How to Choose the Right Sessions at Expo! Expo! and Other Virtual Events

Studies have shown that professionals who pre-plan their time at events tend to be more satisfied with their participation… If your main reason for attending Expo! Expo! (or any other virtual event) is to take full advantage of the educational offerings available, this article is for you!

Here are three super simple steps (along with some extra bonus tips) to help you choose the right sessions for you:

1. Set clear goals

Although many professionals will jump right into perusing the agenda, your event experience is sure to be more productive if you narrow down your purpose for participating first. In order to avoid overlooking any potential opportunities, discuss your reason for attending internally, with your audience (for example, as an event organizer, you might ask your Exhibitor Advisory Committee for their input), and your partners.

Ask yourself and your relevant contacts: what are your biggest challenges and questions? What will be your top focus for the next several months (or as far in advance as you’re comfortable planning, for now)?

2. Narrow your focus

At Expo! Expo! and many other virtual events, the sessions are separated into “tracks” (designed to help professionals, like you, easily identify the sessions that align best with your areas of interest). Select two or three tracks that are the most likely to help you with your big challenges and questions and filter your session accordingly. Once you’ve done this, some time slots will be easy to choose, but others may be more difficult. In those cases, try this:

• If you end up with a gap in your schedule (if you don’t like any of the sessions offered in the tracks you’ve selected at a particular time), make a note so you can check the other tracks for good options or choose to schedule an appointment/take a break instead.
• If you end up with too many great options, take a look at the speaker names – the quality of the speaker will often dictate the quality of the session and, specifically, how you experience it. If there’s anyone you recognize as being great… or not so great… that may make prioritizing easier.

3. Map out your day

One of the benefits for attendees at virtual events is that it feels like you have more control over your time. Although, even at in-person events, I’d recommend leaving a session if it isn’t the right fit for you, it’s much less awkward (and more socially acceptable) to do so online.

So, to take full advantage of this benefit, go back through your list of preferred sessions and note your first and second choices for each time period. From your first choice list, highlight any “must attend” sessions and add those to your calendar now. Jot the others down as “tentative” and keep your second choice list handy, just in case one of your first choice sessions doesn’t end up being what you expect or you change your mind in the moment.

Remember – you don’t have to attend every session (you could schedule appointments, visit the exhibit hall, or take a break instead), but the classes offered are there for your benefit. It’s perfectly fine to try one and leave if you don’t like it or aren’t getting any value from it. This practice is often called "voting with your feet" and it gives you a chance to explore another session that may be an even better fit instead.

Bonus: Feel free to contact the presenter directly

If there’s ever a session that you’re particularly excited to attend (or you’d really like to attend, but can’t for whatever reason), reach out to the presenter directly and ask if they’d be willing to chat with you about the topic at another time too… most will say yes and, as a result, you’ll be able to get more personalized recommendations and extra insights on the topic that didn’t fit into the session.

Now, that said, please note that this option should be used as a supplement to the session itself (attending live AND connecting with the presenter) or, if it’s an alternative (connecting with the presenter instead of attending live), tried only with this caveat in mind: schedules are hectic any time of year, but especially this year and especially during the “end of year” push, it’s likely that your conversation won’t happen in a timely manner unless you prioritize it.

In other words, don’t let the most valuable session content or connection opportunity pass you by – take full advantage of your participation now by reaching out (and following up, as needed) for your top priority sessions… speakers are often speakers because they care about their topic/audience, so they’ll be happy to connect with those who care too.

A few quick notes, specific to Expo! Expo!

At this event, most of the sessions are formatted as about 20 minutes of pre-recorded content and the remaining 20-ish minutes of live Q+A with the presenter. If you have any questions, jot them down during the session, as the chat in the pre-recorded room (if available) won’t transfer to the live Q+A session room. Because the presenter will be preparing for the live Q+A (testing their technology, etc. to ensure you have a great experience), it’s unlikely they’ll be able to join the chat (again, if available) when you watch their pre-recorded content.

** Open to more specific session suggestions for Expo! Expo!? Here are two to get you started: join me (and some impressive industry VIPs) on Wednesday afternoon for an update on IAEE’s advocacy efforts and (just me) on Thursday morning for a session about supporting your virtual exhibitors better.