Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1280285
ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION AUGUST 19, 2020 Page 18 What's It Like to Attend a Virtual Conference?…Continued from page 17 Emily: When I entered the "lobby" I was excited. I realized I had the option of visiting exhibit booths, listening to a live presenter, watching a pre-recorded instructional video (I learned how to make a mint julep one morning) or diving right into a chat. There were plenty of chats around specific subjects already underway! A trivia game for all attendees with real-time scoring caught my eye and I was determined to be a high- scorer. When I saw that you could earn badges for visiting booths, downloading documents, or going into chat rooms, forget it, I was hooked on beating Todd for most badges earned. What was it like visiting the trade show exhibitors? Todd: It was crucial for me to interact with the exhibitor area of the virtual event because this is an area very important to PSAI member suppliers. Entering the Expo Hall I had the choice of viewing areas of interest. I chose Hospitality and Meeting and was able to easily view all exhibitors with their logos. Having exhibitors broken into categories made searching easier and gave the exhibitor search area a clean look. Once I clicked on an exhibitor, there was space for a dedicated video message in the center and many show-specific options in the right side menu bar. I could chat live with a rep, set up a time for a future meeting, review sales documents, register for prizes, and much more. Emily: Each booth was set up differently so some were more exciting than others. I liked that a chat box sometimes appeared with someone ready to talk but I could choose to engage or not. Some booths offered free downloadable documents that were specific to my field. My favorite booths had games and giveaways, of course! How easy was it to interact with other attendees, speakers, and event hosts? Todd: I liked how I could easily find business and contact information from both attendees and speakers. There was a running schedule showing all upcoming speakers and sessions that not only showed when presentations would go live with a countdown clock, but I could also contact the speaker to follow-up. I also enjoyed being able to use the chat function with other attendees during sessions and presentations. Emily: It was honestly easier to get involved in those important conversations than it is in person. I could enter a chat room about a specific field and read all the statements thus far so that I never missed what was already said. I could jump right in and others were always eager to say hi and dive into conversations. I think people felt less inhibited because we couldn't see each other. Speakers spent time answering questions after presentations and event hosts were available by chat at all times. Continued on page 19