By Carly Batist

Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

In the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, most, if not all, professional societies and academic organizations are holding their conferences virtually. Perhaps surprisingly, this has led to surges in registration and participation at many of them, particularly amongst international participants. Virtual conferences are proving to be popular—82% of people in one poll said they would be willing to attend an online conference in future. The success of virtual and hybrid conferences suggests that they may be here to stay.

What Does a Virtual Conference Look Like?

In a virtual conference, attendees typically enter a virtual “plaza” where they are greeted by a chat bot, and can access an event repository with the program overview. There is typically also a message board and registrant list. From the virtual plaza, you can then enter “rooms” that represent different poster or podium sessions.

While some conference events may take place live, others will likely be pre-recorded, or recorded live and uploaded later. This eases scheduling conflicts that would arise at in-person events (e.g., wanting to see two talks happening at the same time, or having your poster session conflict with a career panel you wanted to attend).

Benefits of Virtual Conferences

Fewer Costs

Virtual conferences can mitigate many concerns that restrict graduate students from attending conferences. The financial requirements of conferences can include flights, hotels, food, childcare, registration fees, and printing costs for posters. However, virtual conferences can be attended from your own home or work space, lowering these costs significantly. Registration fees are also often lower or discounted for virtual conferences since there is no expensive venue to pay for.

Greater Inclusivity

In addition to the lack of travel lowering costs and reducing the socioeconomic strain that many attendees might normally face, it may also make it easier for those with disabilities or mobility issues to attend. By eliminating the need for travel visas, more international participants may be able to take part, as well. Even the ease with which one can take unscheduled breaks by leaving the digital platform momentarily may make virtual conferences more accessible for those with caretaking responsibilities or various types of disabilities.

Networking

Networking opportunities at conferences are crucial for finding graduate or postdoctoral positions, initiating research collaborations, meeting peers, and presenting your research—and they can still happen at virtual conferences! A benefit of presenting virtually is that it can often lead to more relaxed interactions due to the more informal setting. And just like at an in-person conference, there are still opportunities to talk directly to people in sessions or message them one-on-one.

Many virtual conferences also replicate social events (e.g., trivia, happy hours, mixers) by utilizing breakout rooms functionality. Many are also able to re-imagine exhibition halls, with sponsors and exhibitors broken into breakout rooms with chat and/or video interactions.

Chat Functionality

The chat function available at virtual conferences allows for more effective and respectful moderation of discussions and Q&As. Questions can be submitted through the platform to session moderators, who can message each other to prioritize certain questions or control the flow of a session. And since presenters can see the questions written out in advance, they are able to prepare more polished responses. This may be particularly helpful for students for whom English is a second language, and can ease nerves for first-time presenters. As an added bonus, when questions are posed to a panel or group, people can type answers simultaneously without “interrupting.”

Sustainability

Because virtual conferences require no air travel (or travel of any kind) they greatly reduce the carbon footprint of the meeting. Having everyone in their own homes or work spaces also eliminates the need for a lot of paper and plastic goods that are typically staples of in-person conferences. Virtual conferences are a more environmentally-friendly alternative to in-person events.

Limitations of Virtual Conferences

This is not to say that virtual conferences are a silver bullet. They still require reliable internet, WiFi, and certain computer specifications which can be significant barriers to access. Time zones are also a potential issue, particularly for “live” events that aren’t recorded or uploaded later. “Zoom fatigue” can discourage students from joining events in addition to or after their own presentation sessions.

Conclusion

Virtual conferences obviously cannot entirely replicate the conference experience. Impromptu meetings in hallways and conversations organically begun over coffee are difficult to transform in a digital environment. Regardless, the forced transition to virtual conferences has allowed researchers around the world to reimagine academic exchanges and realize the benefits of hybrid meetings. While we continue to weather the pandemic from home, take advantage of these virtual conferences to network, move your research forward, and engage with professional communities.

Additional Resources

• Online directory of free seminars/talks (independent of conferences)
• “Virtual Scientific Conferences Open Doors to Researchers around the World” from Science
• “As COVID-19 Forces Conferences Online, Scientists Discover Upsides of Virtual Format” from Science
• “Learning to Love Virtual Conferences in the Coronavirus Era” from Nature
• “Organizing a Virtual Conference Changed the Way We Think about Academic Exchange” from Nature