Guidelines for Moderators and Presenters 

We recommend that moderators and presenters follow this basic timeline to have a successful and organized program.  

Please be sure to keep AALS informed of any changes to your presenter lineup. 

At least 6 weeks before, Moderators should: 

• Contact and introduce yourself to your fellow presenters. 
• Request a paper or electronic copy of each presentation. 
• Request a 2-3 sentence biography for introductions. 

At least 2 weeks before, Moderators should: 

• Determine the order of the presentations.  
• Ask presenters to arrive at the meeting room 15 minutes prior to the session’s start time.  
• Ask them to be available to attendees following the session to continue answering questions outside the meeting room. 

When you are at the meeting: 

• All presenters should arrive at their session at least 15 minutes before it begins. With only a brief break between sessions, we ask that you arrive promptly so your session can start on time, end on time, and use the entire time allotted to the session.  
• The moderator should brief everyone on the format of the session, how it will be conducted, and the importance of presenters staying within the time allotted for each presentation. We highly encourage moderators and speakers to set a timer for presentations.  
• There will be an opening welcome announcement script at the podium. If you opted to have your session audio recorded, we ask that moderators use this script during the introduction to the session. If you did not opt in, your session audio will not be recorded. 

The standard meeting room set up for most sessions includes:    

• Theater seating (rows of chairs facing front of room with center aisle)  
• Head table and podium 
• Tent cards with names of moderator and each presenter (located in a manila folder in or around the podium) 

For Discussion Groups, the room set up includes: 

• Conference table seating (tables with chairs around table) for the number of Discussion Group participants 
• Tent cards with names of Discussion Group moderator and each of the Discussion Group participants (located in a manila folder) 
• Perimeter seating for audience members to observe the discussion on a first-come, first-served basis 

For Day-Long Programs, the room set up includes: 

• Schoolroom seating (rows of narrow tables for notetaking with chairs facing front of a room; center aisle) 
• Head table and podium 
• Tent cards with names of moderator and each of the presenters (located in a manila folder in or around the podium) 

Assistance inside the room 
Session Assistants will be located throughout the meeting room hallways to answer any questions moderators, presenters, or attendees have. For technology help, please call the Inspire A/V hotline phone number found on the projector table in each meeting room.  

Each session meeting room except Discussion Groups is equipped with the following:   

• AALS-provided PC laptops. Laptops will have PowerPoint, Word, Adobe Acrobat PDF reader, Chrome, and Edge Web Browers loaded and available.   
• Presenters are to bring a USB driver with presentation downloaded.  
• HD Projector 
• Screen 
• Audio (sound) patch to house sound for video or music presentations 
• Microphones: Podium microphone, head table microphones for presenters, microphone in center aisle for audience Q&A 
• Complimentary hotel Wi-Fi. If you are planning an internet-based presentation, we recommend you download your presentation in advance. A high volume of users at the meeting may cause a slow connection on the hotel Wi-Fi. 

Managing time effectively during a session ensures all presenters have a fair opportunity to speak and keeps the audience engaged. Most sessions are 75 minutes long. We recommend the following breakdown: 

• Introductions (keep them brief): 2-3 minutes 
• Presentations: 15 minutes per presenter × 4 = 60 minutes 
• Q&A: 10 minutes post-session follow-up 
• Business Meeting (if applicable): 10 minutes 
   

Before the session: 

• Share a detailed schedule with panelists, including start/end times for each segment. 
• Emphasize the importance of staying within time limits to avoid overruns. 

During the session: 

• Use a countdown timer on your smartphone or watch. 
• Give polite time reminders (e.g., “You have 5 minutes left.”). 

Taking Questions 

To ensure a smooth and inclusive Q&A experience, we recommend holding a combined Q&A session at the end of the presentations. This allows for a more cohesive discussion and ensures all presenters have equal opportunity to respond. 

Moderators should: 

• Prepare a few questions for each presenter in advance to help spark audience engagement if needed. 
• For the benefit of all attendees and the audio recording, please: 
• Use a microphone when speaking. 
• Repeat any questions asked from the floor to ensure clarity for all participants. 

Concluding the Session 

At the end of the session, moderators are encouraged to: 

• Offer a summary of key takeaways. 
• Thank the presenters for their contributions. 
• Remind attendees to evaluate the session using the Mobile App. 

Starting this year, session audio recordings are opt-in only. Sessions that opt in will be recorded and posted online in the meeting archive for on-demand replay. Individuals speaking at sessions that have opted in may request to be edited out of the posted recording. If the session organizer does not opt in, no part of the session will be recorded.  

If your section has not yet opted into recording and would like to do so now, please email [email protected] with your request. 

All moderators, law school presenters, commentators, and discussion participants are required to register for the meeting. Please visit the FAQs or contact [email protected] if you have any questions.  

Register on or before November 18 to receive an early bird discount. 

Hotel Reservations 
For information regarding hotels and making a reservation for the Annual Meeting, visit the Hotels page. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions. 

If I am a moderator/presenter and I am attending only the session I am participating in, do I need to pay the registration fee? 

Yes, all law faculty and professional staff who moderate and present pay the registration fee.   

Where can I prepare onsite before my session? 

There is a speaker ready room at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. The location will be listed in the program. The room will be set up with a laptop, HD projector, and screen for you to test PowerPoint presentations using your laptop. The speaker ready room will also have a printer for printing out presentation notes. 

Who can assist me with questions about my presentation topic and length? 

We recommend that you contact the session organizer who invited you to speak to discuss your presentation topic. Please see the full program to view the description of your session and the other presenters. Once you open the link, type Ctrl+F to open the search box and type the name of the session, then click on the hyperlink to open the session and see the participants and description.  

What is the AALS accessibility policy? 

AALS is committed to making our meetings and events accessible to all our presenters and attendees. Visit the Accessibility page for more information. Please contact AALS at [email protected] for assistance.