Tips on How to Have a Successful Virtual National Conference

Dear NPANA members,

Last year I was so sad to see the national conference in Denver canceled after I had made plans to attend, gotten time off work (almost impossible!) and saved money for the event. When I rolled all that money into my savings account for this year to go see THE mouse, I would have never thought another year’s event would be sidelined. But I’m thrilled that ASPAN is putting on a virtual event that will offer 80 CE hours !!

I was able to attend an online planning meeting and here are a few tips I learned for a successful conference. 

1. You MUST have the right browser – Chrome or Mozilla are great, but Internet Explorer will NOT work. If you don’t have the right browser now, get it installed early, don’t wait til the last minute in case you have to update something else to make it run……. We all know how computers are !!  The conference site will have a contact for tech support on the main page if needed. 
2. You can do the conference on your phone, tablet or computer……… just depends on how big a picture you like, and remember, streaming will use LOTS of battery life, so have a charger cord available. You don’t want to go dead In the middle of a great talk.
3. We all know the early bird gets the worm……… well, there will be MANY/LOTS of folks trying to get thru the “security gate” at the last minute! Once on, go grab your coffee and muffin, listen to some music, relax.
4. Speaking of early, remember the times are EASTERN time zones. Keynote presentations will be LIVE only and NOT recorded. "Map out" your viewing strategy just like you are at a live convention. You don't want to miss something great that is ONLY LIVE. 
5. Get COMFORTABLE – you don’t need to dress up, or even have your camera on. But pick a comfortable chair to sit in, have your coffee/tea/water close by and put yourself in the mode to learn.
6. Let family, friends, coworkers etc know you are attending a conference during certain hours. If you are at home, ask not to be disturbed unless there is extreme blood loss/no respirations, etc.
7. Keep up with filling in each evaluation for the individual presentation to get your CE’s. At the end of the week, you will receive CE’s for all the evaluations you have turned in. Then you have 120 days to complete any other offerings on days you attended and do the evaluations for CE’s (from May 1 to August 31 ... a summer of learning!?!?) .
8. Don't forget to go to the poster presentations and vote for your favorites. You can earn CE's here too. 
9. Also stop by the exhibit hall to check out the latest products and chat with vendors. There may even be something you need to buy as a reminder of this conference. 
10. Watch for news about NPANA coffee hour – join us to chat about the convention and a special surprise.
11. Have fun, and hopefully in April 2022, we will be in Philadelphia.

Sincerely,

Meg Spaulding, BSN, RN
NPANA Treasurer

P.S. Please take the time to also review the above attached file, "Virtual Conference Tips 2021", to learn about other ways to improve and be better prepared for your virtual conference experience. Thank you!