Guidelines for speakers

Please click here to download the speakers guidelines as a pdf file.

Summary of key dates

Funding for the speakers

The Union is a not-for-profit organisation that does not have funds to cover the participation of speakers involved in the scientific programme of the conference. Speakers should look for donor agencies well in advance to guarantee their attendance or discuss with the coordinator(s) of the session if they have identified a funding agency likely to sponsor them in case they cannot fund themselves.  In either case, the Conference Secretariat should be informed. 

Being invited to present

In March 2011, speakers will be formally solicited with an e-mail invitation letter, including the session in which they have been invited to speak and the specific topic to be presented.

Responding to the invitation

If you are willing to accept the invitation, please ensure that the topic you have been assigned to present is in your area of expertise. Communicate with the coordinator(s) of the session to amend the title of your presentation, if necessary.  Any modification will have to be approved by the coordinator(s) of the session. In the event that you decline the invitation, you may suggest a replacement speaker with expertise in the area of the topic to be presented. The coordinator(s) can either confirm your suggestion (therefore the new speaker you have proposed will be invited) or find another suitable replacement. Note that if you have been invited to speak in a number of sessions, please provide a different speaker name to the coordinator for at least one of these sessions.  This will ensure an opportunity for a variety of speakers to participate in this conference.

Preparing your presentation

Your presentation must be in English, unless the Conference Secretariat has confirmed that you may use another language. Very few sessions will be provided with simultaneous translation from English to French and vice versa.

Speakers are strongly advised to discuss the contents of their presentation with the coordinator(s) in order to guarantee that the material will be of a satisfactory quality and to avoid repeating material already covered by other speakers in the same symposium.

Submitting an abstract of your presentation

In June 2011, the speakers who have consented to present in a symposium by responding to the invitation letter will be contacted to submit an abstract of their presentation.  Information on using the dedicated online submission system will be provided,  as well as the submission and technical guidelines (format, number of characters, etc.).

The abstracts submitted will be included in the Abstract Book of the conference which is a supplement of the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD) and will be sent to the chairs, coordinator(s) and other speakers in the same session to facilitate the preparation of the symposium. Abstracts submitted after the deadline (mid-August) will not be considered or published in the IJTLD. Speakers may contact their coordinator(s) to discuss the content of their abstracts before submitting them.

Registering for the conference

All delegates are required to register for the conference, including chairs, speakers and coordinators. Pre-registration will open in April and closes on 5 October 2011; after this date, registrations will be processed onsite. Delegates may join The Union for as little as 20€ and benefit from a 100€ discount on the full registration fee.

Symposia listing in the final programme of the conference

The final programme of the conference will be printed in August 2011. Speakers are responsible for sending the Conference Secretariat updated information on their participation (confirmation of their attendance and final title of their presentation) before the deadline so that their presentation is included in the final programme.

Audio-visual and disclosure instructions

Instructions for audiovisual equipment, for the preview room and a Disclosure Form will both be sent to you one month before the conference opens. Please make sure to follow the instructions received.  You are responsible for declaring any conflicts of interest your may have in presenting your selected topic.

Webcasting

Please remember that your symposium will be webcast. Any speakers who do not want their presentations recorded must inform the Conference Secretariat prior to the conference.

Questions

If you have queries or information to pass on regarding your session, please write to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .