Another Online Gathering

A year ago, in June, I wrote about our unexpected change of plan and ruminated on how we were planning to come together at our first Atla Annual Online and find community via technology in what was a new and strange world. A year later, I don’t know about anyone else, but in my world, Zoom and Teams are no longer an interesting novelty but have become a daily way of life. Beyond meetings… meetings… and meetings…, Zoom, YouTube, and other technologies have become a place for playdates, weddings, dinner parties, worship services, happy hours, family dinners, and so much more.

A year ago, the Atla staff and Conference Committee spent long hours thinking about how to craft a conference that would honor the in-person experience and provide all the education and professional development opportunities you have come to expect to collect from Atla Annual. This year, feeling like we have got that part of this online conference thing down, we focused our attention on some of the connection aspects we know you value.

Opportunities to Engage

We have added optional social events after the conference day, using an engaging platform called Remo that might remind you of walking into a conference ballroom and finding a big round table to sit at with a group of folks or a quiet corner with a couple of chairs to privately catch up with a colleague. The Board will be hosting events via Zoom to greet and chat with first-time attendees.

We don’t know about you, but we’re a little weary of attending conference sessions where we don’t know who else is in the room and can only interact with the presenter. So this year, we will offer all the concurrent sessions in meeting mode rather than webinar mode.

A Few Requests

As we work hard to create a conference environment for Atla Annual 2021 Online, we have a few requests of you to make this an engaging and meaningful experience for all attendees.

Practice good video meeting etiquette

I’m sure you’ve heard it before… be the master of mute, be conscious of your video, use the chat to communicate with others on the topic of the session, and use the Q&A to ask questions of the presenter or for technical help. Check out even more tips from Otter.ai and Zoom.

Be patient with your session hosts and producers

We will do our best to make these sessions run as smoothly as possible and keep the focus on the content and not the mechanism of delivery. But we have all been in those meetings where someone forgets to mute or continually asks, “Can you see me? Can you hear me?” Atla staff will be in every Zoom room to help with any technical difficulties; reach out to them via chat so they can work with you individually to resolve any issues you might be having.

Embody Atla’s Core Values

A good meeting isn’t only dependent on everyone’s command of the technology; it’s equally dependent on the individuals who present and attend. Even though we find ourselves online again this year, it is essential to remember and embody all those things that make us Atla…. the hospitality, the collegiality, the dedication to diversity, and the commitment to excellence.

Be Present

It is challenging to stay engaged in an online conference when your email is right there on the same screen, or your family is in the next room, or you’re sitting at the reference desk and have to help someone. In some ways, in-person conferences were a gift, a chance to truly disconnect from whatever is happening at work and immerse in the experience. An online environment cannot replicate that for you… only you can control how focused you are on the experience. The good thing is that if you can only set aside a few hours each day to really engage in the conference, you can still check out the content you missed since we will be recording all concurrent sessions.

We can’t wait to “see” you again…

Haven’t registered for Atla Annual 2021 Online yet? Join our community of collectors from around the world from June 16-18, 2021. Learn more and register today!