kcopas
commented
5 years ago NEXT STEPS
- SET DATE(S) FOR VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
- PRELIMINARY CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS THROUGH EMAIL LIST
- Event volunteers
- Recommendations on speakers
- Input on (draft?) agenda
- [Call for co-sponsors?]
- OPEN PRE-REGISTRATION
- PROVIDE ACCESS TO PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
Planning documents
- Start-up and close-out checklists for beginning and end of the day
- what to do before starting the event (changing sign-up messages, changing content on the website and starting Zoom rooms)
- What to do after the event ends (changing website content, posting video, transcribing audio)
- Daily call sheet: sequence of and notes on presenters (who is using polls? What URLs need to be shared? on which session?)
- Contingency plans, based on risk assessments (what can or will go wrong?)
- backup speakers in case of an emergency
- YouTube live stream if Zoom attendance is too high: have email written and prepared to send if we need to redirect people
Event roles
- event manager (a/v feed) (x2)
- event moderator (emcee) (x2)
- speaker coordinator/panel host (x2)
- Q&A and chat moderators (2-4x)
- other volunteers: live Tweeters…? (prepare on Slack channel?)
REMEMBER: be sure to look after all people involved with running the session: food, water and coffee for staff, easy comms with and about speakers
Do we need an Alliance swag/goodie bag for volunteers/speakers?
Speakers
Who are the presenters? We need big thinkers from adjacent fields. Astronomers and particle physicists. More from GBIC2 speakers? Aim for more highly interactive presentations
- Contact speakers early and often: ensure that they have all the info they need to make successful presentations
- Get speakers to attend at least one practice session to ensure that they're familiar with the technology — screen sharing, webcam management, real-time communication online, etc.
- Plan backup speakers just in case
Agenda
- Keep it simple—one fast-paced track: a series of lightning talks and panel discussions designed to keep the audience interested
- Zoom polls at the beginning of each talk to keep the audience engaged
- Single session room with Q&A rooms following each speaker’s talks
- Encourage panelists to use chat directly to one another for internal communications
- Import lists of who attended and how long they remained in the virtual room
Do we need a community whiteboard to annotate during Zoom webinars—or is Twitter enough?
Promotion
Affiliate marketing: provide partners (local, in-country—drawn from nodes and signatories)
- Promotion calendar with list of important dates and suggested mailing/posting times
- Boilerplate/swipe copy
- Graphics for social media
- Promote event on speakers’/supporters' mailing lists
Do we need sponsors for this? Probably not, but it might be good to invite voluntary financial support
Attendee registration
- sign-up form: name and email, via MailChimp-Zoom integration
- confirmation page: with three simple optional questions
- What sparks your interest in this virtual session?
- What speakers or content are you interested in?
- Are you planning to attend live or watch the recorded sessions? [give range if schedule is intensive]
Social media
- Schedule tweets/posts in advance on Buffer, describing activities of the conference and using event hashtag
- Piggy-back on speakers' networks by @mentioning them and their organizations both in advance and during the conference.
- Encourage speakers to post on social media ahead of the event about what they're working on
- Post links to allow people to join the conference spur-of-the-moment
- Engage with the public during the event (recruit live-tweeting volunteers, like Nicole Kearney?)
- Tag speakers in LinkedIn posts
Stash for ideas and sources related to upcoming virtual events
A nearly carbon-neutral conference model
Involve stakeholders in setting event agenda: empowering participants increases their investment in the success and outcome of events