Summary

BUKSA seamlessly coordinated the 12th Annual ARC Research Day on November 18th, 2020, the first online event of ARC’s career. The event featured a junior researcher lecture series with a question-and-answer period, a keynote speech featuring a prominent doctor from Italy, poster hall sessions, a deliberation room, and an awards ceremony.  

We planned and executed a jam-packed schedule, facilitating networking between emerging health science researchers and established doctors. Most importantly, we enjoyed the great opportunity to hone our virtual platform skills, using Eventbrite, Zoom breakout rooms and meeting galleries, and SkipTheDishes to provide a unique, local culinary experience for event judges to enjoy from home.

Our Role

In addition to providing technical support during the event, our team planned the script and agenda for the conference, coordinated event registration using Eventbrite, designed the slides, trained the speakers and moderators, briefed the attendees, set up food deliveries for the judges from a local Edmonton restaurant, and operated Zoom features, including breakout rooms, screen sharing, question-and-answer periods, and audiovisual effects. Our team also coordinated a real-time awards session following judging deliberations.

Value Adds

Re-Imagining From Live to Virtual:

ARC Research Day has been hosted in the same live format for years as an exciting in-person conference at the University of Alberta. With the need to move to an online format, BUKSA guided and created a new format and experience that allowed the important elements of the event shine in the virtual world.

We had to re-think how posters would be displayed and viewed, as well as what the experiences of judges and presenters were going to be like. We were innovative in our re-imagination of the judging format, Q&A sessions, and awards presentations. For example, we seamlessly navigated the keynote presentation from Italy, which is 8 hours ahead of our time in Edmonton, ensuring an engaging and effective session!

Technical Coordination:

Our team alleviated the stress of hosting a first-time virtual event for ARC, allowing their team to focus on content, judging, and networking while we produced a high-caliber educational event. For example, using the new Zoom feature of self-directed breakout rooms, our team made sure attendees and judges could move between poster halls effortlessly. We also enabled the question-and-answer feature so that attendees could ask speakers about their research. BUKSA monitored chat rooms, provided all technical support, and was the primary contact for any questions from judges and attendees.

To-Home, Locally-Sourced Catering:

Despite required attendee and judge attendance from home, our team made sure that the judges received local cuisine in thanks of their participation in the event. Using SkipTheDishes, BUKSA made sure that each of these key ARC members and guests was able to enjoy delicious food from a local Edmonton restaurant, Remedy Café.