03/31/2021

Keep Connecting With Colleagues After a Virtual Event

Don't let its conclusion stop the conversations

Virtual events have their advantages, but networking with other attendees is often a challenge. The physical separation means it’s common for virtual attendees to close their laptops and disconnect instead of attempting to re-create one of the biggest benefits of in-person gatherings: mingling with colleagues and striking up a conversation with the person sitting next to them.

As an association professional, you’re probably eager to go back to in-person conferences—both for your organization’s attendees and for the events you’d like to attend for your own professional development. But Beth Surmont, CAE, CMP, vice president of event business strategy and design at 360 Live Media, offers a reminder that in-person networking isn’t always smooth sailing either.

“With this year of virtual events, people have this magical view of in-person events where we were all happy and finding each other,” she said. “That was not true. [Networking] can be highly inefficient and largely serendipitous.”

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.