GUIDELINES for Poster Presentations  

A poster presentation is a visual illustration on a poster board that summarizes findings by way of limited text, graphics, and photographs. Presenting authors hold discussions with attendees who circulate among the poster boards. Sessions do not have audio-visual equipment, telephone/video conferencing equipment, telephones, or internet lines available. All posters will be displayed at the meeting facilities in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

  

Important Dates  

4/10 Invitation Response Due  

5/22 Handout Upload (Optional)   

 

Responding to the Poster Invitation  

Formal letters of invitation will be sent by e-mail from the CSTE national office by Thursday, March 6, 2025. Presenting authors should respond to the invitation online no later than 11:59PM EDT on Thursday, April 10, 2025.  

 

Submission of an abstract implies that presenting authors are committed to making the presentation in-person at the conference. Should circumstances change and a presenting author is unable to attend, then the author is responsible for finding a substitute presenting author. Presenting authors that fail to respond by the deadline will be considered accepted and expected to present. Acceptance or withdrawal of an accepted abstract must be made no later than 11:59PM EDT on Thursday, April 10, 2025. Withdrawals made after this date or failure to present an accepted abstract could result in disqualification from presenting an abstract at future conferences.  

  

All presenting authors and moderators must register for the conference and pay related fees. CSTE does not provide a travel allowance, honorarium, or reimbursement for presenting authors attending the conference. Presenting authors are encouraged to become CSTE members, but it is not a requirement to present at the conference.   

 

Revising Your Accepted Abstract 

Presenting authors of accepted abstracts are able to submit needed edits to their abstract before Thursday, April 10, 2025 by either emailing [email protected] or calling 770-458-3811. 

 

Presentation Time 

Presentations are held during the morning and afternoon breaks for 30 minutes of information and discussion. Each poster board is assigned a number that will correspond with the poster presentation. Posters will be displayed for the duration of the conference starting on Sunday until Wednesday. Presentation times can be accessed in the Speaker Center. A direct link to your personal Speaker Center can be found in your invitation e-mail. Poster board number assignments will be available in the electronic agenda and app, once available to attendees in late May. Posters left after 12pm EDT on Wednesday will be removed and discarded. 

 

Poster Presentation 

  • Poster presentation materials must fit within the poster board display area of 4ft tall x 8ft wide. The board is oriented in the landscape position (long dimension is horizontal). 
  • Place the title of your poster presentation at the top center of the poster.   
  • Recommended fonts are san serif font, such as Arial, because san serif fonts are easier to read than serif fonts, such as Times New Roman. Posters should be designed using appropriate font sizes so they can be easily viewed from 3 ft away. 
  • Posters are generally read from left to right and top to bottom. Use arrows, numbers, or letters to indicate preferred viewing sequence to attendees.  
  • Keep your text to a minimum. Your emphasis should be on graphics, charts, graph, and photos.   
  • Include your name, address, and phone number or distribute business cards in case an attendee wants additional information. 
  • Use a mailing tube or portfolio case for transporting your poster to the conference. Most presenters carry their posters with them, but if you want to ship your materials ahead, you must ship them to yourself in care of the hotel at which you will be staying. 
  • Pushpins will be provided for you to attach your materials to the poster board. The use of glue, tape, or staples is not allowed. 
  • BE PREPARED to answer questions or discuss topics with attendees. 

 

Handouts 

Handouts are not a requirement; however, if you want to distribute handouts during the session, we recommend you bring plenty of copies with you. Handouts may also be uploaded through Speaker Center. CSTE strongly recommends poster presenting authors to upload a PDF version of their poster for attendee viewing during and after the conference. A direct link to your personal Speaker Center can be found in your invitation email. Handouts may be uploaded online by 11:59pm EDT on Friday, May 22, 2025 or after the conference. 

 

CSTE Staff Support in Sessions 

CSTE Staff may not be present during poster presentations in the Networking Hall. If you need assistance from the CSTE Staff, please visit the Registration Desk. 

 

Outstanding Poster Presentation Awards 

Award finalists must display their poster during the entire conference from Sunday at noon through Wednesday at noon. The Review Committee will score award finalists onsite, so presenting authors should not remove their poster after presentation unless they must leave the conference early. CSTE will recognize the work of poster presenters by offering up to six awards in the following areas: Chronic Disease/Maternal and Child Health, Environmental Health/Occupational Health, Infectious Disease, Special Topics/Workforce, Substance Use/Mental Health/Injury, Surveillance/Informatics. CSTE will award an individual certificate in each category. Award recipients will be announced post-conference. 

 

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 #CSTE2025, 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. 

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