Conference 2022 Hopin Orientation Guide

    Welcome to the UK Science Festival Network conference 2022!

    The different areas and what they’re for:

    You can navigate the platform using the icons on the left side of the screen.

    RECEPTION

    When the event starts, and you enter the UKSFN conference on Hopin, you’ll arrive in the Reception area. This is the is the welcome page or “lobby” of your event and the best place to return to if you get lost on the platform. Here, you can find our welcome message, the schedule, and speakers. You’ll also find a tech troubleshooting guide, important announcements, and a quick update on what is happening at the event currently.

    STAGE

    This is the main Stage which will be used for the plenary sessions (including welcome and farewell). You won’t be able to join the sessions broadcasted on Stage with your camera and audio, but you will be able to watch the events. You can interact through the Stage Chat and add your questions for the speakers on the Q&A area on the right.

    SESSIONS

    Our Sessions area hosts all the breakout events, including ‘continue the conversation’ sessions following panel discussions from the Stage and other Sessions. You can interact with a particular session through the dedicated Chat that will appear on the right once you are in the session. Please add your questions on the Q&A area on the right.

    Please don’t click ‘Share Video and Audio’ when you first join a session (you can still watch without doing so). You might be prompted to do so later in the session if the speakers want to further discuss a comment or question you posted in the Chat – it is completely up to you if you want to accept the invitation!

    Sessions will automatically appear on schedule and automatically hide once their time is up. Attendees can view the list of previous sessions by clicking ‘Show past segments’ at the Reception area of the event. In sessions with multiple people, you can double-click any screen to enlarge it.

     

    How to build strong connections:

    We know that one of the key things missing from a virtual event experience is the natural networking that happens between sessions, the post-session discussions, and those end of day drinks where we can catch up on the activities of the day! So we have a few suggestions for meeting delegates and making new connections.

    CREATE A HOPIN PROFILE

    This would be our top tip to getting the most out of this year’s all virtual UKSFN. You can do so by clicking on your initials in the top-right corner and choosing ‘Profile’ from the dropdown menu. Make sure to add a Headline with your Organisation/Job Title, add a photo and your social media links. Having a good profile will mean a more engaging experience – you can swap details with other delegates in just one click, as well as better represent yourself and the organisation or project you are joining from.

    NETWORKING

    Join us on the networking platform ‘Wonder’ to informally chat with other attendees! The link to Wonder will appear on the Reception page during lunch and at the end of the conference.

    DIRECT MESSAGING

    You can send a Direct Message to any attendee by searching for them in the ‘People’ tab on the right, and then clicking on their name.  It’s a great way to connect with someone you may have seen present or speak during a session, made some interesting comments in the public chat box, or perhaps you’ve spotted a familiar name whilst scrolling the event attendees. When you are watching in a specific Stage or Session event, the ‘People’ tab shows only the attendees who are also watching that session.

    DIRECT MESSAGE VIDEO CALLS

    The Direct Message feature also offers a Video Call function. You can invite an event attendee to a private video call, and, once in there, you can then invite three other people (up to 5 in total). This is a great way to create your own breakout room, or post-session conversation.

    Click here to view this guide as PDF with diagram.