Student: Irene

We were chatting in the lounge area about the relationship between a physical conference program and a virtual program. Often the physical program takes precedence — you get the face-to-face and the liveness of it all. However with the virtual space you get something pretty important: convenience. Not only convenience in being "free" but also convenience in terms of time not spent traveling. Saving time is increasingly important today for everyone. Will physical conferences go way someday in the name of saving time?

Comments

[Birgit Jevnaker]

That's interesting! For the climate, time and other concerns: Sitting far away in Oslo, with a broken arm, I personally wish I
were there chatting with you now...! A virtual option would have helped me follow at least some of the still rare strategy-cum-design presentations & conversations (and since I've been at this MCA-event before I know about the good potential).

In future, however, thinking about the physical gathering of a large conference in principle (not so much this one though), it may perhaps become less well regarded to fly frequently and bring in a large audience.
Yet, design-oriented people and many kinds of academies have met physically since ancient times and still meet face-to-face, although academics were among the first to explore the internet options.

Responding to your reflective question, I thus guess physical conferences will probably not go away, they are potential magical events for humans (as social beings), though their forms and content may be transformed by multiple media and onlookers. Indeed, "being present" may perhaps even increase its value for the possibly privileged physical attendant ...when virtual media options are added.

Also, if the conversations are of high quality as well as triggering and sites reasonable accessible, hybrid virtual/physical conferences may perhaps expand the conference as attractive event, which may thus be interesting to codesign. A streamed conference can allow more people - even on other continents - to take part while many would still enjoy being there - chatting lively and making spontaneous new remarks to others present. So for me it is a both/and issue!