CIOBWCS 2026 Symposium Information

How Will WCS 2026 Hybrid Symposium Work?

• The conference is delivered physically at Hilton, Colombo, Sri Lanka and virtually over a professional platform, Zoom, and is managed by a competent and experienced technical team.
• All virtual paper presentations must be pre-recorded to improve the quality of the delivery, avoid going over time and avoid any technical issue. However, speakers should be virtually present for their entire session in order to answer questions and participate in the discussion.
• The virtual conference is similar to any in-person conference. Presentations are assembled in parallel sessions according to themes. Participants can access the session of their choice by entering the WCS 2026 main meeting using the meeting ID and passcode and then selecting the breakout room for the parallel session of their choice. All registered attendees can attend all parallel sessions and switch from session to session at will.
• The symposium inauguration, panel discussion and the sum-up are held in the WCS 2026 main meeting room.
• As with in-person conferences, there will also be a dedicated period for questions and discussion after the presentations. Participants are able to use the chat or verbally ask questions during the Q&A session. The session chairperson may select a few questions, depending on the time allocated for the discussion, and read them to the presenter, who can answer verbally.
• All sessions are fully recorded. Please note that we automatically assume that presenters accept their recorded presentation to be made available to participants for post-conference streaming. In case of refusal, presenters need to notify us at [email protected] by 08th July 2026 and the secretariat will manage the requests.

Preparing for Your Virtual Session — Instructions for Virtual Presenters

Use the instructions below when presenting your paper at the WCS 2026 virtual symposium.

Before the Symposium Starts

• Make sure that you have uploaded your pre-recorded presentation following the given instructions and have completed the registration process.
• Refer to the Symposium Programme and the Session Plan to find your presentation in the symposium programme as scheduled.
• Make sure to install Zoom on your computer and update it to the latest version (version 7.1.0 (41345) or higher).
• In preparation for the meeting, you can join a test meeting via Zoom’s test meeting page. For the best experience, please use your webcam and test your audio.
• Test your internet speed — we recommend an internet connection download speed of at least 1.5Mbps.
• A microphone is recommended, as well as a quiet place cut off from ambient noise for better interactions.

Before Your Session Starts

• Please make sure to join your assigned virtual session 10 minutes prior to the session start time in case there are any issues that need to be worked out. Each session is conducted in a breakout room within the main Zoom meeting.
• When entering the session, make sure to identify yourself with your name as it appears on your paper to help the technical staff and the session chair find you easily.
• Test your audio and video as you join; mute your microphone when not speaking; position your webcam at eye level and make eye contact as much as possible.

During the Session

• As with a physical meeting, each session will proceed in the order identified and maintain the schedule.
• Each parallel session comprises paper presentations (via playback of pre-recorded presentations) and a subsequent Q&A session.
• Speakers should be virtually present for their entire session in order to answer questions and participate in the discussion.
• A session chair is assigned to each session to introduce the presenters, facilitate and oversee time, and the Q&A period. A session coordinator is also assigned to each parallel session to manage the order of the presentations, initiate playback of the pre-recorded presentations and ensure smooth transitions between presentations.
• Pre-recorded presentations are managed by the session coordinator according to the established schedule (see Session Plan).
• A common Q&A session will follow the presentations in each session. The session chair will lead the Q&A period and time allotted.
• Please ensure that your webcam is on during the Q&A session so that attendees can view you.
• Participants may submit their questions verbally (use the Raise Hand tool to inform the session chair if you want to raise a question verbally) or via Chat. The session chair will choose the most relevant ones to read for presenters to answer during the Q&A period.
• The Chat tool can also be used by the session chair and session coordinator to privately contact presenters if needed. If you need technical assistance, you can inform the session coordinator using this tool.

To Access WCS 2026 Hybrid Symposium

To access the symposium virtually:

• Make sure to install Zoom on your computer or update it to the latest version (version 7.1.0 (41345) or higher).
• Use the Meeting ID and passcode provided by the Symposium Secretariat to log on to the Main Meeting Room of the symposium. (The symposium inauguration, panel discussion and the sum-up are held in the WCS 2026 main meeting room.)
• Parallel paper presentation sessions are held in breakout rooms within the main meeting room. Once the breakout rooms are opened, you will be able to select and enter a breakout room of your choice. All registered attendees can attend all parallel sessions and switch from session to session at will.
  Note: Participants not joined with the desktop or mobile app (version 7.1.0 (41345) or higher) may not be able to self-select a breakout room and will need to be assigned by the Host.

To Join the Parallel Session of Your Choice

1. Click Breakout Rooms in your meeting controls.
2. This will display the list of open breakout rooms (i.e. parallel sessions) created by the host.
3. Hover your pointer over the number to the right of the breakout room you wish to join, click Join, then confirm by clicking Join.
4. Repeat as necessary to join other breakout rooms.
5. You can leave the breakout room and return to the main meeting room at any time, or you can leave the meeting entirely from the breakout room.
6. To leave the breakout room, click Leave Breakout Room and choose whether to leave the breakout room or the entire meeting (if you want to switch to a different parallel session, make sure to use the “Leave Room” option to re-enter the main meeting room and join a different parallel session).
7. When the host ends the breakout rooms, you will be notified and given the option to return to the main room immediately, or in 60 seconds.

Virtual Background for Zoom

• You can use an optional virtual background with your university/company logo to hide or standardise your backstage during your parallel session and/or the symposium group photo (refer to the Symposium Agenda).
• We recommend that you do a test beforehand to see which background works better for you, depending on your environment.

Language

• The official language of the symposium is English. There will be no simultaneous translations.

Dress Code

• For the symposium: business, lounge or national attire.
• For the fellowship and awards night: formal attire.

Awards

• CIOB Best Paper Award
• CIOB – Highly Commended Paper Award
• BEPAM Best Paper Award – with a certificate and a prize of free access to Emerald Insight for a period of 90 days and 40 free downloads for the author(s) of the best paper.
• Two (02) BEPAM Highly Commended Paper Awards – with a certificate for the author(s) of each Highly Commended Paper.

Certificate of Attendance

• A certificate of attendance will be issued to all authors, after the respective parallel sessions. Authors who participated in the symposium virtually will receive the e-certificates in due course.

Disclaimer

• Whilst every attempt is made to ensure that all aspects of the symposium mentioned in this announcement take place as scheduled, the Organizing Committee reserves the prerogative to make last-minute changes should the need arise, without prior notice.