10 Ways to Make the Most of Attending Your First Virtual Conference

This year has been filled with adjustments for all of us. Whether it be your new working from home routine, your activities and hobbies, or your relationships with family and friends, it’s important now more than ever to be adaptable in order to maintain a sense of normalcy during these times of uncertainty. 

You may have noticed that an increasing number of events and conferences, previously faced with the threat of cancellation, have begun to pivot their programming to virtual platforms. Virtual event platforms allow you, as an attendee, to enjoy main-stage keynote presentations, take part in breakout discussions, and even connect with other attendees through one-on-one networking, all from a safe social-distance and in the comfort of your home. The cherry on top is that you are able to save valuable time and resources you would’ve spent on traveling to a conference, on digesting and implementing the content you’ve learned! 

At commonsku, we’re no stranger to the excitement and education that attending in-person events can bring, and we want to bring that same magic to your home with our brand new event, skucon at home! skucon at home is a virtual conference for anyone in the promotional products industry who wants to connect, learn, and re-energize alongside other progressive, like-minded pros. It’s a unique, interactive experience with breakouts, keynotes, and real connections. 

But we know that online events can be intimidating. For many, this may be your very first virtual event, and on top of welcoming it directly into your home and navigating the technological challenges of a new platform, you might also be wondering how to make the most of your invested time and money while working from a home office. We’ve prepared 10 tips for before, during, and after your experience to make the most out of your first virtual conference: 

1) Once you register for the virtual conference, gather the equipment you plan to use and spend five minutes testing it out. 

Taking five minutes to test your equipment before the conference will ensure that you’re ready to rock on the day of, and can focus solely on the content and experience. Check that both your camera and microphone settings are functioning properly and that you have sufficient lighting to be visible and your background is free from distractions. 

2) Extend your calendar block by 15 minutes at the beginning of the virtual conference. 

Virtual conferences typically begin promptly at their start time, and you don’t want to miss a beat! Giving yourself an extra 15-minutes means that you can get your equipment set up, log-in, grab a coffee, a glass of water, and your notebook, and be at the ready when the organizer begins. 

3) Take the time to read through the speaker bios and session descriptions offered. 

Reading through the speaker bios and session descriptions will help you determine which speakers are subject matter experts on areas you’re interested in, and allow you to craft questions before the conference even starts! 

You may also be able to pre-select your breakout sessions, as often events will offer multiple breakout sessions at the same time. Reviewing the schedule ahead of time will allow you to come up with a game plan so you aren't scrambling during the event.

4) Create a list of goals you would like to accomplish. 

Ultimately, a virtual conference is still taking time out of your day, and you want to be sure you’re walking away with value from that investment. What is the ‘why?’ behind your registration for this virtual conference. Are you hoping to learn tactical sales strategies for today’s climate? Do you want to improve your knowledge of importing and exporting during times of crisis? Are you just craving human connection and want to foster a few new contacts in the industry? 

5) Share on your socials and find out who else in your network will be in attendance. 

All signed up and feeling really psyched about it? Screenshot your confirmation, or share the link to the event website asking your colleagues and industry friends who else will be in attendance. Offer to help one another test your equipment pre-event, or schedule a debrief call the day after to discuss your favorite sessions.

6) Minimize as many external distractions as possible while participating. 

Close those tabs! Shut that door! Put that phone away! Apply the same distraction etiquette you practice during an in-person conference to your virtual experience. You wouldn’t be typing away at emails directly in front of a keynote speaker, or checking Twitter while networking with a supplier partner in-person, so don’t let it fly during your virtual conference. 

7) Take notes during the sessions and jot down any questions you have for the speakers. 

With condensed schedules, virtual conferences can often seem like a blur of fast-moving information. Don’t let any great ideas pass you by! Jot them in a notebook. The act of physically writing will help you digest the content and form meaningful questions to ask during the Q&A period. 

8) Take advantage of every opportunity you can (even if they’re out of your comfort zone!)

 

If this is your first virtual conference, it’s normal to be nervous and fearful of the unknown. But nearly everyone is in the same position and are excited to meet you. Don’t shy away from one-on-one networking conversations, or raising your hand to ask a question during a Q&A. Stepping out of your comfort zone will only improve your experience. 

9) Follow up with speakers you found impactful, or fellow-attendees you connected with. 

You will most likely leave the event with a favorite session of the day, one that you walk away with pages and pages of notes on, and are excited to implement. Our speakers work tirelessly on their presentations and would love to hear that. Reach out on LinkedIn to let them know they rocked it (this is a great time to ask any outstanding questions you may have!). 

10) Cross-reference the goals you made before the conference with your notes, and make an action items list for your business. 

After the virtual conference is where the real work starts. Remember when you created that list of goals you wanted to achieve? Revisit that list and cross-reference it with your notes. Prioritize which ideas and action items are most important to you and brainstorm how you can take action and implement them. 

Ultimately, just as is the case with in-person events, the more you put into your virtual conference experience the more you’re going to get out of it. No matter what -market uncertainty, seismic shifts in buying habits- the thrivers are those who, despite adversity, never stop dreaming, never stop exploring, and never stop innovating. 

Come think, explore, and dream with us at commonsku’s first virtual conference, skucon at home! You can register here to join us, we will be donating all proceeds to charity.