Session Chair Information

Dear Session Chair,

Thank you for agreeing to play this most important role at the ITS Biennial. We are glad to have your support and intellectual input.

We ask that the sessions be run in accordance with a few fundamental rules.

As you know the sessions are 90 mins, and have between 3 and 4 presenters.(in extreme cases 5). Therefore, the length of time to allocate to each speaker will vary from session to session, but we ask that the same time be given to each speaker in any particular session.

You also know that presenters have a lot to say. Managing the time for each session therefore requires communication and strength.

Also we know that when there is one eminent speaker in a session, combining the time for questions and keeping them to the end means that the junior speakers lack consideration. So please see your role as encouraging the young.

So, the rules are:

1. start on time
2. mobile phones off
3. keep your own introduction to the minimum
4. clarify the time allocation with each speaker
5. clarify whether the questions will be after each speaker or after the lot
6. indicate when the speaker has 5 mins, 2 mins and 1 min remaining.
7. stop the speaker on time.

You are welcome to nominate discussants and encourage questions from the audience. We ideally we would like to have several discussants per session, especially if we can bring the sessions has only 3 or 4 papers, but you need to make sure there is enough time for general discussion. All abstracts and almost all papers are now on our website, so it should be easy for the discussants to prepare a short statement to open the discussion. But, where there are more than 4 papers in a session that may not be practical.

As the abstracts are online and will be distributed as a booklet at the conference, you should advise the presenters to assume that the abstracts have been read. There should be no reason to introduce fundamental concepts.

Thanks again,

Lucy Firth and Juergen Mueller for the Conference Steering Committee