Chair/Speaker Information | CNSF Congress

2025 CNSF Congress | MONDAY to thursday, JUNE 9 - 12

Shaw Centre and Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel, OTTAWA

The majority of the courses and sessions will be held at the Shaw Centre with the exception of the Pre-Congress Residents Courses which will be at the Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel. Check the 'CNSF Congress' 2025 Event App / Website (coming soon), signage and/or emails for specific locations.

for chairs / speakers

Please watch your email for communications from the CNSF Secretariat regarding your session / presentation information.

To ensure that you receive all communications from the CNSF office, please whitelist congress@cnsf.org

The CNSF uses an online event management system (Cadmium’s Conference Harvester) to collect, manage and share Congress session details through the 'CNSF Congress' mobile event app and website.

This system will give chairs and speakers direct access to add/or amend their session outline and presentation materials. If you are new to the Conference Harvester, the system is 'Task Based' and you will need to complete each task before the assigned due date.

Check your email for your unique Login URL & ACCESS KEY

CLICK HERE to access < 2025 Chair/Speaker Management System > WILL OPEN early December

Questions on scientific content or focus, please contact either:

Scientific Program Committee (SPC)

Chair, Joe Megyesi: joseph.megyesi@lhsc.on.ca

Vice-Chair, Gerald Pfeffer: gerald.pfeffer@ucalgary.ca

Vice-Chair, Michelle Mezei: mezei@mail.ubc.ca

All other requests, please contact:
Nicole Rozak: 403-229-9544, ext. 104 / congress@cnsf.org

Course/Session Guidelines

Carefully review the following important guidelines surrounding the development and delivery of a course/session at the CNSF Congress. You will be asked to acknowledge having reviewed them when you complete the 'Agreement to Participate'.

GENERAL

  • Every session must have a chair. A chair may also act as a speaker.

  • Chair and speaker positions are voluntary. No honorarium or expenses are paid except in special conditions listed under > Course Budget

  • It is preferred that Course Chairs are a member of at least one CNSF Society (CNS, CNSS, CACN, CSCN, CSNR, CSC); however the CNSF recognizes this is not always the case or in the best interests of the Congress, particularly for chairs from outside of Canada or who are not neurosurgeons, neurologists, or neuroradiologists.

  • Additional speakers, do not have to be a member of CNSF. However, speakers who are Canadian neurosurgeons, neurologists, or neuroradiologists are encouraged to consider membership.

  • Each person attending the CNSF Congress must complete the registration process. This includes invited speakers, chairpersons, and all delegates. > Registration 

  • Eligible chairs and speakers receive the day of their session free and will be emailed a discount code to attend the remainder of the Congress for $400. Make sure to use this special code when registering.

*Due to the nature of the Clinical Case Studies and Lunch 'n Learns there are no Full Congress registration discounts available. Chair and speakers for these sessions must register for the Congress at regular rates. These speakers will receive a separate email with registration instructions.

  • By agreeing to participate at the Congress, you agree to abide by the CNSF Policies and details outlined here.  > Timelines

  • All courses are 2.5 hours, except Clinical Case Studies which are 2 hours.

  • When planning a session, we encourage a variety of formats including case discussions and workshops. Should you adopt the traditional format, consisting of invited speakers who each lecture on specific topics, please maintain the following ratios:

    • 1-2 hour sessions – 2-3 speakers
    • 2.5 hour sessions – up to 4 speakers

    For an Interactive Workshop-Style format, which could require more speakers, please discuss with the scientific program committee chair first. > Alternative Formats

  • As the Congress is accredited Section 1 Learning Activity with the Royal College, sessions must have at least 25% interactive content. At a minimum, this may take the form of formal question-and-answer periods during the session. > Interactivity

  • Chair's must provide the course outline, recruit speakers for their session and submit an agenda by mid JANUARY. > sample Course Outline

  • It is the responsibility of the chair to confirm their speakers' participation, completeness of presentation materials and to communication these guidelines to all potential speakers.

  • Once the chair has confirm their 'Speakers List' and 'Agenda Outline', the CNSF Secretariat will officially invite Speakers to the Congress and give them their 'Access Key' to the online event management system.

  • The session chair will introduce each speaker by title, name and affiliation.

  • The Chair is responsible to maintain the course duration within the allotted time, including time required for discussions / questions and answers.

  • At the end of the course/session, chairs are asked to remind the audience to fill in the 'Specific Course Evaluation' survey. > Evaluation

  • If you are speaking in 2 sessions, please ensure you use different content and avoid duplication.

  • Course Notes / upload a 'PDF' copy of speaker presentation Slides for Congress delegates - at least one day prior to session. Password protected and viewable only to registered delegates through the CNSF Congress event app / website, as a 'slides player' link, next to their presentation title.  > Course Notes (pdf)

  • Each room will be equipped with; a pc laptop, LCD projector and screen, microphone and speakers. Additional AV requirements must be submitted by MAY 14 to determine if funds are available. *Requests must be emailed and approved by CNSF CEO c/o congress@cnsf.org  

  • Speakers 'PowerPoint' Presentations need to be loaded in the Speakers Ready Room onsite - at least 3 hours prior to the session. > Speaker Presentation (ppt)

CANCELLATIONS / CHANGES IN SPEAKERS

Any changes should be announced by the chair at the beginning of the session. In the event that a scheduled presentation is cancelled, and no other speaker has been recruited to replace them, that particular time may be used for longer talks or a longer discussion period. This is at the discretion of the chair.

timelines

*Details "subject to change". Please check back for the latest information.

  • Congress Program finalized (Planning Committee) - end of November
  • Invite Chairs (Important Guidelines/Access Key)  - early December
  • Course Outline & Speakers list DUE (Chair Tasks) - JANUARY 22
  • Invite Speakers (Important Guidelines/Access Key) - January 29
  • Agreement to Participate (Harvester Task) - February 19
  • Disclosure of Conflict of Interest (Harvester Task) - February 19
  • Speaker Confirmation; Date & Time, Presentation Title DUE (Speakers Tasks) – FEBRUARY 19
  • Chair and Speaker Registration - opens mid MARCH
  • Hotel Room Reservations - opens mid MARCH
  • Additional AV emailed to congress@cnsf.org - May 14
  • Upload a 'PDF' copy of 'COURSE NOTES/Slides' a 'PDF' copy of presentation (Speakers task) - 1 day prior to session
  • Activate Live Polling via Mobile App, interactive Q&A (Speakers task) - 1 day prior to session
  • Load 'PowerPoint' PRESENTATION slides - 3 hrs prior to session in Speaker Ready Room On-site

Course Budget

The CNSF does not reimburse speaker or chair travel or accommodation costs for practicing Canadian Neurologists, Neurosurgeons, Neuroradiologists, or Child Neurologists however, we provide free registration for the day of your course OR a discounted rate of $400 should you wish to stay for the entire Congress.

ONLY Chairs and Speakers who are not practicing Canadian neurologists, neurosurgeons or neuroradiologists are provided economy flight and 2 nights’ accommodation.

The course budget allows for ONLY one of these speakers per Course; other special circumstances are considered such as courses developed by individuals who are not neurologists, neurosurgeons or neuroradiologists.

*Requests must be emailed and approved by CNSF CEO c/o congress@cnsf.org 

Registration

Each person attending the CNSF Congress must complete the registration process. This includes invited speakers, chairpersons, and all delegates.

Eligible chairs and speakers receive the day of their session free and will be emailed a discount code to attend the remainder of the Congress for $400. Please 'do not' register until you received the 'Registration Instructions for Speakers and Chairs' email from cnsf@intertaskconferences.com.

*Due to the nature of the Clinical Case Studies and Lunch 'n Learns there are no Congress registration discounts available. Chair and speakers for these sessions must register for the Congress at regular rates. These speakers will receive a separate email with registration instructions.

Delegate Registration Page

Hotel Room Reservations

Host City / Transportation

International Speakers

Any International Speakers and Delegates, hoping to attend the 2025 CNSF Congress, are strongly encouraged to consult the Government of Canada website for the latest regulations regarding entry to Canada.

Government of Canada - immigration-refugees-citizenship - Visit Canada 

COVID-19 requirements for travelling to and within Canada.

COVID-19: Travel, testing and borders

Evaluations

Courses will be evaluated by Congress delegates and CNSF CPD Auditors to ensure compliance with Royal College MOC Standards.

The CNSF can provide previous Congress Evaluation Summaries for your course, if available, in order to assist with planning. Where evaluations are not available, chairs are encouraged to dialogue with the Scientific Program Committee members who were responsible for the selection of session topics.

We ask that Chairs prompt the audience to fill in the 'Specific Course Evaluation' survey at the end of their session, accessible through the 'CNSF Congress' Event App or Website, under the 'Evaluations' tab.

Course Notes (PDF)

Are highly valued and always requested and sought after by Congress delegates. 

We encourage all speakers to submit a 'PDF' copy of their presentation slides / Course Notes at least one day prior to their session. Slides will be password protected and viewable only to registered delegates through the CNSF Congress event app for 5 yrs. / website 1 yr., as a 'slides player' link next to the presentation title.

You will be given direct access to upload your 'Course Notes / presentation Slides' through the online speaker portal (Cadmium's Conference Harvester) as a task. Please check your email from congress@cnsf.org for your unique URL, Login Access Key.

*By uploading your slides, you agree to have them published within the 'CNSF Congress' app and event website which will be password protected and viewable only by registered Congress delegates.

  • PDF format
  • Save file using: presentation title
  • Speaker Presentation materials can also be used instead of providing separate Course Notes

*If submitting Journal articles or other copyrighted information, it is the responsibility of the speaker to obtain written permissions. The CNSF assumes that all materials provided have the necessary waivers. Please keep copies of waivers on file in case of audit.

  • Login and complete 'Course Notes / Slides' Upload (pdf) task
  • Course Notes must be submitted - one day prior to session

Speaker Presentation (PPT)

  • Follow PowerPoint order of information listed below
  • Save file using: firstname_lastname_presentation title
  • Load your presentation in the Speaker Ready Room onsite at least 3 hours in advance of your session
  • Speakers must allow at least 25% of their presentation time for questions and feedback from the audience

*Patient material that is presented must be completely anonymized with no identifiers, include require written informed consent and REB approval where applicable

PowerPoint - Order of Information:

  1. Cover Page - Title, Author Name and Affiliations – first slide
  2. Learning objectives – second side
  3. Disclosure Statement – third slide **Speakers must include a Disclosure Statement on the 3rd slide of their presentation
  4. If utilizing the Audience Response System – ‘How to access Live Poll Questions’
  5. Course materials
  6. References - if any
  7. Figures - if any

Alternative Course Presentation Formats

You may want to consider whether your course lends itself to a different format than the traditional set of back-to-back lectures. Some examples of alternative formats:

Case-based discussions. These are held in high regard by Congress delegates. If your topic is particularly clinical, consider anchoring your didactic content to clinical cases to make the clinical application of your course material more immediate. Course chairs can consider encouraging their speakers to integrate an illustrative clinical case along with their talks. Course chairs can also consider developing out a single exemplary clinical case that is woven throughout all of the talks and helps to tie them together.

Workshop formats. Workshops allow delegates to directly manipulate the information being presented to them leading to higher knowledge retention. Examples of topics that lend themselves particularly well to workshop formats include topics on methodologies such as “critical appraisal of neurosurgical literature” or on examination techniques such as “how to perform a neuro-ophthalmological exam.” In a workshop format, didactic lectures will be complemented by breakout groups with facilitators. In the first example, the facilitators would go through the exercise of critically appraising an article with small groups of delegates. In the second example, a series of stations could be set up around the room where delegates could rotate through and practice different parts of the exam with workshop facilitators.

Interactivity

Traditional lecture formats are acceptable and may be preferred for certain topics. However, there are methods to increase interactivity within traditional lecture formats.

At the most basic level, you should ensure that your courses contain enough time set aside for questions and answers from the audience (25%). This can either take the form of a Q&A section after each individual lecture, or a panel Q&A at the end of the entire course, or both. Speakers are encouraged to trim off some of their material if they fear there will not be sufficient time for ‘interaction’. More adventurous lecturers may want to consider incorporating “real-time” questions from the audience into their talks.

There are many “interactive classroom” strategies that can be employed to move beyond the standard Q&A. One of these is involving audience members to think actively about your material by interspersing quiz questions throughout your presentation. This format is particularly useful when coupled with case discussion. Such questions can occur with a simple show of hands, but incorporating the use of an audience response system where audience members can see their peers’ answers is a particularly useful strategy. We strongly encourage you to include audience response questions into your presentations. Please consider adding slides to your presentation that include multiple choices, true/false, or other similar questions for the audience into your presentation.

Read more on Interactive Learning in Continuing Professional Development: "at Least 25 Per Cent of Time" offered by The Royal College – CPD Activity Toolkit.