Virtual platform information

The LASA2021 website is: https://lasaweb.org/lasa2021/en/
This website is in Spanish and English.

GO TO LASA2021

All LASA2021 sessions and events are scheduled following the Eastern Time Zone of the United States (New York Time). The films of the LASA2021 Film Festival are available to watch at any time during the four days of the Congress, May 26–29, 2021.

If you would like to make sure you are registered for the LASA2021 Congress, look for your name in the list of registered participants. 

REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS

All the LASA2021 virtual sessions will happen in the video conferencing system Zoom.

We recommend that you download the latest version of this platform in advance of your presentation and use the Zoom desktop client to participate. However, if you prefer to use the web version, please use the browser Google Chrome as it functions best with Zoom. For detailed instructions on how to use the video conferencing platform Zoom click here.

To know the day and time of the session(s) where you will participate, click on Go To Personal Program.

To see the entire LASA2021 Congress Program you can check the web version of the Program Book or download the LASA2021 mobile app. Both of them are available on the LASA2021 website.

GO TO PERSONAL PROGRAM

GO TO LASA2021

Registered participants with an active role in the Congress –presenters, chairs, discussants, and organizers– will be able to enter any meeting or type of session –panel, roundtable, or workshop– through the LASA2021 website. The following steps will guide you to find your session on the LASA2021 website.

1. Go to the LASA2021 website.
2. Press the red button “Find and Join Your Session”.
3. Enter a keyword in the search bar to look for your session. The filter will search for the day you have selected. Please note: You will be able to enter your session 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time and once your session appears in the “Live Sessions” area.
4. Once you find your session click “Attend Session”.

Most sessions are restricted to registered attendees. Therefore, to confirm your registration to the Congress, you must enter your LASA member ID and password.

Forgot your member ID and password?

Yes. As an active participant in a LASA2021 virtual session, you will receive one reminder email 1 hour before your session starts. This email will have the name and time of your session, as well as a direct link to the LASA2021 website, where you can find your session.

LASA2021 sessions will be hosted by a LASA designated host. The first task of the LASA designated host will be to start the session on time. At the beginning of each session, the LASA host will welcome the panelists and other participants and give the role of co-host to the chair of the session. If the chair is not present, the role of co-host may be assigned to the organizer, followed by the discussant, and lastly, to another panelist. For more information about the Zoom co-host role press here.

Note: Co-hosts cannot be assigned ahead of time. This is why the LASA designated host will assign the co-host during the first minutes of the session. The LASA host will remain connected during the session in order to help all participants with any technical issue they may encounter. After the session time has elapsed, one hour and 45 minutes, the LASA host will close the session and start the next one.

Use a headset with an inline microphone instead of the built-in microphone / speakers on your computer.  A headset focuses the microphone on your voice, cuts down on background noise, and minimizes echo.

• Test you video and audio before your session.
• If possible, use a wired ethernet connection rather than a WiFi connection.
• Close any unnecessary applications or programs that your computer is running and you are not using.
• Choose a quiet space. Be mindful of sounds in the background, and mute your cell phone to avoid interruptions.
• If possible, put your laptop or desktop computer on a stack of books, so that the camera is at your eye level.
• Due to backlighting, avoid having a window or lamp behind you. Be it natural or artificial the light should always come from the front. Lighting from the back will make it difficult for participants to see your face.

Zoom, which is accessible from all traditional computers and by mobile app, allows two types of virtual environments: Meetings and Webinars.

LASA2021 panels, workshops, roundtables, books presentations, Section business meetings, the LASA business meeting and any other meeting during the LASA Virtual Congress are set up as “Meetings”.

Meetings are designed to be collaborative and interactive events. Therefore, all active participants –organizer, chair, discussant, paper presenter or presenter without a paper – will be able to unmute themselves and share their video and screen to show the content on their computer to the connected audience, and attendees will be able to turn on their video, raise their hands virtually, send written questions to presenters using the instant messenger, and request to speak to ask a question or join a discussion. Once an attendee has requested to participate, the co-host of the session (already assigned to the chair) can unmute that person.

The Presidential and Awardee panels are set up as “Webinars”. Webinars are ideal for virtual lectures or events that are open to the public. In webinars, LASA active participants–organizer, chair, discussant, paper presenter or presenter without a paper– can share their video, audio, and their screens, and attendees have the ability to watch, listen and interact via Q&A and the chat.

If an attendee would like to participate with his/her voice to make a question or comment, the co-host of the session (already assigned to the chair) can unmute the attendees. Attendees can also make use of the raise hand feature to indicate that they need something from the co-host or panelists. For more information about the raise hand feature in a webinar press here.

The chair is responsible for ensuring that all the presenters and the discussant respect agreed time limits, and he or she coordinates the question-and-answer session with the audience after session members have concluded their presentations. To do so, the chair will be promoted to co-host at the beginning of each session.

It is suggested that the chair let the panelists and attendees know at the beginning of his/her participation when there will be space to make comments or ask questions. As co-hosts of a session, and in order to moderate the Q&A, chairs will be able to mute or unmute attendees to allow attendees to talk. Chairs as well as active participants are able to manage the raise hand feature, view all Q&A, and respond.

If the chair of the session assumes the role of co-host, the discussant’s and organizer’s tasks are the same as in a face-to-face Congress.

After the session time has elapsed, one hour and 45 minutes, the LASA host will close the session and start the next one.

The discussant should summarize key conclusions and identify issues for further discussion in the various papers presented by the session members. He or she might wish to situate the participants’ work within larger academic debates, but should not use the occasion to present a separate paper of her or his own.

The organizer's tasks occur primarily before the Congress begins. The organizer was responsible for assembling the session and confirming the participation of all, including the chair, the discussant, and the paper presenters or presenters without papers. The organizer should advise the LASA Secretariat promptly of any changes in the composition of the session.

The organizer should have communicated with session participants in advance of the Congress date to ensure that paper presenters delivered their written work to the designated discussant in a timely fashion.

No. The deadline for proposal submissions was September 7, 2020. However, you can register as a virtual attendee.

REGISTER NOW

You can register for the LASA2021 Virtual Congress choosing one of the following options:

• Progressive model
• Pay what you can
• Solidarity fee

The registration gives you access to more than 1,000 academic sessions, the Book Exhibit, watch the Film Festival's 40 movies on demand, attend the Gran Baile with music by a live Latin band, network with colleagues at the Informal Meetings Room and Happy Hour Room, enjoy social and well-being activities, and much more.

REGISTER NOW

Yes. The Welcome Ceremony, the seven Presidential Sessions and the LASA2021 Award sessions are open to the public and will be broadcast live on the LASA Facebook page, and then posted on YouTube and the Association's website. You don't need to be registered for the Congress to watch these sessions.

The Book Exhibit is also open to the public. 

The Welcome Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, May 25, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. This will be the official event to launch LASA2021 and includes the recognition of the LASA2021 Award winners.

You are cordially invited to view the Welcome Ceremony on LASA's Facebook and YouTube pages. The video of this live broadcast will be recorded and available on both social networks. You don't need to be registered for the Congress to watch the Welcome Ceremony broadcast.