Speakers:
Angela Cochran
Jennifer Regala
Clarinda Cerejo
Alex Zapple, CMP, CEM, DES

In 2020, dozens of academic conferences, a number of them calendar events in the scholarly world, were cancelled for the first time in decades. This not only dealt an instant blow to organizers of scientific meetings but also injected a measure of uncertainty and financial pressure that may have ramifications for their future. Necessity proved the mother of invention, and many academic societies rose to the challenge and embraced the opportunities posed by this new digital world. Attempting to increase their online outreach, societies experimented with social media, e-newsletters, podcasts, webinars, and other targeted communication strategies. In record time, physical conferences were moved into the virtual realm, including plenary talks, panel discussions, e-poster presentations, workshops, and casual networking events.

Considering the apparent benefits that virtual conferences offer in terms of expanded reach, convenience, and cost savings, the industry has begun to question whether academic conferences will ever be the way they were before or will evolve into hybrid models with strong complimentary virtual elements. In this session, key representatives of academic societies will share their experiences of adapting to the new normal, re-strategizing their social media approach, and conducting virtual conferences for the first time.

Learning objectives:

• Gain insights into how societies had to innovate rapidly in light of cancelled annual conferences during the pandemic
• Understand the challenges and successes associated with member engagement through social media and other digital channels