https://www.bookswelove.com/donaldson-yarmey-joan/
In the time of virtual everything because of Covid, I took part in my first virtual writing
conference last year. I was both a panelist and
in the audience for some sessions. I have attended physical writing conferences
in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton and there is a definite
difference between the two. In my opinion each has its own pros and cons.
There is a
lot of coordinating and cost for the organizers of the physical conference.
They have to find a venue usually a hotel with boardrooms. This allows the panelists
and attendees to book a room and stay close to the conference. There are
usually guests of honour who have to be paid. Besides monetary costs it takes a
lot of time to figure out the panels: subjects, panelists, and the timing of
sessions to accommodate writers or editors publishers who are on more than one
panel. They also have to recruit volunteers to look after the rooms. These volunteers
make sure the moderator runs on schedule, the audience clears out in time for
the next one, and there are fresh glasses and jugs of water for each new
session.
There are
also costs for the panelists and audience members of the physical conference.
If they don’t live in the city where the conference is being held they have to
travel which entails gas, hotel, and meals or plane tickets and car rental plus
hotel and meals. If a presenter wants to be in the audience of any of the
sessions they have to pay the registration fee just like everyone else. There
is the also the extra cost of a banquet ticket if one is planned.
I lived on
Vancouver Island at the time and in order to attend any physical conference off the island I had to drive
1.5 hours to the ferry, and to make sure I get on it I have to be there about
an hour early or pay for a reservation. Then it is almost two hours ferry
travel to Vancouver. So that is four hours. If I am going to Calgary or
Edmonton, it is another day’s drive. I could fly which is quicker but I would
still have to pay for the ticket and to rent a vehicle to get around once there.
Like the
physical conference it would have taken a lot of time to plan the arrangement
of the panels and panelists of the virtual conference. Monetary costs were
probably low because there was no venue, no banquet, and no guests of honour.
It cost me,
and everyone else who took part, nothing to attend the virtual conference either
as a panelist or an audience member. I had no plane ticket or vehicle gas and
parking to pay for, no hotel room to book, and no new clothes.
The length
of the physical conference has to work around the time frame of the panelists
and attendees. Unless they take a day off work the first panels can’t start too
early on the Friday because of ability to get there. For that same reason, it
has to close early on the Sunday so those leaving can start their long drive
home or get to the airport in time to catch their plane.
Because
there is no travel involved, the first session of a virtual conference can
start around the time people get home from work on the Friday. The only thing
everyone has to remember is the difference between time zones. Being on the
west coast the morning sessions started very early for me. The evening sessions
ended before my supper time.
When it was
time to be a panelist I set my computer up and clicked on the link a few
minutes before the session was to start. Pictures of the other panelists showed
up on my screen and we visited a few minutes before the moderator started the
session. When I was in the audience I clicked on the link and waited for the
panelists to show up on my screen.
Being on a virtual panel, the guests only see a shoulders and head shot of me so I just
have to wear a good top and comb my hair. I have to make sure there was no light
like a window behind to put my face in shadow. Also, depending on where I was I
could have some unexpected interruptions—pets, children, phone ringing.
Getting
ready for a physical conference I have to pack enough clothes for the weekend.
If I am on a panel I have to make sure I have all my material with me when I
leave home. If I forget anything, I am out of luck. No packing for a virtual
conference and all my material will be in my house somewhere.
At a
physical conference there are many panels taking place at the same time which
can be frustrating if I want to attend more than one of them. For this virtual
conference only one panel was offered each hour so I was able to take part in
as many as I wanted. When I finished my panel or the presentation was over I could
leave my office and pet my cats, pick strawberries, sit on my deck, or train my
chickens to run an obstacle course.
The
downside to the virtual conference is that the only people I see are my fellow
panelists. I don’t see the audience expressions so there is no interaction
between me and them. I like to watch them to see if they are bored or glad that
they came. I am happy to see that ‘ahah’ moment when something I say answers a
problem they have been having.
At both
conferences there is time for the audience to ask questions. When answering a
question at a physical conference I can speak with the audience face to face, I
can judge to see if my answer is making sense. The questions at a virtual
conference are typed so I don’t see the person asking. When I answer it I am
only looking at my fellow panelists.
Part of the
fun of going to a physical conference is the contact with my fellow writers. We
can meet for meals or a drink or have a quick chat between panels. I can walk
through the conference centre soaking up the writing atmosphere. I meet
readers, talk about books, and get feedback on my own books. It is wonderful
when someone comes up to me and tells me they enjoyed a presentation I made or
want some advice, or liked one of my books. This does stroke my ego because we
writers need to have our egos stroked once in a while. We spend months, years even,
alone writing a book, wondering if a publisher is going to like it and if a
publisher does, will the readers like it and if they do will they tell us. It
is a great feeling to go to the Vendor’s Room and see my books displayed on my
publisher’s table. Even better to have someone buy one of mine and ask for an
autograph.
During a
virtual conference, there is a Vendor’s Room showing a picture of all the panelists
and their books. There is also a chat room where authors and readers can
connect.
There are a
lot of differences between the two conferences. Most physical conferences have
been cancelled for this year or turned into a virtual conference which is
perfect in today’s time of lockdown and social distancing. In the future I am
sure they will return as writers and readers decide what they like best: the
convenience of the virtual conference or the comradery of the physical
conference. I like both and if, in the future, I am able to attend either of
them, I will.
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