The value of

organizing a
symposium or open
session in a scientific
conference
[name of presenter]
[date of presentation]
[location of presentation]

ATBC 2024 Organizing Committee

A plethora of
opportunities for:

• Connecting with 500+ tropical ecologists

and conservation scientists
• 4 days of talks, workshops, posters,
courses and engagement
• Diverse participants: students, early and
late career researchers and practitioners
• Inspiring keynotes, panels and debates
• Insightful fieldtrips
• Welcoming and caring global community
of professional

https://www.atbc2024.org/
Questions we’ll answer
today:
• What are symposia, open format
sessions, workshops & short courses?
• How are they different from general
abstracts?
• What are the advantages of organizing
a symposium or open session?
• Do I have what it takes? [YES!]
• What are other ways to share my
research and findings?
Modes for engaging
an audience and
sharing ideas and
findings

• Symposia
• Open Format Sessions
• Oral presentations
• Speed talks
• Posters
Symposia
• A set of talks centered around a
common theme
• Designed to explore a topic in
depth
• purpose is to discuss and
exchange knowledge, research
findings, and insights on a
particular topic or theme.
• Regular length symposium = 6
talks (a 1.5 hr)
• Extended symposium = 12 talks (3
hrs.,)
Open Format
Sessions
Innovative/creative way to engage
participants on a specific topic:
• roundtable format
• panel discussion
• debate
• other format

Usually 2 hrs unless well-justified

need for longer session.
Open session
formats and
symposia are • Use it to highlight your group’s (or Department’s)
research on a given topic (e.g., Human-Lion conflict
in Serengeti National Park: does compensation
highly effective work?)

at centering • Opportunity to invite numerous experts on a topic

you study to contribute their insights (e.g., Liana
audience ecology in human dominated landscapes: an
overview of insights from the African tropics)
attention on • Use it to explore an issue that is of interest to you
(e.g., Decolonizing the tropical bioilogy and
your research conservation science curriculum in African
Universities)
and that of • Use it raise awareness of issues that matter to
you in tropical conservation research and practice
your colleagues (e.g., Youth environmental activism)
• [Other ideas??]
Symposia and open
sessions can generate
opportunities for:
- a perspective paper on the
topic co-authored by
presenters.
- a grant proposal co-
designed between
presenters
- a working group to develop
the ideas further
- a special issue in a journal
- [other ideas]
Steps for developing your own
symposium or open session
1. What is the topic or theme that you’d like to organize around?
2. What would be the best format to engage with the audience on that theme:
Symposium? Another format? Which?
3. Develop a “game plan” that outlines how you would like to navigate the topic. What
is the central challenge that your topic addresses? What is/are the perspective(s)
that you’d like to be highlighted?
4. Identify the individuals (experts) who could speak to those topics.
5. Put together a concept note (see the guidelines provided by conference).
6. Invite the experts, specifying explicitly why you think they’d be appropriate
contributors.
7. When you have at least 3 experts agree to contribute, submit your proposal
including yourself as one of the speakers (probably the first speaker, but not
necessarily). [proposals with less than 4 speakers are unlikely to get accepted]
Use the theme of the conference to identify
relevant topics that might interest the
conference organizers and delegates
https://www.atbc2024.org/meeting-theme
To prepare a session proposal
• Talk to your colleagues, bounce ideas!
• Align your topic with the theme of the ATBC 2024 meeting
• Who else can collaborate with you?
• Draft the abstract (only 400-500 words!) – use the guidelines
• Find someone to review it for you before you submit
• Follow the abstract submission guidelines & deadlines
 Required sections of a session proposal
• Follow the guidelines https://www.atbc2024.org/call-sessions

Each session proposal should include:

• Title (max. 15 words)
• Description (300-400 words): Summarize background, scope, goals, and objectives of the
session, & importance and potential interest to ATBC attendees.
• Justification (100-150 words): The justification should focus on how the review criteria outlined
by the call for proposals are met. It should not simply repeat the description.
• One sentence summary (max 50 words): A short version of the symposium description that
will appear in the final program.
• List of potential speakers/participants: Name, institutional affiliation, address, email, and
tentative talk titles. For symposia sessions, a minimum of 4 speakers is required.
• Visual material: At least one photo, graph, or diagram that represents the theme of your
session for promotional materials to visually communicate the essence of your session.
• Additional Comments (optional): Any special requirements for your proposed session?

• Submit through the online submission system.

Example: typical lineup of symposia
speakers
What are symposia organizers
responsible for?
• Ensuring that they have enough speakers
• Submitting the proposal and maintain contacts with the
conference organizers
• Ensuring that speakers have submitted their abstracts
ontime
• Ensuring that speakers have registered
• Ensuring that speakers have uploaded their talks the day
of the symposium
• During the sessions, you’ll need to chair the talks.
• Make sure you have some guiding questions to stimulate
discussions if the room gets quiet!
• Keeping in touch with speakers to work on any joint
products (e.g., joint statements, special issues)
Organizers are NOT
usually responsible for:

• The registration costs of their

speakers
• The travel costs and
accommodation of their speakers
• The quality of the abstracts
submitted by their speakers.
• The quality of the presentations
of the speakers.
What if a listed speaker
does not register or
retracts their acceptance?

- don’t worry! The symposia and open session

task force will help you find abstracts from the
general pool that might be suitable for your
symposium.
- We can also list your symposium as “open to
receive presenters” so that abstract submitter
can choose your symposia as appropriate for
their topic. You can then decide who to
include.
- If someone cancels even after registering -
You can use their time allocation to initiate
discussions.
What if I don’t have funding to attend?
Most funding requires that you to have an
abstract or session approved by the
conference - so…first things first:
• submit a proposal, then worry about
funding!
• we are curating a list of potential places to
apply for funding.
• start searching early!
• conference organizers can generate
support letters for grant application.
• stay tuned for the partial grants that ATBC
can sometimes offer (don’t count on these
yet)
Support for
preparing your
proposal is available

the ATBC Africa Chapter and Capacity

Building Committee are ready to help you
put your symposium together!

Contact:

● Edu Effiom: Africa Chapter,

edu.efiom@gmail.com
● Onja Razafindratsima:
onja@berkeley.edu
● Paul Fine: paulfine@berkeley.edu
Other ways to share your findings:
General abstracts
• Oral presentations submitted to the general pool
that will be grouped into themes and presented
together in sets of six. No discussions held to unite
the talks.

• Poster presentations in which you present

multiple times within a 1 to 2 hour session to
individuals or sets of individuals. Poster can have
visibility beyond the 2 hr session.
Thank you and see you at ATBC 2024!