The presentations of papers and case studies falling under the seven thematic tracks and two special tracks-The Future of Hot Cities and COVID-19-will be hosted via live oral parallel sessions. The same applies to a limited number of session proposals and special sessions.
The virtual parallel sessions are abstract-based, 90-minute sessions in which authors of research papers and case study reports selected through a scientific review process will present their findings in a variety of engaging formats.
The parallel sessions will be chaired by the Congress Team members of each track (two per track). For special sessions/session proposals, the session proposers will chair and moderate their sessions in coordination with the track chairs.
The virtual paper presentations will take place between the period of 8 November 2020 and 4 February 2021, with one event per month of up to two timeslots (3 hours maximum per day) for two consecutive days. There will be two plenary sessions for the opening events happening on 8 and 9 November 2020, and two plenary sessions for the closing events taking place on 2 and 4 February 2021.
Throughout the Congress, there will be a total of 33 parallel sessions of 90 minutes each divided into the tracks and special sessions. Three parallel sessions will take place simultaneously per timeslot. Therefore, a maximum of six sessions per day in two timeslots.
Presentation Confirmation
Authors of accepted abstracts who have submitted their full paper contributions and have registered for the virtual congress are expected to present their work live and participate actively in the session/s they have been assigned to. As a presenting author, you can find your speaking assignment and schedule on your Congress account. The speaking assignments for 10 November 2020 (only Tracks 1, 3, and 6) have been determined, while the rest will be available in the next days. Please log in to your account and check your profile updates at "My schedule" or "Sessions I am speaking at" tabs on your Dashboard. The detailed programme (including speakers) is available here.
Software and Platform
- This Website is the go-to place for all Congress-related information and communication. All outgoing and incoming correspondences shall be directed to the congress official email: congress@isocarp.org.
- Meanwhile, Zoom will be the Software to host all virtual plenary events and oral parallel sessions. Presenting authors will be able to share their screen and present their paper or case study in any format they prefer, as long as it is within the allowable time. The session chairs may also suggest a presentation format and inform the presenting authors ahead of time. The links to access all meetings will be provided to all registered attendees in due course. All registered presenters will have access to the Zoom link of their live session via the website when they log in to their accounts.
IMPORTANT: Presenting authors will need Zoom downloaded onto their device to attend the sessions, and we recommend using a computer, laptop or tablet instead of a mobile phone. Supported browsers include Firefox 27 or higher and Chrome 30 or higher.
We recommend using VPN (virtual private network) for the following countries with restricted access to Zoom: Cuba, Iran, Syria, Ukraine (Crimea Region). - The third platform for networking, exhibition, coffee breaks, mentoring sessions, and informal gatherings will be Gather.Town. This interactive space will allow all registered Congress attendees to hold separate conversations in parallel and walk in, out and around those conversations, just as easily as in real life. The link to this interactive space will be provided in due course.
Technical support
Each session will have a "host" (administrator) who will be permanently monitoring the virtual room, administering, and managing the technical aspects and requirements of the session. The host will also brief all speakers 15 minutes before the start of each session, record all sessions, admit "attendees", respond to the queries and technical issues being encountered by the participants, and keep all the materials for the session. For any issues encountered during the session, please email: congress@isocarp.org. The audience can use the live Q&A chat to ask their questions to presenters. Each session will be chaired and moderated by two Congress Team members who are responsible for the track.
Mode of Presentation
The sessions will be a combination of live and pre-recorded presentations. All speakers/presenting authors are expected to present live and participate actively during their session. Nevertheless, all presenting authors (except session proposers and speakers for special sessions) are required to pre-record their presentations and upload it using a form on the Congress website. These pre-recorded videos will be available in advance to all registered attendees for the entire duration of the Congress. Similarly, pre-recorded videos may be used in case speakers are unable to present live due to critical time zone issues. All (live) parallel sessions will be recorded for archiving and will remain accessible to all registered attendees.
Guidelines for presenting authors can be accessed via: https://doha2020.isocarp.org/discussions/virtual-presentation/presentation-guidelines.
Duration of Live Presentations
Each session runs for 90 minutes, and track chairs are responsible for allocating speaker times. The specific time allocation will be communicated by the track chairs to presenting authors via email at the latest one week before the scheduled presentation. Ideally, live presentations should run for a maximum of 10-12 minutes unless arranged differently by the track chairs. Speakers are requested to strictly adhere to their allocated time slots. In the event that a presenting author is unable to attend the session, the track chairs may opt to play the pre-recorded presentations which are timed up to maximum of 8 minutes. Different duration applies to keynote speeches, introductory remarks, and other presentations during the plenary sessions.