Running a panel in a hybrid conference

As a chair/convenor, you should:

• Enter the room and Zoom at least 20 minutes before the session starts, meet the volunteer. If you are using your own device to monitor online chat/questions, then join and become co-host of the Zoom session, keeping sound muted and mic muted as well.
• Check all speakers are present, correct AV equipment is available and the microphone is working. In most rooms the mic is built into the camera. Larger rooms may have a lapel mic available. Inform your room/panel’s conference volunteer if there are any issues.
• If you are an online convenor use this time to liaise with your f2f stand-in/chair, so that you can both perform your roles.
• Decide how questions will be taken (both f2f and online – where you might prefer text chat to raised hands, or vice versa). See advice below.
• Stick to the running order printed on the sheet on the door of your panel room. If there are good reasons to amend the order, please update the sheet and inform online participants.
• Plan panel/speaker time and how time-keeping reminders will be given to presenters (f2f and online). See advice below.
• Encourage f2f people to sit towards the front of the room, so that everyone can see/hear – all the more important in hybrid context, where spoken f2f questions will need to come to the front and use the lapel mic.
• Open the session with a few introductory remarks, remembering to address both f2f and remote participants. Do not treat remote participants as second class citizens. Greet everyone, introduce yourselves and any other significant actors in the panel (discussants, volunteer etc).
• Give participants a reminder of the conference X/twitter hashtag to encourage reporting on your panel.
• Remind everyone that the panel is taking place both in the room and in Zoom, and remind the audience that the panel will be recorded, ensuring they consent to this, or are given the choice to step out. The conference volunteer will take care of the recording.
• Introduce the panel topic (if necessary); introduce/invite people to present
• Keep time and alert presenters to running out of time. See advice below.
• Address questions in the audience, both f2f and in Zoom (whether by chat or raised hand) and do your best to give both domains equivalence – do not forget the online participants!
• Prompt discussion:
    – try to ensure the widest participation is achieved. Avoid using names of people you know during questions/discussion time – those whose names you do not know may feel marginalised
    – if a question and answer become a dialogue that excludes the rest of the panel and make it impossible to ask other/further questions, please interrupt and suggest colleagues continue that particular line of discussion later.
• Thank the speaker(s) and try to close the panel with a conclusion that references all the papers and their contribution to the panel’s theme.
• End the Zoom session or ask the volunteer to do so.
• When the session ends, the panel must leave the room during the break even if the discussion is flowing. You should very clearly end the discussion and request that you all continue outside, in a more informal setting, over refreshments.

We recommend having at least two convenors: one to focus on the in-person part of the session, the other to focus on the online part of the session, both supported by the panel volunteer.