Frequently Asked Questions

Prior to the conference, you will need to prepare materials, which form the basis of your presentation. We will distribute your materials to the delegates who consider them very useful both during the conference and as a reference tool.

Speaker Biography

Please provide a biography. The chair will be responsible for introducing you at the conference. Your biography will also be included in the binder for the delegates.

Presentation Material

Please provide an electronic copy of any written material you will be presenting to the delegates. Many presentations are undermined by a failure to provide delegates with copies of presentation materials. Delegates are very interested in the material and wish to make personal notes during the discussion. If there are corrections or add-ons to your paper after the course, kindly send us a soft copy of these changes, and we will post the revised copy in our “downloads” section of the website.

Power Point Presentation

Please note that delegates expect to receive a copy of every slide presentation. If you do not plan to use a visual presentation provide a summary for the workbook highlighting the key points of your presentation.

Submitting Your Materials

Please email your presentation material to your Conference Administrator at least 3 weeks prior to the conference.

Late Submission of Materials

We cannot photocopy materials supplied the day of the conference. Any documentation not received prior to the event must be photocopied and distributed at the conference by the speaker.

To assist us in introducing you, we include biographies for all speakers and chairs in the conference workbook.

Your biography should describe your present position and your accomplishments, particularly those that are relevant to this conference. It should be no longer than 150 words in length. Please be advised that it may be shortened to 60-90 words in the printed brochure.

Please provide the following information:

1. Full name
2. Company title(s)
3. Area of practice/specialization
4. Associations, memberships, committees, organizations and your appropriate title within these groups
5. Honours, degrees
6. Publications
7. Lectures, any other conference appearances

Biography Example

Peter A. Milligan, Partner, Poole Milligan

Mr. Milligan graduated from Geneva College in Pennsylvania in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics. In 1974, he received a Bachelor of Laws Degree from Osgoode Hall Law School of York University. He was called to the Bar in 1977. Mr. Milligan is a partner in the law firm of Poole Milligan where his practice is restricted to administrative and municipal law matters with particular emphasis on property tax and assessment law. He is a member of several professional organizations including the Institute of Municipal Assessors of Ontario, the International Association of Assessing Officers, the Institute of Property Taxation and the Canadian Property Tax Association. Mr. Milligan writes and speaks regularly on municipal and property assessment matters and is presently the Executive Editor of “Focus on Canadian Municipal Assessment Taxation.

In addition to preparing the materials for your presentation you will also need to consider the following:

Presentation Equipment

To ensure that you have all the resources you need for your presentation please complete the Speaker Checklist no later than 3 weeks prior to the conference date.

Arrival Time

The speakers should check in thirty minutes prior to the time of their presentation.

Maintaining Time Schedule and Conference Flow

We have created information-packed schedules so it is important that the speaker keep an eye on the time. This will keep the program running smoothly and allow time for delegates to ask questions at the end of your presentation.

Speaker Substitution

Often, delegates attend conferences to hear a particular speaker. For this reason, making last minute changes to our line-up is problematic. However, if you are unable to fulfill your commitment to us please contact our office immediately and make arrangements for a suitable substitute from your office.

As chair/co-chair you have agreed to take on an important role which will prove critical to the smooth operation — and ultimately the success — of the conference. Responsibilities of the chair are:

Arrival Time

You should arrive thirty minutes prior to the conference. The registration area opens at 8:00am. This will give you time to meet with INFONEX personnel and to inform you of any last-minute changes to the agenda and introduce you to the first speaker.

Opening and Closing Remarks

At the beginning of each day the Chair will spend 10 to 15 minutes introducing the topic. During closing remarks the Chair will highlight the key learning points of the day/conference.

Maintaining Time Schedule and Conference Flow

We have created information-packed schedules so it is important that the Chair keeps an eye on the time. Speakers have been told they must allow time for a question period (approx. 10 minutes). The chair should initiate conversations that will generate dialogue between delegates and speakers. Please ask delegates to fill out the evaluation form (yellow form in binder) in order to receive some feedback.

Introducing, welcoming and thanking individual

The chair will be responsible for introducing each speaker. Speakers’ biographies will be sent to you prior to the conference. As the delegates all have copies of these biographies, it is best to highlight key points.

Chair Substitution

Our delegates often attend conferences in order to hear from a particular speaker or the chairperson. For this reason, making last minute changes to our line-up is problematic. If, for some serious reason you are unable to fulfill your commitment to us, please contact our office immediately and make arrangements for a suitable substitute from your office.

As a workshop leader you have agreed to take on a considerable responsibility. It is important to keep in mind that delegates have signed up for your workshop on the basis of the workshop description that appears in the promotional brochure for the conference. So please do try to cover all the information that delegates expect to receive.

A workshop is intended to be an in-depth examination of an issue that may be the subject of a talk on the main conference program as well. That means that workshops should be very focused and detailed in the information that they give, in order to provide added value to the delegates. Workshops are also meant to be as hands-on and interactive as possible. Delegates appreciate when workshop leaders are able to incorporate exercises, discussion, role-playing, case-study work, etc. into their workshops.