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[staypuff]

I can not attend a conference for which I am scheduled to present 2 posters. 
The conference is primarily talks, with one poster session.  My topics are not really highlighted, hence the posters.  I paid the registration and the abstracts were due over 6 months ago.  However, something has come up since that time, making it impossible for me travel.

Since they are posters in a primarily "talk" conference, do you think dropping-out will be an issue?
Do I need to tell the conference organizers the reason for dropping-out?

Thanks.

[aprilmay]

This has come up on the forum before, with varying opinions that may relate to field. In my experience, withdrawing from a conference is a big deal and should be minimized. Conference organizers expect a very good reason for why someone withdraws. To have an accepted paper that is not presented is quite rare, meaning the very few times this does happen, the names are remembered and the expectation is that the author better be in a coma. However, your field may be quite different. At least you have posters and not oral presentations.

The ideal situation is for you to attend. If not, the second best choice is to have a co-author present the work. Would that work for either of your posters? If you must withdraw, I would give the organizers the reason if it is a great reason, like a medical emergency, but not otherwise.

[tee_bee]

Chime. In my field, people shrug, but they do think it's gauche. I am in a social science field, so poster sessions are becoming a bit more common, although still poorly attended, so if you're in the social sciences, you might bag the poster session. But dropping a paper at the last minute is poor form. I think it's a professional courtesy to tell the organizer why you're bailing. If your selection as a poster presenter made it so that someone else was not selected, then it's truly poor form, and I'd be annoyed were I the organizer.

[johnr]

Can you send the posters with someone you know and have them put them up?  You won't be there, but a least your posters will.  Poster sessions in my branch of the STEM field are very well attended and popular (usually because there's beer!).  It not uncommon at all to see at least a few unattended posters in the mix. No one is really put out. 

[tee_bee]

Can you send the posters with someone you know and have them put them up?  You won't be there, but a least your posters will.  Poster sessions in my branch of the STEM field are very well attended and popular (usually because there's beer!).  It not uncommon at all to see at least a few unattended posters in the mix. No one is really put out. 

Chime! I did this at a STEM-heavy conference, and, as it turned out, (1) our posters were next to each other(!) and (2) I knew her work well enough to describe it to folks. She couldn't be there for legit reasons, so I was glad to help. This is a good compromise.