🤔 How to make the most of attending a digital conference?

[Monique vdB]

I don't know about y'all, but there are definite nuances to attending a digital conference.  It's great that it is accessible around the world, but it's harder to adjust to the conference time zone, tricky to block out dedicated time when your Slack and email are right there, and not really possible to walk around collecting a bag of swag like you're a kid on Halloween.

                                   

                                     Sorry, Michael Scott; I feel the same

Team 2021 will be held April 28th and 29th, and of course we're going to make the digital experience (and community experience) as amazing as possible. But to kick off the conversation I would love to hear from those of you who attended Summit or any other digital conference last year: what's your pro tip for making the most out of the conference?

[Bridget]

Here's my tip: Give your boss a heads up that you'll be offline for XYZ time on XYZ date to virtually attend Summit. It's extremely hard to fully absorb value from talks while you're also responding to Slacks, so give yourself permission to turn off notifications and single task for a few hours. 

[Dave Liao]

1000%! The earlier you provide this notice, the easier it'll be to set expectations to everyone who's vying for your attention. 👀

[Anthony Doudt]

Yes, this! It's so important to fully shut down email and Slack to engage with the sessions. For me, if I just minimize the windows and turn off notifications it's still too tempting to pop one open in another screen to see if I've missed anything. 

[Dave Liao]

Heh, I ended up missing like 90% of Team 21 - had an unexpected vacation planned (a Good Thing) but also an urgent work assignment to handle.

Oh well, I should have been more clear about what vacation and Atlassian Team means to me 😂😂😂

[Karan Verma]

It is interesting to watch Digital Conference but can't enjoy the as in-person event to meet industry experts, explore opportunities and meet other attendees as well for networking. 

[Fadoua]

I am definitely planning on taking time off so that I can enjoy the whole experience without being split or stressed.

I really hope this whole Corona gets better so that we go back to the in-person summit. Nothing equals the experience of live summit.

[Anthony Doudt]

Oh that's Awesome! Great idea taking time off to focus.  

100% agree about getting back to the in-person experience!

[Esther Strom]

Yes, this would have been my first year as part of the Community Leader program, and I would have loved to meet everyone I see on Slack in person! Fingers crossed for 2022!

[Alexis Robert]

For me, the best way to enjoy a digital event is to make time in advance in my calendar. Otherwise I'll try to fit both my day work and the event in the same day and that's always a bad idea !

In the days before the event I'll try to get ahead on my work so that I can block a few hours during the day to truly enjoy the presentations and workshops 🙂

[Ben Thoma]

My tip is: take the experience somewhere else!

If you can, move to a back porch, kitchen counter, couch, swap spaces with a neighbor, snag an outdoor table at a coffee shop, or even consider renting a desk in a coworking space (if it's safe in your community of course!).

Changing your surroundings can literally—and figuratively—change your perspective, attention, and focus.

[Monique vdB]

@Ben Thoma my best friend is a (fully vaccinated) travel agent and he just flew to a resort in Cabo to dial into a virtual conference! An extreme version of this advice. :) 

[Darryl Lee]

Oh, we do have a hammock in the backyard. Good idea.

[Deleted user]

This is a good idea! I spent yesterday in the sun in my backyard watching talks and today it's raining so my (personal) laptop is hooked up to my TV and I'm on the couch. The change in surroundings is making it much easier to focus on the talks.

[G subramanyam]

My 3 pro tips:

1. Take notes and later check the bookmarked on-demand session(s).
2. Mark your attendance.
3. Get familiarize with event UI.

[Erica Spoor]

Yes, this! I also add my on demand sessions to my calendar during the event so I am certain to carve out time later to go back and view them.

[John Funk]

Get your environment - computer, office space, couch, etc. ready to go with plenty of time in advance. And then have snacks handy. 

What's better Snacks? Or Atlassian SWAG? 

I think we need Atlassian branded SNACKS!!!

[Liam Green]

My first ever digital conference ... really looking forward to it!

@John Funk we certainly need snacks, Atlassian branded or not!!!!

[John D Patton]

FOMO affects 1 out 3 Atlassian Virtual Event Attendees. Won't you donate today to help an attendee in need? for less than a cost of navigating to a hyperlinked page you can help an attendee in need find the recorded conversation they are so desperately looking for... comment with links now - operators are standing by. 

[Brant Schroeder]

I really miss in person events but am grateful for the virtual events.  @ agree with Bridget get it on your calendar and let people know you are out.  Also remember to get up and move around during the day!

[Fabienne Gerhard]

Pro Tip: Quit your job - take the vacation you have to take and use the time you for team21 for a smooth wave for your new job 😁 *justkidding* even if I had this a little bit in mind when planning the time for team21

Take your time planning all the things you wanna see while checking the awesome platform (thanks to the Communiteam and everyone who was involved in this 😍)

And don't forget to pack your backpack! (even if it's not with swag 😩)

[Alexander Pappert]

should have planned before

but with my different time zone + that I forgot it, I am too late  ;(

[elizabeth_jones]

Unfortunately my day job interfered with watching and participating real time more than once, but thanks to the all access pass, I won't have to miss a thing. Personally I enjoy watching and absorbing on my own time whenever possible, so this is great for me. The biggest challenge I faced was with managing time zones. oops!

[Dave Liao]

Same here! 😅