Posters and presentations

Congratulations on having your talk or poster accepted! ARVO has several great resources available to help you prepare to give a successful presentation.

Links:

• Effectively communicating your data to tell your scientific story
• Presenting your research - Quality abstracts, posters, and presentations
• Science Communication Training Fellowship

The opportunity to discuss your work in this forum whether through a talk or poster, is unparalleled, due to the expertise and concentration of researchers in your field from around the world at the ARVO Annual Meeting. It’s important to ensure you prepare as much as you can to make the most out of your allocated slot. Simple measures such practising your presentation or anticipating questions go a long way in making a good first impression to your audience. People also carry business cards as an easy way to provide contact details. Worth scribbling a reminder of the interaction on the back of the card if you do receive them as they can build up over the meeting!

Preparation is key, and ARVO will have a programme timetable both on their Meeting website and via a mobile app to download in advance. This will allow you to scroll through the programme and abstracts in detail beforehand and design a personalised schedule for each day. The location and timings of each individual presentations are provided so, if you find there is a clash between sessions you want to attend, it’s fairly easy to time it so you’re there for the specific talk you want to hear. Alternatively, sessions will be recorded or you can always contact the presenter directly and arrange a meeting with them to discuss the work further. 

ARVO's large videos and files can sometimes need optimising once uploaded to ensure that the resolution is optimal on a large screen if giving a talk. Make sure you do this well in advance to avoid any last minute surprises and the media team are always on hand to help troubleshoot as needed.

People will come by your poster throughout the day, not just during your allocated session time, so do try to put it up first thing in the morning and stand by it as much as you can. Often those attending outside the session have made a specific effort to come and see your work and the quieter time can lead to longer and more detailed discussions. It’s also a good idea to provide your contact details on the poster if you can’t always be there, either through an email address or a QR code linking to further information.

The poster sessions can become very busy with large groups forming around posters that you may also be trying to see. You can find yourself hovering on the edge of a crowd and not feeling able to join in. You may have to wait your turn to discuss the work with the presenter but don’t be afraid to also join the group conversations with people you don’t know. People always welcome an interested newcomer and fresh perspective! All posters will be available virtually if you do miss them or want to review again later.

Don’t be afraid to question or challenge ideas or defend any critique of your work… and please don’t take any criticism personally! This spark of debate and interaction is at the core of what makes the ARVO presentation and poster sessions so vibrant and helps to refine ideas and drive research and discovery forward. Moderators will also be around overseeing each poster session and can be a valuable source of advice if any questions arise on the day.

Most of all, enjoy!!!