An academic conference is a great way for researchers to present their study in front of a big audience. It’s an event where one can get together, share, and discuss their findings and get feedback from a committee of reviewers or other participants. The moderator who is managing the discussions and presentations is also a key figure in the success of the conference. It is also a great opportunity for students to showcase their talent and grab the attention of the audience of esteemed people.
What is an academic conference?
An academic conference is an event which allows researchers or doctorate students to present their results to a committee. It also can be called a research conference, academic congress, or symposium. The congress can be a one-day or multi day event depending on how many participants will be presenting. The conferences are usually arranged in a way that the presentations run simultaneously.
A presentation usually is 15-40 minutes long which is followed by a Q&A session. This is a great way for the participants to have a discussion about the topic. At the event the keynote speaker often gives a longer talk and opens the sessions in a solemn way. Academic conferences have different kinds, so it is always a key to attend the ones that are suitable for the researcher. Professional congresses are more likely to be geared toward professors, but it is common to have a student as a co-presenter or co-author.
There is an opportunity for undergraduate researchers as well in some of these conferences. They differ from the professional ones in a way that students can participate in workshops which then would help them in their research work and early career.
The conferences have different kinds of sessions as well. Even though larger events are arranged in parallel streams, a plenary session is a very important one.
A keynote session is also something you should not miss if you are attending an academic event. It is usually about setting the central theme of the conference, where the keynote speaker is a well-respected researcher. We could say they are the headliners of the event which really grabs the attention of the attendees.
Panel sessions involve multiple researchers discussing and/or debating a specific topic. The panel might have a prepared speech delivered, and the attendees can address them with their opinions and also ask questions from them.
An oral session also involves multiple presenters, who individually have an allotted time slot to give talks on the topics. Each presentation is then usually followed by a questions-and-answer session with the attendees.
A poster session is about creating a physical or digital poster which is displayed at the conference. They can be presented for the whole event in which attendees can study and discuss the content of it with the presenter at any time.
We briefly mentioned workshops before, which are great if the academic conference is science related. In these workshops the participants can get feedback and advice on their academic paper, so they have a better chance to get published in an academic journal. It is a great way to meet other attendees who are also at the beginning of their academic career and would like to build connections.
What are the benefits of attending academic conferences?
Attending a congress is not only about presenting and test-driving your academic work to the audience, however it is a big part of it, which requires a lot of pre-work. The way you present your ideas might look like a very vulnerable situation, because you get to see the reactions from the attendees, and also receive questions and feedback from them. However, you need to remember that events like these are there to help you get connected with other researchers and academics and learn valuable lessons for your career growth.
Academic congresses are a great opportunity to stay connected and get to know each other’s research field. It is also important for the ones who are interested in scholarships since academic research is one of the top reasons to get one. Even attending a conference without presenting is a very fulfilling and useful experience especially if one is eager to learn about a specific topic, or the academic world in general.
The connections that a participant can make at a congress can be very valuable for future career building. The conversations you make during a panel, or even a coffee break could be very significant in your future academic career, you should bear that in mind and try to contact other researchers while you have the chance.
Attending a conference is also a great way to improve different skills that are needed for public speaking. Presenting is something that can only be practiced if there is an audience, and with every presentation one can learn and grow.
What tools are necessary for an academic event?
In order to have a successful academic event, there are different kinds of tools that are necessary for the best experience. Since usually there is a larger audience, everyone should see and hear the presenter and their slides, even the ones that are sitting in the back.
First of all, the organizer should set up a screen with a conference room projector and a computer or laptop that is connected to the projector. This way the speaker and the audience both can see the whole presentation on a smaller and a bigger screen.
Good lighting is also a key part, so make sure that the audience can clearly see the screen, but still don’t sit in complete darkness in the room. Getting a camera could also improve the quality of the congress, so audience members can see a close-up of the presenter’s face real time. For good sound, a microphone and speakers are needed, so everyone can hear the presenter’s speech.
These days it is not rare for academic events to take place completely online. For a good user experience a stable internet connection and a great streaming platform is highly recommended in order to have a smooth conference.
How to plan and organize an academic conference?
Organizing a conference is filled with challenges, and you need to manage a lot of different tasks simultaneously. This is why there are trained, professional individuals and companies who are doing these kinds of services. If this would be your first scientific conference, we highly recommend doing proper research and getting help from recent organizers.
The first and most important part of organizing is finding the theme for the event and finding the appropriate and ideal audience for it. During your research you should focus on the attendee’s needs, and invite researchers based on their interests and academic fields.
When you have the theme all figured out, set a date and look for options regarding the venue of the event. Try to find a conference center or a room that is big and comfortable enough for the number of participants you are expecting to attend. When you are visiting the place, ask them about the technical support they can offer, so you will know whether you should hire a technician and/or rent equipment.
The next very important task is to set a budget and try to stick to it. Unexpected events may occur, so try and set aside an emergency fund too, for example if one of the speakers fails and you need to get one last minute. This way you will have a backup budget and will feel safer if anything extraordinary happens.
Always do a soundcheck before any academic conference, so you can avoid wasting valuable minutes trying to figure out why the audience can’t hear the presenter. Usually, the best option is to hire or have someone who can manage the technical parts, such as audio interface or amplifier, different cables, etc.
Being an organizer is a very important role, and it is more likely that you could not fulfil everyone’s needs at once. Having a person or a group of people who can take care of different things may take the burden off of your shoulders, so you can concentrate on greeting the guests and presenters. This way you would not have to deal with catering or technical related issues and can focus on the main theme and the participants’ comfort and flourish.
How can AKCongress help You to organize a successful academic event?
AKCongress is a full-service event management company specializing in scientific conferences. Their goal is to bring together the scientific community members and help them connect and network in a way so they can achieve their goals within the conference participants and supporters. They also provide great solutions for online congresses for those who could not make it because of the pandemic.
AKCongress can help you organize a congress from sketch and handle everything from creating the website to handling the registrations to taking care of technical equipment on the venue. They take full responsibility for your event so you can lean back, relax, and enjoy the conference!
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