In-Person Poster Session Session FAQs

Poster sessions are where frontline campus innovators share their expertise with attendees through a physical poster display. The poster presenter gives a series of mini-presentations to attendees (usually 3 - 5 minutes) as they stop by the poster. The presenter has the opportunity to explain and discuss their topic, using the visuals from their poster as a reference. Poster sessions are more informal and interactive than other traditional sessions, allowing for more personal connections to be made.

Poster Sessions will be held in the EDUCAUSE Commons (previously known as the exhibit hall) and there will be many poster sessions happening concurrently in each of the track “neighborhoods.” The four main areas within EDUCAUSE Commons: 1) Teaching & Learning Central; 2) Cybersecurity & Privacy Central; 3) Enterprise Central; 4) EDUCAUSE Central. You will be assigned to one of these areas.

• You may visit our Poster Picture Gallery here for some great visuals of the poster area.

Start by answering these three questions:

1. What is the most important/interesting/astounding finding from my project or about my topic?
2. How can I visually share my research or important information with conference attendees? Should I use charts, graphs, photos, images?
3. What kind of information can I convey during my talk that will complement my poster?

Then be sure to sketch out a draft of your poster presentation. Follow these Poster Best Practices to make your poster really stand out!

No—not unless you want to. We have created four different poster templates at the top of this page for your use. Please keep the following in mind when creating and printing your poster:

• Final Poster Print Size: 92"x44"
• PowerPoint and Illustrator file sizes are set to 50%*: 46"x22"
  • *Inform printer of the final print size and that the file provided is at 50% of this size.

Font size recommendations:

• Main title heading - 260 pt minimum final size (130 pt in templates*)
• Copy/content - 40 pt minimum final size (20 pt in templates*)

*The font sizes of our poster templates are 50% since the files are set to 50% of final print size.

We do not recommend one over the other. If you print a paper poster, you will want to keep it secure while traveling in a poster tube. If you print it on fabric, it is more easily transportable because you can fold it and pack it in your luggage.

You may use any printer you would like. Some poster presenters prefer to use an on-campus printer; some like to use a local printer, and some prefer to have it printed in the city of the conference. Whichever you prefer, we strongly suggest ordering well in advance!

For 2025: The UPS Store located in the Music City Center in Nashville has special pre-event pricing. You can order ahead and pick up onsite! To order and for more information, please access the EDUCAUSE/UPS Store Poster Order Form. (For pre-event pricing, orders must be placed by October 10, 2025.)

The poster board you will be affixing your poster to is a fabric-covered 4 ft. high x 8 ft. wide (48 “X 96” inches) poster board (visuals here) that has a 2-inch wide aluminum frame and is firmly supported on "A-frame" legs. The display stands approximately 6 ft. high.

Before you start working on your poster presentation, you will want to decide what size to make your poster. Here are some commonly used poster sizes that will fit in that space:

The following will be provided to poster presenters during set-up: pushpins, velcro, clips, double-sided tape, T-pins. We also have scissors available.

EDUCAUSE will also provide poster presenters with a cocktail round at each display.

Note: There will be no equipment security or storage available when you are not presenting, so please keep valuable items with you at all times.

There will be wireless internet access provided in the Commons (exhibit hall), which includes the poster area. Power will not be provided for laptops or tablets, so if you plan to use one at your poster display, be sure it is fully charged.

You do not need to provide anything other than your in-person poster onsite. We do ask, however, that you upload a PDF copy of your poster and any supporting materials (if applicable) for attendees to view in the online agenda and mobile app. These will be due by October 20. (Instructions will be emailed to presenters.) File type allowed: PDF. File size should be 2GB or smaller.

Pro Tip: Do you have additional resources? Use a QR code in the corner of your poster to direct people there!

You have been assigned to present on either Tuesday or Wednesday of the conference at one of the following dates/times. There will be different poster sessions during each of the below time slots.

• Tuesday, Oct. 28 | 9:45 - 10:30 a.m. CT
• Tuesday, Oct. 28 | 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. CT
• Wednesday, Oct. 29 | 9:45-10:30 a.m. CT
• Wednesday, Oct. 29 | 3:15- 4:00 p.m. CT

You must be at your poster to present during display times.

Due to space considerations at your poster station, we ask that there be no more than two presenters at the poster at one time.

Below is the schedule for both Tuesday and Wednesday. IMPORTANT: You will need to wear your presenter ribbon to gain access to the Commons (exhibit hall) during the setup time. You can pick it up at the Speaker Ready Room or from the EDUCAUSE staff that will be outside the Commons main entrance.

• Tuesday, Oct. 28 | 9:45 - 10:30 a.m. CT
  • Setup: 7:30 - 9:00 a.m. | Teardown: No later than 11:00 a.m.
• Tuesday, Oct. 28 | 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. CT
  • Setup: 2:00 - 4:15 p.m. | Teardown: By 5:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, Oct. 29 | 9:45-10:30 a.m. CT
  • Setup: 7:30 - 9:00 a.m. | Teardown: No later than 11:00 a.m.
• Wednesday, Oct. 29 | 3:15- 4:00 p.m. CT
  • Setup: 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | Teardown: By 4:30 p.m.

Yes. We recommend bringing your poster with you in a poster tube or having it printed in Nashville. If you do need to ship your poster, it would be best to send it to your hotel (labeled to your attention). Please contact the hotel directly to confirm this and for shipping instructions. Do not ship to the convention center.

There is a lot of energy and activity in the poster area! Small groups of attendees and individuals will be stopping by your poster to learn more about your topic.

1. Feel free to be creative with your poster to help make yours stand out. The Presenter Concierge section of our website offers lots of great resources, including presenter best practices.
2. What can you do or say to draw people to your poster? You will want to prepare some introductory remarks and talking points to engage attendees. After this, it becomes more conversational as they ask questions.

Yes. EDUCAUSE strives to hold meetings, conferences, and other professional events where all attendees feel welcome and barriers of any type do not exclude people from attending or participating. We ask that you take the time to review the Accessibility Information for Presenters and the below resources to help you create and deliver a presentation that all attendees can enjoy.

EDUCAUSE has a dedicated staff person whose primary role is to support presenters. The speaker manager provides ongoing communication leading up to the event, answers questions and can provide extra assistance through Speaker Support Sessions if needed.