All standard concurrent sessions are 60 minutes, but what happens during those 60 minutes can look very different. When building your schedule, look at the session format in addition to the title and description. It can tell you a lot about how you will spend that hour.
| Session format |
What to expect |
Tips for presenters |
Tips for attendees |
| Panel Discussion |
A moderated conversation among panelists offering different perspectives on a shared topic. |
Think of dialogue rather than a series of mini-presentations. Coordinate with your moderator and fellow panelists and leave room for conversation. |
Come ready to hear multiple perspectives and engage through questions and discussion. |
| Multi-Paper Presentation |
Up to three related papers presented within one moderated session. |
Focus on the most important takeaways from your work rather than trying to share everything. Coordinate with your fellow presenters and protect time for discussion. |
Expect several related studies, projects, or perspectives organized around a common theme. |
| Expert Lecture |
A more traditional presentation in which an expert explores conceptual or methodological ideas, with time for audience questions. |
Build in adequate time for questions rather than filling the entire hour with prepared material. |
Expect a more presentation-oriented session, with opportunities to engage during Q&A. |
| Demonstration |
A live or simulated walkthrough showing how an evaluation concept, method, tool, or analytic approach works. |
Focus on showing the process in action. |
Come ready to see how something works and think about how it might apply to your own practice. |
| Skill-Building Workshop |
A hands-on session where participants learn and practice a particular skill, tool, or method. |
Make participation central. Attendees should have opportunities to actually try what they are learning. |
Expect to participate and practice rather than simply listen. |
| Think Tank |
A collaborative session focused on exploring a question or issue through discussion and synthesis. |
Provide enough framing to get participants started, then create space for them to work with the question together. |
Your knowledge and experience are part of the session. Come prepared to contribute. |
| Poster Session |
Multiple posters are available during a scheduled concurrent session, with attendees circulating among presenters. |
Stay near your poster and prepare for a series of shorter conversations rather than one formal presentation from beginning to end. There are no A/V resources. |
Circulate and explore. Visit several posters, ask questions, and talk directly with presenters whose work interests you. |
| Roundtable Conversation |
Several separate conversations take place simultaneously at round tables within the same room. |
Briefly frame your topic, then facilitate conversation. Bring questions or prompts that help everyone at the table contribute. There are no A/V resources. |
Choose a conversation and settle in. Roundtables are not a rotation format; you are not expected to move from table to table during the session. |
Presenters looking for additional logistics, including A/V, printing, poster specifications, and presentation resources, can visit AEA’s Speaker Resources page. Presenters of Roundtables and Posters, please note: No A/V resources will be provided for these session types.