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.