A free eSymposium event exploring pandemic lessons in reducing carbon footprint, engaging new audiences and rethinking strategies for scientific exchange.
Scientific conferences have long been the medium of scientific exchange, inspiration and collaboration that drive the scientific endeavor forward. During the pandemic, we have all been forced to reimagine how to engage virtually to accomplish these goals, with varying degrees of success. This eSymposia virtual meeting will convene leading conference organizations, virtual platform hosts and scientists from around the world to explore best practices in virtual conferencing, and hybrid events (in-person and virtual platforms) for maintaining the efficacy and vibrance of scientific exchange.
We will discuss lessons learned from the pandemic in how to engage audiences online by creating interactive and collaborative environments in the virtual world. The program will examine benefits of virtual formats, such as inclusivity of more diverse audiences (globally, economically etc.), and enhanced access to the latest scientific discoveries. We will explore challenges: how to replicate serendipitous networking opportunities that occur in-person, how to forge relationships that can change the course of careers, and how to catalyze collaborations that alter research trajectories toward new and innovative ideas. We will also discuss how to optimize hybrid events to seamlessly integrate the interactions and discourse between in-person and virtual attendees.
Together we aim to outline new ways to enhance the engagement of the scientific community and promote scientific advancement in more carbon-neutral ways moving forward, and ultimately shape the future of scientific conferences for the betterment of science, and future of our planet. It is time to invest in developing novel ways of connecting and collaborating to facilitate scientific advances, and the pandemic has provided an unexpected proving ground to guide us towards a more sustainable future.