Important Policies for Presenters

Sharing your research and teaching at professional disciplinary conferences is an important part of being an academic. Participating on a conference program has responsibilities that are standard across associations to make for a successful meeting for presenters and attendees alike. Those responsibilities include paying registration fees and communicating if they are unable to take part in the conference after being accepted onto the program. We welcome all level of academics and expect their cooperation in providing a full and diverse program. Unfortunately, in the past few years, an unacceptable number of presenters have not upheld their obligations to the conference and association.

Below is a list of common questions and our policies that should be read and understood prior to submitting a proposal. If you have any questions, please reach out to our conference coordinator, Program Chair, or Treasurer for clarification.

PARTICIPANT APPEARANCE LIMITS & SCHEDULING REQUESTS

  • An individual may be listed on the program no more than three (3) times per annual meeting without explicit permission of the Program Chair.
  • Specific scheduling requests must be made by December 15, 2023.

ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSAL ONTO THE FINAL PROGRAM

The lead author of a proposal will be notified via email of their proposal’s acceptance or denial prior to January 10.  It is the responsibility of the lead author to notify all co-authors an acceptance and instruct them to begin making plans to register, make travel plans, and reserve accommodations.

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENT

  • All program participants are required to register.
  • It is not uncommon for co-authors not to be involved with the actual presentation of the proposal. Non-presenting co-authors are not required to register – however, if they attend the conference, they are required to pay registration fees.
  • All program presenters must register for the conference no later than thirty (30) days prior to first day of conference. Those that do not register (30) days prior to the first of the conference will be removed from the final program and not allowed to present at the conference.
  • Paid registration is required to access all in-person or virtual sessions.
  • We recommend every attendee save the emailed receipt as their record of registration. Have a copy with you when checking in at the association conference desk in case of questions.
  • NCSA’s standard policy is that any registration can be canceled without penalty up to thirty (30) calendar days prior to the first day of conference. For all Virtual Conferences, we will allow cancellations without penalty up to ten (10) calendar days prior to the start of the Virtual Conference.
  • The requirement of registration fees helps to guarantee the presence of presenters listed in the final program. This policy hopes to reduce the number of last-minute drops and no-show presenters, thus greatly increasing the quality of the program for all attendees.

I’M A PRESENTER/INVITED SPEAKER/ORGANIZER/SESSION CHAIR/ETC., NOT SIMPLY AN ATTENDEE. DO I HAVE TO PAY REGISTRATION FEES?

Yes. Conference fees help to pay for the venue and all related services as well as fund NCSA’s operating expenses throughout the year, since member dues do not cover the per-member cost of products and services such as the journal, website, online resources, and more. NCSA seeks to keep costs to a minimum and affordable to as many people as possible; although conference costs are rising substantially, registration fees have been raised minimally over the last 10 years.

Conference costs are based on the number of registered non-presenters and accepted presenters on the final program. Not paying registration fees increases a loss for the association. When a person does not plan for their participation and carry out agreed upon duties as a presenter, the result is increased registration fees for everyone else.

We appreciate everyone’s professional contributions, and NCSA conferences are highly participatory:  since more than 60% of all delegates are also presenters, session chairs or otherwise actively participating in the conference program, so to keep NCSA operational, the dollars of every participant are needed, too.

PRESENTATION CANCELLATION AFTER ACCEPTANCE ONTO PROGRAM

  • To cancel, presenters should notify the Program Committee Chair and the Conference Planner in writing by email and must be received by the stated cancellation deadline.
  • Prior to cancellation, be sure all co-authors are unable to give the presentation at scheduled day and time. Junior co-authors are allowed to ‘read a scripted’ presentation.
  • All cancellations that qualify for a refund will be credited either through a refund check payment or credit to the card used to make the original payment. Please note that this includes invoice payments made by credit card.
  • All cancellations of a presentation should be made as soon as possible, and prior to 30 days prior to the first day of the conference.
  • Once a presenter has received an acceptance notification, cancellation creates a hardship on conference planners and disrupts the conference program. As such, cancellations received after the published cut-off date and presenter no shows are not refundable.
  • We understand that some situations may hinder one ability to participate. In these situations, it is required that you notify the conference planner well in advance of your presentation.
  • If a presenter cancels their presentation(s) for two (2) consecutive meetings, future presentations may be subject to rejection based on frequent cancelations. Cancellation penalties apply to presenting authors, not to any non-presenting co-authors.

GIVING A PRESENTATION WITHOUT PAID REGISTRATION

If presenter or co-presenter is on program, makes their presentation, and does not pay, they will be invoiced for appropriate registration fee. If the invoiced fees are not paid within three (3) weeks any submitted proposals for the next two (2) years will not be considered for acceptance onto the program until arrears fees are paid. The offender’s department or organization may be invoiced for the delinquent fees as well.

NO SHOWS

Any presenter(s) that do not appear in their scheduled session to make their scheduled presentation and/or do not notify conference organizers they will be unable to appear, will be considered a ‘no show.’

Not cancelling and failure to give scheduled presentations are disruptive and leave gaps in the conference program which diminishes the experience of conference attendees. Most situations that result in cancellation are avoidable with proper prior planning. It is the presenter’s responsibility to be confident in their ability to attend and present at the annual meeting prior to submitting a conference proposal.

EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES

We understand that unforeseen events outside of a presenter’s control may prevent them from presenting as scheduled. Extenuating circumstances will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for presenters with sudden and unavoidable reasons for not attending the conference (medical issues, family emergencies, unforeseen travel problems, and similar situations outside of a presenter’s control).

REFUNDS

  • Refund requests must be submitted via email to ncsasocconf@gmail.com.
  • Refund requests received within 7 calendar days of the first day of the conference will not be granted.
  • Registration fees that are refundable will be less the amount of the appropriate, included membership dues.
  • All refund requests must be made by the attendee or credit card holder. Refund requests must include the name of the attendee and/or transaction number.
  • For payments received by credit or debit cards, the same credit/debit card will be refunded.
  • Refunds will not be available for registrants who choose not to attend an event.

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updated August 13, 2023