guidelines for Success

  1. START AND END ALL PRESENTATIONS ON TIME, KEEPING THE ENTIRE SESSION ON TIME.
  2. Prior to start of session, meet the student volunteer assigned to your session.
    If you know how to deal with a problem yourself, please feel free to do so.
    Otherwise, the student will be the "runner" for your session in case of equipment failure.
  3. Announce at the beginning of the session that each paper will be finished in time to allow for adequate discussion.
    If the speaker has not finished on schedule, we expect you to end the presentation so that the paper may be discussed.
    If time allows, encourage discussion after each paper. Please be prepared to ask questions of the speaker if there are no questions from the audience.
  4. Basic time for the talk is 12 minutes.
    The timer is set with a warning coming on at 12 minutes.
    Allow 3 minutes for a Q&A period and logistical time to get on and off the stage.
    If the paper is longer, for example 20 minutes, the 3-minute warning will come on at 17 minutes.
  5. If a speaker fails to appear, do not pass to the next paper.
    Instead, call for a break or discussion until the scheduled time for the following presentation.
    No substitutions of one paper for another. (Some meeting attendees make it a point to see certain talks throughout each day. You'll be helping these people attend the presentations they want to hear.)
    If your session has an accommodating poster session, ask the audience if there's any poster presenters in the audience, and would they like to come up to the microphone and give a 2-minute synopsis of their presentation.
  6. Repeat Questions from Audience. Not all questions are heard throughout the session room, so please repeat.
  7. Make sure the presenter speaks into the microphone. This is for the audiences benefit so all can hear.
  8. Presenters will advance their own presentation.
  9. Encourage the audience to take seats at the front of the room and to fill empty seats.

In Case of Emergency

The building security will be in charge. In the unlikely event that you might need to use the exits, please identify their locations before you start the session. If an announcement sounds over the loud speakers, the message may not be clear inside a room, so please have someone else check the message. Stay in control of the lectern and instruct the audience to remain seated. If you are being asked to evacuate the building, instruct the audience to exit calmly to the right or to the left.

Any emergency requiring medical, police or fire assistance should be directed to the Phoenix Convention Center. Dial 85 from a house phone, or from cell phone dial +1-602-239-5906. 

Dial 911 for all  life-threatening emergencies.

Annual Meeting Office Student Volunteer Office Speaker Ready Room
Room 123 Room 122A Room 121A
Phoenix Convention Center