This page will guide you through your online participation at the conference, showing you how to access Zoom/streaming links and sessions. You must be registered as an online delegate.
Head to the CESS2023 program and ensure you are logged in. The authentication icon is located in the upper right corner. Only logged-in, paid-up delegates will be able to see the links to the Keynote, and the ‘Enter Virtual Room’ buttons on the panel pages. As the panel timetable was updated very recently ALWAYS double-check the panel timetable for the times of your panel/presentation.
IF YOU HAVE JUST PAID BY PAYPAL IT MIGHT TAKE 2-3 MINUTES FOR THIS TO BE LOGGED IN OUR DATABASE AGAINST YOUR DELEGATE RECORD AND THEREFORE FOR THE ZOOM LINKS TO THEN BECOME VISIBLE.
- The timetable view of the program shows all events, panels, and roundtables, etc. in a chronological display. You can select and click items to expand and see the detail.
- Use the Filter function to change your view of the program. For example select Participants tab to see a list of all delegates, which you can search (or filter by role); mouseover a name to see a pop-up showing name, institution, and links to the panels/papers they are involved in.
- Use Filter, Papers to see a full list of papers; use Filter, Serendipity to be shown a random selection of five papers each time you click this. Or filter by themes or formats.
- Use the red search button to search the full program fully – you can look for names, words, etc.
- When logged in you can ‘star’ (favourite) panels/roundtables you are planning to attend, so you can easily find them on the day by clicking on the ★ icon in the programme view. (If you star a paper, a hollow star will be added to its panel.). You can also star other timetable items. And in all cases you can also add items/panels to your digital calendar using the calendar icon.
Accessing the Zooms
The hybrid conference takes place on campus in Pittsburgh and in Zoom, so chairs/convenors should be chairing their sessions both in the f2f room and in Zoom. We will NOT be sending out any Zoom links, as all sessions will be accessed via the website. Logged-in, paid-up delegates can see ‘Enter virtual room’ buttons in the panel explorer, specifically in the header of the panel page. Click that button to enter the zoom for that panel.
If you are running Ad-block or other privacy software and cannot see the blue buttons once logged in, disable those extensions for the nomadit.co.uk domain.

The conference schedule is set in EST time (New York, USA, UTC-4) , but there is a timezone converter on the page, so ensure that it is set at the time you need it to be and bear in mind all timetable times will shift appropriately.
Some tips for a successful zoom session
- Remember to keep yourself muted if/when you are not presenting, to avoid any feedback.
- When presenting, try to use headphones or a good microphone.
- You can choose whether or not to have your camera on; bear in mind that the convenor will spotlight you when presenting your paper.
- There will be technical support in the room on campus but you can reach out for technical support in the chat; there is also a live chat widget on the website which can also give support.
- Avoid including videos in your presentation.
- Please keep time to ensure sessions begin and end as scheduled.
How to ask questions online
Convenors will communicate at the start of the session how they’d like to take questions from online participants. This can happen in two main ways:
- Writing questions into Zoom chat
- Using the ‘raise hand’ function in Zoom (when asked, you then pose your question orally)
Remote presentations
We recommend any colleagues presenting remotely to pre-record their presentation and send to convenors in advance, as:
- Connections can be unpredictable or consistently too poor to deliver a clear, audible presentation.
- Issues can arise on the day which can delay the panel.
Authors can still present live, but they should try to check their connection speed before the conference and decide whether live/recorded is best based on this information.
Online help
If you have problems logging in or navigating to an event while on the CESS2023 website, you can contact us via the CESS main email address: info(at)centraleurasia.org.
The UPitt tech support will be available during the sessions should panel chairs encounter any issues with the remote presentations.