Abstract:

Conferences have been a staple part of promoting academia since its early days. Traditionally these conferences are held in a single geographical location, which adds tremendous logistical and financial burdens to the organizers, sponsors and the attendees. Virtual conferences have been used in the past to address some of these concerns. However, they fail to bring in the immersive experience of the live event leading to a lack of engagement, disinterest, and ineffectiveness in furthering academic progress.

This paper describes the use of immersive media-based tools to support professional education in the form of a virtual conference. We present one case study using this methodology in the 2019 Digital International Creative Arts Therapies Symposium (DICATS): A 24-hour, live, global, multi-site, interactive virtual conference. The symposium comprised of live streaming to a global audience from seven host sites: Singapore, Moscow, London, Philadelphia, Colorado, Los Angeles, and Vancouver. Each host site offered experiential activities for local audiences from contributors, including digital innovators, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of arts and arts therapies; eHealth; game design for health, and digital technology for social justice. The symposium content combined live content (traditional slide-deck presentations, interactive group activities, and collaborative artmaking), pre-recorded presentations, and interactions between sites using social media, and instant messaging.

This framework has proven to be effective in expanding existing arts therapies’ education and therapy practices, showcasing innovative work, and promoting interdisciplinary collaborations and conversations across the globe. A recording of this unique 24-hour event is available so all participants can access the complete symposium. With the increasing availability of low-cost VR gear and high-speed internet, we believe that this framework for a virtual conference will be useful and efficient in supporting professional education.

Keywords:

Virtual Reality, Virtual Conference, Online Symposium, Live Streaming, Global Event.