EKO - Tips for Creating a Successful Poster

The Poster Presentation is a Don’t Miss Event at the EKO Spring Symposium 2027. With its own designated session in the event program, all delegates are free to walk the poster halls, listen to presenters they find interesting, learn from a large selection of poster content, and vote for their favourites. The Poster People’s Choice Award is given to the lead author/presenter of the poster that received the most votes from delegates, so follow these tips to make your work memorable come voting time!

What goes on the poster?

Both the content and the visual appeal of the poster are important. In fact, one study found that visual appeal was more important than content for knowledge transfer.

Multimedia experiences are also becoming increasingly popular for these presentations. Consider including a QR code on your poster that links attendees to digital content (resources, a webpage with more information, an accessible PDF, a video component, etc.)

Note: We will be sharing digital versions of the posters on the conference app. Consider creating a unique digital poster that voters can access throughout the event—especially when they’re casting their votes.

Content

The poster expands the content of your abstract but resist the urge to include too much information. Think about what you want viewers to learn from your presentation. What will they need to know in order to understand your work?

Objectives

Describe the learning objectives. Provide some context for your work. What is the problem or central question you are addressing, and why is it important? Why should viewers care about your work? What background information does a viewer need to know to understand your work?

Background

Be concise and only present the information immediately relevant to the topic—you’re highlighting the importance of your work and its relevance to those viewing your poster. This section often ends with a statement about why you wanted to address this topic and particularly the problem you are seeking to resolve.

The most common mistake is to present too much information in this section, so be sure to only contain information relevant to the point you are making. As with all sections, brevity is key.

Conclusion

Explain what you did to get your results.
State what you learned/created during your project. You project does not have to be complete – this is what you have learned so far.
Consider the larger themes or implications of your work--what is the “big picture” take-home message from your presentation? How does this relate to the problem or question you described? How does your work fit with what you already knew – how does this change your understanding and practice?

This should highlight the take-away point. A discussion of the relevance of the issue, including future work to be done, or research needs and implications, is often included.

Layout

The title should be short, clear, informative and large. Your poster will be printed, so it should be viewable from 8 feet away. This should be followed by the names of the presenters.
Split your poster up into a series of sections with clear headings.
Make sure the flow of information is logical and easy to follow. The headings you use can help you to guide readers through your poster, and can help to convey your findings.
Make sure your layout is consistent and neat.
Be sure to leave some blank space to help organize and define content sections.
Create a balance between visuals and text. Posters are a visual medium, so you don’t want to have too much text

Remember the Rule of 10s: The average person scans your poster for 10 seconds from 10 feet away. When someone stops, you should be able to introduce your poster in about 10 seconds. The general rule is to keep each section as short and simple as possible.

Text should be short and to the point. To minimize the amount of text you use, consider keeping any text elements to 50 words or less.
Consider using bullets, instead of paragraphs.
Make text large! All text should be at least 24 pt (at least 36 pt for headings).
When you make a statement or include a statistic, cite the source.

Visuals

Good graphics are key! Make sure people can clearly see the images you use—whether these are photos, illustrations, graphs or charts.
Use simple, relevant images and graphs to illustrate and enhance your poster. Make sure the images you choose are freely available to share
Photos help illustrate your work and can help convey your message to viewers.
Consider whether you can use an image or graph instead of text, to communicate a concept/relationship/idea.

Please Note the Following:

Presenters are responsible for printing and transporting their poster to the conference, as well as set up and removal.

If you plan on printing your poster when you arrive in Toronto, you can go to The Printing House at 505 University Ave—about a 3-minute trip from the Hilton Toronto.

Poster board specs:

Minimum 150dpi for images
Embed all fonts and images

Why Present a Poster?

Presenting posters at significant events in your sector can help you in a number of ways. This can often lead to interesting and fruitful networking and collaboration opportunities. You may find you discover new avenues of inquiry. For some, this is a way to identify new job opportunities. From a practical perspective, presenting at the EKO Spring Symposium 2027 is one more good reason to attend. Finally, many presenters report this process can be invaluable in advancing their ideas and their project.

Poster People's Choice Award

This award is presented to the primary author and presenter of a poster displayed at the EKO Spring Symposium 2027. This award is selected by a vote from EKO Spring Symposium 2027 delegates, who are encouraged to make the tough choice and vote for their top 3 posters through the conference app. The poster with the most votes will receive the Poster People’s Choice Award.

All posters presented at the EKO Spring Symposium 2027 are eligible for this award.

People’s Choice Award Criteria

The presentation of the contents, the design and its layout, are the main criteria for the People’s Choice Award. Attendee voters may also consider:

Content

The title is meaningful and/or intriguing
Research question/problem is clear; thesis or hypothesis or purpose of the project is evident
The clinical innovation and/or research approach is clearly explained
Key points are laid out
Data and statistics, if any, support the conclusion
Results of the study/project are clear

Poster design and layout is also important

Text is legible, large enough, error free
Appearance is professional
Overall layout and aesthetics are pleasing (colourful, appropriate contrast)
Images/graphics reflect content and contribute to understanding
Data/graphs/images are appropriately labelled
Bibliography is available (though not necessarily displayed on the poster)
Any additional materials (digital, handout, original paper) contribute meaningfully to the poster.
Poster is creatively presented

We will be sharing any digital versions of the poster presentations on the event app. To set your poster apart, consider creating a unique digital version or a QR code that links to additional digital content that voters can access throughout the event.

Verbal presentation and overall quality of the project are also considered

The presenter was approachable and enthusiastic about their work
The presenter engaged in discussion about their work
The presenter clearly answered questions and shared findings

Poster Topic Ideas

Posters and presentations are unlimited. If you would like some guidance, however, the EKO Spring Symposium Working Group suggests considering the following topics as you focus your poster:

Artificial Intelligence
Clinical best practice
Corporate culture
Cultural approaches
Diagnostics
EDI
Family/youth engagement
Indigenous approaches
Innovation
Integrated care
Neurodiversity
Organizational service excellence

Presenter Compensation

Presenters at the EKO Spring Symposium 2027 will receive a discount on their symposium registration fee. All presenters are required to register as an attendee. Travel and additional fees are the responsibility of the presenter. Lead speakers are asked to inform all co-presenters of this policy.

Note: Presenters that bring a caregiver or family member are responsible for their travel and additional fees.

Questions?

If you have questions about anything discussed above, please contact EKO at info@empoweredkidsontario.ca.

What goes on the poster?

Content

Objectives

Background

Conclusion

Layout

Visuals

Please Note the Following:

Why Present a Poster?

Poster People's Choice Award

People’s Choice Award Criteria

Content

Poster design and layout is also important

Verbal presentation and overall quality of the project are also considered

Poster Topic Ideas

Presenter Compensation

Questions?

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