Welcome, Innovations presenters! The 22nd annual Innovations Conference incorporates ideas and initiatives from five conference tracks into the broader goal of encouraging and facilitating student and organizational learning through innovation, experimentation, and institutional transformation. Your participation at Innovations 2019 represents your dedication to the future of education.

Presenter Agreement Form

All presenters must submit a Presenter Agreement Form to affirm their commitment to attending the conference, presenting their session(s), registering for the conference, and paying for registration. In order for a session to appear in the conference app and schedule, a Presenter Agreement Form must be submitted by the deadline; failure to meet this deadline will result in session(s) being removed from the program.

Conference Registration

All presenters are required to register for the conference and pay the registration fee. Those from League Board and Alliance institutions receive a registration discount. If you have registration questions, please contact Judy Greenfield at 480.705.8200, x200.

When you register and pay by credit card, you will receive an email invoice that serves as your receipt. If you select the “Pay by Check” option, the email invoice can be forwarded to your college’s business office for payment. You may also log onto our website with your username and password to access and/or pay open invoices in the My Account dropdown menu.

Neither honoraria nor expenses are provided to presenters.

Registration Payment, Refund, and Cancellation Policy

• Registration is not complete until full payment is received.
• Registration fees must be paid in full and received in the League office according to the following schedule:
  • If you register by December 1, 2018, the full early registration fee must be received in the League office or postmarked by December 1. If payment is not received or postmarked by December 1, the fee will automatically be adjusted to the regular registration rate.
  • If you register after December 1, 2018, the full registration fee must be received in the League office or postmarked by February 11, 2019. If payment is not received or postmarked by February 11, 2019, the registration will be automatically cancelled.
  • If you register after February 11, 2019, the full registration fee must be paid by credit card at the time of registration.
• Cancellations made in writing (e.g., letter, email) by February 11, 2019, are eligible for a refund of the paid registration fee minus a $200 cancellation fee; refunds will be issued after the conference.  
• Cancellations received after February 11, 2019, are not eligible for refunds.
• Confirmation of cancellation will be sent via email.
• Participant substitutions for this event can be made at any time.
• You are responsible for full payment if you do not cancel and do not attend.

Conference Schedule

The 2019 Innovations conference will take place over 3.5 days starting at 8:30 AM on Sunday, February 24, and ending at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, February 27. The schedule provides a big picture view of all activities taking place at the conference.

Video Streaming Sessions

Special Sessions will be recorded for future delivery on iStream, the League's web-based, multimedia portal. All Special Session presenters will be notified and asked for their permission to record their session. No session will be recorded without written permission from all presenters involved in that session. For more information about iStream, contact Sherry Sklar.

Conference App

The League’s new event app* provides all the information participants need for a rewarding conference experience. Your session(s) will be featured on the app to allow for maximum exposure.

*The conference app replaces the printed conference program-guide to the exhibition. A downloadable PDF of the schedule will be available on the website for those who prefer a hard copy.

Presentations on the Web

Presentation materials will be posted on the League’s website for presenters who upload their files. Instructions will be provided for this process. Files will not be edited or changed and will appear exactly as they are received.

Questions about your participation as a presenter at Innovations?

Contact Robin Piccirilli.

PLEASE NOTE: Presenters who need a laptop or tablet for their session(s) are required to bring their own. The League does not provide this equipment or associated adapters.

Special Sessions, Lightning Talks, and Forums

Special Sessions, Lightning Talks, and Forums are supported with wired high-speed Internet access, a video projector compatible with Windows and Mac platforms, a microphone, speakers, and a screen. Presenters who need a laptop or tablet for their session(s) are required to bring their own. The League does not provide this equipment or associated adapters.

Presenters are responsible for ensuring that presenter-provided equipment connects and functions with the equipment provided by conference organizers. Presenters assume full responsibility for the technical requirements of custom setups, as well as the security and operation of their own equipment.

Before arriving, presenters should ensure that their laptops have updated virus detection software and the latest software patches installed. Onsite, presenters who need technical assistance may contact League staff or the Technical/AV Support Team. The Technical/AV Support Team cannot provide laptops, tablets, adapters, specialized cabling, drivers, software, connectors, or other out of the ordinary items.

Poster Sessions and Roundtable Discussions

Please note that neither electricity nor an Internet connection is available for Poster Sessions or Roundtable Discussions. Poster Sessions and Roundtable Discussions cannot accommodate equipment other than a presenter-provided, battery-operated laptop. Flipcharts are available for Roundtable Discussions if requested prior to the conference.

To order additional equipment, contact William Trombino, AV Images, at 800.801.1500, x7406. Presenters may be responsible for expenses associated with additional equipment.

Questions about your participation as a presenter at Innovations?

Contact Robin Piccirilli.

Here are some helpful tips to assist you in preparing and delivering an effective presentation.

PowerPoint Tips

Keep the size of your audience in mind. Visuals that are not clearly legible to all participants are distracting and annoying. Remember that some participants will be in the back of the room.

Use fonts that are simple and easy-to-read. Generally, one font should be used throughout your presentation, with perhaps another used sparingly for special emphasis.

Keep your displayed message simple. Your presentation graphics should highlight the points you are making, not repeat them word for word.

Four to six colors are usually plenty to communicate your message. Of these, only one or two should be intense colors.

Black text on a white background is always the best visually, but is also a boring choice. Use colors that are easy on the eyes and always keep good contrast in mind so that conference participants do not have to strain to guess what is typed on a slide.

Presentation Tips

Plan your presentation well in advance. A good presentation requires careful planning and review.

You will lose your audience if your presentation does not address the issues described in your session description. One of the most common complaints heard from conference participants is that the session description provided in the conference app did not describe the actual presentation.

Rehearse your presentation in advance. A dry run of your presentation to knowledgeable individuals is the most successful method of preparation.

Be sensitive to your audience. Avoid distractions and potential offense by insensitivity to gender, sexual preference, race, and ethnicity.

Equipment failures are not uncommon, so be prepared to make your presentation without equipment support.

Your session will be 60 minutes long. Throughout the conference, there will only be 15 minutes in between sessions. Out of respect for those presenters who follow you, it is imperative that you begin and end your session on time.

Be prepared for questions and answer them directly. Try to anticipate the types of questions you may be asked. Repeat the question to make certain the entire audience has heard it before you begin to answer.

Be comfortable and poised. Good eye contact will help hold the audience's attention, as will a steady voice that emphasizes the variety and interest of your presentation. Your body movement should be conscious and deliberate. Avoid swaying and pacing. Remember, you do have something important to say and the audience wants to be supportive!

Questions about your participation as a presenter at Innovations?

Contact Robin Piccirilli.