Speaker Update Final - March 21
Dear Conference Speaker,
The AOTA Annual Conference & Expo is only a couple of weeks away. This is the final e-mail you will receive from AOTA. Below is a checklist that will help to make sure you are prepared for your presentation. Also, be sure to share this information with your co-presenter(s).
1. Speaker Information, including the Speaker Handbook, can be found on the AOTA Web site at http://www.aota.org/ConfandEvents/Conf/SpeakerUpdates.aspx
2. Please remember to check in at the Speakers Desk in the Registration area of the Convention Center. The desk will be located in front of the Speaker Concierge - Room 103C. The hours will be:
Wednesday, April 9 - 10:00 am-7:00 pm
Thursday, April 10 - 7:00 am-8:30 pm
Friday, April 11 - 7:00 am-6:00 pm
Saturday, April 12 - 7:00 am-6:00 pm
Sunday, April 13 - 7:00 am-11:00 am
3. There are a number of attendees who have reported that they have low vision or a hearing loss. There will be reserved seating at the front of each room for individuals with low vision or a hearing loss. Please be sure that you (and your co-presenters) always use a microphone when speaking and to repeat all questions asked from anyone in the audience. I have contacted a number of you individually requesting large font handouts for those with low vision. Please plan on bringing one set just in case an attendee should make the request.
4. Lack of handouts is the biggest complaint we receive about Annual Conference. The room sizes can be found at http://www.aota.org/DocumentVault/2008Conference/PDFs/SessionRoomCapacities.aspx .
As a reminder, AOTA will reimburse speakers for handouts at 10 cents per page as follows:
- Institutes: Up to 20 pages
- Workshops: Up to 10 pages
- All others: Up to 2 pages
Speakers may request reimbursement for as many handouts as there are seats available in the session room assigned. Obviously, not every room will fill for every session. Past experience has shown that the rooms that fill are topics concerning: school systems, geriatrics, upper extremity rehabilitation, bariatrics, and sensory integration.
If you have any questions about the number of handouts to bring, please provide your session number and topic category when contacting me at fgainer@aota.org. Please submit your request by Thursday, March 27th and I will do my best to give you an estimated attendance at your session. When sending general inquiries to conference@aota.org, please provide your session number.
5. All Poster presenters will receive a sheet of stick-on labels when they sign in at the Speakers Desk. Please keep these as you will need them during your presentation. You will give one of these labels to each attendee who engages you about your Poster. All Poster attendees will be provided a sheet on Poster etiquette and they will also be collecting the labels for verification of their contact hours.
6. As a reminder - AOTA will not be doing individual evaluations of each educational session. Instead, we will provide evaluation forms for the scanners to pass out at each session and you may feel free to collect them for your own review.
7. Finally, please make sure you download your presentation ahead of time. Please respond to the e-mail you received previously from AOTA's AV vendor - AVMG. You may also contact AVMG directly at aota@avmg.com.
We look forward to seeing you all in Long Beach in a couple of weeks!
Frank E. Gainer, MHS, OTR/L, FAOTA
Conference Program Manager
