Community Manager
We quickly pivoted – scheduling a couple of our plenary speakers and a handful of papers from our user program to present at our first virtual conference. It was not nearly the equivalent of the in-person conference we had planned, but we felt pretty good about doing something in such a short time.
As soon as we were done with the frenzy of reworking that conference, we had six months to plan for the next one. And now this is our third one.
We have successfully designed a conference that is different from every other virtual conference.
The Discovery Summit difference
I should give you a little background on Discovery Summit. We like to think of it as the embodiment of the values represented in our software – interactive, highly visual, full of statistics know-how and fun. We bring together the most curious scientists and engineers; the best analytical minds; and JMP staff, developers, testers, and regional experts to spend three or four days immersed in conversations and explorations about how to build a culture of analytics within organizations and methods to solve engineering challenges.
Of course, like other conferences, there are keynote talks from experts and thought leaders. And we recruit a robust program of presentations from our users and staff. But it doesn’t end there.
Our attendees regularly call Discovery Summit the best conference they’ve ever attended. What sets Discovery Summit apart? The emphasis on interaction between attendees and with our staff. We want the value from the conference to come not only from the stages, but also from the audience. We plan for plenty of time for questions from the audience in our breakout talks, and we encourage the audience to challenge the speakers with tough problems.
- We place demo pedestals prominently, where we station our staff of experts to engage with our users. We give advice on how to use JMP effectively and solicit feedback on how to improve the software to make it even more valuable. These conversations happen in the expo hall where users from various companies and industries can listen in and help each other.
- During lunch and break times, we designate tables with special interest topics where like-minded individuals can meet each other and share stories and advice.
- We plan social hours at the end of each day to give people a chance to relax and get to know each other as people outside of the analytic challenges we’re all trying to solve.
This adds up to an experience that is unique in the world of conferences. It’s exciting, exhilarating and exhausting, but so worth it.
What is a virtual Discovery Summit?
That brings me to what we’ve done to recreate this experience online. You see, we take pride in the atmosphere of our conference. So, we’ve thought hard about how to bring the things we value to a virtual conference.
We know that you are tired of virtual meetings and watching videos on your computer, so we don’t simply want to be another source of “content” to be consumed. We want the time you spend with us to be interactive and exhilarating. We want you to be an active participant in the conference, not a passive viewer.
For this reason, we use a conferencing platform that allows us to see and hear each other. We encourage – but don’t require – attendees to turn on their cameras, so you can see who’s “there” and interact with them as if you were physically together. We want you to know that we’re real people. We want to have a human connection with you.
However, we recognize that some of the content from the conference, specifically the user presentation program, benefits from asynchronous consumption. That is, it is good reference material and meant to be watched at your leisure and when you need it. As such, we have pre-recorded those presentations and made them available two weeks before the conference and beyond. These are stellar presentations that deserve to be watched, re-watched and shared.
During the four scheduled days of the conference, we put the emphasis on the content that benefits from an audience engaged with each other:
- Keynote presentations that are meant to inspire and put you in the right frame of mind to tackle the challenges you face. For that reason, we deliver these in real-time. You’ve got to show up to hear these speakers. We will open the floor for questions, giving you the chance to challenge the speakers – just like you would in person.
- "Semi-live" presentations from users and JMP experts, where the recorded presentation is played and the author stands by to answer questions (either in chat or verbally) during and after the presentation. Again, if you want the chance to hear from the speaker directly, you’ve got to show up to participate.
- Meet the Developers with live video and screen sharing gives you the opportunity to get to know our expert staff. Take this time to present them with the challenges you face and get advice from the people who know analytics and JMP the best.
- Birds of a Feather sessions facilitate the happenstance networking that occurs when you bump into a fellow attendee. We host breakout rooms with live video and audio for the most curious, brightest engineers and scientists from many industries and companies to gather based on common interests. Again, this interaction is only available during the conference.
- Social hours are designed to help you unwind after a full day of interaction and learning. Again, the networking opportunities here give you a chance to put a human face with other users and experts in the JMP community.
Finally, we’ve built a beautiful, virtual conference center to help put everyone in the same “place” at the same time. Easily navigate to the plenary sessions or the breakout talks. Find the Birds of a Feather and Meet the Developers sessions just as you would in person. It’s a small touch, but it helps to ground you and let you know you’re not the only person at this virtual conference.
We know that Discovery Summit is a different kind of conference – and we want you to see that too. Join us and experience it for yourself.
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