Panel

Number of speakers: 2 to 3 speakers, plus 1 chair
Duration: 60 minutes, including 15 minutes for Q&A

A panel is a structured session with a set time for each panellist to speak. The session begins usually with an introduction or scene-setting by the chair, which is followed by short presentations from each speaker around a particular topic.

Each speaker brings a different perspective to the session or presents a different view about the same topic. Panels should reflect diversity of speakers – that is, it must include experienced speakers from different organisations, education sectors, and/or backgrounds.

Panel sessions are content-focused and generally do not have a lot of audience interaction apart from a short Q&A at the conclusion of the panel presentations and wrap-up by the chair.

Session outline

At AIEC 2024, panel sessions are allocated to a 60-minute slot, and the number of speakers, including a chair, will be capped at four (4).

The time allocated to each speaker for their presentation is usually at the discretion of the chair or panel organiser and doesn’t need to be equally distributed per speaker. It is important to dedicate about 15 minutes to Q&A to ensure the audience gets to ask questions about the content presented.

At AIEC, a standard 60-minute panel with three speakers and 1 chair would run as follows:

• 3 min – Chair intro
• 39 min – Presentations, for example:
• 13 min for presentation #1
• 13 min for presentation #2
• 13 min for presentation #3
• 15 min – Q&A
• 3 min – Wrap-up and closing remarks by chair

Sometimes the chair might play a bigger role, so the introduction by the chair could be longer, or the chair might also want to do a formal presentation.

Room set-up and audiovisual equipment

Room set-up can vary. At AIEC, the audience will be seated in theatre style, while the panellists will be seated on stage, either at a long table each with their own microphone, or in lounge chairs with headsets or lapel microphones. There will be a lectern and microphone available for the formal presentations. The Q&A usually will be conducted with all panellists seated.

During the session, the audience can post questions online via the app. In addition, these audiences can upvote the questions and those questions will move to the top of the list.

As the chair, facilitator or moderator, you will review the questions and decide which questions to ask and in which order. You will need to be logged into the app to view the questions for your session. If you don’t have a suitable smart phone or device to view the questions, please see the staff in the Speakers’ Preparation Room

Key dates

6 Feb - Call for proposals opens

14 March - Call for proposals closes

May - Registration open

mid-June - Program released

31 July - Super early bird registration closes

12 September - Early bird registration closes

14–17 October – AIEC 2025

Subscribe to newsletter