The OpenWater Blog

Conference Director

How Form Building Software Makes Collecting Abstract Submissions Easy

If you’ve tried managing abstract submissions through emails, PDFs, and spreadsheets, then you know it can be a frustrating journey. A form-fillable PDF may be a considerable step up from […]

4 Reasons Your Conference Abstracts Are Coming in Late (and How to Fix It)

Authors and researchers are busy people—especially the ones who are frequently making the rounds on the conference abstracts circuit. But so are you, and late abstracts grind your review and […]

The Features You Want in an Abstract Submission Management System

In some ways, abstract submission is like the perfect storm. If the following situation sounds familiar, don’t worry; you’re not alone. You sound the clarion call for proposals and patiently […]

Streamline Your Abstract Management
7 Ways to Streamline Your Abstract Management

Let’s talk about Amara.  Amara is managing an abstracts conference, but she’s up to her ears in inefficiency. Between manual record-keeping in Excel spreadsheets and the scribbled-on scans of printed […]

Conference Agenda
How to Sort Conference Abstracts Into a Conference Agenda

Okay, so the last abstract for your conference has finally been reviewed. Submissions have all been scored, an email blast notifying accepted presenters has just plunked into their inboxes, and […]

successfully call for abstracts
Planning a Successful Call for Abstracts

There’s a lot to juggle while planning your association’s upcoming abstracts conference or annual meeting. The last thing you want is for your call for abstracts to gum up the […]

Abstract Judgement Process
7 Tips for Speeding Up the Abstract Judgement Process

Abstract judgement is frequently the most time consuming and data-intensive stage of the abstract management process.  Traditionally, this process involves: Piles of PDFs, Word documents, and Excel spreadsheets  A crossfire […]

The Power of Templates: Annual Abstract Collection Made Easy

Building out a whole new abstract collection form on your website for every annual meeting can feel a lot like ‘reinventing the wheel.’ It reminds me of potato farming. Hear […]

how can you improve the quality of your abstract submissions
How Do You Improve the Quality of Abstract Submissions?

Have you ever worried that the trickle of incoming abstract submissions won’t bring enough value to your annual meeting?  Or maybe you’re getting a steady flow of abstracts into your […]

you need mobile friendly abstract submissions
Why You Need Mobile Friendly Abstract Submissions

It’s no secret that we’ve become attached to our cell phones.  In June 2019, the Washington Post reported this sensational and terrifying development: mobile devices may be responsible for new, […]