Presenter Guidelines

Congratulations, and thank you for presenting at the AACRAO 110th Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington.

We appreciate you lending your professional knowledge to the AACRAO community. Please review all of the resources below as you prepare for your presentation.  All of the information, links, and deadlines below apply to institutional and corporate presenters.

• Register for the AACRAO Annual Meeting.  Presenters are asked to register by the early-bird deadline of January 31, 2025.  Sessions without at least one registered presenter by January 31, 2025, may be removed from the program and replaced with an alternate.


• Arrange travel and hotel accommodations.  We encourage you to make your hotel reservations as soon as possible.  The AACRAO group rate is only available until the AACRAO block has sold out, which we expect will happen before the priority hotel reservation deadline of March 7, 2025.


• Watch the recording of the webinar held for Annual Meeting Presenters, "Delivering Effective Presentations". Held on January 29, 2025, 2 p.m. ET. 


• Submit presentation files, videos, and other digital handouts (submission deadline is March 14, 2025).  Submissions not received before March 14 may not be available for projection during your session. 


• Check your presenter profile and session details in the Whova App.  Explore speaker resources such as communities, polls, and Q&A for your session.  The app is expected to go live in the third week of March.


• Prepare to deliver a high-quality presentation that is inclusive and accessible to all attendees. Please review the Presenter Best Practices for Accessibility below.


• Share your session details with your networks. Use the Social Media Toolkit below to get started.

• Presenter Best Practices for Accessibility

  AACRAO is committed to providing all meeting attendees with a high-quality experience that is accessible to all.
  
  Diversity Awareness:
  Be mindful of the diversity in your audience. When planning your presentation and presentation materials understand that some of your audience might not be able to:
  

  • See well or at all
  • Hear well or at all
  • Move well or at all
  • Speak well or at all
  • Process information in certain formats well or at all

  Your audience has both visible and invisible identities and accessibility needs.
  
  Presenters at the Annual Meeting are asked to follow these best practices:

  • Use a provided microphone at all times while speaking, even if the number of attendees in the room is small. Hearing-impaired attendees deeply appreciate sound amplification from all presenters at all times.
  • Insist that all questions from the audience are amplified with a microphone, even if the number of attendees in the room is small.  Wait to answer a question until it is asked with a microphone, even if means asking the question-asker to repeat the question. Wireless microphones will be available for questions from the audience in every session room. Hearing-impaired attendees deeply appreciate sound amplification during Q&A.
  • Use inclusive language when referring to identities and demographics.
  • Prepare PowerPoint slides that are in a simple font of 28 point or larger type.
  • Check your color contrast with a contrast checker if using color combinations other than black and white.
  • Make graphics as simple as possible. Do not use color as the only method for distinguishing information, particularly on charts and graphs. Communicate data in both color and text.
  • Click here to learn more about creating accessible PowerPoint presentations.
  • Encourage attendees to leave seating in the back row(s) for attendees who need accessible seating.
• Uploading Presenter Materials

  Presenters must use the laptop provided by the onsite AV company for their presentation.  Personal laptops cannot be connected to the projection or audio equipment and onsite technicians cannot provide support for equipment not provided by the onsite AV company.

  Presenters must upload their presentation materials to the Presenter Portal before March 14. The AV company and AACRAO staff require adequate time to review materials and prepare the on-site platform so presenters can access their session materials onsite. Presenters who do not upload materials by the deadline cannot be guaranteed projection of their presentation slides in their session room.  Click here to upload presentation materials to the Presenter Portal.
  
  UPLOAD REQUIREMENTS:
  

  • The name of the uploaded file must include the full presentation title and the full name of the presenter.  Files uploaded without the presentation title in the name of the file will be deleted and will not be available to presenters onsite.
    Example Acceptable File Name: "Accessing Student Data Records in Brazil - Shelly Shellerson"
    Example Unacceptable File Name: "Annual Meeting"
  • Slide decks must be submitted only as PowerPoint files; no Word documents, PDFs, or JPEGs will be accepted.
  • Co-presenters submitting separate slide decks for the same presentation must include the full presentation title and full name of the submitting presenter.
    Example Acceptable File Name: "Accessing Student Data Records in Brazil - Shelly Shellerson"
    Example Unacceptable File Name: "AACRAO - Shelly Shellerson"

  Submitting Videos:

  • Video files must be uploaded as separate files (not embedded into presentations)
  • Videos are to be provided in MP4 format
  • The name of the uploaded video must include the full presentation title and the full name of the presenter. Video files uploaded without the presentation title in the name of the file will be deleted and will not be available to presenters onsite.
    Example Acceptable Video File Name: "Accessing Student Data Records in Brazil Video1 - Shelly Shellerson"
    Example Unacceptable File Name:  "AACRAO2025"
  • Recommended max video file size: 4GB total
• Powerpoint Presentation Template

  Download the AACRAO-branded PowerPoint template for your session presentation. The template is provided as a resource for presenters; it is not required for use.

  Fonts: Avoid using custom or licensed fonts (aka fonts that have been downloaded from the internet.) Custom fonts used in PPT decks (those not included in Microsoft Office 2016), must be provided three business days in advance of the due date for testing.

  PREZI & Apple Product Users

  We recommend creating all decks in PowerPoint. If slide decks were created on an Apple computer or in Prezi and then exported to PowerPoint, please check to make sure all formatting was exported correctly before submitting.

• Speaker Ready Room
  

  All presenters must check into the Speaker Ready Room at least four hours before presenting.

  Speaker Ready Room Hours:
  Sunday, March 30: 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
  Monday, March 31: 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
  Tuesday, April 1: 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
  Wednesday, April 2: 7:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
  

  The purpose of checking in with the Speaker Ready Room staff is to ensure your presentation slides are what you expect to use and see in your session room (read: mitigate surprises and "technical difficulties" in your session room). The laptops in the Speaker Ready room are the same equipment you will use in your session room. At your check in, it is recommended that you click through each slide of your presentation to ensure the slide layout, animations, graphics, and video files are working as expected.
  
  If you bring a more recent version of your presentation than the one you uploaded to the Presenter Portal (deadline for upload: March 14), your check in with the Speaker Ready Room is your opportunity to provide the AV staff with the updated version of your slides. NOTE: Updated slides provided to the AV staff fewer than four hours before the start time of your session may not be available on the laptop in your session room.

Presenter FAQs

• Q: When will we get the time and day assignment for our presentation?
  

  A: The time and day of your presentation can be found in the Searchable Gallery

• Q: We need a different time or day for our presentation, how do we get this changed?
  

  A: Due to the number of sessions and presenters on the Annual Meeting program and the logistical challenges a change incurs (read: the domino effect of changing the time assignment for one of 260+ sessions), session time assignments are rarely changed.  If your time assignment creates a significant and extenuating difficult circumstance, contact your Group Coordinator or meetings@aacrao.org.  Accommodation of requests for changes cannot be guaranteed but a review of options may be possible.

• Q: Who is my Group Coordinator?
  

  A: Each session is assigned to a Committee Group, which can be found with session information in the Searchable Gallery. A Program Committee Coordinator manages session selection and assignments for their Group. If you do not have contact information for your session's Group Coordinator (hint: it was included in communication from AACRAO about your session's acceptance to the Annual Meeting program), contact meetings@aacrao.org.
  
  

• Q: How do I change my session title/description/learning outcomes from what's published in the Searchable Gallery?
  

  A: Contact your Group Coordinator or meetings@aacrao.org.

• Q: My presentation is scheduled in the morning; how do I check in to the Speaker Ready Room four hours in advance if the Speaker Ready room isn't open that early?
  

  You can check in to the Speaker Ready room on a day prior to your presentation. The Speaker Ready Room will be open to all presenters starting at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 30.

• Q: Will my session PowerPoint slides be loaded on the laptop in our presenting room?
  

  A: Yes, the file(s) you uploaded to the Presenter Portal and confirmed at your check-in with the Speaker Ready Room staff will already be loaded on the computer in your session room.  When you arrive to your session room you will see your name on the screen of the laptop and click it to access your presentation.

• Q: Can I bring my presentation on a thumb drive to my session room and just plug it into the laptop?
  

  A: No. The laptop provided by the AV company is networked with a server on which all presentations are stored. Your thumb drive has not been tested on the equipment and there is a high probability your slides, links, animations, or video files may not work in your presentation room. Please do not plan to deliver your presentation from your own laptop or directly from a thumb drive you bring directly to the session room. Doing so creates enormous stress for the AV staff, for you, and for your session attendees (who will be watching a flurry of effort to support your self-induced "technical difficulties").

• Q: How do the onsite AV staff assist presenters?
  

  A: The onsite AV staff will help you test the microphone(s), ensure focused projection of your slides, test your "clicker" to advance slides, and assist with any unforeseen challenges (such as a suddenly not-working projector or a presentation that won't load).

• Q: Will my session PowerPoint slides be loaded on the App before my presentation?
  

  A: To ensure the correct version of the slides is uploaded to the App, ACCRAO staff upload slides to the App after the session has ended.  If you would like your slides or handouts uploaded to the App in advance of your presentation, you can upload materials to your session in Whova; instructions for doing so will be provided to presenters when the App is published.

• Q: I don't want my session slides uploaded to the App, how do I make sure they won't be?
  

  A: Email meetings@aacrao.org in advance of your presentation and request that your slides not be uploaded to the App.

• Q: We have multiple presenters, how many microphones will there be in our session room?
  

  A: Every session room will have a lectern microphone and one handheld microphone for presenter use. Some session rooms will have a panel table at the front of the room, upon which an additional table microphone will be placed. If there are multiple presenters they will share the microphones. An additional handheld microphone will be provided for Q&A from the audience. Presenters are required to use a microphone at all times, no matter how many (or few) attendees are in their session room.

• Q: I prefer a clip-on microphone, how do I request this?
  

  A: Due to cost, clip-on microphones are not available for breakout session presenters. Please do not request changes to microphones, additional microphones, or changes to your AV set-up from the onsite AV crew (ex. moving the placement of a projection screen). If you require a clip-on microphone due to an accessibility need, please contact meetings@aacrao.org at least thirty days before the start of the Annual Meeting.

• Q: I saw my session room and don't like how the chairs are set up, can I move them around once it's time for our session?
  

  A: No. The chair and AV set-ups cannot be changed and their placements are included in the contracts AACRAO holds with the Convention Center and the AV company. Moving chairs, furniture, or AV equipment can result in fines. Please be respectful of the room setups and leave them in place.  If something is clearly wrong (ex: your room does not have a projection screen at all, there are no chairs, the lights don't work, or a large Sasquatch has taken up residence in the room) you may request assistance from the onsite AV or AACRAO staff.

• Q: I noticed in Whova that a lot of people are planning to come to my session, how do I request a larger room?
  

  A: Room assignments cannot be changed onsite. AACRAO has found the actual attendance in a session room is typically one-third to one-half of the number of people who have added a session to their schedule in Whova.  If your session is standing-room only (congratulations!) a member of the Program Committee may ask if you're open to delivering your presentation again (rooms sometimes become available due to sessions canceled at the last minute).  Presenters of highly popular sessions are often asked by AACRAO if they will present a webinar for the greater membership.

• Q: We need to add or drop a presenter from our session, who should we contact?
  

  A: Email your Group Coordinator and/or meetings@aacrao.org to inform us of the change. Please note: adding presenters from companies or organizations that sell products or services to AACRAO membership could change your session classification from "institutional" to "corporate" and fees for the corporate presenter will apply.

• Q: I have a colleague who isn't officially part of our presentation but who could be really helpful in answering some questions, can we just let them have a mic at the end to help out?
  

  A: If your colleague is employed by a college or university, this is fine. If your colleague represents a company or organization that sells products or services to AACRAO membership, giving them time "from the stage" at your session when they have not formalized participation as an AACRAO corporate partner is unethical and unfair to our official corporate partners. If you have any questions about corporate participation, please contact meetings@aacrao.org or corporates@aacrao.org.

 

Questions? Email meetings@aacrao.org