Most people have had the experience that some of the most valuable discussions at conferences occur not from the podium but in the hallway.

A Virtual Conference is a way to ‘hallway conversations’ where most of the conversations take place in a public dialogue that is created for each article separately. Each discussion is based on just one of the submitted scientific papers. Only the conference participants have access to the chat-rooms.  This is the best way to ascertain individual viewpoints and to discuss the submissions.  If you like the sound of one topic you can simply join the discussion.

Here are some advantages of a virtual conference:

• Saves money.  No travel, accommodation, or restaurant costs.
• Saves time. No travel or time away required.
• Allows you to participate when you schedule your time to do so.
• Same validity as face-to-face (F2F) conferencing (publication, certification, etc.).
• The capacity to interact with your session’s participants prior to, during, and after the event.
• The ability to participate in all conference session discussions (async).
• Viewing of keynotes and invited submissions.
• Virtual presentations are green and reduce your carbon footprint.
• Less travelling means more time for your business or family.
• No plane delay, passport control or other security controls.
• Easy connections between the conference and time at work.
• No luggage packing and unpacking, no worrying whether you have packed everything.
• Access to all conference materials.
• Providing your employers with demonstrable cost savings.
• Communication with a wider and more global audience.
• Access to reviews during the conference.
• Direct discussions - connections to any conference participant.
• Environmental benefits- no waste paper from unnecessary conference brochures, leaflets.
• You will learn new skills for using a virtual conference system.
• Access to the conference from the comfort of your home or office.
• The only cost for the conference is the conference fee. No additional costs for accommodation, hotels, travel, taxiing or any other expenses.
• You save time travelling and can use this time in other ways.
• The registration fee for the virtual conference is much lower than the registration fee for a common conference.

A Virtual Conference is an adequate and fully-fledged substitute for a common conference.