Session Organizer Information

​

The sessions are available for FPS members to organize Industry Focus or Technical sessions around specific topics of interest. Depending on the size of the session, the session may span multiple session blocks. Options for session formats include panel discussion or presentation. The goal of the session organizers is to bring together a critical mass of people with expertise and interest in the topic. The critical mass of expertise at the conference should be assured by the combination of session organizers and panel members or invited oral presenters. By assembling this critical mass of expertise well in advance of the conference, the FPS IC organizers can better advertise and promote the sessions to increase session participation and its overall success.

 

Presentation sessions will be composed of invited oral presentations, offered oral presentations, and offered poster presentations. In general, invited speakers are researchers who either have great knowledge in the field and can provide the foundation for the session by presenting the current state of the art and future directions, or someone with a recent significant contribution to the field that deserves to be highlighted at the conference. A combination of invited and oral presentations is recommended for each session block. Offered poster presentations will be grouped together in the conference poster session held during one of the evenings. Offered oral presentation abstracts that do not fit into the session blocks should be offered a poster presentation. If there are last-minute oral presentation cancelations, the best posters should be offered an oral presentation to take the place of the cancelled presentation.

​

Session Organizers' Responsibilities

​

1. Submit a Session Proposal Form by September 15, 2023. The form includes the Session Title, Organizers, Type, Format, Scope, list of potential invited speakers, and number of session blocks requested.

2. Session organizers will be notified by the FPS International Conference planning committee by October 17, 2023 about the acceptance of their proposal. If any changes to the session proposal are needed, the planning committee will discuss them with the session organizers. 

3. Immediately after final approval of the session proposal, the symposium organizers should begin inviting their invited oral presenters. By November 30, 2023, the symposium organizers must provide the planning committee with a list of speakers who have accepted the invitation to participate in the session and the titles of their presentations. Invited speakers will be expected to register and attend the conference.

4. On October 23, 2023, the general call of offered oral and poster presentations will be opened. The call will include the list of presentations sessions with their organizers, scope, and invited oral presentations. Technical symposium organizers are encouraged to promote their symposia through their networks. People may submit offered oral and poster presentations to any of the Presentation Sessions. There will also be a ‘general’ presentation session for any abstracts that do not fit in to the listed sessions. The call for offered presentations will close on January 19, 2024.

5. Session organizers will be given all offered abstracts submitted to their session by January 23, 2024. It is the responsibility of the session organizers to determine whether or not to accept an abstract and to choose the oral presentations to fit into their session blocks. If a submitted abstract subject does not fit into the session, the organizers should notify the planning committee to transfer the abstract to another session. Depending on the number of abstracts submitted to each session, the planning committee may need to make adjustments to the number of session blocks assigned to each session. The organizers must submit their decisions and tentative session block schedules by February 13, 2024.

6. By February 22, 2024 the offered presenters will be notified concerning the acceptance of their abstracts. The offered presenters have until March 6, 2024 to confirm their attendance. During this time, the session organizers will be notified if any of their presenters decline the presentation. If the presentation was an oral, the symposium organizers should immediately find a replacement.

7. Invited and offered presenters must be registered for the conference by April 1, 2024.

8. Session organizers must finalize oral presenters and indicate who will moderate each session block by April 8, 2024. The moderators should be a session organizer or a well-regarded researcher who can facilitate discussion and provide perspective during the session.

9. The FPS IC program will be finalized and posted on the website by April 15, 2024. Only presenters with paid registration or who have been in contact with FPS will be posted. If any oral presenters pull out of the conference after this time, the symposium organizers will be immediately notified and responsible for finding a replacement.

10. The FPS IC will be held June 4-6, 2024. Session organizers are expected to attend.