If you believe the number of professional associations & organizations that have abandoned hosting conferences (even temporarily) the answer could be “Yes!”
But did they really need to do that?
The answer is a resounding “NO!”
As the coronavirus pandemic disrupts business life in general all over the world, large international conferences, annual general meetings and even smaller association workshops and meetings have made the logical shift to go online. While at this time this shift has only been adopted by more progressive organizations, it is just a matter of time before it becomes a mainstream occurrence.
For some of these progressive organizations that have taken the lead in implementing this technology, the shift to online meetings may now be permanent – offering a number of significant benefits not seen in in-person events.
While virtual online conferences may pose a number of technical & organizational challenges, they have the benefit of reaching wider audiences globally, improving opportunities for worldwide exchanges of information and last but not least, reducing the carbon footprint & inconvenience of meeting travel, while improving diversity.
Some organizations like associations & conference organizers have even increased their revenues from ticket sales to the event, since there is now no limit to the number of invitees.
Whether for medical, legal, technology or business meetings & conferences in general, the restrictions imposed on us by this pandemic, should not be allowed to interfere with the important business of real-time information exchange that our world depends upon.
For more information on how we can take your in-person event online, give us a call at 604.970.5055 or better yet, visit our website dedicated to Virtual Conferences at http://virtualconferenceservicesvancouver.com/ to see how it can work for you.
| Russ Altman, professor & associate director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (AI) maintains that in many ways, virtual conferences offer a better experience. Altman’s institute had planned an inperson conference but COVID-19 forced organizers to scuttle it. In its place, they threw together a virtual conference to discuss how AI can help scientists fight the ongoing pandemic. The event was a smashing success, Altman says. The original conference — meant to focus on how AI intersects with neuroscience and psychology — would have drawn a few hundred attendees, but 30,000 people tuned in to the online version. |