Convention
A/V Equipment Policy
Change to A/V Policy (February 2025):
In 2025, ASEEES paid $117,000 in audio-visual (a/v) costs, providing Wi-Fi and a/v equipment in all meeting rooms at the Annual Convention in Washington DC. This amount was the result of lengthy negotiations between ASEEES and the convention venue. We expect a/v costs for the 2026 Annual Convention in Chicago to be even higher.
To keep the convention sustainable and help us to direct funds to other areas of need, such as travel grants, ASEEES asks for your help in decreasing its a/v costs while preserving the high caliber convention that our members have come to expect. By eliminating a/v setups in even a fraction of meeting rooms, this cost can be reduced by tens of thousands of dollars.
ASEEES will only offer audio-visual equipment (digital projectors and screens) when it is required for sessions. In the online submission platform, submitters will be asked to indicate whether a/v is required for their session. (Note: Microphones/amplified sound will be provided in all large-capacity meeting rooms.)
In your proposal, please check “Yes” if you know your session is likely to require a/v and “No” if you know that your session will not require a/v. If you’re unsure, please consult with your session participants to decide if a/v is absolutely necessary. You will be able to change your selection upon notification of acceptance in April. Please note that A/V equipment cannot be ordered after May 15.
ASEEES will provide a digital projector and screen only in meeting rooms where submitters have indicated that they require a/v equipment when submitting a proposal. You will be required to bring any other equipment, specifically your own laptop or digital devices, in order to make your presentation. Larger meeting rooms with 75+ seats will have a microphone and speaker.
Cables and Adapters: The standard setup in rooms equipped with a/v will include a projector/screen, HDMI cable, power-strip, mini headphone cable and sound system hooked up via the headphone jack on your laptop. The projector does have a VGA port, but if you plan to use the VGA connection, you must request it. Please be aware that a lot of the newer thin laptops do not have VGA or HDMI ports. In order to ensure no delays, please be sure to bring the correct display adapter for your laptop if it does not have a HDMI port.
When preparing in advance, if you are unsure what adapter you need, we recommend taking your laptop with you to the electronics store (Best Buy, Staples, etc.) and telling them you will need to connect to an HDMI port. They will be able to get you the correct dongle.
Practice/testing room: At the convention hotel, a practice room will be provided to test your connections. Someone from the A/V team will be in the area to help you, if necessary. We highly recommend that you test your connections well in advance of your presentation.
For Apple laptops: Please be sure to bring the necessary adaptors to connect your Apple laptop to the projector or monitor. Because Apple has 8-9 different dongles, the A-V company does not carry them.
We provide Wi-Fi in the exhibit hall and other public locations in the hotel.
Best Practices
Designate one person’s laptop for use during the session; load all presentations onto the laptop before the session; and test the presentation to make sure they will work with the software on the designated laptop.