Registration and Practicalities

On this page you can find information on how to register and how to make the most out of this conference. Please read through the instructions carefully and do not hesitate to ask if you have any further questions.
Conference schedule and deadlines
  • Deadline for submitting paper, panel and roundtable proposals: 30 April 2021
  • Notification of acceptance: 23 June 2021
  • Online registration and registration fees due by 20 August 2021
  • Conference programme published by early September 2021
  • Conference: 27-29 October 2021
Registration

Registration for speakers was open from June 30th to August 20th, 2021.

Registration for non-presenting participants was open until 24 October 2021.

The fee includes admission to the conference virtual environment. When registering you will be required to pay the registration fee, which is 20 €. The payment can be made using all major credit cards. If you need to cancel your participation or make changes after you have registered, please contact the conference organisers at fcree-aleksconf@helsinki.fi as soon as possible. Regrettably, we will not be able to offer refunds.

 

Registration rates

Paper presenters, chairs and discussants

60e

Graduate students and participants with a yearly income of less than 30,000 euros

30e

Accompanying persons and observers not presenting a paper (partial participation in the conference is allowed)

20e

Conference virtual platform Liveto

Conference virtual platform Liveto

The conference will take place on a virtual platform administered by the Finnish company Liveto, with integrated video conference sessions for panels. The conference platform works entirely on an internet browser and no additional software is required. Each participant needs to register in Liveto in order to participate in the conference. Please find additional instructions below on how to use Liveto.

Liveto Account registration and login details

•  Create a Liveto account at https://events.liveto.io/signup. Use the e-mail you have provided in the conference registration form for opening your Liveto account and for all communication with the organisers. This will be the email the conference organisers have used to create your Liveto ID.

The Aleksanteri Conference on Liveto opens on Tuesday, October 26 so that conference participants can pre-visit and become acquainted with the platform. You can access the conference with your Liveto password. We invite you to enter the Aleksanteri Conference Liveto platform in advance to open your virtual conference bag, see the Poster Session, start learning Karelian lament and much more.

• After you log in to Liveto, you can find your profile button on the top right side of the platform. Please fill in the information in your profile by adding your name and affiliation. You may also want to add your profile photo.

General instructions on how to use the Liveto virtual platform

• We recommend the use of a computer when participating in the event. Smartphones may fail to support all features of the Liveto platform. Please make sure that you have a good internet connection.

• We recommend you use Google Chrome as a browser, but Firefox and Microsoft Edge are also valid. Make sure you have the latest version of whichever browser you decide to use. The virtual experience may not be as intended with alternative or older browsers.

• Please note that a strong firewall may also affect the virtual event platform and block some of the content.

• If you experience any issues with sound or video, refresh or restart the browser. Make sure your device’s and browser’s sound is ON.

• We recommend keeping the number of other open browsers, tabs or applications to a minimum during the event. If any issues arise, make sure your firewall does not block any content.

Plenary and panel sessions

• We kindly ask you to arrive at all sessions on time: chairs/discussants/presenters 15 minutes prior to the event to check sound and video; audience no later than 5 minutes before the session. Every panel room will fit a maximum of 100 people at the same time.

• A navigation menu for the conference can be found on the vertical left column of the platform. Plenary sessions with keynote speeches and other main events as well as opening and closing ceremonies will take place on the main stage (button “Stage”).

• Navigate to panel sessions by clicking the button “Panels”. When you choose a specific date of the conference, it will open a list of relevant panel rooms scheduled for that day. From here you can enter different panel rooms. Panels are organized by letter, i.e. all ‘A’ panels for October 27 are grouped in the same virtual room.  For example, if you would like to attend panel session 1A on October 27, first click “enter” on Wednesday, 27 October 2021. Then find the panel labelled “Panels 1A 2A”. Both panels 1A (at 14:30) and 2A (16:15-17:45) will be held in this virtual room. Each room contains information about the relevant panel with a timetable, panel participants and their presentation titles.

• Click “Join” to enter a panel session. Conference participants’ microphones and cameras will automatically be turned off when entering a session.

• If you are presenting, you can turn your camera and microphone on by clicking the camera or microphone icons. You can share your screen by clicking the “Share your screen” button on the bottom left side of the session.

• During the conference, please keep your microphone and video turned off when not speaking. You may use the hand symbol to request a turn to speak after a chair has opened the floor for discussion. After you have asked the question, please turn the camera and/or microphone off.

• The three dots on the right side of your screen provide more options for settings, i.e. to select your background. If you like to use the conference background, you are free to download it from the left hand side of this section of the conference website.

• On the right side of the screen, you will find the chat feature for the current panel you are participating in where written questions and comments can be submitted.

• You can exit the session by clicking the red button “Leave” or clicking another section in the virtual event platform.

Other features available on the virtual platform

• In addition to plenary and panel sessions, we have a fascinating cultural programme available on the virtual platform of the conference. On the left column of Liveto platform, you can find “Book exhibition”, “Student posters” and “Conference bag”, where you can explore different features of the conference.

• In the conference bag, you will find various greetings and a tour to the history of migration in Helsinki that has been specifically prepared for Aleksanteri Conference guests. Also, a virtual presentation from the world-renowned Slavonic library is available in the conference bag.

• Check out recent publications in the field of Russian and Eurasian studies at the book exhibition.

• The virtual platform is open to conference participants until November 12 so that the conference Liveto platform can be re-visited.

Guidelines for sessions

Panel sessions will last 90 minutes each and shall be structured as follows:

Oral presentation: 15 min (in panels with 4 papers) or 20 min (in panels with 3 papers)

Q&A: 30 min (or discussant's comments 10 min + Q&A 20 min)

The chair will introduce the panel and its participants, proceeding to make sure that time is allocated equally between individual presenters. If the panel has a discussant, the discussant will have 10 minutes to give their comments after all panelists present their papers.

Roundtables will also last 90 minutes. Please be mindful of time constraints so that we can achieve a fair allocation of time between participants.

Tips on a suc­cess­ful online conference

For the par­ti­cipants:

  • Choose an uncluttered location inside, quiet and free from interruptions.
  • When possible, use a wired network connection on your computer to avoid screen freeze or ensure you have a stable and secure Wifi connection.
  • Preferably, use a separate microphone or headset to improve audio quality.
  • An external web camera will improve the video quality, but built-in web cameras also work fine.
  • Before joining the meeting, close all unnecessary applications and turn off all sound notifications on your computer.
  • When joining the meeting, please use your full name as your screen name.
  • Remember to mute your audio and turn on only while speaking.
  • Turn off your video and use only while speaking (if not otherwise instructed).
  • Follow the organisers' instructions on how to make questions and comments during the sessions. 

Ex­tra tips for the presenters:

  • Put your web camera at eye level or higher – experiment for best angles. Make sure that you have a light-coloured background behind you.
  • Pay attention to the lighting in the room. Too much light behind you will make you appear a dark figure. To counteract backlighting make sure you have a good source of light in front of you.
  • Have the content and applications that you intend to share open and prepared ahead of time. Close applications that have pop-ups.
  • If you are using an external monitor, be sure you are very confident screen sharing your presentation through this monitor before you present live.
  • If possible, look directly at your camera while speaking. In that way, your attendees will feel much more included in the conversation.

Conferencing, online and in-person can be exhausting so you will need to take breaks. Breaks are built-in to the conference program. Stand up and stretch, get a snack or of a cup of coffee and come back refreshed! If you leave the online meeting on, make sure that you mute your microphone during the break.

General information

The working language of the conference is English. Unfortunately, no translations can be provided.

The conference will be held entirely online.

All conference participants are required to register. Participants and observers who do not wish to give a paper or organise a panel or roundtable are also welcome to register and take part in the conference, their registration opens in September. Please see the ‘Registration rates’ section above for details.

For further information, or if you wish to ask any questions, please contact the conference organisers at: fcree-aleksconf@helsinki.fi

Welcome!

Conference publication

We aim to create an edited volume based on selected articles presented in the Conference for Helsinki University Press (HUP), a fully open access University Press, publishing high-quality scholarly literature.