My first international conference took place at home

1. You will still need to prepare.

It’s the week before the conference. The schedule is finalized. You highlight all the talks that you are interested in because you have to listen to them all. You look up the ResearchGate profiles of the plenary speakers. You plan out every single minute of the meeting so that you can maximize your time spent learning about other researchers’ super cool work, but you still make sure to schedule in time spent socializing and meeting your science friends. Not just me, right?

All this prep is still important for a virtual conference! Just because you are not attending in person doesn’t mean that preparation is unnecessary. Undoubtedly, there may be no need to pencil in time running between rooms to catch talks at different sessions. However, there is value in scanning through the different sessions to decide what talks you definitely want to see, and who you want to virtually meet. Make a schedule of each day of the conference, but be flexible (see below). Have your notebook ready (or use the virtual conference as a chance to experiment with typing out key notes!). Personally, I like to write down at least one key point or one interesting paper from each session that I was in so I had to make sure I knew what sessions I was in. Also, make time to meet and chat with the keynote speakers. Basically, emulate everything you would do to prep for an in-person conference. A conference that takes place virtually doesn’t mean it’s a conference without substance.

2. Have a plan to stay focused.

This is probably the hardest piece of advice to follow, by far. It is much, much easier to zone out during a virtual conference. You are no longer sitting a room surrounded by venerable scientists of your field who can all hold you slightly accountable if you decide to go on your phone or doze off. Instead, you are probably in your comfiest set of loungewear surrounded by an even mixture of device screens, snacks and pillows (at least, I was). A quick peek at your phone plus an urgent email notification that warrants a reply and poof you’ve missed a talk. A quick nap later, and an entire session has gone by.

The good news is that you are not alone. There were times where I felt restless, or bored, or unfocused. The other piece of good news is that the conference organizers know this too. During IALE-NA 2020, there were breaks scheduled frequently (perhaps more frequently than in-person conferences) in order to allow participants to get another high dose of caffeine. Moderators ensured that no one was rambling too much or went over time. Panelist held up their weight during discussion and Q&A sessions.

I had to do a lot more to remain focused though, given my easily-distracted nature. By day two, I had removed almost everything off my desk that I didn’t need to minimize distractions. I found a space where I could pay attention to a computer screen for long segments. My phone was on “Do Not Disturb” mode. I tried to create a set-up that emulated as closely as possible a real conference. But also remember that you are allowed to drift off occasionally. Hold yourself accountable, but don’t crucify yourself for missing a minute. No one is paying attention 100% of the time during an in-person meeting anyways.

3. Network in other ways.

Collaboration is crucial in scientific fields, but how can we collaborate, or even meet potential collaborators, if we can’t even leave the house? Well, I really tried to experiment with networking during a virtual conference, and here is what I discovered will work.

Firstly, make your name and your face known. If you are presenting, stick a headshot on your poster or your talk. Make sure your face is on the conference platform. Post your email or Twitter handle on your conference profile (and elsewhere if appropriate, of course). Clearly associate your work with yourself, and make it easy for people to reach you. Also, conference organizers are there to lend a crutch. The IALE-NA Twitter account constantly retweeted talks and iPoster links, and gave presenters a lot of online space to promote their work and interact with others. Get your research out there on the digital podium.

Speaking of iPoster’s, here’s mine!

And the other face of the coin: don’t be afraid to cold-message. The hallway chats that always happen during conferences are now translated to cold-emails and Twitter DMs and, if your conference supports it, a chat function within the virtual platform. Find someone you want to “meet” between sessions and message them. The good news is that there is probably much less awkwardness than if you introduced yourself in person. I found that people were incredibly responsive on the conference platform, and I sure appreciated people reaching out to talk about my work with me.

4. Be flexible.

Remember that schedule? Be prepared for it to change at any given moment. Just like in a real conference, spur-of-the-moment plans will be made, and sometimes it is to your advantage to go along with the flow. You may find yourself meeting a potential new collaborator, and video-chat long after their talk. Or, the session you planned to attend may be the complete opposite of what you had originally expected, and you find yourself in another session of talks. In fact, session-hopping is probably even easier during a virtual conference; no one will be disrupted if you decide to skip out on the rest of the Zoom session and enter another one. Make the conference work for you.

And also, recognize that virtual meetings make up a new environment for everyone (but it looks like they may be here to stay). All conferences, virtual or otherwise, will experience minor hiccups; this chance is exacerbated when everyone is relying so heavily on electronic devices during virtual conferences. Remember to be understanding if things do not go as smoothly as you had hoped. Everyone is trying their best!