This information is for individuals who have been approved to present posters at the 2011 Issues of Substance conference. It has also been sent to poster presenters.
Registration
All presenters must be fully registered by September 15, 2011. Registration may be done online through the standard registration form available at www.issuesofsubstance.ca/eng/registration. Please note: Poster presenters are responsible for their own registration fees, travel and accommodation arrangements. Failure to register may result in the withdrawal of your poster from the conference program. You may also use the link above to book accommodation for the conference.
Dimensions
Poster presenters will be allotted one Velcro display board (4' wide x 8' high, see photo). The maximum allowable poster size is 93" high x 46" wide, including any laminate borders. However, we strongly urge a maximum height of 72" to permit easy reading.
Transporting Your Poster
It is the responsibility of the presenter to transport their poster display to the conference.
Set-up and Take-down
When you arrive at the conference on-site registration, please indicate that you are a poster presenter. Conference staff will direct you to the display area and assign a board number. Posters must be put up before 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 6, because the opening reception takes place 6:00–8:00 p.m. amongst the exhibits and posters. Presenters may wish to staff their posters at that time.
Posters are to be removed between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 9. The conference does not assume responsibility for any poster and will dispose of any posters not removed by the 3:00 p.m. deadline.
Presentation
Poster boards will be set up in the Balmoral Room and in the Regency Foyer South on the convention level (3rd floor) of the Hyatt Regency Vancouver Hotel. Posters are expected to be displayed for the duration of the conference to allow for viewing by conference participants. The opening reception, breakfasts and refreshment breaks will be held amongst the posters and exhibits. Presenters are not required to staff their posters at these points.
Presenters are required to staff their posters on Tuesday, November 8, 3:00–4:00 p.m., and be prepared to discuss content with and answer questions from conference participants.
Eligible presenters are also required to staff their posters 5:30–7:15 p.m. on Tuesday, November 8, for a private viewing by the poster judges.
Poster Eligibility for Competition
Staff of the sponsoring organizations are not eligible to enter the competition, although they are welcome to present a poster to participants. Ineligibility applies to:
- Staff employed by the Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addictions (part of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research); the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse; and the Canadian Addiction Counsellor Certification Federation.
- Any poster that one of these organizations has produced or paid to produce.
CIHR Poster Prizes
The CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addictions, is offering two $500 cash prizes for the best posters. The categories are
Research and Programs/Projects (see below for more details).
Poster Judging
Judging occurs on Tuesday, November 8, 5:30–7:15 p.m. Eligible poster presenters are expected to make a five-minute presentation to the judges and answer questions. Posters are assessed on a raw scale of 1 (inferior) to 100 (superior). Points are earned in three areas: Content (40 points maximum), Visual Appeal (30 points maximum) and Oral Presentation (30 points maximum).
1. Content: The purpose of the poster is to convey information to a wide audience about:
- Research: Its contribution to a better understanding of substance abuse and/or the potential to improve practice or policy in this field. The poster testifies to the design and execution of the research and presents clear, well-interpreted findings.
- Programs/Projects: Its significance to the substance abuse field as a model of an emerging, promising or best practice, or as a model for knowledge exchange. The poster depicts the research or evaluation underlying the program/project, explains the design and execution of the program/project, and presents the results of the program/project.
In addition to the foregoing general points, poster content will be judged on:
- Originality and quality of the research or program/project
- Focus, clarity and coherence of the visual presentation
- Transferability of the program/project to other jurisdictions (if applicable)
- Potential for application of the research in other jurisdictions (if applicable)
- Benefits and potential impact, within a reasonable time, at system, individual and community levels (depending on the focus of the research/program/project)
2. Visual Appeal: Brief descriptions in plain language are expected, with an absence of jargon and only necessary technical terms defined. Spelling and grammar must be correct. All text must be large enough to be read from a distance of four to six feet. Photographs, drawings, charts, tables or graphs are to be simple, well-organized and carefully chosen to quickly explain complicated technical concepts. If you have never created a poster before, the
poster creation tips below will be helpful.
3. Oral Presentation: A coherent, focused oral presentation must not exceed five minutes, including the major points presented on the poster. In addition, presenters must be prepared to answer judges' questions about their poster.
For examples of prize-winning posters, look at the photos of sample posters below.
Each poster will be evaluated by multiple judges. Presenters can expect their entries to be reviewed by judges from fields of study other than their own.
Any poster not staffed during judging time will be deemed ineligible for the competition and prize.
Sample Posters
The prize-winning posters shown here demonstrate the level of quality that is expected for posters at the Issues of Substance conference.
Please click an image below to view the poster.