Dear speakers & convenors,

While you're preparing great talks, workshops, quizzes and other creative sessions, the Ecsite team has compiled important information for you. Please take a bit of time to go through the following points:

Uploading your presentation
Twitter tips
Your session room
Your session evaluation
Your conference registration
Your Speakers reception invitation
If you're a convenor: here's what's expected from you

Uploading your presentation

You need to upload your presentation into a centralised system, in the Upload room located in the second floor of the Convention centre (open from 8.00 to 17.30). This needs to be done at least three hours prior to the session (one hour for early morning sessions). Presentations cannot be directly uploaded in the session room.

Here are the exact instructions about accepted formats. Technicians will be able to help you at the Upload room.

Once in the system, presentations will also be uploaded to the online programme on the Ecsite website, accessible to all. If you would rather not share your presentation online, please let the technicians know.

This is only valid for the three days of the main conference (15-17 June) - pre-conference speakers (13-14 June) can show presentations directly from laptops available in each room.

Twitter tips

Whether you're a Twitter user yourself or not, here are few easy steps to make sure your session travels far on social media and reaches an audience beyond #Ecsite2017 participants!

Give your audience a little help

At the start of the session, take a minute to help the audience with:

Hashtags

Each tweet needs to contain #Ecsite2017 + the hashtag of the room in which the session is taking place (otherwise conversations from different parallel sessions get all jumbled up). You can find room hashtags in the online & paper programmes and they'll be present in each space too.
You can suggest content-related hashtags, for instance #rri if you're going to cover Responsible Research and Innovation.

Twitter handles
For those speakers who have Twitter accounts: let participants know what your user name is.

We've put together a simple powerpoint template to convey that information if you'd like. It's also a good idea to add hashtags and your Twitter handle in the footer of each of your presentation's slides.

Get involved

If you're planning to tweet yourself, know that tweets containing pictures and videos are more likely to get relayed by our @Ecsite community manager.

A Twitter wall will show live tweets at the convention centre, and we'll publish a little thank you tweet at the end of each day, mentioning the keenest Twitterers.

We'll also be putting together a daily Storify summary, with a chapter for each session.

A note on sharing

The Ecsite community is based on peer learning and a culture of openness. By default, participants will feel free to share session contents (for instance to take pictures of your slides and post them on social media). If you'd like some of what you say or show to stay confidential, please say so in the session.

Your session room

You find the day, time and place of your session in the Programme (published online and printed in your delegate's bag). Each room is equipped with a laptop, a screen and two microphones, as well as water for the speakers. In each room, there are enough chairs as well as tables for workshop sessions. There is also a flipchart and pens. If you have any special wishes, your convenor can relay them to Raquel at the Ecsite Office by Friday 19 May the latest.
See the conference venues floor plans here.

Your session evaluation

Feedback on your session is collected through evaluation forms filled in by participants, available in each room. Compiled feedback will be available to speakers and convenors by the end of the summer. Convenors, please make sure to set aside a couple of minutes at the end of the session and prompt participants to fill in their form - a collection box will be available in each room. You can add this slide to your presentation.

Your registration

All convenors and speakers need to register for the conference. Online registration will close soon, on 26 May, after which you can only register onsite.

Speakers Reception

All convenors and speakers are invited to the Speakers Reception on Wednesday 14 June. You've received your official invitation by email (don't forget to print it and bring it with you).

If you haven't received the invitation for one reason or the other, please ask it to the convenor of your session.

To convenors

Your role as a convenor is to make sure that all speakers in your session are aware of the following information:

• Registration is mandatory;
• Presentations need to be prepared on time;
• The flow of the session (order of the talks);
• Where, how and when to upload the presentations + all technical requirements
• Speakers’ reception is on Wed 14 June and they need to bring their invitation (see just above).

During the session, you're in charge of general introductions, time keeping, facilitation and of reminding participants to fill in their evaluation form.

In a few weeks you will also receive the final message that will be sent to all conference participants. It will contain all practical details.

We are very much looking forward to seeing you soon in sunny Porto and thank you for your precious contribution.

Best wishes

Ecsite & local host team