Entering the Poster Competition helps you in 2 ways:

  • Anyone entering a poster in the Moving & Handling People 2011 conference Poster Competition will receive a refund of 25% on the cost of their 2011 delegate place, the saving will be reimbursed following the conference
  • The winner of the Poster Competition will receive a complimentary place to Moving & Handling People 2012

Voting

  • Only delegates will have the opportunity of voting for the best conference poster
  • Voting slips will be provided in the delegate packs

Guidelines for Poster Exhibition

Subject

Your poster should provide a graphically based approach to presenting research, a new handling technique and/or best practice in a particular area of Moving & Handling People.

General aim and format

  • In presenting your research with a poster, you should aim to use the poster as a means for generating active discussion of the subject
  • Limit the text to about one-fourth of the poster space, and use "visuals" (graphs, photographs, schematics, maps, etc.) to tell your "story"
  • The posters should not include a supplier’s endorsement

Design and layout specifications

  • The poster must be laminated and no larger than A1 format
  • The poster must be presented in a "landscape" format (long dimension is horizontal)
  • A banner displaying your poster title, name, department and place of work should be positioned at top-centre of the board (see Figure 1)
  • Make it obvious to the viewer how to progressively view the poster. The poster generally should read from left to right, and top to bottom. Numbering the individuals panels, or connecting them with arrows is a standard "guidance system" (see Figure 1)
  • Leave some open space in the design. An open layout is less tiring to the eye and mind

Poster example

Figure 1: Conventional layouts for a poster. Long panel at top-centre is title/author banner. Individual panels can be connected by numbers and arrows. Also, note the use of space between panels to achieve visual ease of reading

Lettering

  • Word-process all text (including captions). Print on plain white paper with a laser printer or inkjet printer
  • Text should be readable from five feet away. Use a minimum font size of 18 points
  • Lettering for the title should be large (at least 70-point font). Use all capital letters for the title

Visuals

  • Present numerical data in the form of graphs, rather then tables (graphs make trends in the data much more evident). If data must be presented in table-form, KEEP IT SIMPLE
  • Visuals should be simple and bold. Leave out or remove any unnecessary details
  • Make sure that any visual can "stand alone" (i.e. graph axes are properly labelled, maps have north arrows and distance scales, symbols are explained, etc.)
  • Use colour to enhance comprehension, not to decorate the poster. Neatly coloured black-line illustrations with colours are acceptable
  • Make sure that the text and the visuals are integrated. Figures should be numbered consecutively according to the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. Each visual should have a brief title (for example: Figure 1- Location of study area)

Text

  • Keep the text brief. Blocks of text should not exceed three paragraphs. Use text to (a) introduce the study (what hypothesis was tested or what problem was investigated? why was the study worth doing?), (b) explain visuals and direct readers attention to significant data trends and relationships portrayed in the visuals, and (c) state and explain the interpretations that follow from the data. In many cases, conclusions can be summaried in a bullet-point list
  • Depending upon the stage or nature of your project, the text could also include sections on future research plans or questions for discussion
  • Cite and reference any sources of information other than your own, just as you would do with a research paper. The "References Cited" should be positioned at the end of the poster

Helpful suggestions

  • SIMPLICITY IS THE KEY. Keep to the point, and don't try to cover too many things. Present only enough data to support your conclusions. On the other hand, make sure that you present sufficient data to support your conclusions
  • When you begin to make your poster, first create a list of the visuals that you would use if you were describing your project with only the visuals. Write the text after you have created the list of visuals

How to submit a poster

To submit a poster proposal, please send the title and an abstract (max 100 words) or a pdf of your poster to mhp@dlf.org.uk by Friday 29th October. The committee will contact you by Friday 19th November to let you know if your poster has been accepted.

Posters should be delivered to the Organiser's Office at the Moving & Handling People venue (Business Design Centre, Islington, London) by 08.00 on Thursday, 3rd February and collected from the Organiser's Office between 16.00 and 16.30 on Friday 4th February.

The winner will be notified w/c 14th February and the winning poster will then go up on the website.