Academic conference presenter substitution, registration and proxy approval

Part 1. Academic secretariat and technical programme lead

“A badge change does not establish presentation eligibility. Check author status and prior written permission separately.”

• Collect candidate and paper details: When a presenter cannot attend, record the paper number, session, original presenter and replacement candidate. Check whether the candidate is a listed co-author; a badge change does not establish presentation eligibility.
• Check the conference’s proxy rules and decision maker: ICASSP 2026 allowed a non-author proxy with Technical Program Chair permission when evidence showed that no co-author could present, and treated an unauthorised proxy as a no-show. Do not reuse another conference’s permission; verify the present event’s eligibility and decision maker.
• Obtain written permission and evidence of capability: Submit the absence reason, co-author availability and evidence that the candidate can explain the research and answer questions. Distinguish receipt of the request from prior written permission. ICASSP’s appeal guidance excluded a non-author proxy without written approval before the event.
• Hold confirmation and check alternatives: Do not tell the chair that a proxy is confirmed while approval is pending. If in-person presentation is required, do not promise automatic substitution by recording or remote connection; check the conference’s conditions.
• Check conditions and prepare the talk: Review conditions attached to written approval and support the authors in preparing slides and expected questions with the candidate.
• Separate co-author changes and the example’s scope: Follow the conference’s procedure for changes between listed authors. Do not generalise ICASSP’s registration, proxy or no-show conditions to other conferences.

Part 2. Registration office and operations

“Do not infer author status from a registration category. Check paper coverage and refund conditions separately.”

• Separate author registration and attendance: ICASSP 2026 allowed one eligible non-student author registration to cover up to four papers on which the registrant was an author. An attending co-author whose paper was already covered by another author was directed to use a non-author registration; the category alone therefore does not establish author status.
• Check attendance registration and paper coverage: Verify the candidate’s registration and the author registration linked to the paper separately. Obtain an official registration-office response about any coverage or payment change caused by the original registrant’s absence.
• Check refund and transfer conditions: ICASSP’s base policy stated that registrations covering papers were non-refundable, while its author guidance also described a time-limited refund request procedure after a substitute presenter registers. Check the applicable terms and exceptions with the registration office, and do not promise a refund or transfer merely because the presenter changes.
• Keep evidence in separate fields: Record the candidate’s registration, paper coverage, written proxy permission and chair’s presentation record separately. Do not mark one complete based on another; retain separate answers on name and fee changes.
• Link records by paper number: Give badge staff, the academic secretariat and the session chair a consistent paper number to locate the change and registration records.

The following is an editorial application for separating evidence. Confirm actual approval conditions with the conference.

Part 3. Session chair and on-site operations

“Arrival does not establish presentation completion. Check session delivery and questions in the record.”

• Hand over the change and approval conditions: Before the session, send the chair the replacement’s name and written approval conditions and confirm receipt.
• Verify actual presentation and session attendance: Do not mark a presentation complete based on arrival or a poster being mounted. ICASSP treated a poster as non-presented if the presenter was absent for most of the session. Verify the event’s requirements for the relevant presentation format.
• Record Q&A problems as observed: ICASSP’s appeals guidance excluded even an approved proxy who could not explain the work or answer questions. The chair should record and report the actual presenter, delivery and Q&A issues according to the conference’s procedures.
• Collect and report the chair’s record: The secretariat should send the session record, written permission and paper-coverage evidence to the academic lead.
• Avoid guaranteeing publication and confirm the official decision: If records conflict, record what remains unconfirmed and who must check it. The PCO must not independently guarantee publication; verify final publication or indexing status through the responsible decision maker.

Use the form for the next handover

Use the [Presenter substitution and performance log](/en/templates/presenter-substitution-approval.html) for the records described here. The XLSX contains Blank, Example and Instructions sheets. Write your event in Blank; the fictional example is a guide to what to enter.

Check authorship, candidate registration and paper linkage separately. Obtain required written permission and send conditions to chair/materials staff.

The office hands registration links and conditions to the chair using the paper ID. The chair reports observed performance to academic leadership.

Final check before use: Before confirming a replacement or proxy, check author status, paper coverage and any required prior written permission; arrange to reconcile the chair’s presentation and Q&A record after the session before closing the case.