When you go to a physical conference, you are totally immersed in the moment. You are there for the sessions and hallway conversations, as well as to meet new people and reconnect with those you already know. It has been several years since I attended a physical conference. COVID-19 keeps most folks home even if they are fully vaccinated. So how do you attend a virtual conference? How can you enjoy that same level of immersion?
A virtual conference, unlike a physical conference, is missing one key component. The information you receive is the same, and in some cases how you receive it is the same. What is missing is the dedicated time and the people. The crowds and the joy of meeting someone in person you have only talked to remotely before, or of meeting someone new. Seeing a new technology; being able to touch that technology. That is all missing.
So, here are my tips for attending a virtual conference. Some of them come from my previous posts on attending a physical conference.
First Thoughts on Managing Time
- Whether you are at home, a coffee shop, or work, when the conference starts, you need to be there. Schedule your time away, and ensure your family knows you are at a conference. Time management is crucial when attending a virtual conference.
- Find a good location to be in: somewhere with a little privacy. It is very important to schedule your days due to the high number of nonconference distractions.
- Put away your distractions. A particularly valuable thing about a physical conference is that you are no longer in your normal workspace. As such, your typical distractions are no longer present. If you can, put them somewhere out of sight, or choose a new place from which to attend the conference.
Find Those Sessions
- Use the conference schedule builder, but do not overdo it. You have the opportunity to pick and choose carefully. A physical conference is like an endurance run as you move from session to session. It is just as mentally exhausting to do that with a virtual conference. You are in control of your time.
- Save time for the hallway and community track.
- Arrange for some voice and, potentially, video conversations.
Join the Community
- In a physical conference, I watch the keynote from a community area, so I am used to not being in the room with the stage. A virtual conference is 100% the same to me for keynotes. The major difference is that the community is missing. Be at the keynotes, but join the community.
- Join the community Discord, Slack, or other chat forums. The community is where you get back that immersion and involvement.
- Watch the conference and community content. Since everything is recorded, you can change your schedule to participate in the community.
Technology Issues
- Expect that some of the content delivery will not work, but know that since everything is recorded, it will be possible to watch it all later.
- Use email or community forums to follow up with specific speakers to ask your questions or just to thank them. It is a surprising amount of work to deliver to a virtual conference.
- Have a technology backup plan. If your network is down, perhaps use cellular services to get your content. Do not fail to plan; plan for failure.
Be Comfortable
- Have a comfortable keyboard setup. You will be using it quite a bit and typing fast. Ergonomics is important!
- Instead of walking around all day, you will be sitting around all day. Take a break and stretch. I walk around my workspace during some events. Set up your display device so you can see it no matter where you wander. Getting up and moving around is crucial.
- Hydrate. Simply put, even when you are in your workspace, you should be drinking lots of water. Some claim you should drink half your body weight in ounces of water a day. I add a small amount of trace minerals/salts to my water due to the heat in my home state! When I was at physical conferences, I did the same. This suggestion really does not change much.
- Wear comfortable clothes.
- Ensure your headset is comfortable if you are using one. I personally use speakers when I am at a virtual conference; it is more comfortable than having something pressed to my ear all the time.
In the end, many tips for a virtual conference are similar to those for a physical conference. You need to plan your event carefully. The main difference is that you will use your keyboard more, and that requires you to rest those wrists and move around more. It has always been about ergonomics (good shoes vs. good keyboards); only the details change. If you are comfortable, have planned your time appropriately, and join the community conversations, you will have an enjoyable virtual experience.
