Program scheduling requests | Science Societies
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Program scheduling requests

Requested session scheduling is open through July 15, 2026

Confex program access closes to all organizers after that time.

Important Scheduling Dates:
June 9 - Early abstract submission deadline
June 23 - Final abstract submission deadline
June 25 - Scheduling webinar at 1:00pm Central Time
July 15 - Scheduling deadline (no Confex access after this date)
Late-August - Program finalized by Annual Meetings Planning Committee
Early-September - Speaker notification letters emailed to all authors

Scheduling Calendar

Helpful Scheduling Documents:
Step-By-Step Instructions PDF
Helpful Tips PDF

Helpful Scheduling Links:
Gateway Dashboard Link
Online Preliminary Program - refreshes nightly, so you may not see your edits right away.
Room Scheduling Conversation - "Why didn't I get my requested scheduling exactly the way I wanted it?"

Extra tips for Portland scheduling requests:

The Wednesday lunch break is not protected. Although the Monday/Tuesday 12-1:30pm lunch breaks remain protected, feel free to schedule sessions over the Wednesday lunch break as needed.

Although you will need to schedule the in-person sessions in your program, there is no need to schedule "Virtual Sessions". The prerecorded presentations housed within Virtual Sessions are on-demand content. For this reason, a date and time for the overall Virtual Session would be meaningless (and rather confusing for attendees). Please do not schedule any Virtual Sessions you might have in your program - You will only need to accept the abstracts within those sessions.

Before you begin the “Schedule” dialogue box step, click on the “Logistics” tab along the top to fill in the fields for Room Setup, Presentation Equipment, Zoom Broadcasting, and Catering requests. Once those selections are entered, you can then click on your “Schedule” link in the left navigation menu. You will otherwise receive an error message if the Logistics fields are not complete.

You can view which presenters have chosen to participate in your competition sessions when looking at the “Arrange” view of your session. Those who have opted into your session’s competition will have a checkmark next to their name:
Check mark icon
If you feel someone in your session is listed incorrectly, please feel free to contact the presenting author directly. Authors can access their submissions by logging into the “edit your existing abstract” link via the Submission Sites, and then correct their competition entry setting within the “Title” step of their submissions.

Scheduling Training Webinar
The Portland scheduling webinar for all Community, Section, and Division Chairs was held on June 25th, 2026. The webinar reviewed the above Step-By-Step scheduling instructions and Helpful Tips document containing important scheduling concepts, dates, and times. Below is the 2026 Portland recording of this training.

Scheduling:
The scheduling you do now will not be made public until after the program is finalized in late August.

To Begin:
Login with your Society credentials through the Gateway Dashboard.

Once inside the Gateway Dashboard:

  • You can check and uncheck your various program/role views within the "Roles in Meeting" section.
  • Your programs, sessions, and/or presentations will dynamically appear and disappear below your checkbox options.
  • Click the desired Section/Division/Session title link to see your program’s sessions (opens in a new browser tab).
  • Please utilize this site to keep an eye on your volunteer session submissions.
  • If you do not see one of your program/session/presentation titles, please email the Technical Program Manager.

Delegation:
As Community/Section/Division Chair, you can either complete the scheduling yourself or share the Gateway link and instructional documents with your session organizers. Organizers will only have access to sessions they’re listed on as “organizer”. If you share the Gateway link with organizers, please proof their scheduling to make sure they do not schedule over any blocked times or similar topics.

Session Promotion:
There are a couple ways to promote sessions to potential authors and/or attendees.

  • Community/Section/Division Circles—session organizers can develop an announcement to be broadcasted to members via Circles communications. Circles entries must focus on Community/Section/Division activities and business. Sending job announcements and promoting other Societies’ meetings is prohibited. You can receive your Circles communication information by emailing Membership.
  • CSA News magazine—highlight the topic(s), day, and time of the session to promote. Email your promotional text to Send Message and consider including a photo if possible. There is no charge for this service. When writing the call for papers, make sure to mention the lead Section, Division, or Community and the full title so authors can choose it when submitting their abstract. Email Send Message for further details.

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