[iak8god]

> you get to communicate on a _much_ deeper level with a poster

I used to hate poster sessions until I realized this. Something poster sessions provide, that other formats like podium talks really fail at, is pretty fine-grained control over the level of engagement. You can spend five seconds glancing at a poster, or a minute or two skimming the whole thing; you can spend a few minutes listening in while the presenter talks a bit about the work to someone else; you can skim and then ask one or two clarifying questions; or you can engage the presenter for as long as you're both interested in discussing.