Tips for Showcase Presenters
The CAPCON showcase will run throughout the conference, from 10:00-2:30.
You will be given a number connected to a desk-sized space where you will be able to display poster boards, a laptop, and any other elements of your presentation. There will be no projectors or laptops available.
There will be three specific times (10:00-11:30, 12:20-1:00, & 2:00-2:30) in which conference-goers are invited to explore the showcase. You are encouraged (schedule permitting) to stand by your display and answer questions during the 12:20-1:00 slot, and welcome to do so during the other time slots, as well. At these times, conference guests will tour the space, stop at your display, and ask you questions.
You are welcome to leave your display up for the duration of the conference (people might come by at any time, not just in the scheduled times). However, you are responsible for your stuff. We will have student volunteers on ‘security duty’ but they are not responsible for lost or stolen items.
If you are concerned about theft (e.g. of a laptop), you should dismantle your display when you are not near it. Ask a volunteer about storing your stuff in our locked Green Room if you’d like to leave your display and come back to it later (but, again, that can’t absolutely guarantee its safety).
Procedures
- Ideally, you should arrive around 9:30am while we are setting up for the conference. If you take your project down during off-times, please arrive for set-up at least 10 minutes before the display times.
- Pick up your program and nametag at the reception desk in IBLC 380.
- Volunteers will be available to help you set up and assist you with your AV needs.
- You are responsible for taking down your exhibit at the end of the day, or during times when you cannot be at your station.
-
Frequently Asked Questions
You should feel free to wear what you are comfortable in. It may be a good idea to dress slightly more formally than usual, since that’s what academics generally do when we attend conferences. We don’t dress for a business meeting or for a party, though. Just comfortable and professional.
Conference guests will check out your display and ask you questions. You may get few or several questions. They will likely be asked out of curiosity and interest. They might tell you something that your display makes them think about, or something that they want to know more about. They may even want to disagree with something you are showing or saying. It may be a good idea to prepare a 2-minute “spiel” that explains your display to people when they stop by.
It’s okay to say you don’t know the answer to a question. It’s okay to remind your questioner what you do know about, instead of trying to guess at something you don’t. You can say, for example, “my research was about XYZ, which is why I don’t know very much about ABC...”. You can also say something that the question makes you think about, that is related to the topic.