Session conveners are expected to monitor their session during the submission period specifically for abstracts that clearly do not belong in your session.

Conveners are allowed to submit abstracts to their own session but are NOT allowed to be invited authors to their own session.

Each session must have one primary convener. Up to three co-conveners can be added to a session. To add a co-convener to your session, please contact [email protected]. The deadline to add co-conveners was 11 October.

At least ONE of the conveners must be available 27 October - 3 November for the scheduling of your session. Please note, at the discretion of your Scientific Organizing Committee representative, you may be asked to merge with another session. Detailed scheduling instructions will be provided in October.

Abstract notifications and notification of your sessions’ official scheduled day and time will be sent out in early December 2023. After this date, please monitor your session to note withdrawals.

Abstract Submissions were open from 20 July to 11 October 2023.

During the abstract submission process, session conveners are expected to monitor the abstracts submitted to their session via the Session Viewer. Locate your session to review submitted abstracts.

Session conveners should be looking for the following:

• Abstracts that clearly do not belong in your session. Please notify [email protected] by 11 October and we will contact the author with the concern and move the abstract to a more appropriate session. This may be due to the author’s oversight or a misunderstanding of the session’s intent.
• Remember that an abstract cannot be transferred after the program is finalized, so each author is counting on you as a convener to make sure that all abstracts submitted and accepted to your session are appropriate to the topic.
• Other sessions with which your session can be merged based on number of abstract submissions or topics. Please notify your organizing committee representative if you have any suggestions on potential merges.

Please contact [email protected] or your scientific organizing committee representative if you have any concerns while monitoring your session during the abstract submission period.

Session Scheduling

The convener(s) will have from Friday, 27 October through Friday, 3 November 2023 to organize the abstracts submitted to their sessions by assigning the presentation order and duration, if an oral session is allotted. Conveners must also designate two (2) session conveners for each allocated session during this time.

At least one of the conveners must be available during the scheduling period; during this time, the conveners will be notified of the number of oral and/or poster sessions they will receive, based on the total number of accepted abstracts submitted. Due to content overlap and number of abstracts submitted, the Scientific Organizing Committee may also require some sessions to be merged at this time. If you have any questions regarding your allocated sessions, please contact the appropriate Scientific Organizing Committee representative.

Session scheduling must be completed in the online abstract system by 3 November, prior to the Scientific Organizing Committee scheduling. Session conveners will no longer have access to their sessions once the Scientific Organizing Committee scheduling begins. The Scientific Organizing Committee will assign days, times, and meeting rooms for each approved session.

Session Formats

There are two main session formats held during the TESS Meeting – oral and poster. The Scientific Organizing Committee is responsible for the allocation of oral and poster sessions. Information regarding whether a session has been assigned an oral or poster session or a combination of oral and poster will be available to session chairs in the scheduling system in early November and notified via email when this system opens, after the abstract submission deadline.

• Poster Sessions: Each poster session will be displayed for a full day during the meeting.
• Oral Sessions: Oral sessions will receive a 1.5-hour time slot. The standard oral session format for the TESS Meeting is six 15-minute presentations. To encourage more oral presentations at the meeting, conveners may schedule their oral sessions with durations other than 15 minutes. For example, conveners may elect to schedule nine 10-minute presentations. The organizing committee recommends that presentations do not fall below 8 minutes and do not exceed 20 minutes.

In early December 2023, abstract acceptance notices will be distributed electronically, and the final program will be available online.

After the program has been published in early December, please note that authors will be required to accept or decline their presentation. If the author declines, the abstract will be withdrawn from your session. Please note, if you are convening multiple sessions and also submitted abstracts to the scientific program, the Scientific Organizing Committee CANNOT guarantee that you will be free of scheduling conflicts at the meeting due to the size of the program. Please ensure the co-conveners of the session are available to step in to moderate a session if the need arises.

Replacing an empty oral presentation: If the withdrawal is from an oral session, the session conveners can request that a poster presentation from the accompanying poster session be moved to replace the withdrawn oral presentation. This can only be done to and from accompanying sessions and only with the authors’ explicit consent. Please send an email to [email protected] with the details of the withdrawn abstract, the details of the abstract that will be moved into the oral presentation slot, and include the email or message where the author gave consent to being moved.

Note: New abstracts CANNOT be added to fill empty slots in either oral or poster session. Also, after the program has been finalized, poster presentations CANNOT be moved to different poster sessions due to the logistical layout of the poster hall.