Lost and found: the academic conference in pandemic and post-pandemic times

Abstract

Conferences are widely recognised as a central component of academic life, providing important opportunities for dissemination of research, professional networking, and extending scholarship. Notwithstanding this, concerns are increasingly voiced around such factors as the environmental and sustainability aspects of conference travel and hosting, and issues of equity and access. The imposition of travel and congregation restrictions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic has seen the suspension of in-person academic conferences throughout the world. This desk-based research study provides a timely opportunity to consider the challenges that this has precipitated, and the ensuing changes to the long-established and relatively consistent format that is employed for academic conferences. In doing so, it reflects upon what has been lost through the unavoidable abandonment of the traditional face-to-face conference during these unique times, but also what may have been found in terms of creative solutions, reimagined formats, and unexpected benefits that have arisen through the reconceptualisation of such events, and which may have wider implications for the academic conference in the post-pandemic world that awaits us.

Keywords:

• conferences
• Covid-19
• in-person
• face-to-face
• virtual
• hybrid

Research background and rationale

Conferences play a major role in the academic and professional activities of all major disciplines, and are central to the pursuits of most subject associations and societies (Rowe 2018). The reasons for hosting, attending, and presenting at conferences are manyfold. They provide fora in which researchers can receive feedback on their work, hear about the latest developments with regard to their discipline, and engage in professional networking and discussion (Jacobs and McFarlane 2005). They serve as embodied sites of knowledge production, as well as being enmeshed in longer threads of academic work which disseminate and bring together previous research (Henderson and Burford 2020). Conferences provide opportunities for delegates to hear speakers who are respected in the relevant academic field, to develop new professional relationships through meeting people who are active in the same field or who might be working on similar matters or areas of research interest, and to develop new skills (Edelheim et al. 2018). Access to and attendance at academic conferences is considered an important factor for early-career academics through providing valuable experiences to develop pedagogical and research knowledge, and to build confidence (Timperley et al. 2020); they provide opportunities for early-career researchers to contribute to the research community and to feel a part of it, to receive recognition and validation from the conference audience, to be able to ‘feel more like a researcher’ (Mantai 2017, 641), and to help in reshaping their identity from novice candidate to scholar (Ai 2017). The social gatherings associated with such events are also recognised as an important facet of academic life (Castronova 2013).

However, a growing body of literature has highlighted concerns and limitations with regard to the traditional conference format. In particular, increasing focus is placed upon the environmental considerations associated with travel to these events (Goebel et al. 2020), with a number of studies offering enlightening calculations about the kilometres and air-miles travelled, and the CO2 output associated with this and the events themselves (Chalvatzis and Ormosi 2021; Klöwer et al. 2020). As well as the environmental cost, there is also the financial cost associated with travel and accommodation (Parncutt and Seither-Preisler 2019) to be considered and which may prove restrictive, particularly for those from less privileged and minority backgrounds. Registration fees are often high and can be prohibitive (Niner et al. 2020), fuelled by such overhead factors as venue hire and catering costs (Goebel et al. 2020). De Picker (2020) also illustrates how traditional face-to-face conference events pose particular accessibility problems for those with physical disabilities, long-term illness, or chronic pain, as well as necessitating additional travel expenses. Challenges faced by early career researchers who wish to attend in-person academic conferences are also problematic (Malloy 2020; Oliver and Morris 2020).

Increasingly we see how digital technologies are being employed to create more porous boundaries for those who are not physically present at a conference event. For instance, it is now relatively common for an academic conference to be augmented by a ‘back channel’ on Twitter, as a means to both enhance communication between those present and to create an element of involvement for those who are not present (Greenhow, Li, and Mai 2019). Live-streaming of keynote presentations and of papers from particular conference strands has become increasingly common in recent times (Parncutt and Seither-Preisler 2019) as a means to increase awareness of the event, the host organisation or association, and the discipline, and to address some of the afore-mentioned challenges and concerns associated with travelling to and attending such events in person. Also, video recording and archiving of presentations is occurring more often as a means of making conference materials available after the event and for enabling delegates to engage with papers they may have been unable to attend through timetable clashes. It is perhaps fortunate that such developments have become increasingly common for academic conferences in terms of the unprecedented circumstances that arose in early 2020, and the challenges these precipitated for hosting, attending, and participating at academic conferences.

Covid-19 and academic conferences

The global Covid-19 pandemic has seen the imposition of unprecedented restrictions at national and international levels with regard to travel and congregation. While much of the focus to date has understandably been about the impact of these restrictions upon activities associated with teaching, learning, and the continuity of education (Bozkurt et al. 2020; Hall et al. 2020), these restrictions have also had an enormous impact on academic conferences throughout the world. While some conference organisers have chosen (or had no choice but) to cancel their event when faced with these obstacles, many others have opted to move the event, or a reconceptualisation of it, to an online format.

Remarkable creativity and variation have been witnessed in converting traditional face-to-face conferences to online events during the pandemic. Some organisers have chosen to streamline their events by shedding the traditional conference papers and retaining keynote presenters and panel discussions that are broadcast via online means; others have opted to also facilitate the traditional configuration of themed strands and papers with a view to enabling presenters to share their work and to facilitate the discussion around papers that would normally be common and valued at conferences (Donlon 2020). The move to online platforms necessitated by the pandemic has also allowed for alternative models for conference facilitation to emerge which show potential to increase access to conference events. One such possibility is the move to an asynchronous model which makes pre-recorded presentations available for more extended periods of time than would be possible at a face-to-face event (Goebel et al. 2020); another is the option to deconstruct a single continuous multi-day conference event into one that is held instead across multiple days with gaps in between (Seery and Flaherty 2020). In some cases conference organisers have been in a position to organise ‘hybrid’ events (depending on the level of restrictions in place at that time) such at the example outlined by Weiniger and Matot (2021) which utilised a combination of live-streamed presentations and pre-recorded content with the option for delegates to gather together to view these at remote ‘viewing hubs’.

Notwithstanding this creativity and adaptability, we have also seen that such online events are not without their own challenges and limitations. Perhaps one of the most notable problems faced by conference organisers, particularly for some of the pioneers who undertook the daunting challenge of moving to online conference formats in the early months of the pandemic, is that of security. Several accounts (such as Brown 2020) have outlined the disruption that can be caused through unwanted intrusion by uninvited guests who have gained access to the online event, a practice most commonly referred to as ‘zoombombing’. Online conference events are also prone to the condition that has now widely become known as ‘zoom fatigue’ (Raby and Madden 2021), the sense of tiredness that can arise from continuous or overuse of virtual video-conferencing platforms (Wiederhold 2020). Concerns have also begun to emerge that the carbon footprint of replacement online activities may be more substantial than had first been anticipated (Filimonau et al. 2021).

Some have argued that while moving conferences online may address a number of issues around equity and access, this may in turn give rise to alternative forms of exclusion. Niner, Johri, Meyer, and Wassermann highlight a number of factors in this regard; these include limitations around access to technology and infrastructure for online participation that minority participants are disproportionately likely to experience, issues around time zones which may vary considerably for international delegates and create problems for attending and presenting, and limitations associated with online communication that may make it more difficult for inexperienced or minority attendees to establish themselves in a global network of colleagues. Indeed, the absence felt through the lack of face-to-face interaction, conversation, networking, and congregation is arguably the largest limitation of the online format for conference events (Woolston 2020; Weiniger and Matot 2021).

Discussion: lost and found

At the time of writing, restrictions remain in place in many countries for travel and in-person gatherings, and (to varying extents) international travel, and several high profile academic events have committed to an online format for the current year. As we look with anticipation to a time when travel restrictions, social distancing, and limits on the number of people attending events are no longer factors we must incorporate, it is timely to ponder what the future may hold for the academic conference.

Many have highlighted the loss of personal interaction, the social gatherings, the opportunities to network, and the sense of energy that can occur through displacing to a different location for in-person conference attendance (Elder-Vass and Carrigan 2020; Weiniger and Matot 2021), and certainly the value of such experiences at academic conferences has been much discussed (Rowe 2018; Henderson and Burford 2020). With this in mind, will we see a mass return to the traditional face-to-face format as we had known it pre-Covid, eager to return to this established configuration? As one commentator has prophesied, ‘in person conferences [and] burning jet fuel to get there will rise to an all time high; there will never be more travel. It will be the Scientific Roaring Twenties’ (Prasad 2020.). This particular comment however also highlights another factor that has been ‘lost’ during pandemic restrictions: a reliance on carbon-intensive and environmentally detrimental air travel in order to attend academic conference events. Given the growing awareness and concern over this particular issue (Chalvatzis and Ormosi 2021; Klöwer et al. 2020) perhaps this is one loss that may be more welcomed than lamented.

We must also reflect upon what has been ‘found’ and learned through necessity during pandemic restrictions as conference events moved to alternative means of provision, and consider if these discoveries may have longer lasting implications for the academic conference, providing an opportunity to rethink the format and approach to such events in post-pandemic times (Woolston 2020). Weiniger and Matot have suggested that 2020 will be known as ‘the year of conference creativity’ (2021, 116), and certainly it can be argued that the effectiveness and potential of online conferences as a credible alternative to face-to-face events has been established through many successful examples. Indeed, many conferences have actually reported increases (significantly, in some cases) in the number of delegates who attended virtually when compared to previous and recent face-to-face events organised by the same association or group (Pearlstein 2020). As well as providing potential alleviation around environmental impact and sustainability, greater usage of virtual conferences may also help address concerns around such issues as equity and access (Goebel et al. 2020; Rissman and Jacobs 2020). Or perhaps, rather than seeing a binary distinction between in-person or fully online events, we will see more hybrid or blended approaches to academic conferences that provide flexibility and options for delegates to choose from when weighing a variety of considerations (including ethical, financial, social, and academic); this might, for instance, see more conferences as smaller in-person events with supporting virtual sessions (Newman et al. 2021), or perhaps as events with live-streamed or pre-recorded presentations that can be viewed at smaller remote venues where delegates can gather (Weiniger and Matot 2021).

Conclusion

The coming years will certainly prove an interesting time for the academic conference; as Brkljačić, Fuchsjäger, Beets-Tan, Brady, and Derchi predict, ‘future conferences will be different from those of yore, and we must learn not to judge them by old standards’ (2020, 5534). Whatever transpires, one thing does seem certain: the energy, dedication, and creativity that has been witnessed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of converting traditional face-to-face conferences to online formats, indicates the continuing desire for and significance of academic conferences. Whether virtual, hybrid, or in-person, be it location-bound or distributed, it seems clear that conference events will remain a key aspect of academic life for the foreseeable future.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Enda Donlon

Dr. Enda Donlon is an Associate Professor in the school of STEM Education, Innovation, and Global Studies at the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. He is a former president (2018-2020) of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland (ESAI), and served on the national executive committee of the Computers in Education Society of Ireland (CESI) for over ten years. He is the Area of Professional Focus (APF) leader for Digital Learning on the Doctor of Education programme at DCU.