“Planning a virtual conference is not more work than an in-person conference, it’s just different work,” said Barry Schieferstein about ASNT’s virtual Annual Conference held in November.
Schieferstein, ASNT director of meetings and conferences, spoke at a recent roundtable of sister societies gathered to discuss virtual conferences.
Before COVID-19, ASNT had planned that the 2020 Annual Conference would be a hybrid event with both in-person and virtual content, Schieferstein said. The pandemic forced the decision to make the conference entirely virtual.
“Planning a virtual conference is not more work than an in-person conference, it’s just different work.”
ASNT’s event attracted 600 attendees, with 67 presentations, and 35 hours of content including orientations and virtual networking sessions. There were 124 exhibitors, which is less than usual, but the smaller number provided a better experience for both the exhibitors and attendees. This year also included the first professional development track, which, based on the attendance numbers, was a very popular option for those who attended.
Although attendance was lower than a typical in-person conference, Schieferstein said that by offering content online, the audience expanded internationally. Typically, 24% of conference attendees are international and this year it rose to 33%. “We had several people from Asian countries who had never attended a conference before because travel was cost prohibitive,” he said.
Highlights
- There are many platforms that can host virtual conferences and new ones are being developed every day. “The goal of your meeting will determine the platform that will work for you,” said Schieferstein.
- It is impossible to replicate an in-person event on a virtual platform. He pointed out that people don’t typically sit and stare at a computer screen at an in-person conference. It can be difficult to maintain the audience.“Remember, you are putting on an entertainment show,” Schieferstein said.
- People register for virtual events closer to the event date than they do for conferences requiring travel because they don’t have to reserve flights or hotel rooms. “You have to communicate with potential attendees up to the day of the event because they can register up to the event,” said Garra Liming, director of marketing and communications.
- Online exhibit halls are very different from in-person events, Schieferstein added. ASNT partnered with exhibitors to sponsor different parts of the conference to give more exposure. Participants at the roundtable appreciated that some exhibitors had typical exhibit hall swag delivered directly to registered attendees.
In the future, Schieferstein anticipates making ASNT conferences hybrid events with some changes. For example, he said he would like to offer content later into the day to reach more international participants. One participant suggested recording the entire virtual portion of the event and making it available 12 hours later for those in different time zones.
Because virtual events are still new, Schieferstein recommends taking the opportunity to experiment and try new things. “The rule book on virtual events is still being written” he said.
For additional recommendations for hosting a virtual conference, contact Barry Schieferstein (bschieferstein@asnt.org.).
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By Cindi Leeman, editor, ASNT Pulse; cleeman@asnt.org.