At the time of this writing, the world is dealing with the shut-down of business as normal. Personally I was scheduled to speak at three conferences this spring and early summer. All of them have been cancelled which meant no travel from Canada to warmer climates. One of the conferences I was going to speak at was the annual Adobe eLearning Conference in Washington DC. This is an action packed one day conference that Adobe puts on for free. It is well run and well worth the time going to.

However, in 2020, the conference in April was cancelled and Adobe is now putting on a virtual conference. From my perspective, this is disappointing but fully understandable. It was the right call to make. Adobe is putting on a virtual conference. While I’m sure many of us have attended an online webinar which typically is an hour long, not as many have attended a virtual conference.

The big question that I had is “Do you get the same value with a Virtual Conference vs a Traditional Conference?”

In April of 2020, I participated in my first virtual conference. The International Association of Blended Learning (IABL) put on a 24 virtual conference with speakers from around the world. I spoke at 5:00PM local time. I joined in through out the day. I listened to other speakers up until 11:00pm I even found myself up at 3:00AM listening to speakers in Malaysia.

The quality of the information was excellent and I truly enjoyed the experience. While I do prefer the face-to-face conferences, virtual conferences are still a good way to learn and get inspired.

To prepare for the Adobe eLearning World conference coming up, here are some tips to help you get the best of a virtual conference.

1. Block the Outside World

When you’re at a traditional conference, you are away from the office. You can check your email and messages but you are not present in the office. Find a way to block the world when attending a virtual conference. Maybe you’re able to stay away from the office and attend the conference at home. Have the door closed and give the speakers your full attention as if you were in the audience. Make an effort to be present at the virtual conference.

2. Engage the Brain

Watching TV is a “sofa” technology while working on your computer is a “chair” technology. However, when people attend webinars, they tend to slip into a “sofa” mode and aren’t as engaged. Don’t just sit and veg when listening to the speakers. Use logical thinking to ensure what you are listening to matches your knowledge or experience. Look for opportunities to ask questions, partake in polls and LEARN from the speaker. Adobe vets the speakers well so you know you’re are getting leaders in the eLearning community. By being engaged, you will learn from these experts.

3. Take Notes

You are at your computer, so take notes. As a retired professor, I can tell you that students who take notes learn and can recall material better than those who didn’t. The act of writing notes gets the brain thinking differently. This makes recall better. Yes, you’ll have access to the recordings afterwards but the process of note taking will enable better recall.

4. Screen Capture

While listening to speakers, I often will do a screen capture of what is being shared. This can be pasted in with my notes or saved as images in a dedicated folder. This is especially useful when dealing with specific information such as statistics. I also will make a screen grab when I see a well designed screen or a unique visual way of presenting information. This becomes an inspiration for future development of my eLearning or presentations.

Conclusion

So, are virtual conferences worth your attention. Based on the experience I’ve had plus knowing how Adobe vets their speakers I can say YES and NO. Yes, the quality will be good. The rest depends on you. Can you focus on the event and speakers? Can you ensure you’re engaged during the conference? Are you in the right mindset? Are you ready to critically think during the session and take notes?

While I miss not being at the Adobe eLearning Conference this year, I’m very excited to be attending the Adobe World eLearning Conference in June. I hope to “see” many of you online at the conference engaging with the speakers.