How to get the most from a virtual conference
By: Elisa Guma
Edited by: Marianne Chapleau, Hajer Nakua, Carolina Makowski, and Kevin Sitek
Virtual conferences have been rising in popularity over the past few years, and have become a necessity to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Virtual participation may afford us the opportunity to attend conferences we may not have been able to otherwise, in part due to reduced time and financial commitment required to attend. Additionally, bypassing air travel provides a more environmentally friendly platform through which to connect. Similar to in-person conferences, virtual conferences can be great for your career, providing attendees the exciting opportunity to learn from a wider audience, gain insightful information from speakers, and to network with other attendees. From the comfort of our homes and offices, we can attend live talks, poster sessions, exhibit halls, and networking events. However, virtual conferences, unlike in-person ones, require a different kind of focus. Rather than being surrounded by colleagues and fellow scientists in large meeting facilities, we are now settling in front of our computer screens, which is arguably less stimulating, and prone to more distractions. In preparation for this year’s virtual OHBM conference, we’ve provided a few tips and tricks to get the most out of your conference experience:
Block off your calendar:
a. Pre-conference
In order to make this year’s virtual OHBM more interactive, the organizers have asked speakers to prepare pre-recorded lectures, which attendees will have to watch on their own schedule before attending an interactive live Q&A. If you see a particular session or workshop that piques your interest, make sure to schedule some time to watch it and prepare some questions you may want to ask the speaker at the Q&A.
b. During the conference:
Rather than trying to squeeze in conference activities into an already full calendar, it may be helpful to block off your calendar during the conference days to allow yourself to be truly present in the experience, engage with the sessions and presenters, and use the chat and networking tools available through the conference platform. It may be helpful to let your co-workers (and family) know that you’re attending so that they know you are less available.
Minimize distractions
When you’re tuning into a lecture alone it’s easy to “multi-task” and get distracted by emails, or slack messages. Reduce this urge by setting the presentation to full screen, and go old school by taking notes with pen and paper.
Attend with others
Attending a conference with your colleagues and friends can make them more enjoyable and engaging. You can set up a conference group chat where you can update each other on how you’re enjoying interesting lectures or posters in real time. You may also want to schedule separate lab or group meetings to share some of the highlights from your day and think about how to integrate your newfound knowledge to your current research projects.
Set up appointments and network
Attending a virtual conference may feel like it has fewer opportunities to network and socialize than an in-person conference, however there are multiple opportunities through which you can engage with your peers, such as by attending the social events, breakout sessions, or Q&As. This may feel like a lot to take on in the virtual setting, but perhaps a more manageable approach can be to build your relationship with one or two people by reaching out ahead of time to set up some meetings during the conference.
Familiarize yourself with the platform prior to the conference:
OHBM 2021 will be hosted on the Sparkle platform. The platform allows you to chat with presenters and other attendees in real-time, meet friends and collaborators at virtual “tables,” and much more. For more information check out our previous blog post: OHBM aims to Sparkle at its 2021 virtual meeting.
Integrate food, coffee, and movement breaks
Sitting through hours of lectures and poster sessions can be exhausting. Don’t feel confined to your chair, make sure you build in breaks to get some movement in during or between sessions (stand, stretch, walk), and to get some fuel (food and coffee). Perhaps you can form a social group with whom you share some of these meal breaks, and to hold you accountable for getting movement throughout the day!
Set up a time to review and rewatch
One of the major benefits of virtual conferences is that sessions are recorded, and available on-demand following the conference. If there is a session you missed due to scheduling, or you want to rewatch, you can! Make sure to set some time aside to do so.
Don’t overdo it
It’s tempting to want to attend every single session available because in the virtual conference setting, we technically can. However, this can be exhausting, and lead to you not getting the most out of the conference. As in an in-person conference, it may be worthwhile to target a subset of specific lectures and sessions you absolutely want to attend, and then have a list of optional ones that you can choose to attend, or not, depending on your level of fatigue.