Session types

Learning and knowledge sharing will be available through different session formats that range from structured lecture-style presentations and panels to less structured yet highly interactive formats like campfires and cafés.

Plenaries 

Sometimes the only way to get fresh ideas and move forward is by stepping back to see the big picture. Our inspiring keynote speakers will offer you a new perspective. They will feature in plenary sessions on Wednesday and Friday.

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Presentations and panels

These 60-minute, lecture-style sessions start with a formal presentation by one to four speakers and include some time for questions at the end. In a panel, each speaker brings a different perspective or presents a different view about the same topic.

Inspire presentations

These 14-minute content-heavy and fast-paced presentations will present findings from a research project, showcase best/innovative practices and case studies and provide expert advice or commentary on a particular issue or challenge.

There will be an opportunity to meet with speakers and ask questions after the presentation, in the Inspire Lounge adjacent to the session room.

Presentations will be grouped into sessions by topics or key interest areas and delegates can choose to attend the whole session, or just one presentation at a time.

Roundtables

A roundtable discussion is a semi-formal session (more like a meeting) with a specific agenda led by a moderator.  A roundtable typically involves several expert speakers who bring a variety of perspectives to a subject. There is a high level of audience interaction, and the moderator facilitates questions and comments throughout the session. Time is set aside at the end for discussion around key issues raised and agreed resolutions.

Cafés

A café is a large group discussion technique designed to encourage small, intimate and informal discussions around a central topic. Participants sit in small groups (usually 5 to 8 people per table) and share experiences, anecdotes and knowledge. There is no formal presentation or speech, but the facilitator provides time at the end of the session for some group reporting.

Unlike roundtables, the café sessions focus on the discussion itself, rather than finding a collective resolution to a challenge.

Campfires

Just like a group of people sitting around a campfire listening to someone tell a story, a campfire session at a conference is an informal way of presenting and discussing topics with meeting attendees.

It allows for participants in the group to become ‘active’ participants, or just stay ‘passive’ participants if they just want to listen in. It encourages the audience to ‘set the agenda’ by posting questions and discussion topics. 

Key dates

21 March - Call for proposals opens

12 April - Call for proposals closes

30 May - Registration open

August - Program released

31 July - Super early bird registration closes

13 September - Early bird registration closes

22–25 October – AIEC 2024