Presentation and Poster Information Management

Submissions are no longer being accepted, and the schedule has been set. The Forum is no longer using OpenConf to manage proposals or communicate updates, so please be sure to review the information below.

Minor Changes

Presenters may edit their session title or abstract directly within Whova. All presenters will receive a unique link to Whova to update their own profile information. The primary presenter is responsible for making any changes to the title or abstract of their session. More information on Whova is below.

Significant Changes or Speaker Changes

If you need to request significant changes to your accepted session or need to change the speakers involved in your session, please email leslie@nationaladaptationforum.org as soon as possible.

Withdrawing a Proposal

If you can no longer present at the Forum, please email leslie@nationaladaptationforum.org as soon as possible and provide your session title, presenter names, and session ID number.

Priority Presenter Deadlines

Priority Presenter Deadlines	Due Date
Edit Presentation Title, Description, & Presenters	April 3, 2026
Register to attend	April 15, 2026
Reserve Lodging (if staying at host hotel)	April 24, 2026
Upload Presentation	May 5, 2026

Presenter Checklist

The following provides additional information about all the deadlines above. Questions? Email leslie@nationaladaptationforum.org.

The date and time of your presentation will be emailed to you, and can be found in the National Adaptation Forum program. This online program is searchable, so you can easily find your session. Please note the schedule is still subject to change as details are finalized leading up to the event. General information about breakout room formats can be found below.

All presenters are required to register for the event. Early Bird registration ends March 11th. You can register here.

Presenters may edit their session title or abstract directly within Whova. Any changes to session titles, descriptions, speakers, etc. must be submitted by April 3rd. Any updates beyond this deadline will be reflected in the online version of the program, but not the print version of the program.

If you need to request significant changes to your accepted session or need to change the speakers involved in your session, please email leslie@nationaladaptationforum.org as soon as possible.

Travel and lodging information can be found here. A reduced rate at the Forum designated hotel is available until April 24, 2026, or until sold out, whichever occurs first. Book early!

The Forum is using Whova as the Mobile App platform to provide attendees with the most up-to-date information. This includes the full schedule, sponsor and exhibitor information, and networking opportunities. Presenters will receive a unique link from Whova to access a profile portal where they should add their title, company, bio, and profile image. If you did not receive this link, please email leslie@nationaladaptationforum.org for assistance.

Speakers are also considered attendees, so you will also receive a different invite from Whova shortly before The Forum begins to join the full platform as a user. The platform will open to everyone the week of May 4th.

Presentations will be pre-loaded onto the meeting room PC laptop to ensure smooth session transitions. The final version of your PowerPoint must be submitted by May 5, 2026. Speakers/Presenters will receive an email with specific instructions on how and where to submit. The Forum team will have limited capacity to support slide deck updates on-site during the event.

As a best practice, we encourage you to bring a backup version of your PowerPoint presentation on a flash drive to your session room. There is no specific PowerPoint template that must be used; however, the appropriate aspect ratio for your slides will be 16:9.

As you put together your presentation, keep the guidelines below in mind to remove potential barriers for viewers to interact with your material. We recommend this resource or this resource (these will download automatically) on presentation accessibility. Some key guidelines include:

Use legible sans serif fonts sized as large as possible (see Poster Session Format Guidelines below for font size recommendations)
Use black or dark blue font color with simple no or low-color backgrounds. If using color, be sure there is a high contrast between text and background.
Text should include essential points only and strive for list form
Add alt text to images

Breakout Session Formats

General Breakout Room Format

Each breakout room may look slightly different in terms of seating arrangements, but will have the same AV tools available. Each room will be equipped with the following:

Wireless slide advancer/clicker
A projector & screen
A podium with a Windows-based laptop (Mac users must ensure slides will be compatible)
Amplified sound & at least two microphones
A head table with chairs

Session organizers are responsible for bringing any additional materials they require (e.g., flip charts, post-it notes, markers).

Poster Session Format

1 hour and 45 minutes: 5:15 – 7:00pm on Tuesday, May 12th.

The poster session will occur in the evening of Tuesday, May 12th in conjunction with the Margaret A. Davidson Networking Reception.
Posters can be installed starting at 12:00pm on Monday, May 11th and will remain up throughout the duration of The Forum. Posters should be installed no later than 9:00am on Tuesday, May 12th.
Posters must be removed by no later than 12:00pm on Thursday, May 14th or they will be recycled.

Maximum poster size is 36 inches in length and 42 inches in height. This is to ensure two posters can be installed side-by-side with sufficient space for presenters to engage with viewers, so please abide by these dimensions.
We recommend a minimum 24 point font.

Presenters are responsible for hanging and removing their own posters; the Forum Team will provide thumb tacks.
Presenters should remain by their posters for at least one hour during the poster session, but encouraged to spend longer
Presenters must print their poster before the event

Presenters are responsible for their own printing
If you’d like to print your poster in Pittsburgh there is a FedEx Office & Print Center less than a five-minute walk from the Convention Center. Alternatively, there is an Alphagraphics about a ten-minute walk from the Convention Center. We highly encourage you to place your order in advance to pick up from either vendor once you arrive.

Forum Support Staff

There will be staff on-site to assist you should any problems arise. These include:

SESSION VOLUNTEERS: Each session room will have a trained volunteer who will help set up presentations, troubleshoot minor tech issues, and keep track of session attendance. Alert your session volunteer if additional assistance is needed and they can get a hold of technical staff or a member of the Forum Team.

TECHNICAL STAFF: There will be a few “floating” technical staff on site available to help with larger technology-related issues. Technical staff will not be in every room, so let your volunteer know if one is needed.

THE FORUM TEAM: The Forum Team includes staff from EcoAdapt and Delaney Event Management. Forum Team members will primarily be stationed at the registration desk and available to help.