WELCOME TO THE AAFT CONFERENCE 2025!

Meeting with all Session Speakers and Panellists

Prior to the conference it is the facilitator’s responsibility to schedule a time for all the session presenters/panellists to get on a teleconference to run through overall session objectives and desired outcomes to ensure everyone is on the same page. This is a great opportunity for you to have some questions prepared for your facilitator that they could potentially have to ask you specifically in your session. This way you will look prepared. Organisation is key!

Remember – we want all the sessions to be interactive in some way. We encourage questions and discussion so please ensure you have ample time for this. Do not go over your allocated time slot. Whilst it is important to have information up on slides, it isn’t necessary to do this the whole time.

If you need any contact details to connect with the session facilitator or other presenters, please contact the Carol, Event Manager, and she will provide these for you. E: Carol@kecreative.com.au

Now that you have confirmed your availability for the conference, please provide the following information:

• A short bio about yourself (approx. 150 words)
• Head shot (photo) of yourself – PNG or JPEG file type only

Please provide as soon as possible so the information can be used in marketing to promote your conference session (by Sunday 11th May).

Register your attendance!

As a presenter you are entitled to attend the conference at a discounted rate. This will provide you access to all social and networking events and two days of the program. If you haven’t already, please register your attendance via the Registration Portal.

Registration

Upon arrival at the Pullman Albert Park, please proceed to the registration desk to complete the registration formalities and identify yourself as a presenter.

Ensure you have a copy of your presentation on a USB to share with the AV team.

It is important that you arrive and register at least one hour prior to the commencement of your session.

If for any reason you are delayed, please call Event Manager Carol Rothschild on 0414 367 888 (mobile hotline). Alternatively, please contact Leah Fogliani AAFT Executive Assistant on 0499 078 211 or your designated session facilitator directly.

AV Run Through

All speakers would need to do a run through during breaks at the following times:

Thursday 3rd July

• 10:15 AM – If you are presenting after morning tea
• 12:30 PM – If you are presenting after lunch
• 03:15 PM – If you are presenting after afternoon tea

Friday 4th July

• 10:30 AM – If you are presenting after morning tea
• 12:40 PM – If you are presenting after lunch
• 02:40 PM – If you are presenting after afternoon tea

Session Information and Format

1) Meet Your Facilitator
Meet at least 30 mins prior to your session, at the back of the room that your session is taking place in. It is important for you to familiarise yourself with the nominated room set up and meet your facilitator prior to the session.

2) Introduce Presenters
The session facilitator will be asked to introduce presenters using the biographical notes provided in the Conference Program. Please keep this in mind when providing your bio.

3) Presentation Times
One of the most important things to remember is to ensure your presentation doesn’t go over its allocated time slot. The session facilitator will be monitoring this during the session and will be prepared to give you a wind-up warning to keep you on time.

4) Questions
It is the role of the session facilitator to ask for questions. All presentation times include question and answer time. You may wish to provide your facilitator with a couple pre-prepared questions as this can help start the dialogue if there are no initial questions from the floor. Please note, we will be taking questions directly from the floor and via the conference app. If you have an idea for a poll or survey to include in your session, please share with your facilitator.

Presentation Tips

For the benefit of those unaccustomed to presenting we offer the following tips to assist in making your visuals effective:

• Keep it simple – use the slide as reinforcement to your speech
• Use only the number of slides necessary to deliver your presentation within your allocated timeslot
• Ensure you time your presentation and, if necessary, adjust the number of slides accordingly. As a rule of thumb, 1.5 to 2 minutes talking per slide
• Keep bullet points down to a maximum of 5 per slide. More than this, and the type is too small to read
• Use upper and lower case to achieve maximum legibility and please ensure people at the rear of the room can read your slides, so adjust the font size
• Use colour effectively – a few bright simple colours on a dark background lift the style of your presentation
• Avoid background sounds as these can often distract rather than enhance the presentation
• Check out a podcast on public speaking – there are plenty to choose from
• Please rehearse to make sure your presentation fits into the allotted time
• Use graphs and charts where possible to break up text

Audio Visual Equipment, Staging and Material

The smooth operation of audio-visual equipment will contribute to the success of the presentations. Each session room will be set up with the following audio-visual equipment:

• Projector screens
• Presentation clicker
• Lectern with in-built microphone
• Foldback monitor for your presentation and showing your notes
• Foldback monitor with a countdown timer
• Lapel microphones
• Hand-held microphones
• Technical support (AV desk at the rear of the room)

Presenters are required to save their presentation in a PC-compatible PowerPoint format as Mac applications will NOT be available throughout the conference.

Each panellist will be dressed with a lapel mic prior to joining the panel onstage. Please meet at the AV tech desk at the back of the room to collect your lapel mic.

Staging

This year’s conference will take place at the Pullman Melbourne Albert Park. Please browse through the photos above to get acquainted with the staging and screens for your presentation.