Presenter Guidelines

Registration and set up

Registration and payment for the Water and Health Conference may be completed at https://whconference.unc.edu/register/. Information regarding conference fees may be found on the registration page.

Please arrive as early as possible on the day of your presentation. We will be uploading PowerPoint presentations and arranging posters beginning at 7:30am. All posters and PowerPoints for verbal presentations must be arranged prior to 8:00am the day of your presentation. Inform the staffers at the registration table that you are a presenter.

Verbal presenters, please bring your powerpoint slides (if you are using them) to the room where you will be presenting. A staff person will help you load your slides onto the room’s computer in preparation for your presentation.

Poster presenters, please bring your poster on the day of your presentation to the main atrium where a staff person will help you locate the kiosk to hang your poster. All posters must be organized and hung prior to the opening of main registration at 8 a.m.

Verbal presentation guidelines

Authors selected for verbal presentations will present their research during conference sessions through a brief talk followed by an open discussion. Presenters will be assigned a presentation time slot based upon their research topic.

  • Presenters will have 15 minutes to present their work, followed by a 5-minute question and answer session. A session moderator will make sure presenters strictly adhere to the time limits so all presenters will receive their allotted time.
  • Presenters are required to develop and supply their own Powerpoint slides for their presentations. LCD projectors and computers will be provided in the session rooms.
  • Presenters will supply their slides in electronic form (either on CDs or flash drives) to conference organizers at registration in order to ensure they are preloaded on the computers. Presenters are encouraged to email their PowerPoint slides to waterinstitute@unc.edu prior to the conference as a backup.
  • A microphone and podium will be provided for presenters.
  • Presenters are encouraged to bring handouts about their research to provide to interested attendees. Presenters should be sure to highlight their name and contact information.

Poster presentation guidelines

Authors selected for poster presentations will present their research by displaying graphs, photos, diagrams and appropriate text on poster kiosks. A designated poster session will be held each day of the conference, when registrants can visit with presenting authors and discuss their work.

  • Presenters are required to bring their own posters to the conference. Presenters are advised to bring electronic copies of their posters on CDs or flash drives as a backup in case their posters are damaged or lost in travel. There are stores in Chapel Hill that can provide printing services in an emergency situation.
  • The conference kiosks will accommodate posters up to 5.5 feet wide by 3.5 feet tall (1.68 meters wide by 1.07 meters tall). It is suggested that presenters’ posters fill the entire space, although smaller posters are allowed.
  • Thumbtacks will be provided onsite for mounting posters.
  • Presenters must remain by his/her poster kiosk for the duration of the poster session, which will last one hour.
  • Presenters are encouraged to bring handouts about their research to provide to interested visitors. Presenters should be sure to highlight their name and contact information.
  • No audiovisual equipment is permitted for poster presentations.
  • Materials should include the title of the presentation and the list of authors. Letters in the title should be at least 1 inch high. Bring all illustrations needed — figures, tables, color photographs, charts. It may be helpful to consult an artist about the display.
  • The material should be well labeled and legible from a distance of 2 yards. Lettering should be bold. If you will be posting typed material, use a large font size (20 to 24 point font) on white, pale yellow or cream-colored non-glossy paper. Use 1-inch margins. Avoid use of fancy fonts. Use upper and lowercase letters. Simple serif fonts such as “Times New Roman” are easier to read than sans (without) serif fonts such as “Geneva”.
  • Presenters can collect their posters from their assigned kiosk at the end of the conference day.