Research findings at conferences are now more often conveyed using posters than by oral presentation. Yet the development of posters as a medium has not kept pace with the steady increase in their popularity.

Posters were first used to convey scientific results 45 years ago at the 6th meeting of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Sessions were similar to today's, but were shorter and had only about 15 displays per session, so audience engagement was easier.

The worldwide increase in poster presentation as a communication medium should benefit authors and users. Instead, poster authors complain of limited exposure for their work, resulting in a lack of kudos and restricted networking opportunities with other conference participants.

Improving audience circulation, organizing sessions better and providing clear presentation guidelines would help the results on display to capture and hold attention.