by Denise Williams|News & Views
There’s no question that many of us were looking forward to catching up with friends and colleagues at AACVPR’s 36th Annual Meeting in San Antonio next month. But, earlier this month, the Board of Directors had to make the tough decision to transition the meeting into a wholly virtual event to prioritize attendee health and safety. Despite the change, there’s still plenty of reasons to be excited about what will now be a full-fledged livestream experience.
The virtual conference will deliver the same quality programming under the banner of “Bigger Ideas, Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures” that was planned for the in-person event. Moreover, virtual comes with its own perks:
Greater Access
The audience is likely to be much more diverse, for example, which will allow attendees to optimize their networking during the October 6-9 event. A virtual format opens up participation to cardio and pulmonary rehabilitation professionals who otherwise might have had to sit this one out. Instead, there now will be more opportunity to connect with colleagues and partners who cannot take time off to attend in person, who may be challenged by travel for personal or budgetary reasons, or who are members of the international community.
There’s also no need to worry about schedule conflicts. If there are separate activities taking place at the same time, the only choice to make is deciding what to watch “live” and what to watch on-demand later.
Not only does that position the audience to get the most out of the dozens of workshops, panel discussions and keynote addresses coming to the virtual stage, it also affords the opportunity to score big in the Continuing Education (CE) department. The more eligible activities meeting-goers can access and participate in, the more credit they can collect in the span of just four days.
Bigger and Better
After successfully engineering the 2020 Annual Meeting in cyberspace, AACVPR was even better prepared to pivot to a virtual format this year, as circumstances dictated. The event is again being supported by Pathable, which is fine-tuning the platform’s offerings in order to facilitate the best virtual experience possible.
More sophisticated one-on-one video conferencing options, for instance, will lend to more dynamic interactions within the Virtual Exhibit Hall. Pathable is introducing a “Talk Now” feature, which opens up a 1:1 video feed with exhibitors. At the same time, easy collaboration between multiple parties is simplified through single shared group video calls.
Additionally, features like live chat allow for greater audience engagement and participation; while technology including live video meetings and private one-to-one messaging provide other easy and effective means of communications between event participants.
Additional Value
As part of registration, all attendees automatically receive the benefit of access to “Rapid Fire Week.” This includes two sessions per day, from 4:30-6:15 CST, during the week of October 25-28.
Fun
This year’s live-streamed AACVPR Annual Meeting promises to be a fast-paced and lively event that you won’t want to miss. The virtual format isn’t taking the fun and social aspect out of the conference, either. Attendees can expect to be entertained by a live DJ, with planned “dance breaks” each day to unwind in between sessions. The lineup also includes stretch breaks led by a wellness influencer, sunrise yoga on Friday morning and the return of 2020’s hit trivia challenge during Networking Night, among other lighthearted activities.
Safety
Lastly, safety is a priority! Although protective measures against COVID-19 were in place for Texas, the likelihood of community spread is decisively addressed by switching to a virtual format. Stay home, stay safe.
The cost of registration for the Annual Meeting goes up after October 1, so don’t delay!