General information
Venues and location
The Congress takes place at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham. This is in the city centre and the closest train station is Birmingham New Street. The International Convention Centre, Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2HG, UK (www.theicc.co.uk) Maps and transport options may be found here http://www.theicc.co.uk/locationtravel/.
The ICC is where everyone must to come to register and pick-up a badge. All posters, catering and the exhibition are here as well. Here you will find Halls 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. The speakers lounge and slide preview room are also located in the ICC as a prayer room and a range of business services (through the ICC) , a Starbuck’s and Restaurant.
There are two further venues in operation, both within two minutes of the ICC.
- The Hyatt Regency Hotel (connected to the ICC by walk-way). There are two theatres in use here - The Symphony Ballroom and the Sonata Room.
- Austin Court (50 yards from the ICC). There is one theatre in use here - Kingston Theatre.
Schedule, location of sessions and TIME-KEEPING!
The full schedule and programme details of all symposia (including Hall allocations) are available through the online programme here.
As we have so many parallel sessions it is imperative sessions stay to time and speakers are reminded of the importance of this.
Presentation formats and speaker preview
A speaker lounge is on-site where you may preview your presentations, relax, have refreshments and speak with technical personnel if you have bespoke elements such as embedded video/graphics. Speaker preview/lounge will be open on the following days and times (see map above for location):
- Sunday 21 July (10:30 – 18:00)
- Monday 22 to Thursday 25 July (07:15 – 18:00)
- Friday 26 July (07:15 – 12:30)
If your talk is in the ICC (Halls 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11)
Speakers MUST pre-load presentations at the central speaker preview (in the Speakers Lounge) at least 1 hour prior to the commencement of the session (and ideally the day (or two) before the session). Technical staff will be available in the speaker preview area and will have copies of the schedule, but please advise them in which session and hall you are speaking. The technical staff will check your presentation with you, and then upload to the hall control room. Your presentation can then be controlled and viewed by you from the lectern. Each theatre will have technical staff on hand but they are likely to be in the control room and not have access to the stage or lectern. Consequently, please avoid turning up to a session with your own laptop or USB drive as this may cause delays in timings. Please note, if your presentation is in a non-PowerPoint format (i.e. keynote), please contact Ian Gould, Technical Manager, at the ICC ().
If your talk is in the Hyatt Regency Hotel (Symphony Ballroom or Sonata Room) or Austin Court (Kingston Theatre)
Please review your presentations with technical staff in the speaker preview room BUT Speakers must arrive to these sessions at least 20 minutes before it is due to start to pre-load their talks in the theatre.
Don’t forget to bring your own power and Mac monitor adaptors if you require them.
Responsibilities of Symposia organisers/chairs and speakers
Please start the session on time and keep to time - this is important if people wish to switch streams to hear specific talks.
Introduce the session – please outline the topics being covered in the session and highlight any possible learning outcomes.
Stimulate discussion - You may have to lead in generating discussion. This is vital for ensuring that the session is lively and generates new ideas. Each theatre will have static radio microphones near the stage area. Please advise those who have a question to approach a microphone say their name and affiliation and ask their question. In the event that a question is simply asked without the use of a microphone, please repeat the question to the audience before answering.
Note any no shows (and report them to ), but try to keep to the schedule– again important so that people hear talks at the published time in case they are switching streams. In the unlikely event that a speaker does not show, Chairs are asked to either:
- Rejig the session to allow the remaining four speakers 30 minutes each.
- Allow more time for discussion to fill the gap left.
Close the session – Please summarise the work presented and highlight any questions (future work) that may have been raised in your discussion. Finally, please thank the presenters, the audience and any sponsors.
Speaker expenses and reimbursement
Your Symposium organiser will have advised you about your maximum allowance which can be claimed. If you are unsure about the maximum amount you can claim please check with your organiser.
All organisers and speakers will be required to submit an Expense claim form and receipts (up to the stated funding level) following the meeting. Payments in the UK are by BACS only and overseas payments will either be made electronically or by bankers draft in the local currency drawn on a local bank. Forms must be completed in full. Under no circumstances will cash reimbursements be made. Claims received after 31 December 2013 will not be reimbursed.