Registration and Practicalities

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.

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.

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.