If you’re a regular reader of my column, you know that I’ve been interested in (OK fine, arguably obsessed with) the idea of an online conference that uses avatars rather than one that relies on never-ending back-to-back Zoom webinars. As far as I’m concerned, flat, webinar-based conferences simply don’t cut it. Especially for conferences that last all day, or even multiple days.
People are simply Zoomed out, and sitting in front of a computer all day watching webinar after webinar is boring and fails to replicate the best part of conferences: the fun nights out on the town that include dinner and drinks with colleagues, the inside scoop on the newest product releases, and to learn the latest on upcoming industry trends. You can’t get any of that from a webinar-based conference.
Avatar-based conferences where you interact in a virtual environment, however, are a different story. They fill in the gaps and provide a conference experience that is the next best thing to the attending a conference in person. You can walk around the online campus, speak to people (using your computer’s microphone), interact in groups, meet up with people at different locations throughout the campus, go on boat rides, and much more.
How do I know? I’m attending one right now! eDiscovery Day 2020 is being held all day long today, and EDRM is providing the virtual campus for the avatar-based event. It’s not too late to attend and best of all — it’s FREE.
I created my avatar yesterday and dove right in. Within two minutes of my arrival, I met two people, Candi Smith senior technology and eDiscovery specialist at Jabil and Marla Mohr of Connect Mohr Legal Associates. Within minutes of meeting them, we went on a virtual boat ride (which was actually more fun than you’d think) and we made plans to meet up later in the day for another boat ride.
A few minutes later, I ran into the organizers of the EDRM event, Mary Mack, CEO and chief legal technologist at EDRM, and Kaylee Walsted, chief strategy officer at EDRM. I learned that it was their decision to host an avatar-based event. They told me that their goal was to mimic the benefits of an in-person event as much as possible, and that the only way they believed that could be achieved was through an avatar-based environment.
Hallelujah! Need to say, they were preaching to the choir.
They told me that they had 250 registrants from all over the world and 31 exhibitors, including one from South Africa and another from Dublin. They also shared that they’d “leased” the virtual campus for a full year and planned to hold other events within that virtual venue in the near future.
Needless to say, I think this was an incredibly smart move on their part since in-person conferences won’t be occurring anytime soon. Even with the vaccine, crowded in-person events are unlikely well into next year, and people are Zoomed out. If there’s any hope for legal conferences and all of the benefits gleaned from them by attendees and vendors, it’s avatar-based virtual environments like this one.
Everyone (or rather every avatar) I spoke with at the conference agreed with me. Because yes, after talking to Mary and Kaylee, I quickly encountered a number of other people before I signed off to write this article, including Brian Klunk, business development manager at Divergent Language Solutions and Cat Casey, CIO at DISCO. They both agreed that this was a game-changer and that it was the only way to effectively host a conference as we head into a socially distanced 2021.
But don’t take it from us. Try it out for yourself and see what you think. Even if eDiscovery isn’t your jam, it’s worth the time. You might just make a few notable connections, learn a few things, and even have some fun! And, since it’s free, what have you got to lose?
If the idea of creating and interacting as an avatar seems complicated, never fear! There are quite a few resources created with this conference in mind that are available:
- Here’s a Way to Bring More “Reality” to Virtual Conferences – Virtually: eDiscovery Trends (blog post by Doug Austin that provides an overview of the virtual campus)
- Tips for Using Your Avatar During the eDiscovery Day Expo (Ron Rambo tells you all you need to know about creating and interacting as an avatar)
- eDiscovery Day ExpoCom from the EDRM — The ComplexDiscovery Minute (a short video created by Rob Robinson about the online campus)
- Video preview of the EDRM campus by Nikolai Pozdniakov.
Now that you know how to create your avatar and navigate the online campus, you’ve got no excuse! Especially since it’s free! So sign up right now before it’s too late! Look me up when you get there and let me know what you think!
Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney and Director of Business and Community Relations at MyCase, web-based law practice management software. She’s been blogging since 2005, has written a weekly column for the Daily Record since 2007, is the author of Cloud Computing for Lawyers, co-authors Social Media for Lawyers: the Next Frontier, and co-authors Criminal Law in New York. She’s easily distracted by the potential of bright and shiny tech gadgets, along with good food and wine. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikiblack and she can be reached at [email protected].
