Call for Special Sessions Proposals

(Returning proposers, please read instructions in full, as the proposal submission process has changed from years past)

What is an EMBC Special Session?

A Special Session is a session which is devised to include panel discussions or non-technical talks on topics such as research funding, entrepreneurship, or technology transfer, and can receive a wide interest across different themes of the conference. Speakers in Special Sessions do not submit papers in connection with the session.

The organizer of the session and speakers work together to craft a 90-minute session which will be of great interest and benefit to the attendees of the conference.

Who-is-who in a Special Session?

Special Session Organizer:

The Special Session organizer is the individual who submits the proposal to the conference committee, acts as the leader and coordinator for the session development, and ensures the successful and timely execution of the session. The organizer’s responsibilities include but are not limited to:

  • Proper Submission of the Proposal on the approved template and via the approved submission medium.
  • Open and prompt communication with the organizing committee and/or staff.
  • Ensuring that all deadlines and requirements for the session planning and execution, as defined by the organizing committee, are met.
  • Timely execution of the session.

Special Session Speaker(s):

Will along with the organizer facilitate the Special Session as proposed and accepted by the committee to the conference attendees.

Special Session Attendees:

The registrant who attends the session on location, at the conference venue.

 

When is the Special Session?

An accepted Special Session proposal will take place on either Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, of the conference schedule. And will be assigned a date and time at the discretion of the conference organizing committee members.  Each accepted session will be scheduled in the conference program for a maximum of 90 minutes.

Can my session take place on the day of my choosing?

All scheduling of sessions is completed by the conference organizing and programming committees.  Requests may be submitted to the committee for a special accommodation but cannot be guaranteed, as the committee decisions are made with the full scope of the conference in mind.

Can my session be longer or shorter than 90-Minutes?

Each approved proposal will be allotted a programming time slot for no more and no less than 90 minutes in the conference program.

Organizers and speakers which would like additional time must submit a separate proposal where each proposal will support no more and no less than 90 minutes.

Example:  A Special Session with 12 speakers, which would like 180-minutes in the session should submit two proposals

  • Example Titles:
    • “My Session – Part I”
    • “My Session – Part II”
  • Each Proposal should contain no more than the number of speakers which can be managed in the 90-minute time slot

Should I recruit speakers before I propose and organize the session?

Yes. Whereas potential speakers must be included on your proposal submission. It is critical to make sure they are willing, able, and committed to traveling to EMBC to present and are committed to participating in the proposed session.  A strong proposal will include a list of speakers who have committed to attend.

How Many speakers can I Include?

Special Session sessions should have no less than 4 speakers, and no more than can be successfully managed in the 90 minute session time allotted. As the 90 minute session time cannot be extended we recommend a Special Session have no more than 6 speakers.  This would provide 15 minutes of presentation time for each speaker broken down into 10 minutes of talk-time and a five-minute question and answer period from attendees.

Are organizers or speakers required to pay anything?

For approved Special Session proposals that complete the confirming steps, EMBS, as a part of its conference planning, will arrange and finance the venue/space and audiovisual resources for the session. Special Session Speakers and Organizers are expected to be present at and facilitate the session by his or her own means and provide any materials required for the session; financial support, travel support, and/or travel reimbursements or grants are not extended to Special Session speakers or organizers.   Organizers and Special Session speakers are encouraged to secure any funding required for travel or facilitation of the session before committing to participate in the session.

Are Special Session speakers required to register for the conference?

Special Session speakers and organizers are required to register and pay his or her applicable admission fee to attend the conference.  Acceptance of a Special Session Proposal is not indicative of complimentary registration or financial support.  The organizer is required to register for a Full Conference rate.

Are Paper submissions or publication opportunities included with Special Sessions?

Papers are not accepted or reviewed for Special Session organizers or speakers, as related to the proposed session.  Special Session organizers and Speakers are welcome to submit papers through the general paper submission process for the conference.

How do I submit my proposal?

All proposals must be submitted on the approved template and submitted via the EMBC subscribed submission system.

What are the submission steps for the proposal?

Creation of the Proposal Document

  • Use the approved template to create your session proposal document
  • You will notice that the template requires a speaker synopsis for each speaker, which is similar to a 1 page abstract. However, please know that each speaker is free to make the synopsis as long or as short as he or she wishes. The synopsis is not required to be a full abstract.  However,  it should include as much detail each speaker can provide about what he or she intents to discuss in the session.   The more detail provided in the proposal aids the reviewers  understanding of the content to be included in the session.

Initial Submission of the Proposal

  • Start a new Submission via the conference subscribed submission system using the “Special Session” path.
  • All confirmed speakers must be included on the proposal both on the face of the proposal document and in the submission system.
  • When prompted to advise “How Many Proposers does this proposal have” the organizers and speakers should be included in the number of proposers.
  • Example: If there are to be 6 speakers and organizers in the session, the number 6 must be selected in the drop down.
  • Each organizer and speaker must have a username (pin) and password to the submission system.
  • You will be required during the submission process to provide the username (pin) for each speaker and organizer included in the proposal.
  • The submission system will require that one of the names listed on the proposal be the “corresponding author/proposal”. The corresponding author is synonymous with organizer, as defined above.
  • Attach your proposal to the submission and submit
  • Click here for Video Example of a sample Proposal Submission
  • You may update and make changes to your submission until the submission deadline.
  • After the deadline for submission, no further changes can be made
  • It is important to log into the system periodically and to promptly follow up to any notifications you receive related to the submission which require action steps.

Review and Decision for the Proposal

  • The committee will begin reviewing proposals after the initial submission deadline has passed.
  • Following the review, the committee will advise the corresponding proposer of either the acceptance or rejection of the proposed session.
  • If rejected there is no further action, and the session will not be included in the conference program.
  • If Accepted the proposal will move into the Final Submission Step.

Final Submission

During the final submission step the corresponding proposer/organizer must on or before the deadline:

  • Submit the Final Draft of the Session Synopsis using the approved template
  • Confirm the list of organizers and speakers in the Session
  • Ensure that all those included in the session register to attend the conference.
  • Please note the information provided in this document will be utilized to promote and highlight your session.

Scheduling

  • Shortly after the final submission deadline, the program committee will schedule the sessions which met the required steps and provide a date, time, and room assignment for the session.

Successful Execution of the Session on the scheduled date and time