Searching for the silver lining...

So, right about now I think everyone is fed up. I can feel it in the air. This situation is dragging on and suddenly we are all realising that we’ve been in this weird limbo for actually quite some time and there’s no end in sight. Not to dismiss those who have felt the impacts of serious health issues, but I think the vast majority of us are suffering from lack of contact with other humans, concern about the future of the economy, and tired from having our whole family at home 24/7 for the last 6 months!

I wonder how many of you can identify with this story? Personally, I have been lucky to have avoided the direct impacts of COVID, and as we emerged from a cold springtime into the warmer weather of April and May I was quietly enjoying the lockdown, spending more time at home, building in time each day to read my book at lunchtime or even do a spot of gardening on a 30 minute screen break.

I think everyone is fed up. I can feel it in the air.

Don’t get me wrong, we’ve been busy learning how to adapt the business to the new online-only world. But the new WFH culture felt good at that time, and I was energised about the opportunity for innovation. Business is one thing, and I’m still motivated and excited about what we are doing in 2020 and some exciting new plans in the pipeline for 2021. But on a personal level I’ve increasingly found it a struggle as the days and weeks and even months blur into one. How is it September already?!

I’m writing this because I think many of you out there will feel the same. Usually at this time of year I would be looking forward to heading to Brussels on Sunday to get all the ducks in a row for AutoSens. This year I’m just going 15 minutes down the road to the office, and I don’t need to leave until Tuesday. On the one hand I’m pleased I can play cricket on Sunday (I’ve missed this fixture ever since AutoSens started, just one of the many small sacrifices), but I’m genuinely disappointed not to be seeing the many good conference friends I would usually be greeting with a hug.

We might be stuck behind our screens, but we are still PEOPLE

Whether you’re an AutoSens regular or not, I’d bet you’re feeling these things, missing contact with people, travel and seeing new places and faces. So this is my call to action. I can’t hug you on my screen, but I CAN smile and ask about your family. I CAN tell you about the latest addition to our house of pets. I CAN welcome everyone to AutoSens with my little speech and ‘erm’ too much! And WE CAN all take a big breath, remember what we’re missing, and flip all that pent-up frustration into energy and effort to CONNECT with people even if that is on a screen.

Zoomed out? Fear not, AutoSens is far from a webinar.

We’ve even added lots of new features since the AutoSensONLINE series in May, June and July.

The Sense Media team has put a lot of thought into how to connect attendees, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, staff – all the PEOPLE who make up our community. We might be stuck behind our screens, but we are still PEOPLE and our upcoming AutoSens online events are very much a people-centric, FACE-TO-FACE experience.

7-Stage Engagement at AutoSens

We’ve developed a 7-Stage Engagement plan, and it works like this:

1.      VIEW: Attendees will see a pre-recorded video presentation, made exclusively for AutoSens – but that’s just the start.

2.      CHAT: While the video plays, the speaker is online, discussing the content and answering questions live in the Chat window.

3.      Q&A: At the end of the video, we host a live Q&A with the speaker on camera. Attendees can post written questions or come on camera to continue the discussion.

4.      CONNECT: After the Q&A, attendees can stay on in a private breakout room to continue discussions with the speaker (just like you might walk up to the front of the room at a physical conference).

5.      REVIEW: All content is available On Demand with selected presentations featuring an ‘extended play’ version of the presentation with additional content.

6.      ENGAGE: Meet experts from our wide array of technology partners – meet face-to-face in their Portal to learn how they can support your engineering needs.

7.      SOCIALISE: Mingle and mix with other attendees in our special networking sessions. Join a table with a theme of your choice, or spot your friends and connections and catch up socially.

No other event I’ve seen is going to such lengths to facilitate personal connections and engagement. If you’re tired of online meetings, or have been disappointed by another online event recently I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

I'm #goingtoautosens, are you?

We’re all in this together, so I call upon you to brush off your frustration, take a break from the day-to-day and step into our world. Come to Brussels in your hearts and minds, and join us in investing a new burst of energy to reconnect with your community, the AutoSens community of engineers and scientists, and find that pre-COVID mojo that’s been at the heart of AutoSens for the last 5 years.

Onwards and upwards!