What is abstract management?

Abstract management is the process of vetting and organizing speaker submissions for a conference or annual meeting. In this context, an abstract is a brief summary of a proposed presentation, typically based on research.

What is abstract management software?

Abstract management software describes tools that associations, higher education institutions, and other similar organizations use to manage the process of submitting, reviewing, and publishing research and presentations at a conference or annual meeting. Program managers leverage abstract management systems to make reviewing presentations, posters, or research papers more efficient.

Can I use OpenWater for speaker management?

Yes! Our software allows speakers to upload all of their materials for applications and presentations. You can also use OpenWater to email speakers with updates and submission reminders.

Can OpenWater process special scientific characters in abstracts?

Yes! In fact, the first client ever to leverage our abstract software, the American Association of Geographers (AAG), required special character input, so OpenWater has supported this need from the very beginning.

What languages does OpenWater support?

On both the submitter and reviewer sides of the platform, OpenWater supports any language that is read and written from left to right (English, Spanish, French, German, etc.).

Streamline Speaker Management From Acceptance to Presentation

OpenWater Speaker Management Software gives speakers, moderators, authors, and other participants one place to manage their profiles, complete required tasks, and view every session or application they’re part of.

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TESTIMONIALS

What Our Speaker Management Software Customers Say

Based on stellar reviews on

Honors Nomination CoordinatorThe American Physical Society

"Our team deals with over 80 different programs that are reviewed by 80 different committees who each have 3-12 volunteers. OpenWater makes it easy for us to collect the information that needs to be reviewed and enforce unique and diverse applicant requirements. This year, OpenWater has allowed our team to process over 1,200 applications reviewed by around 320+ volunteers."

Chief Information & Engagement Officer ASAE

"We use OpenWater not only for our awards programs, but also for grants, fellowships and generally anything that requires an application or judging process. All of this in one central system that integrates nicely with our association management system."

Digital Product Manager American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA)

"ASHA uses the OpenWater platform for awards programs, grant and scholarship applications, mentoring enrollment, course registration, volunteer applications and leadership programs. The flexibility of the OpenWater platform functionality is crucial to efficiently and successfully manage these various types of programs, each with unique requirements."

Chapter Relations American Advertising Federation

"OpenWater is a company that treats you with a personal touch and we find that of great value. We have enjoyed the relationship we have built with them and have come to rely on them for the support that we need to continue to grow our program."

Awards & Prizes Manager The Institution of Engineering and Technology

"The Awards and Prizes team at the Institution of Engineering and Technology operates several awards, prizes and scholarship schemes, all with different entry and reporting requirements. The flexibility and functionality of the platform has led to many improvements and efficiencies in how IET awards are run. The support from the OpenWater team has been excellent."

Operations and Development Specialist DirectWomen

“Applications are very intuitive and easy to build (even with layers of complexity and if/then processes, and judging options are very customizable, reporting options are extensive and detailed. I did not have any experience building an application and do not come from a technical background, but I was able to build our application without issues due to the ease of using the program and the prompt and helpful assistance of customer support.”

Spend Less Time Chasing Speaker Materials

Make Managing Speakers the Easiest Part of Conference Planning

Accepting an abstract is only the beginning. Before the event, your team still needs to collect speaker bios, headshots, disclosure forms, presentation files, and other important information, often from the same person across multiple sessions. OpenWater Speaker Management Software brings those requirements together.

Centralized Speaker Profiles

Maintain one complete record for each speaker, even when that person serves in multiple roles or appears in multiple sessions. Profile information stays connected across the program instead of being re-entered on every form.

Flexible Participant Types

Create participant types such as Speaker, Moderator, Author, or Panelist and collect the information required for each role. Different roles can have their own profile requirements and workflows.

Configurable Participant Tasks

Assign clear to-dos such as uploading a headshot, submitting a bio, signing a disclosure, or providing presentation materials. Tasks can be assigned by program, participant type, session, or individual assignment.

Configurable Speaker Dashboard

Give participants one convenient place to update their profiles, view sessions and applications, and see exactly what they still need to complete.

Searchable Speaker Gallery

Create a public, searchable directory where attendees can discover speakers and view their associated sessions or abstracts. Choose from list or grid layouts and customize the gallery to match your program and brand.

Multi-Session and Multi-Role Management

Connect one speaker to multiple sessions, applications, or roles without creating duplicate records. A speaker who also moderates another session is tracked as one person throughout the program.

Familiar Administrative Controls

Configure participant types, profile fields, task rules, directory settings, and email notifications using familiar OpenWater administrative tools.

Automated Email Notifications

Keep participants informed about upcoming requirements and incomplete tasks with configurable email notifications and reminders.

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Speaker Management Software

What is Speaker Management Software? Speaker management software helps conference and program teams collect participant information, assign requirements, track outstanding materials, and organize speakers across sessions. It can be used to manage bios, headshots, disclosure forms, presentation files, and other post-acceptance requirements.

What is OpenWater Speaker Manager? Speaker Manager is an OpenWater feature that helps organizations manage speakers, authors, moderators, panelists, and other participants after abstracts or proposals have been submitted and accepted. It provides connected participant profiles, configurable tasks, personalized dashboards, and searchable participant galleries.

Can speakers be linked to multiple sessions or applications? Yes. One speaker can be connected to multiple sessions or applications without creating a separate profile for each one.

Can one person have multiple participant roles?

Yes. The same person can be connected to different assignments or roles, such as serving as a speaker in one session and a moderator in another.

Can I collect different information based on the participant’s role? Yes. You can create participant types such as Speaker, Moderator, Author, or Panelist and configure different required fields for each type.

What kinds of tasks can be assigned to participants? Tasks can include uploading a headshot, submitting a biography, completing a disclosure form, signing an agreement, or uploading presentation materials. Organizations can configure tasks based on their own program requirements.

Can tasks be assigned differently across sessions and roles? Yes. Tasks can be assigned once per program, by participant type, by session, or for every individual assignment.

Do participants need to create an account immediately? No. Participant accounts can be created when needed, allowing organizations to introduce account access at the appropriate point in the process.

What can participants do from their dashboard? Participants can view and complete their assigned tasks, update their profiles, and see the sessions or applications connected to them.

Can we publish a speaker directory? Yes. Participant Manager includes a configurable, searchable gallery that can display participants and connect them to their relevant sessions or abstracts.

Is Speaker Manager a separate OpenWater product? No. Participant Manager is built into the existing OpenWater platform as an add-on module that expands the speaker and participant management capabilities of the abstract management process.

Streamline Speaker Management From Acceptance to Presentation

Trusted by Industry Leaders

What Our Speaker Management Software Customers Say

Make Managing Speakers the Easiest Part of Conference Planning

The OpenWater Speaker Management Difference

Traditional Speaker Management

OpenWater Speaker Management

Speaker information is tied to individual forms

One speaker, one connected profile

Requirements are scattered across emails and spreadsheets

Centralized, configurable task management

Speakers lack a central place to manage their involvement

A personalized speaker dashboard

Speaker information is difficult to reuse or publish

Connected speaker galleries

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Speaker Management Software

Learn How OpenWater’s Software Can Simplify Your Processes

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