Conferencing and Events at EKU Offers Clients Virtual Event Options

As reduced room capacities and social distancing guidelines have become a new “norm” during the 2020 fall semester, the Department of Conferencing and Events (C&E) at EKU has turned its eyes to new means of holding conferences and meetings by hosting them virtually, utilizing new avenues such as the recently launched Airmeet platform.

Airmeet has allowed for C&E to facilitate larger-scale events such as the Office of Student Life & First Year Experience’s Greek 101 seminar, and Richmond Chamber/Baptist Health’s Business at Noon…with a side of pink virtual luncheon and panel, both taking place in October. In many ways, Airmeet is similar to the meeting/classroom platform Zoom, but with a greater emphasis on a presentation format. With features such as a virtual stage, roundtable networking, video/chat Q&A, and simultaneous livestreaming, Airmeet is quickly becoming a new way to gather on-campus.

The Greek 101 seminar was unique in particular, because it was hosted as a “hybrid event,” with a limited number of socially distanced attendees watching the presenter live-in-person at O’Donnell Auditorium, with hundreds more watching and participating virtually. In all, the event allowed for nearly one thousand virtual participants.

For Business at Noon…with a side of pink, a virtual room full of local business leaders and community participants networked, while the stage hosted a panel discussion focusing on breast cancer awareness. The event featured representatives from the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, Madison County Schools, Baptist Health Richmond and Eastern Kentucky University President Dr. David McFaddin.

Next on the agenda is C&E’s first large scale virtual conference, a collaboration with the EKU Department of Communications for their CommNow Conference in November. The event is normally held in the Perkins Building with a couple hundred attendees, but the 2020 event will be fully online.

Published on October 27, 2020