Are you planning to attend the upcoming EGU General Assembly – either on-site in Vienna, Austria or remotely as a virtual participant? This year, EGU has decided to take time for science, and encourages you to do the same. For us, this means offering our attendees the “best of both worlds,” through a carefully and creatively curated hybrid conference. For you, we hope this means a ton of benefits to your General Assembly experience, so you can engage with the latest science at your own pace.
For scientific conferences of this scale, there is of course no “one size fits all” approach. Our main goal is to make EGU23 even more inclusive and accessible than previous General Assemblies, so our attendees can benefit from:
- Greater flexibility
- Improved efficiencies
- New forms of engagement
- Recorded sessions to watch later
- Cost-effectiveness
- A green environment
So taking on from last year’s conference – which was the first fully hybrid meeting – EGU23 will bring aspects of the traditional in-person meeting together with the online innovations developed over the last three years. Some of the highlights we’re most excited to share with you include:
Connection with convenience
For many people, the structure of an on-site meeting is not well suited to their needs, presenting many barriers to participation. In previous General Assemblies, some researchers were unable to attend because of conflicting schedules. Others – particularly scientists from non-EU countries – did not have the time or resources to ‘take a break’ from their regular jobs and travel to Vienna for the week. With the hybrid model, EGU23 is more open and accessible than ever. Now attendees across geographies and time zones can join the meeting, with the option to attend both in Vienna and virtually. If you haven’t yet registered for the meeting, you can do it here now!
We’re also happy to announce that the EGU23 app and personal programme will be available soon. Watch the EGU23 website for release information.
Improved forms of engagement
A hybrid conference is most impactful when it offers multiple forms of engagement and networking – both on-site and online. This year’s General Assembly aims to do this by embracing a purposeful use of technology. All sessions will be streamed live via the Virtual Conference Center so that virtual attendees can fully participate. In addition, you will also be able to speak directly with authors, using individual text chat rooms hosted in the author’s supplementary materials space.
All presentations, including the Union Symposia and Great Debates, will have microphones set up in the room to allow online presenters to interact with in-person attendees. What about if you are an in-person Presenter worried about your online viewers? They will be able to ask questions in the text chats that can be asked aloud by the session moderator.
Networking made fun
What about networking, you ask? We encourage you to try Gathertown: a virtual networking platform that uses proximity-based video conferencing tools, allowing you to interact with other people similar to how you would in real life! By using a customisable avatar to explore a virtual environment, you can approach other avatars as you would people physically; nearing others activates the video and audio functions which allow you to interact. In this way, Gathertown simulates real-world interactions not possible on other platforms and provides attendees more agency over who, when, and how they interact with one another, all in an eye-catching and engaging environment!
If this is your first time attending the General Assembly or if you are a regular attendee, you can grow your professional network by signing up as a mentor or mentee with EGU’s Mentoring Program. The program is offered each year during the meeting to support first-time conference attendees (mentees) by pairing them with experienced mentors. You can register here to join the program. The deadline is 25 March for mentees and 7 April for mentors.
A session for everyone
Taking inspiration from the previous years, EGU23 will once again offer some of our most valued and exciting formats, sessions and events. Regardless of your scientific discipline, area of interest and career stage, we’re sure you will something that interests you! Some of the things to look forward to at this year’s General Assembly include:
- ~874 Scientific sessions
- 5 Union symposia
- 6 Great debates
- 53 Short courses
- Townhall meetings
- Division meetings
- Networking events for Early Career Scientists
- Mentoring, and Jobs and Careers support
- EGU23 photo competition
You can read more information on this year’s meeting format here. Don’t forget to regularly visit the EGU23 website and follow us on Twitter (#EGU23 is the official conference hashtag) and Facebook. We can’t wait to see you in a few weeks!
