This is a new concept we will be trying out this year to highlight posters presentations, and ensure each poster presenter is visited.

We hope that it will also make poster presentation easier and more fun, as presenters can talk to groups of people rather than repeat themselves multiple times to individual people, and poster viewers can move more easily amongst the posters they wish to see.

The concept is that “Poster Pods” consisting of about 10 people move amongst the posters, led by their charismatic, extrovert, brilliant leader, through an assigned series of about 20 posters. The “Pod” will spend 5 minutes at each assigned poster, during which the poster presenter has 2 minutes to explain the poster, and the “Pod” has 3 minutes to ask questions as a group. Then the “Pod” moves on to the next poster.

“Pod” leaders will have a little paddle to hold up to help move their Pod along. We realize “Pods” will be loosely cohesive (an ‘open’ fission-fusion society J), members may come and go, other attendees may join when they see how much fun you are having, but the leader will try and herd his “Pod” through their entire set of posters for that the session.

As “Pod” leader, we hope you can assemble a group of 10-15 colleagues to guide a “cooperative alliance” for an hour or so. Morning sessions will be helped along with coffee or tea, for evenings there will be a no-host bar.

We hope this will ensure that every poster presenter will be visited and their work receive attention, and that the process will facilitate interaction amongst delegates and presenters.

There will be four poster presentation sessions, one each Tuesday and Thursday morning and evening.

Please join a poster pod leader, or join a group that looks small and needs members, or has a cool leader…

Thank you!