Guidelines & Zoom Instructions (Participants and Non-presenting Attendees)

1. General Information for Participants and Non-presenting Attendees:

Session Structure: Sessions will have different formats depending on the Session Chairs but will generally include a series of individuals presentations followed by discussion.

  • 90-minute session, 10-15 minutes per presentation (depending on Session Chairs)
  • Interactive roundtable discussion following presentations
  • Q&A session, polling

Q&A Session:

  • A live Q&A session will be part of each session, moderated by the Session Chair
  • Participants will be muted, and they will need to submit questions via Chat before the Q&A session starts.
  • The Session Chair will have the ability to unmute participants if this is needed to elaborate on their questions.

Session Roles:

  • Session Chairs: These persons, mainly the Track Leaders, are present to coordinate, moderate, and manage the session, including Q&A.  (NAME: Session Chair)
  • Host/Administrator: Each session will have a host who will permanently monitor the virtual room. This person facilitates the use of technology and manages the technical aspects and requirements of the session (NAME: Technical Administrator).

2. Detailed Zoom Guide for Attendees: 

Zoom Setup: Please download and install Zoom Client for Meetings onto your device well in advance. We recommend using a computer, laptop or tablet instead of a mobile phone. 

How to join the session as attendee:

*All registered participants (presenters and regular attendees) will receive an email reminder containing the links to access all meetings the day before the scheduled events and on the day itself. Similarly, these links will be available on each session in the Detailed Programme.

  1. Be online and arrive on time.
  2. There are two ways to join a session and you may choose whatever is most convenient for you:
  • If you already know exactly which session you would like to attend, you may simply click on the appropriate link in the email you will receive the day before the scheduled event and on the day itself. 
  • If you do not know yet which session you would like to attend, check out the Detailed Programme and find the session you are interested in. To join the session via the Detailed Programme, you must first log in to your account. When you click on the session you will see the countdown and, fifteen minutes before the session begins, it will show the 'Join on Zoom' button. Graphical user interface, text, application Description automatically generated


During the Session:

  1. The Session Chairs and the host/administrator will mute your microphone during the entire session, particularly during the presentations. You may unmute yourself during the Q&A if the Session Chair gives you the floor to speak.
  2. Familiarize yourself with the participant controls in the lower corner of the Zoom screen:
  3. Using the icons in the lower corner of the Zoom screen, you can:
  • Mute/Unmute your microphone (far left)
  • Turn on/off camera ("Start/Stop Video")
  • View participant list – opens a pop-out screen that includes a "Raise Hand" icon that you may use to raise a virtual hand
  • "Rename" - Change your screen name that is seen in the participant list and video window.

Somewhere on your Zoom screen, you will also see a choice to toggle between "speaker" and "gallery" view. "Speaker view" shows the active speaker. "Gallery view" tiles all the session participants.

How to ask questions:

  • Option 1: Chat You can join the discussion with other attendees by sending messages to "everyone" or you can chat privately with the Session Chairs by selecting their name from the dropdown list. Learn more about the Chat box here.A screenshot of a cell phone Description automatically generated
  • Option 2: Q&A Depending on the format of the session (to be determined by the session chairs), participants may pose questions by using the Zoom function "raise hand". The moderator can then announce who is next to speak and the hosts can switch on the microphone and optionally the camera for this person.

Breaks: In between the time slots of each Congress day, there will be a 30-min break. You may get a snack, stretch, and come back refreshed.

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