hank you for your hard work preparing for the 2025 AAG Annual Meeting. The following guidelines and best practices provide guidance for organizers, presenters, panelists, and all other participants in sessions at the Annual Meeting. Please email meeting@aag.org with any questions or concerns.
FAQ's
How to: Access sessions online during the meeting
How to: Navigate the Schedule of Sessions
Tips for Session Organizers and Presenters
All sessions will be 80 minutes long, with 20-minute breaks between sessions.
In session rooms, you’ll find a lectern, a PC laptop connected to high-speed Wi-Fi, head table, microphone, speakers, projector, and screen. Note: For session organizers and/or presenters who wish to use their personal MAC computer, please bring your HDMI adapter.
Participants should either:
bring a USB drive with their presentation;
be prepared to download their presentation to the laptop;
access the presentation from a web browser.
Zoom meeting rooms will be automatically created for streaming, hybrid, and virtual sessions at the 2025 Annual Meeting. Please ensure you have downloaded or are using the latest version of Zoom. Zoom meeting rooms can be accessed 15 minutes before the start of each session.
To access the session details page for each session, see How to: Access sessions online during the meeting.
Hybrid and Streamed Session Instructions
To help the session run smoothly, the organizer should designate a session monitor to manage the Zoom meeting, monitor participation, and address attendee questions in the chat.
Decide on the best approach for fielding questions.
Plan to share anti-harassment advocate information at the beginning of the session by chat (see below)
Any participant who harasses or bullies should be ejected and reported immediately to meeting@aag.org. Ask the monitor to take screenshots if this arises.
Arrive in the session room 10 minutes before the session starts.
Before the session starts, load presentations onto the PC
- Access the session Zoom virtual meeting room from the session details in the schedule of sessions
Virtual Session Instructions
Access the session Zoom meeting room from the session details in the schedule of sessions
Follow hybrid and streamed session instructions above.
Designate a session monitor, decide on the best approach for fielding questions, share anti-harassment advocate information
Arrive in the session room 10 minutes before the session starts.
Preparing the Zoom Meeting
Before admitting attendees from the Zoom waiting room, enable closed captioning
Remote attendees will only see what is shared via Zoom, including the audio from the room's microphone and video from the laptop camera
Share the screen via Zoom to make sure remote attendees can see the presentation
Starting the Session
Ensure all attendees from the waiting room are admitted
Un-pause the recording (unless you don't intend to record the session)
Announce verbally and/or by chat: “AAG strives to be a harassment-free space. If you experience or witness harassment or bullying, Contact AAG’s Advocate, Natalie Dolci advocate@aag.org, 425-780-5301 (available onsite 24/7).”
During the Q&A time, have your session monitor address remote questions. Repeat written questions for the audience
If you're recording at the end of the session, stop the recording at the end of the Q&A
To encourage virtual networking, session organizers may opt to keep their Zoom meeting room open for up to 80 minutes after the session ends.
Recording the Zoom sessions:
Each hybrid/streamed session organizer is asked in advance whether they wish to opt in or not to record Zoom sessions. Organizers are responsible for communicating with their presenters to ensure they agree.
If yes, at the start of the session, recording begins automatically. If you intend to record, pause the recording in order to have a clean start once you formally begin the session.
If you do not wish to record the session, end the recording. Session participants (organizers, chairs, presenters, etc) will all have the ability to pause, stop, and start, the recordings.
If you ended the recording and would like to restart it, you will be prompted to record locally or in the cloud. Choose cloud recording so that we can include the recording in the session gallery.
Recorded sessions will be available for viewing by registered attendees for up to 90 days after the last day of the event. Program committee organized sessions will not be recorded. To read our other event policies, visit our AAG Policies Page.
Preparing the Zoom meeting:
- Enable closed captioning
- Admit attendees from the Zoom waiting room.
- Remote attendees will only see what is shared via Zoom
- Remote attendees will hear the audio from the room's microphone
- Share the screen via Zoom to make sure remote attendees can see the presentation
- Remote attendees will see what the laptop camera shows, if video is enabled
Zoom Permissions
Session co-hosts, organizers, chairs, and presenters can screen share, conduct polls, create breakout rooms, pause/stop recording, control of audience members’ microphones or ability to share their screens or video, and can join the Zoom session 10 minutes early
Audience Members have basic functionality allowed by the session co-hosts/organizers. Some session organizers may limit audience members’ ability to unmute and/or share video.
Zoom Resources
Audio and Video Recommendations
Consider using an external webcam and a headset or earbuds for best quality experience.
Utilize Closed Captioning
Be considerate of your background and warn those around you that you will be on a live video call.
For more guidance, Tufts University’s Technology Services provides recommendations on Best Practices for Participants.
Pronouns can be added to your Zoom display name. Under the participants icon, select the three dots next to your name. Select "rename" and update your display name as appropriate.
To become familiar with the Zoom platform, AAG recommends utilizing Zoom’s Learning Center "Show Me" Videos.
Zoom Download Center - includes browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox; mobile apps for Apple and Android platforms; and plugins for Outlook, IBM Notes, and Intel Unite.
Accessing Zoom through your university or other institutional account (written and provided by an AAG member)
Virtual presenters may consider viewing How-To Videos with Tips courtesy of the Distribute 2020 conference