Poster & Exhibitor Guidelines

General Guidelines for all Poster Presenters, Artists, and other Exhibitors

• Signing up as a poster presenter, artist, or other exhibitor does not register you for the Symposium. To register, please visit the official registration site (note: registration is now closed).

• The Symposium planning committee and Black Bear cannot be held responsible for items that are lost or stolen.

• Set-up: Please plan to arrive early Monday (between 7-8:30am) to set-up your poster, display, or booth. Breakfast and registration will start at 7:30am on Monday, November 13, so it is recommended you are set-up or setting-up by then. Please connect with Meredith Keller (kell3135@umn.edu) to arrange a time to set-up.

Poster / Exhibitor Session Timing & Other Presentation Opportunities

Please visit the Agenda page for an overview of the Symposium schedule. It is recommended that you or your organization has someone at your display or booth throughout registration, Monday's Poster & Exhibitor Reception at 7:30pm following dinner, and (if possible) the 30-minute programming breaks on both Monday and Tuesday. But staffing is ultimately up to you!!

 Booth Location & Provisions for Sponsors & Planning Committee

•  Exhibitor booths and posters will either reside in the hallway outside the plenary/dining room in Otter Creek Hall, or in Otter Creek Hall itself.

• Vendors/Artists will have space outside Otter Creek Hall along the hallway between the casino and conference area. Patrons from the casino and resort will have access to the vendor booths.

• We will provide each exhibitor booth with a 6' table, tablecloth, and two chairs. If you need other materials or an outlet, please indicate that on your sign-up form.

• Vendors will be given a 8'x8' space and two 6' tables with chairs and tablecloths.

Poster Guidelines/Recommendations

• If Symposium is printing your poster: Design your poster at 24" x 36" OR 36" x 42" OR 36" x 48." If you have more to say, use the custom page setup feature in powerpoint. Please try to use the smaller dimensions to save cost.

• If Symposium is printing your poster: Submit your poster to Meredith Keller by Monday, November 6th. You may either email it to kell3135@umn.edu or submit it to the Symposium Posters Folder on Google Drive.

• If Symposium is printing your poster: Provide your poster in a PPT or PDF file format, using at least 300 dpi resolution on figures, photos, and other images.

  • To ensure your poster file will be clear and legible when printed, zoom in to 100% magnification on your digital file; this will show you the size of your text as printed. Then, take a step back and see if the resolution is okay and if the text is legible.

• If Symposium is printing your poster: Proofread your poster; the printer likely will not have time to review it.

• Review 10 Effective Communication Tips for Scientists for tips on communicating to a broad audience. This is helpful both for poster development and discussion at the event.

• Review some resources to help with the design layout:

  • Make Signs (ignore the site's listed poster dimensions)

  • NYU Libraries (with examples of both good and bad)

  • Best Practices for Accessibility in Visual Research Products (a workshop developed by Naomi Blinick at the UMN)