Welcome, Innovations 2024 presenters! The 27th annual Innovations Conference incorporates ideas and initiatives from four conference tracks into the broader goal of encouraging and facilitating student and organizational learning through innovation, experimentation, and institutional transformation. Your participation as a presenter at this event represents your dedication to the future of community college education.

Presenter Agreement

In order to present at this event, presenters are required to respond to the “Innovations Conference Presenter Schedule and Confirmation” email by February 9 to:

1. Confirm their intention to present at Innovations 2024, and
2. Confirm their understanding of the presenter requirements below.

Presenter Requirements

• Presenters must register for Innovations 2024 according to the League’s payment, refund, and cancellation policy in order to present at this event. If you have registration questions, please contact info@eventproducers.events. (Neither honoraria nor expenses are provided to presenters.)
• Presenters must provide their own laptop or tablet, and associated connectors, for their sessions; the League does not provide this equipment.
• Presenters must agree to inform Robin Piccirilli in writing of any session or presenter changes no later than February 9.
• Presenters must affirm that (a) they own or otherwise have the right to use the content presented, (b) they have the right to give the League consent to publish the presentation, and (c) the League has their explicit permission to post the presentation (i.e., PPT, video recording) for the purposes of promotion and/or expanding the Innovation Library.

Conference Schedule

The 2024 Innovations Conference will take place over 3.5 days starting at 8:00 AM on Sunday, March 17, and ending at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, March 20. The schedule provides an overview of activities taking place at this event.

Video Streaming Sessions

Keynotes and Special Sessions will be recorded for future delivery on iStream, the League's comprehensive, online resource library. This content will be available only to iStream subscribers. No session will be recorded without written permission from all presenters involved.

Conference App

The League’s 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. You will have the opportunity to upload your photo, biography, and presentation materials to the app. Instructions will be provided for this process.

*A draft schedule will be available on this website for those who prefer a hard copy. Please download and print a copy prior to arriving on site; hard copy schedules will not be provided by the League. Please note: The PDF draft will not be as accurate as the app.

PLEASE NOTE: PRESENTERS WHO NEED A LAPTOP/TABLET AND ASSOCIATED ADAPTERS ARE REQUIRED TO BRING THEIR OWN. 

Special Sessions and Forums

Special Sessions and Forums are supported with wired high-speed Internet access, a video projector (with HDMI and VGA connectors) compatible with Windows and Mac platforms, a microphone, speakers, and a screen. Presenters who need a laptop/tablet or an adapter other than those mentioned above for their session(s) are required to bring their own. The League does not provide this equipment.

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 are available for Poster Sessions or Roundtable Discussions. Poster Sessions and Roundtable Discussions cannot accommodate equipment other than a presenter-provided, battery-operated laptop.

The dimensions of the boards for Poster Sessions are as follows:

1. Usage dimensions: 40" W x 26.75" H
2. Total dimensions: 45.2” W x 54.75” H

Questions about your participation as a presenter at Innovations 2024?

Contact Robin Piccirilli.

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

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. (Breakout rooms will not be available for dry runs; please make arrangements to practice your presentation elsewhere.)

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 have something important to say and the audience wants to be supportive!

PowerPoint Tips

Use whatever PowerPoint template you prefer, but 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.