Table of Contents

Summary

The AAA and CASCA are committed to creating an Annual Meeting and anthropological community that are supportive, inclusive, conducive to anthropological research. This year, we are asking you, in your role as a session organizer, to help fulfill this commitment by:

When submitting your session:

  1. Collecting and submitting all pertinent information related to your session and each of the participants by the designated deadlines.
  2. Note: This includes collating and delivering accessible presenter materials (e.g., PowerPoint slides, lists of terms, and outlines and agendas) to help interpreters and captioners prepare to support your session and to provide access copies to attendees in the virtual platform.
  3. Serving as the point of contact for all co-panelists and participants in the session and relaying important information regarding deadlines and speaker tasks.
  4. Maintaining contact with the co-panelists and participants in your session in preparing for the Annual Meeting.

Preparing for the Annual Meeting:

  1. Work with your participants to create a timeline for the session- how much time each speaker will have, in what order, and how much time you will have for questions. Many panels allocate 15 minutes per paper, but you can organize that time in the way you think is best.
  2. Collect all presentation materials (Slides, pictures, sound, video links, etc) and save them to one computer that you will hook up to the projector. This avoids delays and tech hurdles that tend to happen when presenters have to unplug one laptop and plug in another.
  3. Ensure that all of your speakers understand that they are expected to use a microphone, speak slowly, and follow other accessibility guidelines. See our presenter guidelines for more information.
  4. If extra accessibility is required, you will work with our third party provider, the Kyle Duarte Company, to provide the ASL interpreter or CART captioner with everything they need to make your session accessible. You will be notified by email if this is required of you.

On the day of the Session:

  1. Communicate with all participants and make sure they arrive at the correct meeting room 15 minutes before your start time.
  2. Use the instructions that will be provided on the podium to connect your computer to the projector and sound system. There will also be instructions for contacting a roaming tech if you need assistance.
  3. Ensure that the projector and microphone are working before the meeting starts.
  4. Welcome attendees to the session.
  5. During Q&A, remind audience members to use a microphone and speak slowly. You can read more about this in our accessibility guidelines.
  6. Keep time for your speakers, and make sure you stick to your agreed timeline and finish at the right time.

To assist you in carrying out these responsibilities as session organizer, we encourage you to:

  1. view resources and online guides, and
  2. make sure your co-panelists meet deadlines and are aware of resources available as well.

Other roles can learn about their responsibilities on the Session Role Types and Limits page.