Bulletin for Presenters

American College of Cardiology 58^th Annual Scientific Session and American College of Cardiology’s Innovation in Intervention: i2 Summit 2009 in partnership with the Cardiovascular Research Foundation

Orange Country Convention Center
Orlando, Florida USA
March 28 – 31, 2009

This bulletin provides important details for presenters at ACC.09 and i2 Summit 2009 regarding the online presentation submission system, Speaker Ready Room, audiovisual resources, session recordings, deadlines for presenters, and other information needed to make your presentation run smoothly and efficiently.

PRESENTERS AND PANELISTS: READ THE 2009 MEETINGS IN BRIEF — WHAT’S NEW, HOT, SPECIAL AS WELL AS THE GENERAL INFORMATION FOR PRESENTERS IN THIS DOCUMENT.

CHAIRS AND CO-CHAIRS: READ ALL SECTIONS IN THIS DOCUMENT

Note: All education sessions for both meetings will be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.

Be sure to check the Final Program, available on site in Orlando, to reconfirm the day, time and location of your presentation(s). Note that the most up-to-date presentation information is found online in the Program Planner.

HOW TO CONTACT ACC REGARDING YOUR PRESENTATION

Should you become unable to make your presentation at either ACC.09 or i2 Summit:

If you know more than a week before the meetings, contact the appropriate meeting staff via e-mail:
- For ACC.09, contact Tracey Fernandez at tfernand@acc.org
- For i2 Summit, contact Elizabeth Blind at eblind@crf.org
If you become unable to make your presentation less than one week before the meetings, contact the Meeting Services office on site at the Orange County Convention Center: (407) 685-5410

THE 2009 MEETINGS IN BRIEF — WHAT’S NEW, HOT, SPECIAL!

Our Vision for Innovative Learning

The ACC Annual Scientific Session is the largest and foremost cardiovascular meeting, offering attainable, reliable and applicable learning solutions that help CV professional turn cardiovascular knowledge into practice that saves and improves lives. The Annual Scientific Session delivers timely medical education leveraging innovative need-based learning methods:

Customized Education Meeting Learning Needs
Programming Formatted to Learning Styles
Scheduling Simplified for Learner Satisfaction
All-in-One Location for Maximum Convenience

Together, ACC.09 and i2 Summit 2009 embody the College’s vision of building meetings with innovative solutions that assist the faculty to teach and audiences to learn.

What's New — What's Back — What's Special This Year!

Invited Faculty Amenities — Faculty Lounge, Room W224; Telephone: (407) 685-4022

Invited faculty for ACC.09 and i2 Summit will receive a white "Faculty" ribbon, which will give them access to the Faculty Lounge that is located in room W224, near the Speaker Ready Room. Services in the faculty lounge include computer/internet and printer access, working space, a "mini-hub" with education beamed via CVN-TV, food service, and a comfy lounge atmosphere for private faculty networking. The faculty hub hours are:

Saturday, March 28, 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 29, 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Monday, March 30, 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 31, 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Keep Up-To-Date with CVN-TV

Our comprehensive video coverage of ACC.09 and i2 Summit will run throughout the Convention Center on flat panel monitors. ACC member anchors will recap important news and breaking science and preview exciting events to come.

Heart Hubs

Again this year, enjoy scientific and clinical content in a relaxed atmosphere at our innovative Heart Hubs in three locations, including one in the session lobby area of i2 Summit. Sessions will be broadcast via plasma screens at each Hub, offering you the chance to network, multitask, or even just relax with a drink and a snack while absorbing meeting content. Beverages and snacks are available for purchase.

Other Meeting Innovations

Each year, ACC continues to expand and improve its slate of educational innovations and technological learning solutions. Innovations being introduced or continued at this year’s meetings include:

Lifelong learning opportunities, including new Maintenance of Certification review sessions to help physicians prepare for Board recertification
Renewed Focus on Abstracts, with dedicated poster viewing hours, Poster Discussant faculty to facilitate questions/interaction, Best Poster Award judging, e-abstract self-directed learning/archival system and the new Poster Café area for refreshments, comfortable seating, WiFi access and electrical outlets to power your laptop. Oral presentations feature closing expert interpretation and summary comments.
Lunchtime Symposia in Collaboration with International Cardiology Societies, programming that features global perspectives on clinical topics and a rare opportunity to meet and share ideas with respected cardiology leaders from around the world
i2 Summit for Clinicians, an entire educational track tailored to the interests of clinical cardiologists
Expanded Live Cases, groundbreaking live cases and commentary led by masters in cardiovascular medicine
“You-Que” at ACC.09, an online video streaming feature for uploading self-made videocasts of attendee questions (during Session 656)
Heart Songs, an opportunity for meeting attendees to sharpen their skills in cardiac auscultation using iPOD technology and computer-based learning

General Information for Presenters

Presenter Registration

You must register for the meeting in order to obtain a meeting badge. Registration fees are waived for all ACC.09 and i2 Summit structured session faculty and late-breaking clinical trial presenters. There is no separate abstract presenter registration classification this year. Any person presenting an abstract should register in the appropriate category (member, nonmember, etc.). Accepting your speaker invitation and completing the Presenters Agreement via the online notification system does not register you for the meeting. You must register for the meeting through J. Spargo and Associates, the official registration and housing bureau for the 58th Annual Scientific Session and i2 Summit, in order to obtain a meeting badge. Please click here to register. If you are speaking at both meetings, you must be registered for both; otherwise, access may be questioned onsite if you do not have the proper badge. If you have not already registered, please contact J. Spargo & Associates, the ACC official registration and housing bureau at (800) 699-5113 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday – Friday (closed on federal holidays). Outside the United States and Canada, call (703) 449-6418. If you have registered and paid a fee, please request a refund in writing, attention Meeting Services Department, fax (202) 375-6843. You must reserve a hotel room if you require overnight lodging.

The College does not reimburse for hotel, travel or per diem expenses.

Advance Online Submission of Presentations

ACC is committed to providing the audience and faculty the best education environment possible. Most meeting rooms will have dedicated presentation computers and will be networked to a central computer. Presentations will be downloaded from the central server and sent to the respective meeting room on a secured intranet circuit. Presenters will be expected to submit their presentation in advance or bring it on zip disk, USB drive or CD-ROM to the Speaker Ready Room. In the Speaker Ready Room presenters will have the opportunity to review, update or make changes on computers and then give approval for the presentation to be uploaded to the appropriate meeting room.

The ACC.09/i2 Summit Presentation Submission Website opens Feb. 9, 2009. This audiovisual presentation website will remain open throughout the meeting for your convenience. This means that you will be able to submit your presentation through the website, accessible from any internet connection with sufficient bandwidth, up to 24 hours in advance of your presentation time. After this time, you must go to the Speaker Ready Room.

Click here to access the website. Include all embedded video files for presentations that will contain video clips.

You may return to the website anytime before the 24-hour deadline to delete a file that you have already submitted and re-submit a new file in the event that you’ve made changes to a presentation. For security and proprietary reasons, you cannot edit a file online.

Speaker Ready Room

There will be one speaker ready room at the convention center to assist all presenters for both ACC.09 and i2 Summit. The Speaker Ready Room will be located in Room W222. Presenters may go to the Speaker Ready Room to review and approve their presentations — your meeting badge will gain you entrance to the room.

All Speaker Ready Room computers will be configured with hardware and software exactly like that available on the computers in the presentation rooms. This will allow you to preview your presentation just as it will project when you present, identify problems and make corrections as necessary prior to your scheduled presentation date and time. Professional audiovisual consultants will be available for assistance.

IMPORTANT!! CHECK-IN IS EXPECTED OF ALL PRESENTERS!

Help us help you! Plan to check-in the day before or no later than four hours before your presentation time. Presenters who do not check-in sufficiently in advance of their presentation may give the scheduled talk, but may not have visuals. Speakers who have submitted their presentations in advance via the online Website are advised to visit the Speaker Ready Room to check the compatibility of their files. Note: ACC is moving towards more AV “operator-less” education rooms like many other medical meetings; make sure you check-in at the Speaker Ready Room onsite to avoid problems at the time of your presentation.

Special Note About DVDs: If you plan to play a DVD as part of your presentation, please be sure to test the DVD for compatibility in the Speaker Ready Room.

The following ACC activities are NOT networked: All committee meetings and special functions; and sessions/activities held outside of the Orange County Convention Center. Participants in these activities should contact the ACC staff liaison if audiovisual is required. Poster presenters may store their materials in the Speaker Ready Room.

Please note the hours of operation listed below. Speaker Ready Room Telephone: (407) 685-4024

Hours of Operation
Room W222:

Friday, March 27, Noon – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 28, 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 29, 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Monday, March 30, 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 31, 6:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Audiovisual Equipment in Presentation Rooms

Education session rooms will be furnished with the following audiovisual resources. See qualifying notes below if you are a Mac user

Screen; data projector; laser pointer
Custom designed Optiplex minitower, Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz PC
2GB DDR RAM
160GB SATA HDD
Internal 10/100 Network Interface Card
16x DVD+/-RW
3.5 inch floppy
GeForce FX 5200 256MB PCI Graphics Card
Podium Mouse Control
Windows Enhanced Keyboard
17” flat panel LCD (OSTL) 1280x1024
Windows XP operating system
Office 2003 (which includes PowerPoint XP, Word, and Excel)
Windows Media Player version 9
Macromedia Flash Player 9
Macromedia Shockwave Player 10
Adobe Acrobat Reader version 8.0

In addition to the standard Codec Packs, the following Codec Packs for video playback will also be installed:

Cinepak
DIVX - recommended
XVID
Intel Indeo Video R3.2
Indeo 5.10
Intel RAW
Mpeg 4
Dazzle software upon request

Any equipment not listed above must be requested in advance. Please contact John Powell (jpowell@acc.org).

Requests for nonstandard equipment will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and the designated presenter may be contacted about the request. Dual slide projection is not available.

Attention MAC Users:

If you are producing your presentation on an Apple computer, you MUST check-in at the Speaker Ready Room to verify that your presentation will run properly on the networked computers. If you have custom software programs required for your presentation, ACC will provide computer inputs in the meeting rooms to accommodate your laptop. Most problems with speakers using their own laptops are because the laptops are not checked for compatibility before the presentation. Be sure to check out your laptop in the Speaker Ready Room first!

Audiovisual Questions

If you have specific questions regarding audiovisual equipment or computer presentations, you may contact the ACC audiovisual staff in advance by email: John Powell (jpowell@acc.org).

iSCIENCE 2009: An ACC.09 & i2.09 Meeting on Demand
Registration B, Lobby C and ACC Central Booth #2062

iScience 2009 is a comprehensive digital library of education presented at ACC.09 & i2 Summit. Over 200 hours of education, including Late-Breaking Clinical Trials and other valuable sessions—with online access within 24 hours of the session and a DVD delivered within 20 days — is available for purchase at the sales counters located in Registration, Lobby C and ACC Central, Booth #2062.

Presentation Tips for Recording:

Before you begin speaking, adjust the microphone, if needed.
Speak into the microphone at all times. Avoid being too close to the microphone or “cupping” the microphone with your arm, which may cause feedback noise.
When you refer to a visual, briefly describe it.

Presentation Language is English

All presentations are entirely in English. If you need assistance in understanding or answering questions in English, please arrange to have the session co-chair or a member of your research team assist you. It is your responsibility to notify the session co-chairs of your special needs and arrangements before the first abstract in the session. You may include in your presentation file a few slides containing text or data for answering questions that might reasonably be expected from the audience. These slides should not include concepts or data integral to the main presentation.

Fielding Audience Questions

A vital part of each educational session is the opportunity for questions and discussion. Time has purposely been built into many sessions to allow this type of interaction between the presenter and others in the room. Questions may come from the audience or from your session chair or co-chair. Remember that question-and-answer discussions are also captured. To avoid gaps on the audio recording of your presentation, be sure to repeat the question posed into your microphone prior to answering it.

Distributing Materials at Sessions

Distribution of materials is not allowed in or outside the session rooms without prior permission.

Presenting Oral Contributions or Clinical Trial Results

If you will present an original contribution or clinical trial results, please a copy of the manuscript or outline for arrival no later than March 9, 2009 to:

Amy Murphy
Media Relations
American College of Cardiology
2400 N. Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20037
amurphy@acc.org (please put “manuscript” in the subject line)

If you have questions, please call (202) 375-6476.

Copies of your material will be made available to trade and consumer media representatives to assist with their reporting of presented research. If your presentation includes material from another contributor, then he or she must be acknowledged.

By supplying the manuscript or outline, you agree that the ACC may disseminate the materials to the media and to the public. In many instances, the ACC will disseminate the materials and/or a news release in advance of the meeting. All material is embargoed until time of presentation or press conference at the meeting. The ACC will request that representatives of the media not publish the information until after it has been presented.

IF YOU WANT YOUR INFORMATION HELD UNTIL PRESENTATION:

Upon your request, the ACC will hold manuscripts or outlines until the time of your presentation. To make such a request, your manuscript or outline must be clearly labeled on the front page as follows:

“PRESENTER REQUESTS DISSEMINATION AT OR AFTER [SPECIFY TIME AND DATE OF YOUR PRESENTATION]”

Preparing and Presenting Posters

This year, all poster abstracts will be presented as traditional flat board posters with an accompanying submission to the e-abstract online self-directed learning/archival system. Separate instructions will be sent regarding uploading and submitting information for the e-abstract system. You have already been sent your schedule information if you are presenting a traditional flat board poster.

Poster Session Dates and Times
Poster sessions take place in West Hall D. Poster session times for ACC.09 are:

Sunday, March 29, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Monday, March 30, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 31, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Note that all posters should be mounted no later than 30 minutes prior to the start of the session time and removed within 30 minutes after the session. An attendant will be available to provide information, assistance, and supplies. No audiovisual, projection, or computer equipment requiring electrical power will be permitted in the traditional poster session area.

Presenters are scheduled to attend their board during one of two special dedicated poster viewing sessions: 9:30 a.m. –10:30 a.m. (Sunday through Tuesday) or 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (Sunday/Monday).

i2 Summit posters are to remain on display throughout the entire length of the meeting. Posters should be mounted no later than 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, in time for the i2 Summit dedicated poster viewing hour from 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. and the i2 Summit Interventional Pavilion and Faculty Opening Reception.

Preparing and Presenting Traditional Flat Board Posters with an Accompanying E-Abstract System Submission

For preparing the traditional flat board poster — here are the guidelines that we request you adhere to for preparing your poster materials:

Poster-board size is eight feet long (243 cm) by four feet high (121 cm)
Prepare a copy of your poster abstract in large type
Prepare a copy of your Disclosure of Faculty Relationships information
Prepare a sheet or lightweight poster board with the presentation title and author(s) identification in lettering that is at least one inch high
Prepare all illustrations, charts, tables, and drawings in advance. Keep them simple and clear, with heavy lines and effective use of color. They must be readable at least three feet away.

When you arrive for your session:

Place the title card at the top of the board
Post your abstract in the upper left corner
Post your disclosure information to the right of the abstract
Mount visual material on the board using the Velcro fasteners or pins available in the poster area

For preparing the accompanying e-abstract submission — all traditional flat board poster presenters are requested to also upload their materials in the e-abstract online self-directed/archival system. A single summary slide in Microsoft PowerPoint format, a slide presentation, PDF, multi-media files, etc., may be uploaded. An e-abstract is an electronic format for 24/7 exposure via self-directed e-learning from any laptop or other computer with Internet access. There will be an area of dedicated computer terminals in the poster sessions hall for attendees to peruse the submissions as well.

A separate email with your login information for accessing the e-poster system and uploading your files will be sent in a separate communication.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR CHAIRS AND CO-CHAIRS

Chairs and co-chairs play an essential role in keeping educational sessions flowing smoothly and on schedule. Carefully read the following tips and guidelines for chairing sessions.

General Guidelines

Communicate with your panelists three to four weeks in advance of the meeting to review the major points of their talks and alleviate any overlapping presentation material with other speakers in the session. New this year: Chairs of sessions will have the ability to view slides from all the presenters in their sessions via the audiovisual Presentation Management System. Please refer to the Presentation Management website for more information on how to access your session(s) slides.
Stop by the Speaker Ready Room at the convention center to learn how to use audiovisual equipment that you will have available in the session room.
Review the Final Program to reconfirm the day, time, and location of the program you are chairing.
Report to the meeting room earlier than the scheduled start time so you can check arrangements.
Meet the ACC staff assigned to your room. Staff will liaise with you regarding session information/material and audiovisual inquiries, assist you with logistical needs, and monitor attendance.
Prompt for and monitor disclosure compliance from faculty/presenters in the session. If a presenter fails to disclosure, the speaker must not be allowed to make his/her presentation.
Verify with the presenters the accuracy of the information you plan to use in their brief introductions.
Ask presenters for whom English is a second language if they need assistance with questions from the audience. If no translator is available, you may need to repeat the question slowly or rephrase it for the presenter.
IMPORTANT: If your session has time allotted for Q and A you should be prepared to lead a lively questions and answer period.

Chairing Oral Presentations or Original Contributions

For each presentation, announce the abstract title, names of the presenter and other investigators, the institution(s), and the city and state/country where the research was performed. Session room staff will give you this information before the start of the session. If a presenter fails to appear, take a 15-minute break so the session stays on schedule with the printed Final Program.

Fire Safety Information

Seating capacity has been maximized in all session rooms according to local fire regulations. Standing in the aisles or against the walls is not permitted. If overcrowding occurs, staff/security personnel will close the session. Further admittance will not be allowed until the next speaker change. Noncompliance may subject the session to shutdown by the Fire Marshal.

Inside the session room, you can assist staff by urging attendees to —

Find seats as far forward as possible
Move to the center of the row and fill all seats so chairs are available for additional attendees
Store materials under chairs to maximize seating
Take all personal effects when exiting. Reentry to an overcrowded session room may not be allowed

Outside the session room, staff will ask attendees to —

Step back from the entrance
Form a line. The next attendee in line will be admitted into the session and escorted to an available seat unless the session chair closes the session at which point no additional attendees will be allowed to enter.

Session Descriptions

The following list describes educational session formats for ACC.09 and/or i2 Summit 2009. All presenters, chairs, co-chairs, and panelists should review the information under the specific session format(s) for which they are involved.

Session Formats Common to Both Meetings

Symposia

This classic educational format offers detailed discussions of interest to both general cardiologists and subspecialists in various aspects of scientific, clinical and procedural cardiology. Topics may include novel approaches to clinical issues as well as evidence-based data and/or clinical trial results. Individuals who have directly contributed information to the subject being discussed typically present these sessions.

Symposia are formatted in 90-minute time blocks, usually with five speakers and two co-chairs. Presentations are typically 15-minutes each. Some sessions reserve a timeslot at the end for audience questions. Other sessions are structured to field audience questions in between each presentation. Presentation slides are used liberally throughout each didactic lecture.
Symposia are generally housed in larger rooms with an audience size of approximately 300 to 1,200. Rooms are set with theater-style seating and a stage and/or head table is positioned at the front of the room. Floor microphones are situated down aisles throughout the room for audience questions. Audiovisual capability is available for all presentations.
The session chair manages the symposium session by introducing the faculty and/or panelists, introducing the topic, stating the session objectives, and leading the discussion or debate after the presentations are made. Session chairs are also responsible for keeping the session on topic and on time.

Oral Abstracts

Each year, the meetings feature as oral contributions by the original author of some of the best abstracts accepted to the meeting. Groups of several oral abstracts surrounding a similar topic are offered in 90-minute sessions. New this year to ACC.09 is the addition of a co-chair session summary intended to coalesce and comment on the science presented across the group of abstracts for each session. For i2 Summit 2009, a panel of experts provides commentary.

For ACC.09, each abstract presentation lasts no more than 15 minutes — 12 minutes of presentation and 3 minutes for audience questions and discussion. Oral abstract contributions for i2 Summit 2009 are presented in 12-minute increments and a co-chair summary is not scheduled.
Oral abstracts audience size is approximately 300 housed in rooms of theater-style seating. Floor microphones are positioned around the room for audience questions. Audiovisual capability is available in each room.
All oral abstract presentations are entirely in English. If you need assistance in understanding or answering questions in English, please arrange to have the session co-chair or a member of your research team assist you. It is your responsibility to notify the session co-chairs of your special needs and arrangements before the first abstract in the session. You may include in your presentation file a few slides containing text or data for answering questions that might reasonably be expected from the audience. These slides should not include concepts or data integral to the main presentation.
Session co-chairs or moderators are responsible for managing the oral session by introducing the speakers and/or panelists and introducing the session topic and objectives. Session chairs or moderators are also responsible for keeping the session on topic and on time.

Poster Abstracts

This year’s poster abstract sessions feature over 1,700 posters in the classic flat board format between the two meetings. New this year! Renewed Focus on Abstracts — with dedicated poster viewing hours, Poster Discussant faculty to facilitate questions/interaction, Best Poster Award judging, e-abstract self-directed learning/archival system and the new Poster Café area for refreshments, comfortable seating, WiFi access and electrical outlets to power your laptop. Attendees can view posters during the dedicated hours of 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., and speak with presenters in person. Poster abstracts for i2 Summit will remain on display throughout the entire meeting. Again this year, a group of finalists will be featured in the “Best Poster” competition. First, second and third place awardees will be recognized at the Tuesday afternoon ACC.09 and i2 Summit Meeting Highlights Session.

Twenty-seven top abstracts have been selected from nine major topic areas represented at the meeting. A panel of learned masters will judge these posters for the novelty and clarity of the ideas presented as well as the potential clinical importance of the science.
Posters boards should be formatted to fit into a display space that is 4 feet high by 8 feet wide. The poster presenter is responsible for providing all presentation materials for his or her poster. Poster presentations should include a copy of the abstract and all relevant disclosure information. All poster text and illustrations must be presented in English, readable from distances of at least three feet. Each poster is assigned to a standard 3-hour time slot during the meeting.
Presenters are required to staff their poster during their 60-minute assigned time as designated in their poster acceptance letter. Plan to be in the poster area 30 minutes ahead of time to set up the poster presentation materials. ACC will provide pushpins and/or Velcro for attaching poster materials to the backboards. ACC does not provide reproduction services for posters.
All poster presenters are also highly encouraged to submit their poster to the ACC e-abstract system. Poster presenters may submit the individual sections of their poster, including complex images and multimedia files, to the system, or they may a single summary slide of their poster in a digital format such as Microsoft PowerPoint^®, Adobe PDF^®, and so on. Keep in mind that any text or image embedded within single summary slides is not searchable because the system views these object as a single data entry. E-abstracts are viewed via an electronic, self-directed e-learning system for 24-hour, 7-day exposure from any laptop or other computer with Internet access. Instructions for uploading to the e-abstract system have been sent out in a separate notification.
Submissions of poster abstract contributions are also available as e-abstracts online at www.cardiosource.com.

Live Cases

Back again are the popular live case sessions where attendees watch an actual invasive cardiovascular procedure in progress via satellite feed from a clinical setting. This year’s sessions offer both adult interventional procedures at i2 Summit 2009 and pediatric invasive cardiovascular procedures at ACC’s Congenital Cardiology Solutions 2009 (CCS.09).

Live cases are formatted as 2-hour sessions. Each session will feature two 25-minute cases each from two different hospital sites. Participating sites for this year’s sessions are: Columbia University Hospital, Cedars Sinai, Presbyterian Dallas, St. Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, St. Paul's Hospital, Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Mayo Clinic, Helios Heart Center (Siegburg, Germany), Hamburg University Cardiovascular Center, and St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana. Session moderators and a panel of experts will provide commentary on the procedures as they unfold. Live cases will open with a state-of-the art lecture related to the cases to be viewed.
Each live case session will be managed by two chairs and/or moderators, who will move back and forth between discussion by a group of four to six expert panelists and commentary by the two remote operators per live procedure. This format should create a composite educational experience for attendees. Session moderators are responsible for keeping the session on time and on topic.
Live cases will be broadcast from session rooms with theater-style seating and designed for an audience size of up to 3,500. Floor microphones are positioned around the room for audience questions. Specialized audiovisual capability is available in each room.

Special Sessions

Special sessions are unique events that focus on plenary events and/or activities of broad interest to many attendees. Among the special sessions are the ACC.09 Scientific Showcase opening session, several named lecture sessions, late breaking clinical trials, emerging technology, and abstract presentations, the Young Investigators Awards, the College business meeting, Convocation, the ACC.09 and i2 Summit Meeting Highlights session, and more.

Chairs and panelists in these sessions receive separate guidelines as warranted.

ACCF-ABIM Recertification Study

New this year! American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) and American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) have joined forces to help ACC.09 and i2 Summit 2009 attendees earn Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credit while at the meetings! Four half-day, interactive study sessions are being offered using 2007-08 ABIM Medical Knowledge Modules — two different sessions in General Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology. Each session will be repeated once during the meetings. These interactive sessions are based on a group of home study modules approved by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Review with the experts, learn alongside your peers, challenge your medical knowledge with practice test questions and get instant feedback with an audience response system. After the study session, take advantage of nearby computer workstations to immediately take the post-test for each MOC module. Each module study session prepares you to earn 10 points in partial satisfaction of ABIM Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements.

Any meeting attendee, regardless of the registration package he or she purchased, is eligible to attend any of the MOC sessions. However, participants must be registered as an ABIM diplomate in order to participate. ABIM representatives will be available onsite for diplomate registration and to answer questions about the MOC process. Tickets are also needed to gain entrance to a session and attendance is limited. Interested attendees may click here to sign up for tickets.
MOC sessions are formatted in 3-hour time blocks. The four different study sessions will each be offered twice, for a total of eight study sessions during the meetings. An audience response system will be available for all participants to use during the sessions. An audience response system practice area is available upon request in the Speaker Ready Room. The sessions are housed in a room dedicated to MOC and set in classroom-style seating for up to 150 individuals. Floor microphones are situated down aisles throughout the room for audience questions. Audiovisual capability is available for all presentations.
Sessions are managed with at least one moderator and two to three MOC discussants. The moderator manages his or her session by introducing the discussants, introducing the topic and format of the session, stating the session objectives, and leading the questioning and discussion process. Session chairs or moderators are also responsible for keeping the session on topic and on time.

Session Formats Unique to ACC.09

Meet the Experts/Lunch with the Experts

“Meet the Experts” are 60-minute, energizing case-based, interactive sessions that emphasize scholarly discussion and debate in a lively, but informal small group setting. A specific topic is selected for each session and audience participation is encouraged. A variation of the “Meet the Experts” format is “Lunch With the Experts” offered as 90-minute sessions that are held in the middle of the day. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lunch to “Lunch With the Experts.” Food for purchase is available at nearby concessions outside of the Lunchtime Panel rooms.

Typically, a session chair, a case presenter and a small group of panelists host a “Meet the Experts” session. “Meet the Experts” (MTE) sessions are formatted in 60-minute time blocks — 30 minutes for case presentation and/or debate and 30 minutes for audience interaction. A provocative clinical case vignette or organizational scenario is typically presented with the case presenter and panelists each having approximately 5-7 minutes to make their brief remarks. Audience interaction can be intermixed with the remarks or reserved for after the case presentation. However, as the MTE format emphasizes audience interactivity, the total time for didactic material should not exceed 30 minutes within the 60-minute block. Attendees should have an opportunity to obtain answers to specific questions.
“Lunch With the Experts” (LWTE) sessions are typically organized in the same manner as “Meet the Experts” sessions. The specific time allotments for presenters and audience questions are at the discretion of the chair. Some session chairs choose to allow 20-30 minutes for attendees to eat before the program begins, while chairs choose to use the entire 90-minute block to present their program. In any case, ample time should be planned for audience questions and interaction.
MTE and LWTE audience size is approximately 200 (with some larger, 500-person capacity rooms at lunchtime) housed in rooms of mixed classroom-style seating in the front and theater-style seating towards the back. Floor microphones are positioned around the room for audience questions. Audiovisual capability is available, however, presentation slides should be kept to a minimum and not organized into a didactic lecture.
The session chair manages the MTE or LWTE session by introducing the faculty (including the panelists and the case presenter), introducing the topic, stating the session objectives, and leading the discussion or debate after the case presentation is made. Session chairs are also responsible for keeping the session on topic and on time. It is also the responsibility of the session chair to assure that the case presenter and panelists do not present mini-lectures. Session chairs should coordinate with case presenters and panelists to discuss the type of case to be used well in advance of the meeting. If a case presentation format is not suitable for the topic being covered then the session chair may make slight modifications to the MTE or LWTE format.

Spotlights

Spotlights are comprehensive immersion programs centered on a specific cardiovascular area, built as a series of presentations to create an entire day of learning. Spotlight sessions have broad appeal to cardiovascular clinicians, basic scientists, and cardiac care team health care providers as well as primary care and subspecialty physicians. The Spotlight programs for ACC.09 are: Cardiac Care Team, ClinCard, Electrophysiology, Integrated Imaging, Vascular Disease, Hypertension and Prevention, and Congenital Cardiology Solutions (CCS.09).

Some spotlights use an audience response system for interactive questioning. Each spotlight program has its own set of objectives and education is tailored to address the audience needs for the selected topic(s). Spotlight sessions are formatted in 90-minute time blocks, often with five speakers and two co-chairs. Presentations are typically 15-minutes each although this varies with specific format. Some sessions reserve a timeslot at the end for audience questions. Other sessions are structured to field audience questions in between each presentation. Presentation slides are used liberally throughout each didactic presentation. For faculty who will use an audience response system (ARS) during their presentation, an ARS practice area is available upon request in the Speaker Ready Room.
Spotlights are generally housed in larger rooms with an audience size of approximately 300 to 1,700. Rooms are set with theater-style seating and a stage and/or head table is positioned at the front of the room. Floor microphones are situated down aisles throughout the room for audience questions. Audiovisual capability is available for all presentations.
The Spotlight co-chairs manage their sessions by introducing the faculty and/or panelists, introducing topics, stating the session objectives, and leading the discussion or debate after the presentations are made. Spotlight chairs are also responsible for keeping the sessions in their Spotlight on topic and on time.

Core Curriculum

Back by attendee request! Based on feedback from previous annual meetings, this year’s meeting offers a newly designed series of eleven sessions in a core curriculum format. Core curricula are structured sessions that focus on key cardiovascular knowledge for lifelong learning — the seminal topics relevant to the care of patients in which all practicing cardiologists should be well versed. Session faculty are thought leaders, guidelines authors, and master educators suggested by College leadership. Core Curricula session attendees will use audience response systems to respond to clinically based questions. Some sessions will also offer in-depth “read with the experts” audience response segments. This is an excellent format for those reviewing for board exams or wanting to test their knowledge in key cardiovascular topics.

Core Curricula are formatted in 90-minute time blocks, with segments slated for 30, 45, or 60 minutes depending on the topic. When planning their presentations, session faculty should allow at least 5 minutes for audience questions and 5 minutes for changeover and introduction of speakers. Session faculty are expected to create as a teaching tool 2-3 clinically based, ABIM format-type questions (multiple choice, single best answer) that can be fielded by audience response system during, or just after, their presentation. Faculty who are part of a “Read with the Experts” panel (Cardiac Echo and Nuclear Cardiology sessions) should coordinate amongst themselves and the session chair(s) to determine the timing of specific session activities. An audience response system practice area is available upon request in the Speaker Ready Room.
Core curricula sessions will be housed in rooms set in theater-style seating for up to 300 individuals. Floor microphones are situated down aisles throughout the room for audience questions. Audiovisual capability is available for all presentations.
The session chair or moderator manages his or her session by introducing the faculty and/or panelists, introducing the topic and format of the session, stating the session objectives, and leading the discussion or questioning period after the presentations are made. Session chairs or moderators are also responsible for keeping the session on topic and on time.

International Lunch Symposia

New this year! ACC is co-hosting a series of symposia held over lunchtime with 14 non-U.S.-based cardiovascular societies. These sessions focus on global clinical and patient management issues that can be presented from the perspective of U.S. based physicians and non-U.S.-based physicians. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lunch to the sessions. Food for purchase is available at nearby concessions outside of the symposia rooms.

International Lunch Symposia sessions typically address two topics per session. Two specific topics are covered in each session and with designated timeslots for audience questions. International Lunch Symposia are offered as 90-minute sessions that are held in the middle of the day. The session begins with a 2-minute introduction by one of the co-chairs, then 38 minutes of presentations followed by a 5-minute period for audience questions. Then, the session continues with an additional 30 minutes of presentation, then 5 minutes for audience questions and a concluding 10-minute session summary.
International Lunch Symposia audience size is between 200-500 housed in rooms of mixed classroom-style seating in the front and theater-style seating towards the back. Floor microphones are positioned around the room for audience questions. Audiovisual capability is available in all rooms.
Session co-chairs manage International Lunch Symposia sessions by introducing all speakers and stating the session objectives. Session co-chairs are also responsible for keeping the session on topic and on time.

Heart Songs Learning Lab

Heart Songs offers self-paced practice of cardiac auscultation skills by listening to heart sounds on an iPod while viewing supplementary material on poster boards. A computerized post-test is included.

Session Formats Unique to i2 Summit 2009

Case Reviews

New this year! Case Reviews will be offered over the lunch hour for i2 attendees. Case Reviews are stimulating sessions offering the rapid presentation of a series of several cases. Audience questions are encouraged in this interactive format. Food for purchase is available is available at nearby concessions to carry into the case presentation rooms.

Case Reviews are formatted in 60-minute time blocks, typically with two co-chairs and four to five case presenters who will make 10-minute presentations. Presenters should prepare a PowerPoint presentation with cine loops, IVUS images or IVUS runs and any other imaging utilized in their case imported into PowerPoint in order to avoid switching from one program to another during the presentation. Presenters are advised that their actual case does not run for the entire 10 minutes and that they leave some time for discussion, where they would make comments and ask or accept audience questions.
Case Reviews audience size is approximately 300-600 housed in rooms of theater-style seating. Floor microphones are positioned around the room for audience questions. Audiovisual capability is available in each room.
Session co-chairs are responsible for managing the Case Review session by introducing the case presenters and introducing the session topic and objectives. Session chairs are also responsible for keeping the session on topic and on time.

Hands-on Simulation

Hands on opportunities to practice managing real-life medical situations in a simulated environment are being offered in the Knowledge Exchange Area on the Exposition Floor.

Attention Faculty Presenting in Sessions With an Audience Response System (ARS)

Please note: Only the following sessions are authorized to use ARS

ACC.09

Sunday

VHP Sessions: 101, 102, 103 in W304
ClinCard Sessions: 131, 133, 134 in WF3&4
ClinCard Sessions: 130, 132, 135 in WF5
MOC Sessions: 801, 803 in W330D

Monday

MOC Sessions: 805, 807 in W330D
Core Curriculum Sessions: 701, 703, 705, 707 in W231
Core Curriculum Sessions: 702, 704, 706, 712 in W232

Tuesday

Core Curriculum Sessions: 708, 710 in W231
Core Curriculum Sessions: 709, 711 in W232

i2 Summit

Saturday

MOC Sessions: 2801, 2803 in W330D
Cardiac Care Team Sessions: 2101, 2102 in W315AB

Monday

Hemodynamics Sessions: 2632, 2633 in W414AB

Tuesday

MOC Sessions: 2805, 2806 in W330D

The sessions above will offer an audience response system for promoting two-way interactions with the audience. Please liaise with the session chair(s) for any specific programmatic guidance that he/she may have regarding the use of use of the system in supporting the instructional design or curriculum. Below are instructions for creating and embedding the special PowerPoint slides needed for audience response.

The ARS used at ACC.09 integrates directly with Microsoft® PowerPoint and enables a presenter to transform his or her presentation into a powerful, interactive experience for conducting real-time assessments of audience comprehension, conducting opinion polls, and gathering other audience data during a presentation.

ARS QUESTION TYPES

Faculty members may place ARS multiple-choice questions, true-false or yes-no questions, opinion polls or other audience data queries directly into their PowerPoint presentations as they prepare them. Each question and set of possible responses should be typed directly onto individual PowerPoint slides. ARS slides may be located at any point throughout a presentation and there is no limit to the number of questions that can be asked. Click here to see examples of the types and formats for questions that can be programmed with this ARS. Click here to see a PowerPoint slide template that can be used for creating and embedding ARS slides in faculty presentations.

ARS PRESENTATION SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MARCH 18th

All completed PowerPoint presentations containing ARS questions must be submitted to the ACC.09 Presentation Submission Website NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18th. Our ACC.09 audiovisual vendor has been alerted to watch for presentations submitted by faculty in your session. As presentations are submitted, the audiovisual vendor will add the necessary programming elements behind each of the question slides within each presentation to make those slides capable of showing ARS results in bar graph format.

The ACC.09 Presentation Submission Website is the same site to which all ACC.09 faculty are submitting their presentations. Click here to access this website.

IMPORTANT NOTE: FACULTY MUST NOT MAKE CHANGES TO AN ARS PRESENTATION ONCE IT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE ACC.09 PRESENTATION SYSTEM. DOING SO WILL REMOVE ALL PROGRAMMING ELEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED BY THE AUDIOVISUAL VENDOR TO MAKE THE SLIDES WORK WITH ARS. IF FACULTY HAVE CHANGES AFTER SUBMISSION, THEY SHOULD CONTACT PHIL BRADLEY (214) 869-6236; Philip.Bradley@freemanco.com FOR SPECIAL ASSISTANCE.

ARS PRACTICE OPPORTUNITY

For the benefit of your session faculty, the ACC.09 Speaker Ready Room (Orange County Convention Center, Room W222, telephone: (407) 685-4024) will have an ARS demonstration and practice station available from Friday, March 27th. Speaker Ready Room hours are noon to 6:00 p.m. on Friday and 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day thereafter.

Please contact Phil Bradley if you have any questions about integrating an ARS into the sessions.