General
Will UR Caribbean be recorded or live streamed? Parts of the conference such as the Opening Ceremony and Ignites will be live streamed. We are working to assess the feasibility of live streaming other elements of the conference, such as the plenary sessions. Plenary sessions will be live-streamed, the technical and breakout sessions will not.
Will there be interpretation available? Yes, in Spanish, French, and ASL at all Plenary sessions.
Agenda and Logistics
When can we expect to see the full program? The preliminary agenda is available now. The timing of your specific session and others will be updated in the next few weeks as we determine room needs. Abstracts for technical sessions, side events, and plenaries will be posted as they become finalized and available. Please keep checking the UR Caribbean website for updated details. Subscribe to the UR newsletter, follow UR on Twitter, and join the UR LinkedIn Group to make sure you don’t miss any announcements!
Where is UR Caribean being held? UR Caribbean conference sessions and workshops will be held at the University of the West Indies – Cave Hill Campus’ Errol Barrow Center for Creative Imagination. Other conference events such as the Opening and Closing ceremonies, will be held at alternate locations.
When does the main conference start? The main conference begins in the afternoon of Monday, May 27th and runs until the closing ceremony on Wednesday, May 29th. Trainings and workshops occur on Thursday, May 30th and Friday, May 31st. To wrap up the week, a special cultural event will be held on the evening of May 31. For more information, please see the conference agenda.
I see “Ignite presentations” on the agenda on Monday night. What are they? The Ignite presentation format is a 5-minute-long presentation with 20 slides. The slides advance automatically every 15 seconds, forcing speakers to get to the point, fast. It is such a fast format that it’s best thought of as a performance, rather than a lecture. Ignite presentations are a tradition at Understanding Risk (UR) Conferences. They are a way for Session Leads to ‘pitch’ their session on the opening night to ‘sell’ the audience on attending their session over the coming days.
Travel
Where should I stay? Special rates for our partner hotels – Hilton Barbados and Accra Beach Hotel and Spa – are now closed.
Do you have a logistics note we can reference? We will disseminate a more detailed logistics and security note in the coming weeks.
If I am leading a session, is it possible to get sponsorship for myself or my panelists to participate in UR?
Session leads are responsible for the travel and accommodation of their
panelists. We have provided information for two main conference hotels that will be offering special rates to attendees the week of the conference. Transportation will be provided from these hotels to the main conference venue (University of the West Indies – Cave Hill Campus’ Errol Barrow Center for Creative Imagination).
Registration
Do I need to register for this event? Yes, registration is required for all attendees.
Is there a fee to register? No, registration to attend the conference is free of charge.
When does registration open? Registration will close May 20 at midnight.
Technical Session Leads
How long are the technical sessions? Sessions are all around 90 minutes long.
When are the technical sessions? The Technical Sessions will happen on Tuesday, May 28th and Wednesday, May 29th. The actual timing of the sessions will be announced on the website and via email.
How can I blog about my session? We encourage you to write a blog post to give your session visibility and encourage people to attend. Recommended length is ~700 words, or 1-2 pages in a document, but this isn’t a strict limit. Tell the story behind your session: explain what the challenge is, why the topic is important, and what’s new about it. Give people a compelling reason to attend, and explain what the audience will take away. Use visuals like photos where possible. All drafts are due by May 6th. Accepted posts will appear on the UR website, but to maximize visibility, we encourage you to explore other channels to cross-post and promote your session as well.
Will the session be live streamed or recorded? We will not record or live stream any technical sessions.
What equipment can I expect to be provided for my session? We will provide wifi, projector/screen or LCD TVs, and laptops for presentations. If you require anything further, please submit this information in the form provided, and we will do what we can to fulfill the request.
Ignite Presentations
When are the Ignite presentations? Ignite presentations are on the afternoon/evening of Monday, May 27th.
Am I required to do an Ignite? No, all Session Leads are not required to do an Ignite Presentation. However, we encourage you to do so in order to promote your session to as wide an audience as possible.
Is there an Ignite rehearsal? Must the Ignite presenter attend the rehearsal? Yes, the ignite rehearsal will be on the morning of Monday, May 27th. It is required that the presenter attend the rehearsal if s/he wants to present.
Do you have any helpful hints on delivering a great Ignite? Absolutely! Download the UR2018 Ignite guide. Practice is key!
Also, see the full Guide for Session Leads.