Faculty and speakers

This chapter is for faculty and speakers, and for event team members (event directors, admins and support staff) who also teach a session. It covers everything from accepting your invitation to downloading your faculty certificate after the event.

Accept (or decline) a faculty invitation

When an organiser adds you to an event's faculty, Sympozium emails you. The subject reads "Name invited you to be faculty for Event". To accept, you need a Sympozium account with the same email address the invitation was sent to.

Open the email and select Respond to this invitation, or Accept and join for an online event that's already open. If you're already signed in to Sympozium, you'll also find the invitation on your Dashboard under Invitations, with a Respond link.
The invitation page shows who invited you, the event, and any note the organiser added.
If you're not signed in:
- New to Sympozium? Press Create account. Your email address and the name the organiser entered are filled in for you. Check your Title, First name and Last name carefully, because they appear on programmes and certificates. Choose a password, accept the terms and press Create account. Then confirm your email address from the message Sympozium sends you. The confirmation link brings you straight back to the invitation, even if you open it on a different device, such as your phone.
- Already have an account? Press Sign in. You come back to the invitation afterwards.
Choose whether to show your photo and biography on the event's public page (see below).
Press Accept, or Decline if you can't take part.

For an online or hybrid event, once the event's join link is open (15 minutes before the start), the invitation page also offers Accept and join. It accepts your invitation in the same way and takes you straight into the session. Before then, the page says when Accept and join opens; you can press Accept now, and you'll find Join online on the event page from that time.

Your photo and biography on the event page

Above the Accept button, faculty see a checkbox: Show my photo and biography on this event's public page. It's ticked to start with.

Events list their faculty so people can see who is teaching. Your name is shown whether or not the box is ticked.
If the box is ticked, your profile picture and biography from My account are shown beside your name too.
Untick the box to keep your photo and biography off this event's page.
You can change your mind for each event at any time (see "Change your photo, biography or event-page choice" below).

The faculty list appears only on the pages of public events.

What happens next

The page confirms "You're now faculty for Event" and shows an Open the programme button.
You get a confirmation email ("You now have faculty rights for Event").
Your access starts straight away.
If you decline, nothing is sent and the invitation can't be used again.

Good to know

If you're signed in with a different email address, the page tells you: "This invitation was sent to another address". Sign out, then sign in with the address the invitation was sent to.
If the page says the invitation has already been accepted, declined or withdrawn, the link can't be used again. Ask the organiser to invite you again if you need to.
If the page says "This invitation could not be found", it may have been withdrawn or the link may be incomplete.
Your name appears on the public programme as a speaker once you accept, not before. The event team can see it sooner.
Team members are invited the same way. What you can do depends on your role: faculty appear on the programme as speakers, support staff check attendees in, and event admins and directors manage the event. Anyone listed as a speaker on a session can do everything in this chapter for their own sessions. A team member (an event director or admin, say) who is listed as a speaker is also added to the event's faculty, with no separate invitation. Their photo and biography aren't shown on the event's page until they tick Show on "Event" in My account.
If you're also an event admin or director, the programme page shows the event team's view instead. Use Upload slides and Present in the My sessions panel on your dashboard.

Change your photo, biography or event-page choice

Your photo and biography live on your profile. You choose for each event whether they're shown.

Open the account menu at the top of any page and choose My account. You land on the Profile tab.
To change your photo, use Profile picture. It saves as soon as it uploads. JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF files up to 5 MB are accepted. A moving image is saved as a still picture of its first frame.
To change your biography, edit the Bio box, then press Save on the bar that appears.
Further down, Your photo and biography on event pages lists each event where you're faculty. Tick or untick Show on "Event" for each one. The change takes effect straight away.

Good to know

If you're faculty and haven't added a photo or biography yet, the Profile tab reminds you that they can be shown publicly on the page of each event where you're faculty, unless you turn it off for that event.
Post-nominals (for example, "MBBS FRCA") are shown after your name on certificates and faculty lists.

See the sessions you're speaking at

On your dashboard

Sign in and go to Dashboard.
The My sessions panel lists "Sessions you're listed to speak at, across all your events".
Under Upcoming, each session shows its date, time, room and event, with its files. Press a file's name to open it: PDFs, pictures and videos open in a new tab, and other files download. Faculty-only sessions are labelled Faculty only.
Each upcoming session has Upload slides and Present. If the event is online or hybrid, it has Join online too.
Under Recent, your last 5 past sessions are listed. A session shows View feedback if attendees can rate it, or have already rated it. See all your session feedback opens the full list.

For one event

In your dashboard's list of events, an event where you're faculty has a My sessions link. It opens a page for that event headed Your sessions, listing each of your sessions with its time, room, description and files. This is also where you upload your files (see "Upload slides and handouts" below).

On the programme page

Next to an upcoming event on your dashboard, press Programme to open the full programme. On the day of the event, a Today card at the top of your dashboard has an Open programme button too.

The programme page is headed Programme · faculty. It shows:

the whole programme, including faculty-only sessions;
your own sessions marked Your session, with their files, Present (opens the presenter view for that session's day and room), Add files (when the session has no files yet) and Who to expect;
an Upload slides button at the top, and Directions when the venue has an address.

Faculty-only sessions

Some sessions are just for faculty, such as a faculty briefing. They're labelled Faculty only. Attendees don't see them on their programme. Faculty and the event team do.

Good to know

You only see sessions the organiser has listed you on as a speaker. If one is missing, ask the organiser.
Your sessions appear once the event is published.
If the page says "You aren't listed as a speaker on any session of this event", the organiser hasn't added you to a session yet.

See who to expect at your session

On the programme page, Who to expect lists the ticket holders expected at your session.

Open the event's programme page (from Programme on your dashboard).
Under your session, press Who to expect. Press Hide who to expect to close it.

What it shows:

How many people are expected and how many have checked in, for example "12 expected · 5 checked in".
Each person's name and job title, with a tick beside those who've checked in.
For a session with groups, only the ticket holders in those groups. For a session with no groups, every ticket holder.
For more than 30 people, just the number expected ("Names are shown for sessions of up to 30").

Good to know

No contact details are shown.
Faculty-only sessions and breaks don't have a Who to expect list, because no ticket holders are expected there.
The list is only on the programme page. It's never on the presenter view or a room screen.
The list shows things as they were when you opened it. Open it again for an up-to-date count.

Upload slides and handouts

Each of your sessions can hold files. You choose who can see each file.

On your dashboard's My sessions panel, press Upload slides next to the session. You can also use the My sessions link next to the event, or Upload slides on the programme page.
Find the session and its Add files box.
Under Who can see the new files, choose:
- Slides: presenter only. Only the event team and this session's speakers can open these files. Attendees never see them. Use this for the slides you present from.
- Handout: for attendees once checked in. Attendees can open these too, once they've checked in to the event. Use this for handouts, papers and resources.
Drag your files onto the box, or press choose files and pick one or more.
- One file uploads straight away, with a progress bar.
- Several files are listed first. Each has its own setting for who can see it, so you can upload your slides and your handouts together. Press Upload N files (or Cancel).
If anything goes wrong, such as a lost connection, a message tells you and you can try again.

Limits

Up to 50 MB per file. A larger file is refused before it uploads, with a message such as "This file is 63 MB. The limit is 50 MB."
Accepted types: PDF, PowerPoint (.pptx, .ppt), Keynote (.key), Word (.docx, .doc), Excel (.xlsx), CSV, PNG, JPEG and MP4.

Manage your files

Your files are listed under Slides and Handouts. Each row shows the file's size and what pressing it does: Open (PDFs and pictures, in a new tab), Play (MP4 videos, in a new tab) or Download (PowerPoint, Keynote, Word, Excel and CSV). On each row you can:

change who can see the file, for example to turn a handout into presenter-only slides;
use the up and down arrows to put files in the order you'll use them. The presenter view and attendees see the same order;
press Replace to upload a new version in its place. The row then shows "replaced";
press Remove to take the file down.

When you can't change your files

As a speaker, you can add, change, reorder, replace or remove your session's files until the session starts. After that, the page says "This session has started, so its files can only be changed by the event's admins". If you need a change after that, ask an event admin or director.

Good to know

For the most reliable presenting, upload a PDF copy alongside a PowerPoint or Keynote file. A PDF opens on any computer, even one without PowerPoint or Keynote.
Handouts on faculty-only sessions aren't shown to attendees.

Present your session

On the day, the presenter view lists a room's sessions for the day, with each file ready to open. Use it on the room's computer or on your own laptop.

Sign in on the computer connected to the projector.
On your dashboard's My sessions panel, press Present next to the session. You can also press Present under your session on the programme page. The presenter view opens on that session's day and room.
If the event has more than one day or room, choose the Day and the Room (or All rooms). The page changes as soon as you choose.
Sessions are listed in time order. The one happening now is marked Now and the next one is marked Next. Both are opened. Finished sessions are greyed out, marked Finished and closed. Press any session to open or close it.
An open session lists its Slides first, then its Handouts, in the order you set. Press a file:
- Open: PDFs and pictures open in a new tab. Use your browser's full-screen mode to present.
- Play: MP4 videos play in a new tab.
- Download: PowerPoint and Keynote files download. Open the downloaded file in PowerPoint or Keynote to present.
For an online or hybrid event, Join online is at the top of the presenter view, so you can join the meeting from the same computer (see "Join an online event as faculty or event team" below).
When you've finished, press Leave presenter view. Sign out if it's a shared computer.

Room screens

The organiser may have set up a room screen on the room's computer. A room screen shows the same presenter view for that room without anyone signing in, so you can open your files there without signing in yourself. If a room screen says "This room screen link isn't working", ask the event team for a new link.

Tips for the day

Bring a copy of your slides on a USB stick, in case the venue's internet or Sympozium can't be reached on the day. A PDF copy is safest, as it opens on any computer.

Upload a PDF copy alongside any PowerPoint or Keynote file.
The page keeps itself up to date through the day. The Now and Next labels move on their own, and files uploaded during the day appear within a couple of minutes.
If the internet drops, the page keeps showing its sessions with a notice such as "Offline – showing information from 09:42". It catches up by itself when the connection returns. A file that can't be opened says "Couldn't open this file: no connection".
Don't reload the page while you're offline. It won't come back until the connection does, so present from your USB stick instead.
You can open the files for your own sessions. Other speakers' sessions show "Files for speakers and the team".
Nothing can be changed from the presenter view. To add or replace a file, use Upload slides.
If you're on the event team, you see every session's files. Event directors and admins can open the presenter view from Presenter view on the event's management page or programme page.

Join an online event as faculty or event team

You don't need a ticket to join an online or hybrid event you're working on. You join from Sympozium; the meeting link isn't emailed to you.

Sign in.
Press Join online in one of these places:
- your dashboard's My sessions panel, next to the session;
- the event's own page, near the top;
- the programme page, next to a session (for sessions with their own link) or at the top;
- the presenter view, at the top (and on a session with its own link), so you can join from the computer you present from. A room screen, which nobody signs in to, doesn't have it.
The meeting opens.

When the link opens

Faculty and support staff: from 15 minutes before the session starts, so there's time to check your sound and camera. Before then, the button says where and when it will appear, for example "Your Join online button appears here from 09:45 on 22 October". The event page notes "The link opens 15 minutes before the start".
Event admins and directors: at any time, so you can test the link ("You can join at any time to test the link").
The link closes at the end of the event's last day ("Join link closed").

Good to know

Joining as faculty or team doesn't check you in.
If you're not signed in when you press Join online, you're asked to sign in first and then sent on.

See feedback on your sessions

Attendees can rate each session they attend and leave a comment. You see the feedback for every session you spoke at, and you can download it as a PDF for your appraisal or revalidation.

Open your feedback

Sign in and go to Dashboard.
In the My sessions panel, press View feedback next to a recent session, or See all your session feedback.
My session feedback lists each event you spoke at, most recent first. A session appears once it has started, which is when attendees can start rating it, so sessions still to come aren't listed yet. Each event starts with the organiser's logo, the event title, its dates and venue, and "Organised by" the organisation, so a screenshot explains itself.
For each event you see:
- the average across your session ratings and how many ratings there are;
- a status line saying where your feedback stands, with "Report as of" the date and time;
- for each session: its average rating, how many of the expected attendees have rated it (for example "Rated by 12 of 30 (40%)"), how the ratings are spread from 5 stars to 1, and the comments.

When ratings and comments appear

Ratings appear straight away, from the first response.
Comments are added each morning, once a session has 3 responses. Until then, the session says "Comments appear the morning after this session reaches 3 responses." This keeps feedback anonymous, because a comment can't be matched to when someone responded.

Download a PDF

Each event on My session feedback has Download PDF, once at least one person has rated your sessions. The PDF shows the organiser's logo, the event, its dates and venue, your name, your overall figures, the status line, and each session with its ratings, response rate and comments. It's made fresh each time you download it. If more feedback arrives later, download it again for an up-to-date copy.

Where your feedback stands

The status line says one of these:

Early results: for example, "Early results: 12 of 30 attendees (40%) have rated every one of your sessions so far." It may add when a fuller report will follow.
Final report: for example, "Final report: 27 of 30 attendees (90%) rated every one of your sessions." If you had an early report, it adds "This replaces the report of [date]."
Complete: "Complete: every attendee has rated every one of your sessions."

If you spoke at one session, it says "your session" instead. The count is of attendees who have rated every one of your sessions they were expected at. If you have several sessions, the line may also say how many attendees rated at least one.

The emails

After the event finishes, you get at most 2 emails per event. Each says which report it is and links to your feedback page and the PDF (there's no attachment). They go out shortly after 07:00 in the event's time zone.

Early results: at least 24 hours after the event finishes, if at least one person has rated your sessions.
Final report: once every expected attendee has responded, or 14 days after the event if more ratings have come in since the early results.

If everyone responds within the first 24 hours, you just get the final report. Nothing is sent after the final report, but later feedback still appears on the page and in a new PDF.

Good to know

Feedback is anonymous. You see what attendees wrote, never who wrote it or when. Comments are shown in a fixed shuffled order.
Shared sessions: if you presented a session with other speakers, it says "With names. The feedback covers the whole session." Every speaker on it sees the same feedback.
The organiser can hide a comment from speakers. Hidden comments don't appear on your page, in the PDF or in the emails.
You only see sessions the organiser listed you on, on published events where feedback is collected. Breaks, faculty-only sessions and sessions set to have no feedback aren't rated, so they don't appear on this page, in the PDF or in the feedback emails (unless attendees rated them before the setting changed). If a session is missing, ask the organiser.

Your faculty certificate

After the event, Sympozium issues you a faculty certificate for your appraisal or portfolio.

Who gets one

Everyone listed as leading at least one session, whatever their role (faculty, event admin or event director).
Every event director, even one who didn't lead a session.

You need an account with a first and last name, and your role must still be current when the event ends. The organiser can turn faculty certificates off for an event, in which case none are issued. Private events with the basics don't issue faculty certificates.

When

Shortly after the event's last session ends, including faculty-only sessions. Sympozium emails it to you with the subject "Your faculty certificate: Event", with the PDF attached.

What's on it

the organisation's name and logo, and a certificate reference;
"This is to certify that your name contributed to Event", with the event's dates and venue, and your role (for example, "as Faculty" or "as Event director and Faculty");
the sessions you led, each with its date, time and room. A session you led more than once (such as a rotating workshop station) is listed once with each time;
Time leading sessions, the total across all your sessions, for example "4 hours 30 minutes (4.5 hours)";
the event director's name, the date of issue, and "Issued via Sympozium".

An event director who didn't lead a session gets a certificate that records their role, without the sessions list or the time.

Download it again

Sign in and go to Dashboard.
Under Faculty certificates, find the event. Each one shows your role, the number of sessions, your time leading sessions and the certificate reference.
Press Download certificate.

Good to know

Check your Title, name and Post-nominals on My account before the event. The certificate uses your name as it is when it's issued.
A faculty certificate is separate from an attendee's CPD certificate.

If you're removed from an event

An organiser can remove you from an event's faculty, or withdraw your invitation before you've accepted.

If you hadn't accepted yet, the invitation link stops working, and you get a short email saying the invitation has been withdrawn.
If you had accepted, you lose your access to the event straight away.
You're taken off the speaker list of every session that hasn't started yet. Sessions you've already given keep your name.
Your photo and biography no longer appear on the event's page.
You won't receive a faculty certificate for that event.
You can still see feedback for sessions you gave before you were removed.
Sympozium doesn't email you to say you've been removed.

If you think you've been removed by mistake, contact the organiser.

Need help?

If something isn't working, contact the organiser of your event first. For problems with Sympozium itself, email admin@sympozium.co.uk.