A Listening Session on the Hybrid Conference Experience

Events
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We are getting this much closer to the October 7-9 OEGlobal 2026 Conference, organized in hybrid format, taking place both in Cambridge, Massachusetts and online. The planners are lining up all the logistical details for how the conference sessions will be made available, but note from the release of the program that all presentations/panel sessions regardless of where presented from, will be available online.

But a full conference experience goes beyond the program and the sessions. In the spirit of the OEGlobal 2026 theme “Come Invent With Us” we are interested in co-inventing the fullest possible experience for both online and in-person attendees.

In cooperation with Equity Unbound and its currently running Mid Year Festival (MYFest26), we are inviting anyone interested in sharing their own experiences in hybrid conferences to inform our planning process to join us for an open conversation in this listening session.

What has been effective for your conference participating when you have been an online participant? What activities and designs have made you felt a sense of belonging? What has made it feel like you are present and connected with other attendees? What helps to offset the time zone offsets that make attending live events a challenge?

And what are the gains for in-person attendees to be connected to a virtual audience? What can reduce the sense of distance? What might you be willing to do to help share the in-person experience more widely?

We come to this session without firmly set solutions and we are asking you to help invent a meaningful hybrid conference experience at OEGlobal 2026.

This session will not be recorded but we will share a summary and highlights from the discussions, and also open this up for further conversation right here.

:date: When (in your local time) 2026-08-06T15:00:00Z→2026-08-06T16:00:00Z
:pen: Participate: Register to attend in Zoom

For more, see and add to the discussions from our May 4 topic Monday Connect: What Works for the Most Vibrant Experiences in a Hybrid Conference Format? or reply below with your own hybrid conference stories.

This is an event offered by and for the open education community. If you are logged into OEG Connect, return to the main OE Events space where you can add your own event as a new topic

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I always enjoyed Virtually Connecting’s ‘hallway’ conversations with conference attendees and presenters. Here’s Autumm Caines Virtually Connecting in 2015!
Image by Bryan Alexander from Flickr.

Virtually_Connecting_with_Autumm_2015_flickr
Virtually_Connecting_with_Autumm_2015_flickr1024×890 287 KB

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Oh yes, loved those Virtually Connecting sessions, both as an onsite and as a virtual participant! Short, informal conversations were a great way to connect with new folks and discuss topics from the conference (or other stuff!).

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During the COVID lockdown, I found the virtual space Gather Town was the best for breaking down the uncanny valley of online classrooms. One of my students created a virtual mock up of our physical classroom in which students sat at desks which acted as ‘breakout rooms’. Communication flourished as student sprites moved into different groups, bumping into each other as they went! I was so impressed with the virtual learning space that I presented about it at the IB Global conference.

Unfortunately, users of Gather Town now have to be over 18 to use the platform despite being behind passport protected walls, and so I can no longer use it with my students. For a conference such as this however, I’m sure it would bring a wealth of collaboration and learning.

Looking forward to bumping into you all in October!

Michael Clifford