IEEE International Conference on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency
2-6 May 2020 // Virtual Conference

Instructions for Participants

General Tips for Participants

Basic Session Structure:

  • 10 minutes before the Session: The host will start the designated WebEx meeting.
  • 2 minutes before the Session: The host will start the recording.
  • 1 minute before the Session: The Session Chair introduces the session. 
  • Beginning of the Session: The Session Chair will introduce the presenter. The talk will be presented using the video recording submitted by the presenter.
  • The duration of a presentation by type are listed below:
Type Video Duration Q&A Duration
Full papers 20 minutes 4-5 minutes
Short papers 12 minutes 2-3 minutes
Posters / Demos 8 minutes 5-6 minutes
Tutorials 90 minutes (or live talk) 25 minutes**

** the speaker will take questions “on the fly” by the participants for roughly a total of 25min of tutorial Q&A (per tutorial). The total duration of a tutorial session is around 115min.

 

Q&A Session

A live Q&A Session will follow each talk (except for tutorials), moderated by the Session Chair:

  • Participants will be muted and they will need submit questions during the video presentation (aka, before the Q&A Session). 
  • The Session Chair will select and ask the questions during the Q&A session. We understand that there maybe not time to ask all the questions. The Chair will make sure to ask complementary questions and hopefully according to the time they were first submitted.
  • The Chair will have the ability to unmute participants if this is needed to elaborate on their questions (please note that due to the limited Q&A duration, participants may want to discuss with the author(s) off-line).
  • A Google Drive channel will be available if the paper author and attendees want to have a further conversation following the Q&A.

 

Useful Links:

 

WebEx Tips:

  • Each session will have a host, a Session Chair, a presenter and participants.
  • Host: This will be the user with a special icon by the side of the profile. This person facilitates the use of the technology and could be the same person as the Session Chair in some sessions. (NAME: Host * or Chair *).
  • Session Chair: This person is present to coordinate the session and manage Q&A. (NAME: Chair *).  
  • For a stable connection to the meeting please check: Webex Best Practices

Detailed WebEx Guide for Participants

Initial WebEx setup:

Please install WebEx extension to your browser in advance.

Note: It is recommended to install a browser extension as WebEx events are supported better on an extension. We also note that the extension only works on some versions in Linux System. 

 

How to join the Session:

  1. An access-controlled page will be created on our website which will list all the WebEx meeting invites. You will be provided with the required credentials before the conference.
  2. Using the invite on our page you can join a WebEx session by clicking on the link to join the meeting.
  3. If you are joining the Session before the host has started the meeting, please wait in the lobby until the host starts the Session.

 

During the Session:

  1. Session Chair will mute your microphone during the complete Session. In case you would like to ask any questions please read the instructions below.
  2. You can join the discussion with other attendees by sending messages to “All Participants”.

  1. You are welcome to use private chat to direct questions to the Session Chair (NAME: Chair *). 
  2. When watching the replay of the presentation video, you can adjust the volume of the video/enlarge the view using the embedded player. To get the maximum view of the video, we suggest attendees to expand and view the video in full screen.

  1. During the replay of presentation video, you are welcome to ask questions. The instructions are found in the Q&A section below.
  2. You do not need to announce yourself arriving or leaving a Session.

 

Q&A Session:

  1. As organizers, we would like to ensure a smooth and productive virtual conference. Following the video presentation there is a short Q&A session.
  2. We request participants to use Q&A panel on the side-panel on the right of the WebEx window. If not shown, one can click on the icon shown below to enable the Q&A panel. 

 

  1. You can post your questions in the Q&A window anytime during the Session. If you need to refer to the presentation, please indicate clearly the page number of the slides. If there is no page number available, please note down the time of the relevant content.
  2. At the end of the talk, the Session Chair will select and ask the presenter to answer some of the questions in sequence they were submitted and within the allotted Q&A period.
  3. The Session Chair will try to cover as many questions as possible depending on the allotted time. In case, some of the questions have not been answered we would request participants to use discussion boards for the same purpose.

 

Discussion Boards:

  1. We will be providing with links to Google Drive location for each Session in an access-controlled page. You will be granted credentials before the conference starts.
  2. A list of discussion boards for each submission will be enabled in the Google Drive.
  3. These boards can be used as offline discussion panels between participants and authors following the Q&A presentation.

 

Breaks:

Conferencing, online and in-person can be exhausting! We need to take breaks. We will take breaks. Breaks are built-in to the schedule!

  • Stand up and stretch, get a snack, come back refreshed!
  • If you leave WebEx on, make sure that your microphone is muted during the break.

Patrons