MODERATOR GUIDELINES  

KEY POINTS

• Moderators are assigned to breakout and lightning sessions. For discussion sessions, the presenter is the moderator.
• Moderators are responsible for contacting presenting authors prior to conference, managing session time, introducing speakers and facilitating Q&A.
• Each session will have a CSTE staff member present for any technical support or on-site needs.
• Details of the session you are moderating can be found in the OpenWater account portal at the time of invitation. Speakers’ information will be added after the abstract waitlist closes in early April.
• All invited moderators should complete the 2026 CSTE Annual Conference Moderator Response Form to either accept or decline the invitation.

Session moderators are selected by the Program Planning Committee and must register to attend the conference. Moderators are responsible for contacting presenting authors prior to the conference, managing session time, introducing speakers, limiting presentations to the allotted time, and allowing time for questions and answers. Breakout sessions are 75 minutes and involve oral presentations focused on specific topics and are designed to share information via PowerPoint slides. The Q&A portion is held once all the presentations are complete. Moderators are only assigned to breakout and lightning sessions. Discussion session presenters will serve as their own moderators.  

All sessions will take place in person at the meeting facility in Boston, Massachusetts. Breakout sessions have AV equipment available, including a laptop computer, LCD panel, screen, and the appropriate sound equipment for room size. Sessions do not have telephone/video conference equipment, telephone lines, or internet lines available.  Breakout sessions will not be recorded. 

Responding to the Moderator Invitation   

Formal letters of invitation are sent by e-mail from the CSTE national office by Friday, March 6, 2026. Moderators for breakout sessions should respond to the invitation online no later than 11:59PM EDT Wednesday, April 1, 2026 by completing the 2026 CSTE Annual Conference Moderator Response Form. Moderators that fail to respond by the deadline will be considered accepted and expected to attend.     

All presenting authors and moderators are expected to register for the conference and pay related fees. Presenting authors and moderators are encouraged to become CSTE members, but it is not a requirement to present at the conference. CSTE membership is required to attend Position Statement sessions and the Business Meeting.   

Presentation Time  

In order to respect presenters and the audience, all presentations must not exceed their allotted timeframes. Presenting author presentation times will vary depending on the session. Presentation times can be accessed through your online invitation information in your OpenWater account. A direct link to your personal OpenWater account can be found in your moderator invitation e-mail.  

Tasks for Moderators Before the Conference  

REVIEW | Moderators need to review the Speaker Guidelines for Breakout Sessions, which includes important guidance for presenting authors. Access your OpenWater account to review the session date and time. Further details, including presentation titles, presenting authors, presenting author bio information, presenting author name pronunciation, and abstract information, if permitted by the author, will be accessible in the OpenWater account portal in early April, after the abstract waitlist closes. 

CONFIRM | Three to four weeks prior to the conference, moderators must contact presenting authors to discuss the session and coordinate presentations. If you or a presenting author cannot attend, contact [email protected] immediately.  

REMIND | Presenting authors must upload presentation slides in their OpenWater account by the advance deadline on Thursday, May 7, 2026  by 11:59PM EDT. After the advance deadline, presentations may only be uploaded or updated onsite in the Speaker Ready Room, no later than 24 hours prior to the start of your session.   

Before the Session Starts  

• Arrive at your designated meeting room 15 minutes prior to the scheduled session to meet presenting authors.  

• Identify and check in with the CSTE staff member assigned to your session. 

• The computer in your room will be preloaded with presentations submitted online by the advance deadline and all presentations uploaded or updated in the Speaker Ready Room 24 hours before the start of your session.  

• Encourage presenting authors to sit at the front of the room for quick transitions.  

• Discuss a warning signal with presenting authors that will indicate a presentation should conclude.  

• Review presentation time again and remind presenting authors that they must verbally disclose any financial support or conflicts of interest per the CSTE Speaker Disclosure Guidelines.  

During Your Session   

• Start the session on time. This is extremely important to ensure each presenting author has adequate time to present the topic and allow for discussion at the end of the session.   

• Presenting authors should present in the order listed in the agenda. If a presenter is a no-show adjust accordingly and allow other presenting authors more time or promote discussion at the end of the presentations. Please let the CSTE Program Staff Lead know of no-show authors.  

• Encourage attendees to fill in seating and ask that cell phones and notifications are silenced.  

• Keep presenting authors on time. If a presenter is going over time and you have used warning signals, then stand next to the person as yet another visual cue. If this doesn’t work, it is perfectly acceptable and respectful to other presenting authors to interrupt the presenting author. You may say something to the effect that you hate to cut such an interesting presentation short, but in fairness to the other presenting authors, you must.  

• During the question and answer segment, moderators should always repeat the question for the attendees. Moderators may want to develop their own questions during the session in case attendees do not ask questions.  

• If an attendee is being disruptive, ask that questions/comments be held until the end so that the session does not fall behind time. If the attendee continues to be disruptive, then report it to the CSTE Program Staff Lead within your session.   

• IT and Audio-Visual technicians are available onsite for assistance when needed. Because they monitor many technical components to the conference, they are not able to remain in the room throughout a session. If you need a technician in your session, please let the staff member assigned to the session know.   

• End the session on time. Close the session by thanking presenting authors and encouraging attendees to complete a conference evaluation.    

After the Session   

• Verbally Thank Presenting Authors. The CSTE National Office will send formal thank you letters by e-mail to all presenting authors listed on the agenda.  

SPEAKER DISCLOSURE – Presenting authors must disclose to participants prior to speaking any significant financial interest or other relationships with the manufacturer(s) of any commercial product(s) or provider(s) of any commercial services discussed in a session presentation and with any commercial supports of the activity. This pertains to relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or other corporations whose products or services are related to the subject matter of the presentation topic. Having an interest or affiliation with a corporate organization does not prevent a speaker from making a presentation, but the relationship must be made known in advance to the audience. Questions regarding CSTE presenter disclosure should be directed to the CSTE National Office.    

PHOTOGRAPHY DISCLOSURE – By participating in the annual conference, whether in-person or virtually, uploading photographs to social media with the hashtag #CSTE2026, or uploading photographs to the CSTE conference app and/or platform, you grant CSTE the right to take and distribute photographs, video, audio and/or electronic reproductions of events and activities for use in CSTE print and digital materials. By agreeing to present, you agree to allow CSTE to make video recordings of your presentation and archive this public available media on the CSTE website.    

CSTE may select presentations or sessions for promotion to media outlets during the CSTE Annual Conference. Therefore, media personnel may attend conference sessions and can be identified by their conference name badges.   

Questions – Contact the CSTE national office at (770) 458-3811 or [email protected] if you have any questions that are not addressed in the guidelines or on the CSTE website.