Poster sessions are meant to give visibility to emerging research and to spark informal discussion. In practice, posters are pinned to boards, presenters wait, and attendees drift by or skip the session. The format deserves a rethink, because poster sessions matter more than ever: submission volumes grow, contributors are more diverse, and well-designed posters communicate complex ideas quickly.
What goes wrong
- Passive interaction: people walk past without engaging.
- Poor timing or placement, competing with lunch or breaks.
- Overcrowding in one corner, empty aisles in another.
- No digital access and no visibility after the event.
- No moderation or thematic clustering.
Formats that turn posters into conversations
- Campfire poster sessions. Small groups gather around four or five posters. Each presenter pitches for two minutes, followed by 15 to 20 minutes of discussion, then groups rotate.
- Guided poster walks. A moderator or keynote speaker leads participants through a curated theme.
- Thematic poster circles. Posters are clustered and each circle has a discussant.
- Lightning pitches. Authors give a one-minute teaser in plenary, so attendees know which posters to visit.
- ePoster hubs. Screens display posters continuously; participants browse, zoom and comment.
ePosters: posters that live longer
With a platform such as Kubify’s Learning Toolbox, each poster becomes a digital storybox with text, images, video, data and links, accessible by QR code or web link. Posters can go online weeks before the conference and stay available for six to twelve months afterwards. Remote participants can join the discussion, printing and shipping disappear, and authors get engagement data.
How to implement
- Set goals. Networking, visibility or discussion? The programme committee decides early.
- Choose the format. Campfire, guided walk, ePoster hub or a blend.
- Adjust submission. Add a poster type to the abstract system, for example in Dryfta.
- Prepare authors. An upload guide and a short webinar 6 to 4 weeks before the event.
- Design the space. Thematic zones with screens, discussion tables and QR codes; rotate sessions twice a day.
- Evaluate. Engagement data and a short survey after the event.
Why it is worth it
- Participants become active instead of passive.
- Authors gain visibility on site and online.
- Early-career and remote researchers get real access.
- Less printing and waste.
- The conference positions itself as forward-thinking.
Poster sessions should not be an afterthought. With structure, facilitation and the right digital tools, every poster becomes a conversation worth having.