A digital edition of a canceled in-person vaccinology conference helped to bring scientists from around the world together in June to focus their efforts on the coronavirus pandemic and continues to live online.

Even before the pandemic, scientists were experimenting with meeting models that reduce the environmental impact of travel, while retaining the benefits of in-person communication.

As scientific meetings move to digital platforms, organizers are experimenting with new ways to retain interaction between researchers by tweaking how they present their work.

The American Society for Radiation Oncology’s 2020 annual meeting offers a case-study example of how giving yourself enough time to plan a virtual event is critical to its success.

Indy has welcomed over 50,000 attendees, across 21 live events and 65-days, with no known COVID cases. Through a five-tier approach, learn how Visit Indy, Indiana Convention Center, and Marion County Public Health Department are working together to successfully host live events in a safe and effective way. Indy officials will discuss their $7 million in safety enhancements, tactics towards devising a strong health mitigation plan, and a case study on a successful event from start to finish.

In the second half of 2020, many virtual conferences grew attendance, attracting global and non-member participants. Part of this growth — which improves reach and brand for organizers — can be attributed to significantly reduced registration pricing. 

Join Kitty Ratcliffe, President of Explore St. Louis for a virtual tour of the burgeoning and dynamic St. Louis convention package including a preview of the $175 million expansion and enhancement of the America’s Center Convention Complex. Attendees will learn about many of the new additions to St. Louis’ tourism line-up including the transformation beneath the iconic Gateway Arch, Ballpark Village at Busch Stadium, St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station as week as several new branded and boutique hotels. In addition, Kitty will highlight the health safety protocols in place to ensure a safe and enjoyable attendee experience.

With a vision and passion to embrace digital experience, Melissa Patruno became certified as a Digital Event Strategist in August. Upon completing the certification course, Patruno immediately implemented what she learned and produced a successful digital event. Hear Melissa on what she loved about the program.

To create a successful, engaging digital event, it helps to understand that they have as much in common with television broadcasts as in-person events.

Eager to be equipped with knowledge and skills to produce virtual events for her organization, Shira Gordon became certified as a Digital Event Strategist (DES) with full support from her employer, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC). We recently checked in with Shira to hear how she’s been crafting engaging digital experiences with key learnings from the DES course, and her tips on getting employer buy-in on professional development.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists decided to deemphasize the exhibit hall portion of its online annual meeting and create “engagement packages” for sponsors instead.

Presenting to a virtual audience can be challenging for even the most experienced public speaker. But by recreating more of a back-and-forth experience, speakers can overcome their anxiety and make their presentations more engaging.