Log into the speaker management system to review your speaking invitations. After you access an invitation, click the plus sign next to “Session Information” to view a full list of presentations and speakers scheduled during your session at McCormick Place. 

The photography policy allows photos in session rooms for personal, social or non-commercial use; however, presenters have the right to request no photography, and in those situations, photography is strictly prohibited. Download this “no photos” icon for use in your presentation if you do not want attendees to take photos of your slides. You must include the icon to request no photography of that slide.

Use of the DDW 2023 PowerPoint slide template is encouraged, but not required.

 PPT, PPTX; The Orchestrate system at DDW is optimized for PowerPoint, whether created on a PC or MAC. To take advantage of advanced media support in PowerPoint, we recommend all PPT files be converted to the PPTX format. You can find the convert feature located under “File, Help” when you have your PowerPoint open. 

PDF; Supported. 

KEY; Keynote files are not supported. Please export your presentation as a PowerPoint or PDF file for upload, and be sure to review the result in the Speaker Ready Room. If our technicians are unable to resolve any issues, at the association’s discretion, you may be allowed to present from your own Mac. If so, be sure to bring your VGA / DVI adapter with you to the event. 

Prezi files are currently unsupported for upload. Please ask for assistance in the Speaker Ready Room. 

All meeting rooms will be equipped with a 16:9 aspect ratio screen. You have the option to build your presentation in 16:9 or 4:3. If you prefer to display your presentation in 4:3, please understand that the presentation will be "pillar boxed" with black bars on either side of the 16:9 screen. To change an existing 4:3 presentation into a 16:9 widescreen format, access the "Design" tab in PowerPoint and click on "Slide Size." In the drop-down box, select "Widescreen (16:9)." If you make this change on an existing presentation, your slides will expand to the new size. Any videos or photos in your presentation may need to be resized so they do not appear stretched. Check animations to ensure the elements line up correctly.

Please see this article for file formats supported within PowerPoint. Please consider compressing your videos. If you’ve authored your PowerPoint as a PPTX, there are tools within PowerPoint to do this automatically. Instructions can be found here.

If you will be converting or authoring videos, we recommend H.264 encoding at less than a five Mbps bitrate for best performance. The resolution in the meeting rooms will be 1280x720 for 16:9 presentations. A 1080p, maximum bit rate encoding will bloat the size of your presentation with no visual improvement and may actually hurt performance. If you plan to play a separate video clip as part of your presentation, please notify a technician at Speaker Headquarters so arrangements can be made for assistance in your meeting room.

Only fonts included with Office 365 are supported. For a list of these fonts, see this article. If you plan to use a specialized font, it must be embedded in your PowerPoint presentation. Some licensed fonts may not embed and should be replaced with a font included with Office. Read more for an explanation of this process.

Meeting room computers are not connected to the internet. Links to web pages will not function and may cause issues if clicked accidentally during your presentation. We strongly recommend removing all links from your presentation.

Please bring a copy of your presentation along with you when you depart for your meeting. Copy your PowerPoint and all movies to a folder on a USB flash drive. While later versions of PowerPoint will embed movies by default, you should still bring the videos just in case. Not all prior versions of PowerPoint will embed movies. It is a good practice to keep a second copy of your presentation and movies in your luggage.

Presentations can be submitted in advance of the meeting via the DDW Presentation Upload Site or at DDW in the Speaker Headquarters. Presenters will receive further instructions and login information by email in early-April when the site opens.

Important: When naming your file, please do not include special symbols (e.g., $ & + , / : ; = ? @ " < > # % { } | \ ^ ~ [ ] ‘) and limit the name to under 30 characters as this will prevent your presentation from uploading through the submission website.

• Step 1: Use the link that was emailed to you to register and create your account. The minimum length for passwords is six characters.
• Step 2: Search for your session.
• Step 3: Click the green "Upload" button.
• Step 4: Browse out to your upload file/files target location, select the file(s) to upload and click “Open.”
• Step 5: If your upload is successful, you will receive a pop-up message indicating that the upload was successful, and your files will appear listed under the appropriate session/presentation.

Speaker Headquarters is in Room N426 at the McCormick Place.

Hours of operation:

• Friday, May 5: Noon to 7 p.m.
• Saturday, May 6 to Monday, May 8: 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 9: 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All speakers must check in at Speaker Headquarters at least two hours prior to their scheduled presentations. If you do not submit your presentation in advance of the meeting via the DDW Presentation Upload site, it must be loaded at Speaker Headquarters to ensure the quality of your presentation(s) including fonts, bullets, outlines, animations, etc. While in the Speaker Headquarters, you may also pick up a speaker ribbon for your nametag.

Computers at Speaker Headquarters will be configured with the same hardware and software as those in the meeting rooms to allow you to verify that your file will display properly during your session. All presenters are required to submit their presentations no later than two hours prior to their presentation times.

When you enter Speaker Headquarters, you will be asked to log into the presentation management system. You may log in using the information that was emailed to you by PresentationManagement@freemanco.com. Or, if you do not recall your password, please click “Reset Password.” If you are logging in for the first time, click “First-time User.” It is imperative that you review your presentation at Speaker Headquarters where technicians can help resolve any compatibility or formatting issues and explain the in-room setup.

The Speaker Practice Room (inside Speaker Headquarters) will be available for you to rehearse and prep for your presentation. The Speaker Practice Room is equipped with the same hardware and software as those in the presentation rooms. You will be able to reserve a time slot on-site.

Please arrive at your designated meeting room 15 minutes before the start of your session. There will be a monitor at the lectern where you can follow your presentation (see image). To start your presentation, simply click your name on the display and then select the start button. Your presentation will begin automatically. At the end of your presentation, the display will return to the full list of presenters. Speak directly into the microphone in a normal voice and do not handle the microphone while speaking.

If you have any difficulties or need any assistance, click the REQUEST ASSISTANCE button (denoted by a red flag) and a technician will immediately be sent to your room.