Speaker Guide

Thank you for speaking at the useR! 2024 conference. The in-person event is taking place in Salzburg, Austria, on Monday, 8 July – Thursday, 11 July, and the virtual event is taking place Tuesday, 2 July.

This is your official event speaker guide. Please bookmark this page for easy reference and continue to check back as the event gets closer as we will be adding additional speaker information. If you have any questions, please email cfp@linuxfoundation.org.

Please click through the tabs on this page to access information.

• Schedule Announcement: Thursday, 11 April
• Early Bird Registration Deadline: Monday, 15 April, 23:59 CET
• Additional AV deadline: Friday, 31 May
• Pre-Recorded Video Deadline (virtual only): Sunday, 23 June
• Virtual Event Date: Tuesday, 2 July
• In-Person Slide Upload Deadline: Friday, 5 July
• Event Dates: Monday, 8 July – Thursday, 11 July, 2024

Please register to confirm your speaking slot. There is no discounted registration rate for speakers, so please register at your earliest opportunity to secure the lowest rate available.

In-person speakers should register as one of the following:

• In-Person Industry
• In-Person Not For Profit Organization
• In-Person Academia
• In-Person Student

If you are only presenting as part of the virtual event, please do not register. The virtual event will take place on YouTube Premier and Zoom, and there will be no cost to participate in the virtual event.

If you require a visa letter, please register for the event first, and then complete the visa letter request here.

Please note the following:

• Provision of a visa letter by The Linux Foundation does not guarantee visa approval, as final approval is made at the sole discretion of the government of the event’s host country.
• The Linux Foundation strongly recommends requesting a visa letter at your earliest convenience and contacting your local Embassy/Consulate with any visa questions you may have.
• The Linux Foundation processes most visa letter requests in (3) business days.

This year’s event will take place at the Wyndham Grand Salzburg Conference Centre located at Fanny-von-Lehnert-Straße 7, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.

View hotel information on our Venue & Travel page.

The schedule will be announced Thursday, 11 April, and will be posted on our website using sched.com. You will receive an email directly from sched.com asking you to create your account; please make sure your bio and photo are accurate.

If you have a conflict with the timing of your talk or find that it conflicts with the content of another talk; or are having problems uploading your bio and photo, please contact Carolyn Ingalls at cingalls@linuxfoundation.org. 

PRESENTATION LENGTHS

• In-Person Tutorials – 3.5 hours
• In-Person Session Presentations – 20 minutes, inclusive of any Q&A
• In-Person Lightning Talks – 5 minutes with no Q&A
• In-Person Poster Session – 2 hours on Wednesday, 10 July
  • Guided tours – 12:50-13:50
  • Opening viewing and Q&A – 15:00-16:00
• Virtual Tutorials (Live on Zoom) – 1 hour
• Virtual Session Presentations (Pre-Recorded) – 20 minutes; no Q&A

IN-PERSON PRESENTATIONS

Please note the following technical requirements:

• IMPORTANT UPDATE: Session Chairs will be reaching out via email to get a copy of your lightning talk and session presentation slides. We are encouraging Session Chairs to have all presentations hosted on their laptop to help efficiently run the session and minimize the set-up time between speakers. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Carolyn Ingalls at cingalls@linuxfoundation.org.
  • Presenters should still be prepared to use their own computers and adapters during their talk, if needed.
• Presentation slides should be formatted in 16:9. Please use the file format you prefer for your presentation, but we recommend using PowerPoint.
• The room will include a screen, projector, and (1) microphone for each speaker.

If you require any additional AV, please email cfp@linuxfoundation.org with those needs by Tuesday, 31 May. The Linux Foundation will make every effort to accommodate other AV needs; however, final approval for additional AV requests will be made on a case-by-case basis.

All speakers are required to upload their final presentation slides as a PDF by Friday, 5 July. This is for attendee reference only. For your presentation, you can use your preferred file format. In addition to providing a hard copy for accessibility purposes, we find that adding the presentations before the event helps to drive interest in attending the session.

To upload slides, follow these instructions (guide with screenshots):

• Log into your speaker profile through Sched.com 
• On the top of the page, click “Manage and Promote Your Session”
• Click “Add Presentation”
• Click in the “Select a File” box and add the PDF document (note: there is a 50MB size limit)
• Click “Upload” and your slides will automatically be saved

There are two optional PowerPoint templates available for your use:

• In-Person presentations
• Virtual presentations

We have assigned each room with Session Chairs from Tuesday, 9 July through Thursday, 11 July. They will introduce you, ensure the session runs on time, and will assist with fielding questions if there is time. 

IMPORTANT UPDATE: To reduce the set-up time between speakers, Session Chairs will be reaching out via email to collect lightning talk and session presentation slides in order to run them from their laptop. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Carolyn Ingalls at cingalls@linuxfoundation.org.

Tutorials presenters will chair their own sessions and must use their own laptops. Additionally, there will be a sign-up sheet in the room with the names of those who are registered for the tutorial.

SESSION FORMAT

The poster session will take place in two segments on Wednesday, 10 July.

• Guided tours – 12:50-13:50
  • For the first part, we will host guided tours of the poster displays led by volunteer tour guides. The tours will bring groups of approximately 15 conference attendees to each poster.
  • We ask each presenter to prepare a one-minute presentation about your poster and research to give to the tour groups. This will allow attendees to learn about your work in a structured format as they move through the session. You will present this one-minute presentation to multiple tour groups as they circulate through all posters.
• Opening viewing and Q&A – 15:00-16:00
  • After the breakout sessions  conclude for the day, we will reconvene for attendees to view posters freely and ask questions. Presenters should remain by their posters to discuss their research in more depth.

Please prepare your one-minute presentation and be ready to deliver it when the tour groups arrive at your poster during the first hour. We hope this format will maximize learning and engagement for all. Please reach out to Carolyn Ingalls at cingalls@linuxfoundation.org with any questions.

Poster Session Organizer: Nicole A. Swartwood

Poster Set-up

Posters submitted for printing will be set-up in the Salzburg Foyer between 10:00 – 16:00 on Monday, 8 July. If you are bringing your own poster, please set it up on Monday between 10:00 – 16:00 or no later than Tuesday, 9 July at 13:00. Boards will not be assigned, so you will select an empty board to hang up your poster.

Poster Specifications

• Orientation: Vertical/Portrait 
• Size: A0 paper size
  • Width: 841 mm, 84.1 cm, or 33.1 inches
  • Height: 1189 mm, 118.9 cm, or 46.8 inches
• Font sizes:
  • Use common fonts such as Arial or Open Sans to ensure readability and consistency
  • Titles: Arial 100 pt
  • Section Headers: Arial 70 pt
  • Minimum font size: Arial 45 pt

Poster Printing

Due date: 24 June at 23:59 CEST

We can offer presenters poster printing and transportation to the venue at no cost as long as they are submitted no later than 24 June. Files must be submitted as a PDF and sized to the above specifications. Files cannot exceed 50 MB. 

Please use the following link to either submit your poster for printing or to indicate you plan to use an already printed poster: https://forms.gle/CeFCqTXvBHqJ7HyQA 

If you are unable to meet this deadline, you will need to pay to print and transport your poster to the venue.

Best Practices

• Be clear and concise – Organize content with clear headings and bullet points, ensuring an attention-grabbing title.
• Create engaging visuals – Use high-quality graphics and readable fonts consistently throughout the poster.
• Keep your content focused – Highlight key findings, articulate research questions and conclusions without unnecessary jargon.
• Engage with your audience – Adapt explanations, practice a concise elevator pitch, maintain approachability, and provide handouts for further engagement.
• Give a logical layout – Design a logical flow with visual cues

For more best practices, please read this article: Creating conference posters: Structure, form and content – PMC.

All virtual session presentations will be pre-recorded, and video files need to be submitted no later than Sunday, 23 June. The earlier you provide us with the video, the longer we have to sort out any issues – and the earlier the placeholder will appear where people can subscribe to your specific talk. So we encourage you to submit early!

Please review the Virtual Best Practices on this page before recording. Feel free to reach out to cfp@linuxfoundation.org with any questions.

RECORDING TOOLS

Some suggested tools to use for recording are Quicktime, Google Hangouts, Zoom, a screen recorder, or something similar.

One easy method is to start a video call (with whichever video conference platform you use normally, e.g., Google Meet or Zoom), where only you are in the call. Ensuring your camera is on and slides shared in the video call, you can then use the in-built recording feature to recording your video.

Alternatives: Use ‘record’ in Microsoft PowerPoint: Microsoft Powerpoint includes a tool to record your presentations, for more information please explore this link: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/record-a-presentation-2570dff5-f81c-40bc-b404-e04e95ffab33. Windows and OSX both include native screen recording software. 

YouTUBE Premier

Once your video is received, we will schedule the release via a tool called ‘Youtube Premier’. People will be able to navigate to your video before release, and will see a countdown. After the video is released, people can watch it live or watch it later as it will later convert to a normal youtube video. ‘Youtube Premier’ has a feature where chat is kept in sync to the video, and we encourage but do not require speakers to be present so they can interact with people watching their video in real time. There will be no cost or registration to participate in the virtual event.

All videos will be scheduled for release over 1 calendar day (2 July). We have endeavored to try and schedule your online video to be within 9am-5pm of your local timezone. For our proposed timing, please see this link to the draft online schedule. Please reach out to cfp@linuxfoundation.org you have concerns around this proposed schedule.

UPLOADING INSTRUCTIONS

Please upload your pre-recorded 20-minutes talk as a .mp4 file to this form by the following deadlines:

• If you would like feedback on your video, you must submit the recording no later than Sunday, 16 June
• The final deadline to submit your recording is Sunday, 23 June (by 23:59 your local time)

If you need assistance with your pre-recorded talk, please contact us at cfp@linuxfoundation.org for additional information.

VIRTUAL TUTORIALS

Tutorials will take place live on Zoom. The deadline to confirm your tutorial format and scheduled time is Friday, 10th May (by 23:59 your local time).

FORMAT

Please let us know whether your tutorial will be done as one of two formats:

• Webinar: This is a tutorial that is disseminating information. In these events you and any selected co-presenters will have access to share content and video, but all participants will only have access to the chat and Q&A features. This format scales well, and is good for repeated use. We will not limit the number of participants to these events. No cost.
• Video Conference: A tutorial where all participants are given access to share video and content, so information flows easier in both directions. You can define a limit, but we’d recommend not more than 30 tickets if adopting this style of tutorial. Low cost (~5 euro per person; can waive the fee on a case by case basis).

SCHEDULE

Please take a look at our proposed timing in the draft virtual schedule, and either confirm the time or request another time.

The virtual tutorial schedule will be announced on Tuesday 21, May.

VIRTUAL BEST PRACTICES

Lighting

• For best results, use natural light and supplement with additional light as needed.
• Keep natural light in front of you to avoid shadows. A bright window behind you can make you appear as a dark silhouette.
• Interior rooms with no natural light source may require additional targeted lighting, such as a ring light, to brighten the speaker’s face.

Webcams

• Remember that the webcam is your link to your audience. Make eye contact with the camera so it appears to the audience that you are speaking directly to them.
• Place the webcam at eye level. The lens should either be directly level or pointing slightly downwards toward the face. Center the face and shoulders in the frame.
• Don’t be afraid to show your natural environment – bookcases, plants, paintings – as long as they are not too distracting. Avoid bright colors and anything that moves in your background.
• Presenters should use chairs that are adjustable for height but do not swivel. Swiveling on camera creates a poor attendee experience and can be distracting.

Microphones

• Use external microphones whenever available, as microphones built into computers and cameras often have lower quality.
• An external microphone allows the speaker to place it in the optimal location for sound. Place the microphone close to the speaker’s mouth, but not in the camera view.
• Test audio levels in advance.
• Breathe at regular intervals to speak audibly and clearly. Maintaining a clear, even tone throughout the presentation will allow the audience to hear it without adjusting their volume settings.
• Manage ambient noise by closing doors and windows as well as turning off fans, phones, or speakers.
• Do not touch the microphone while unmuted.

Dress Code

There is no dress code for presentations, and we encourage you to be comfortable. That said, you must be aware that the Code of Conduct applies to this space, both in terms of what you show on camera and what you say. We ask that you be tasteful and considerate in choosing your clothing and surroundings. Keep in mind that we are a global community. Please refrain from wearing shirts with global brand logos that are not your own. Solid colors (not white) also work best instead of prints.

Additional Information

• Practice Makes Perfect: Speakers should practice their content delivery in the environment in which they will deliver it, such as in front of a computer. Presenting alone to a computer can be awkward at first. To make speakers more comfortable, ask colleagues, roommates, or family to sit in front so they can present to familiar faces.
• Be Prepared: During the presentation, have a glass of water nearby to sip as needed. Also, keep handy a printout of your slides or notes in case you need to refer to them.
• Use a Timer: Have a clock to keep track of the time you have remaining.
• Ensure you have stable internet access: Hardwired connection is preferable. If a hardwired connection is not available, turn devices off that will affect your connectivity during your presentation, and make sure that anyone in the house is not on devices and/or consuming bandwidth.

Please promote your talk on social media by downloading your speaker banner. Be sure to use the official #useR2024. Please download your speaker banner by following these instructions: 

1. Log into Sessionize using this link: https://sessionize.com/app/speaker 
2. Once you’re logged in, you will arrive at your speaker overview page.
3. Find and click on your talk title.
4. On the next page, a small preview of your banner will be shown on the right hand side of the screen under “Share that you’re speaking!”. Find the blue box to the right of the banner preview that says “Generate and download”, and click on it.

The Linux Foundation, in collaboration with the National Center for Women in Technology (NCWIT), has created an online course designed to teach the viewer about inclusion, diversity, and unconscious bias. We highly recommend all of our speakers watch the course to learn tips/tools to use when speaking to encourage inclusivity in presentations and messaging. 

Please read and abide by our code of conduct, which can be found here. We ask that speakers especially review this code of conduct and are inclusive in the words and images used during their presentation.

Do you have a speaker or schedule-related question? Please contact us at cfp@linuxfoundation.org.