The advantages of attending the online Research Conference 2022 vs the traditional format

After a pause in 2020, ACER’s annual Research Conference returned in 2021, when it was held virtually. Organisers received lots of positive feedback.

• Thanks for a great conference. Virtual delivery made it possible to attend.
• The IT was great - links easy to navigate, sessions on time, no glitches.
• A brilliant conference – thank you so much. An added bonus is that it was affordable – and worth every cent.
• Out of the six online conferences I attended over the past 12 months, this was the best one by far. I look forward to the next one.
• It was interesting to hear from researchers in education from a variety of contexts across the globe. There wasn't anything specific to my subject area, however I still had many takeaways from the conference.

While a virtual conference has less socialising and more screentime, there are a lot of upsides. Here are some of the benefits of attending the Research Conference 2022 online.

It costs less. A lot less.

Not having to pay for a conference venue or catering saves hundreds of dollars from each registration fee – not to mention what is saved in accommodation, flights and taxis.
The most you will pay to attend Research Conference 2022 is $150. In 2019 it cost $795. This is much easier to fit into your professional development budget and is an absolute bargain for a 4-day conference.

It is easier to fit around your schedule.

Can’t make the conference dates but are interested in the conference material? Easy – catch-up in your own time. You have access to the recorded presentations for 10 months afterwards. You could even watch your favourite sessions multiple times.

There is a better work/conference balance.

Remember those days of preparing madly to leave your work for a few days to attend a conference? Then going back to an overflowing inbox? Research Conference 2022 has a relaxed agenda giving you plenty of opportunity to attend to work while also benefitting from the conference. Not sure about the relevance of a particular session? Catch up with it after the session then you can fast-forward to see if the content meets your expectations.

Better speakers can attend.

Conference speaker selection has traditionally been limited by budget and availability. In-person conferences always had a budget for keynote speakers to cover international and domestic flights, accommodation and any speaker fees. Speakers had to factor in the travel time, particularly to Australia, as well as their availability for the conference dates themselves. With virtual conferences we don’t have those restrictions, so we are lucky to have access to more great speakers from around the world.

Less exposure to Coronavirus and other germs

In the familiarity of your own home or workplace, you don’t have to worry about whether to wear a mask or not. You know what to do, and you don’t need to worry about unfamiliar rules or expectations, let alone exposure to COVID-19 or other viruses.

More information about the conference; including prices, speaker biographies and program is available on the conference website.