Offering poster presentations online alongside the poster wall

An online poster presentation is a digital version of a conference poster that participants can view through the conference platform, often with an explanation from the author, alongside or instead of the physical poster wall at the venue.

The poster wall is a classic part of a conference, but it has a practical limitation: it can only be viewed at one specific time and place. Anyone attending a parallel session misses the poster session. By also offering posters digitally, the work remains available to all participants, even after the conference day has ended.

Why make posters available digitally

A poster presentation is often the first platform for early-career research. The author may have spent weeks working on it and gets just one hour at the venue to present it. Digital availability increases the reach of that work without replacing the physical poster session.

Participants can view the posters whenever it suits them, including from the conference room between two sessions. Through the online conference platform, these contributions are brought together in one overview, organised by topic.

What a digital poster should include

A good online poster presentation is more than an uploaded pdf. The context around it determines whether a participant clicks on it.

• The poster itself, readable on both desktop and mobile
• Title, authors and affiliations, matching the submitted contribution
• The topic the poster belongs to, allowing participants to filter
• Where applicable, a short explanation from the author

The basic information comes from the contribution the author submitted earlier. Because the abstract and review module already contains this information, no one needs to re-enter titles and author names.

The physical poster session remains

Digital posters are an addition, not a replacement. For many participants, the conversation at the poster wall is precisely what makes this part of the programme valuable. What the digital version adds is that participants who missed the conversation can still view the contribution and contact the author afterwards.

The difference is even greater at a hybrid conference. Participants joining online do not have access to the poster wall, but they can access the digital posters. This gives both groups access to the same programme offering.

Part of the conference programme

Poster presentations are part of the programme and therefore part of the registration process surrounding it. Participants can find them alongside their own session choices and, at the venue, through the Event App with the programme and practical information. Activo has been providing this complete solution for business events and conferences since 1997.

Frequently asked questions about online poster presentations