The ScholarNet team has put together a few tips to help you make the most of your time at the 100% virtual NASFAA 2021 Conference.
At this point in 2021, chances are good that you’re already a pro at attending virtual conferences. Still, a refresher to help you maximize your experience at NASFAA 2021 is well worth a quick read.
- Explore the conference event hub prior to the event. Take advantage of any tutorials available to you so you’re familiar with how it works.
- Review the conference program. When blocking off your schedule (and you should), first schedule live sessions you want to attend and then fill in time to attend on-demand sessions.
- Keep sessions on full-screen mode and focus your attention there. That means you may need to jot notes by hand – old school style.
- Try to ignore email and other distractions while you’re attending sessions. We know it’s easier said than done, but avoiding interruptions and maintaining focus will provide you the most value.
- Coordinate your schedule and attend sessions with colleagues. If you attended in person, you would have attended sessions together so you could talk about them afterwards. Set it up so that you can still have those conversations.
- Network with others. If you were attending in person, there are colleagues and new contacts you may have scheduled touch bases with. Don’t miss the opportunity: You still can set up a video or phone call.
- Visit virtual booths. While you can’t fill a bag with free stuff to fit it in your carry-on later, there’s still valuable information available to you and people you would naturally connect with if you were there in person.
Our ScholarNet team is made up professionals who have worked with and in financial aid for decades. We know many of you and look forward to interacting with you each year at this conference. We, too, miss the in-person interactions we’ve shared in past years.
We look forward to being in virtual sessions with you and are more than happy to talk about them afterwards. If you have questions about ScholarNet® or FastChoice™ – or feedback that you would have shared with us if we were all attending in person – please reach out to your rep during (or before or after) the conference.
Have a safe trip from your home to your office (or your kitchen to your home office). We look forward to connecting with you virtually during NASFAA 2021.