The situation
What is the common factor among ASCO 2020, AACR 2020, EAN 2020, ADA 2020, EHF 2020, ESC 2020, and other conferences in 2020? They all are just some of the events that were canceled as in-person meetings and were re-invented as virtual conferences, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Needless to say, canceling was the only sensible course of action, based on the current situation and in the interest of public health. Finding an alternative way to deliver the much-needed updates, education, and latest advancements in the rapidly changing landscape of science and medicine, to healthcare professionals, was also of paramount importance. Hence the virtual conferences’ birth, thanks also to the advancements of technology. Still, the cancellation of an in-person event comes with some disappointment, as participants usually look forward to the experience of meeting and networking with colleagues, potential collaborators, business partners, and other experts in the field.
The virtual conference pros and cons
Virtual events can be extremely cost-effective both to the organizers and to the participants. No traveling or accommodation costs, huge savings in time commitment by attending only what is of direct interest etc.. Such virtual events are not canceled due to any emergency (such as weather, pandemics, etc.) and even technology problems of the last minute get solved rapidly.
Virtual conferences are also extremely convenient as the participant only needs a computer with a headset to participate from the comfort of their home. Content is available on-demand after it is presented, and usually can be downloaded to rewatch, or even share with others. Nothing is missed, and this is important!
Networking opportunities can be even greater in a virtual event, as more people all over the world can attend, who normally would not be able to for a number of reasons. People feeling uneasy being in a venue amongst hundreds, if not thousands, other participants and unwilling to interact, will find a virtual conference a blessing.
One major disadvantage of these events, however, is that attendees, speakers, and exhibitors rarely have the chance to interact with each other offline. Offline meaning outside a virtual exhibitor’s booth, outside a virtual presentation room, or outside a poster hall. Also, no in-person social events take place.
Technology already takes up a big proportion of our life and diminishes the time spent on direct human interaction; giving up more time doesn’t sound as an appealing concept. After all, long-lasting relationships, of any kind, can’t be formed through a computer screen, at least not yet and not for the majority of people, although younger generations might still prove all of us wrong. Collaboration among scientists or networking output for exhibitors is unlikely to grow from within a virtual booth, at least not to the extent it would have grown through in-person interactions.
Watching the event from your office or laboratory, might not be a good idea either, as many distractions lurk around (phones, people dropping by, machines working, or alarms going off). The isolation of home and always in a room away from family is the best solution here, but the question of whether this is a sustainable one remains to be answered.
Technical issues could arise with the conference platform that might require actions taken by the attendees, which sometimes might not be easy for them to do. Internet connection issues can also ruin the virtual experience with bad streaming or connection fails.
Finally, despite giving the chance to anyone from all over the world, as mentioned earlier, to attend, this also presents a problem, as the difference in time zones can make it impossible to watch a live presentation. And while this can be dealt with using the replay feature, the chance to ask questions or interact live with exhibitors is diminished.
The in-person conference pros and cons
There is no alternative to the excitement and fulfillment of meeting peers, speakers, exhibitors, and others in person, or to the preparations for the trip or the presentation (if you are a presenter), despite how hectic the schedule is. In-person conferences feature experts in the field from all over the world at this one place for the duration of the meeting, making networking and learning/teaching opportunities unrivaled.
Opportunities arise as discussions at live conferences help to generate ideas, refine them, and solve problems, not to mention the ability to make new lasting friendship relationships. Although conferences in the pharma/medicine sector are not suitable for trying out new products, still attendees can observe first hand the new procedures and see medical devices and demonstrations by the exhibitors. Lastly, in-person conferences give the chance to participants to improve skills such as communication, effective presentation, networking, etc. in a multicultural setting.
However, the main disadvantage of in-person conferences remains their cost, both to organizers and attendees. Organizers are always on the lookout for sponsors to cover a part of the cost (thankfully there are plenty of pharma companies willing to do so) and participants are not always lucky enough to have a sponsor to cover their cost. So, conferences are not cheap, as the event itself can cost several hundred dollars just to attend, plus travel, accommodation, and other expenses.
Additionally, the time commitment for an attendee of an in-person event is also significant and it can be up to 5-7 days if one combines preparation/travel time and conference duration time (usually 3-4 days). There is also a significant level of stress for all conference participants as everyone wants everything to go as planned and run smoothly, which is not always the case.
Following a conference people, usually need a couple of days to “decompress” and catch up on some rest after hitting 12 hours each day in auditoriums, but rarely this is possible, as engagements elsewhere are pressing: lectures to give, lab work that can’t be delayed, meeting to attend back in the office, debriefs, reports, or even a back-to-back conference.
Is there a better setting between the two?
A recent study (link in sources below) showed that over 70% of participants from a wide range of industries prefer in-person conferences. No matter what your personal opinion might be, one cannot overlook the vast majority of people preferring the live conferences. Nevertheless, paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to attend, travel, and stay, in order to show up in a crowded conference venue as the sun rises and until after the sunset, might not sound very appealing to some. Conferences are ever needed and are the cornerstone of every industry.
People, however, can relate to the cost of an in-person conference, as they are present and can see all the infrastructure needed and all the personnel working for the success of the event. On the contrary, virtual events are not suitable for attending to correlate with the high cost that can have some times. Usually, though, a virtual event will be cheaper any given day from the respective in-person conference.
This means that virtual conferences do have a place in the modern world and in some cases they are both desirable and sustainable. Cost, timing, circumstances, and other factors can affect the decision of the organizers as to the final format and there are models and other tools for them to make the best choice.
However, sometimes choices mean that one needs to take into consideration other factors not covered by models, as they cannot always predict the outcome. After all we are all very well acquainted with models failing in the pharmaceutical industry after the transition from model studies to clinical practice.
There is no clear victor here as virtual events are here to stay, in the same fashion as is telemedicine. Therefore it is believed that a hybrid model will prevail in the future, where the conferences will be offered both in an in-person and virtual format, with or without differences in the offered content.
Sources:
Virtual Conferences vs. In-Person Conferences
The Surprising Truth about Virtual vs. In-Person Conferences
Virtual Events Vs. In-Person Events: Why You Should Host Your Event Online
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