As a Session Chair, you are responsible for ensuring that your session proceeds smoothly and runs on time according to the posted ICDAR 2026 program.
Please check the ICDAR 2026 Program Overview before your session for the latest schedule and any last-minute changes.
Before the Session
Study your session’s content carefully and check the ICDAR 2026 program for any last-minute changes.
Familiarise yourself with the session and the presentations. Review the papers that will be presented and prepare a few questions in advance to help stimulate discussion if needed.
Please arrive at your session room 10–15 minutes before the scheduled start time. Presenters have also been asked to arrive early and reach out to you.
Presentations will be pre-loaded on the computer in the room. Please also check with the presenters that they are familiar with the AV equipment and ready for their presentation.
During the Session
Before the scheduled start time:
- Introduce yourself to the audience and announce the session title.
- Kindly ask participants to take their seats promptly.
- Encourage attendees to use the front and centre seats where possible.
- Remind participants to set their mobile phones to silent mode.
Start the session on time.
Unless there are last-minute program changes, please strictly follow the published schedule, including the order of speakers and the start and end times of each presentation. Maintaining the schedule is particularly important because participants may move between parallel sessions to attend specific talks.
Introduce each presentation by announcing the speaker and paper title as displayed in the program.
At the end of each presentation, encourage the audience to ask questions.
If a presenter uses the full allotted presentation time and leaves no time for questions, please proceed to the next presentation according to schedule. You may invite interested participants to continue the discussion with the speaker during the coffee or lunch breaks.
If a presentation finishes early, use the remaining time for questions from the audience and, if necessary, questions of your own.
Keeping the Session on Schedule
Please ensure that every speaker receives their allotted presentation time while keeping the overall session aligned with the published program.
It can be helpful to give presenters a discreet indication when their remaining time is becoming short.
If discussion after a presentation is particularly active, please make sure that it does not delay the start of the following scheduled talk.
Presenter No-Shows
Some presentations may unfortunately be cancelled at short notice or a presenter may fail to appear.
If a presenter does not show up, do not move the following presentation forward.
Instead, pause the session and start the next talk at its originally scheduled time.
This is important because participants may be moving between parallel ICDAR sessions specifically to attend individual presentations listed in the program.
Be Prepared for the Unexpected
As Session Chair, please be prepared to handle unexpected situations calmly and keep the session running as smoothly as possible.
For example:
- If a presenter finishes early, use the remaining time for discussion.
- If technical problems occur, contact the Technical Assistant immediately.
- If a presenter is absent, maintain the published schedule rather than advancing subsequent talks.
- If there are last-minute program changes, follow the latest information provided by the conference organisers.
At the End of the Session
At the conclusion of the session, please thank all presenters for their contributions and thank the audience for their participation and engagement.
Thank you for helping us keep the ICDAR 2026 technical program running smoothly and on schedule.