You could get the impression from the current surge of all kinds of online formats that they are interchangeable but webinars and virtual conference aren’t the same thing. Organizers who are not aware of the differences are contributing to a questionable revival of continuous speaker-centered approach – a fatal mistake for any conference.

With the organization of a virtual conference, many organizers are entering completely new territory. The experience gained over many years from the world of face-to-face events suddenly only works to a limited extent or not at all in a digital environment, and advice from the field has been sparse until now. We would like to change that and provide you with a few tips that will help ensure virtual conferences be successful for all.

Conferences are more than just lectures. That was the clear result of a survey we conducted with hundreds of participants of academic conferences and congresses. In response to the question “What makes a successful conference for you?” the aspects “networking” and “meeting new contacts” were each answered with almost the same importance as “gaining new knowledge from lectures.”

Against the backdrop of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, organizers as well as conference-goers had to get used to virtual alternatives. Born out of necessity, many different creative approaches have popped up in the meantime, seemingly overnight.

Last month, we published our first article on the Coronavirus pandemic (in German only), at a time when it wasn’t recognized as a pandemic. In view of the current situation, some of the statements we made didn’t age well – even if we referred to legitimate sources who since had to rectify their statements, too. The danger was generally underestimated in the beginning, particularly with regard to conferences. Time for an update and some decision guidance for conference organizers.