LEARN. SHARE. CONNECT.

1:00 -1:50 PM

Welcome, Orientation, and Connections!

Get oriented to the event, the agenda and the tech. See who else is attending. Set some goals. Jump right in and meet 4 fellow attendees – plus discover 2 online conference tricks you can apply right away!

2:00 -3:00 PM

Get Real Solutions to Your Own Challenge

We all have unique challenges: hybrid content, tracking CEUs, virtual exhibit halls, etc. This interactive session is a crowd favorite, be it online or in-person! Using the Three-Person Consulting technique, every attendee gets a chance to see your conference challenge with fresh eyes while gaining real clarity, actionable solutions, and two new friends.

3:00 - 3:30 PM

Break

Get a coffee or a snack. Get outside. Contribute to the Have-vs-Need bulletin board. Check on the kids. Reply to your texts. Arrange a call with an attendee you've met. Or get some work done in a Pomodoro-style sprint.

3:30 - 5:00 PM

​Online Conference Pricing

How do we price virtual events? Hybrid? What’s working – and what’s not? How do we create value for remote attendees – and how do we convey what that value is? What conference pricing best practices and rules of thumb should we follow? Walk away with exciting ideas to better price your event and deliver real value to attendees.

5:15 - 6:15 PM

Pet-friendly Happy Hour Social

Grab a drink and connect with a half-dozen meeting pros in a way that's natural and fun, not awkward. (You may also meet some attendees’ cats and dogs!) This is all about casual networking and socializing; this is not an educational session. (Or is it?! After all, we’ll be demonstrating some networking activities you can easily adapt and steal for your own events.)

9:00 AM -12:30 PM

Individual Coffee Calls (on your own)

Before the official start of Day 2, connect with fellow attendees you met on Day 1. Arrange these calls on your own.

9:15 -10:30 AM

A Delicious Breakfast at the World Café

Really engage with your peers on audience-driven topics using the popular World Café format – and learn how to replicate it in your own event. Although an optional pre-session, this block lets you see and experience an online take on conference mingling.

10:45 -11:45 AM

Choose Your Own Adventure

We’ll explore some possibilities when we allow attendees to move freely in a virtual space. In different online conference platforms, this may mean choosing which room, table, or booth you visit. As always, this is learn-by-doing, not a lecture about the topic!

12:00 -12:45 PM

​Global Meal

The word “companion” comes from the Latin for “with bread” and roughly translates as “people who eat together.” As so many events are built around sharing food – networking brunches, lunch-and-learns, fundraising dinners, and awards galas – join other attendees for a collective breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on your time zone. This small-group meal acts as a demo of similar virtual meals you may put on yourself; you will not be eating while trying to shout over 50 people! Bring a sandwich or gourmet spread.

1:00 - 1:35 PM

Best Things & Wish Granting

Day 2 officially kicks off with a collaborative re-cap of what you heard, learned and shared that was most valuable in Day 1. What did you pick up that your peers missed – and vice versa? Plus, as a community, we’ll all make some lucky attendee’s wish come true, live and on-air. Could it be you?

1:45 - 3:15 PM

How to (Re) Design Your Sessions for an Awesome Virtual Event

Well go over best practices, easy tips and valuable tricks to adapt a conference to thrive online. You’ll have a chance to think through and level-up your sessions (or a full event) be they live presentations, pre-recorded content, hybrid, etc.

3:15 - 3:45 PM

Break

Brew some tea. Take a little walk ... perhaps to the frig. Contribute to the Have-vs-Need bulletin board. Help with homework. Wash your hands. Do a call with someone you just met. Or write an incredulous email to your boss saying this conference is super helpful!

3:45 - 5:00 PM

Delivering Value for Virtual Exhibitors and Sponsors

In a year when events may not have in-person exhibits, sponsored coffee breaks, or fluttering banners, what can we do to help make them valuable for sponsors and exhibitors? We’ll be workshopping what actually appeals to your exhibitors and vendors – and what isn’t resonating. Bring a bucket to take home a bunch of good, actionable ideas.

5:15 - 6:15 PM

The Grand Finale

A final session of reflection, learning and sharing to think about what we’ve seen, who we’ve met, and what we’ll do next to maintain the value and energy from this conference and transfer it to yours! (Plus a few fun surprises.)