Speaker Resources: Main Conference Program

Speaker Resources

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Thank you for participating as a main program presenter at IDEA2023. Here you will find the necessary resources to enable a seamless presentation. 

View Conference Program

Thank you for speaking!

Thank you for agreeing to speak at IDEA2023. 

You are scheduled to be a presenter during the IDEA2023 Main Conference. This means you will be speaking on either Tuesday, June 6 or Wednesday, June 7. Please consult the Conference Program for the date/time you are scheduled to speak.

This Speaker Resource Page is designed to give you a “one-stop shopping” guide for everything you need to know or consider before you step on to the podium in at the Hilton Chicago. 

Please bookmark this webpage as any pertinent updates will be made here. IDEA staff member Jason Beal will also send you a short email alerting you of any major updates to this page. We’re hoping that having this webpage as a reference will cut down on the length and number of emails we send to you from now until the conference.

If, at any point, you have any edits to the session title or the presenter(s) associated with your session, please contact Jason Beal or Emily Riskalla at speakers.idea@districtenergy.org as soon as possible.

Speaker Deadlines

PowerPoint & PDF Presentation Submission Deadline - Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Video Presentation Submission Deadline - Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Slide Presentation Template

Submitting Your Presentation

Download Conference Logo


Onsite Logistics

You’ve completed the PPT. You’ve recorded the video. Now you just have to get up on stage and give your presentation. Here’s what you need to know.

Speaker and Moderator Orientation Meeting
Stevens Salon A-5

On the day you are scheduled to speak at IDEA2023, you are required to attend the Speaker and Moderator Orientation Meeting at 7:00am (complimentary breakfast provided) in the Stevens Salon A-5 room. 

In the Speaker Orientation Meeting, you will meet the moderator for your session and review session logistics with IDEA Staff members Emily Riskalla and Jason Beal. We look forward to seeing you there!

Meeting Room Logistics

Main Program Presentations will take place in one of four concurrent meeting rooms (room number for each presentation is included in the conference program or on the Event App.)

The room set for all main conference presentation rooms is the same for all rooms; presenter(s) at the front of the room, on stage, speaking from a mic’d podium. A 6' table will also be on stage for presentations featuring multiple presenters, allowing them to sit while waiting for their turn to speak.

At the podium will be an IDEA laptop with your PPT presentation preloaded on it. The room will also include a screen and microphone in the middle of the room for audience questions. Please note the presentations are pre-loaded onto the laptop and edits cannot be made to your presentation prior to your session. 

Each session track has a moderator who will do a quick intro of the session and speakers. To save time, your full bio will not be read as people can read it in the app. An AV tech and an IDEA staff member will also be on hand to assist when needed.

IDEA divides the program into session tracks, which are blocks of time in which multiple presentations on the same topic are given over that period of time. IDEA asks that the speaker(s) for each presentation be present in the room for their time block, ready to go on stage when it is time for their presentation to begin.

Please remember - sessions are 25 minutes long; 18-20 minutes for your presentation and 5-7 minutes for questions. The moderator will field questions from the audience when you are finished with your presentation.

Virtual Attendees

At IDEA2023, we do have people attending virtually. They will view your prerecorded presentation through Attendee Hub, our platform for virtual attendees and for all attendees to view sessions post-event.

Your video will play for these virtual attendees at the time of your presentation. If the virtual audience has questions, they will be told to reach out to you directly via email. We will not be able to ask questions from the virtual audience in the meeting rooms. So be on the lookout for those questions as they hit your inbox!

Your video will be streamed on Attendee Hub for 90 days post-conference as well, meaning that any attendees who might have missed you live can view your recording and enjoy your content.

Recording Your Video

Deadline to Submit, Wednesday, May 10

As we have done at two previous two Annual Conferences (and 3 prior Campus conferences), IDEA requires main program presenters and poster presenters provide a video of their presentation (in mp4 format) as well. 

Why do I need to submit a video recording?

The recording is what virtual attendees will see when the log in to the program.

In addition - and perhaps most beneficial to you - your recording will be made available to all attendees - in-person and virtual - for 90 days post-show. This increases the visibility for your main program or poster session, as attendees can log in and watch your recording if they were unable to meet with you live. 

Do not record your video until IDEA has approved your presentation materials. 

Once your presentation materials and/or slides are uploaded, they will be reviewed and (barring any issues with content) approved by IDEA ASAP. Once approved, you can begin recording.


How Do I Record A Video? 

Your video does not have to be a Spielberg production. We have found that scheduling a Zoom meeting between presenters (or recording a meeting with yourself if you are a single presenter), while sharing your slides is the easiest way to do this (Microsoft Teams can be used as well). Hundreds of speakers have successfully produced session recordings over the past two years, often finding it a helpful ‘dry run’ for their poster presentation.

IDEA has put together a helpful How to Record Your Presentation Using Zoom cheat sheet for your review. If you have questions about how to record your session, please contact Jason Beal at jason.idea@districtenergy.org.

 A few notes about the recording:

  • If you are the only presenter in your session, you can schedule a Zoom call with an off-camera employee who can record it for you so that you can focus on your presentation. Just make sure that employee has camera off and that they have selected the 'hide non-video participants' option so they don't show up on camera.

  • Once completed, the .mp4 version should be uploaded to the Speaker Resources Center by Wednesday, May 10, 2023.

    As you did with your PPT and PDF, please upload for .mp4 to the Speaker Resources Center. To do so, please click the “log in” button on the top right-hand corner of the Speaker Resources Center page. Once there, you will see a tab for “My Tasks”. Select the task “Upload Presentation Materials” to upload directly to our website. If your presentation is greater than 250 MB, please upload to IDEA’s WeTransfer site: https://internationaldistrictenergyassociation.wetransfer.com/

  • As with your upload of PDF/PPT, make sure you name your mp4 using the naming convention


    TrackNumber/Track Position and Last Name(s) of presenter(s)

    Example: (5A3_Riskalla)

  • A confirmation email will be sent upon receiving your presentation; if you do not receive confirmation then the presentation was not received.


This prerecorded mp4 file must be delivered to us by Wednesday, May 10 to ensure we have enough time to upload into our online platform.