When the 2022 WCLC Conference Chairs and Program Committee began planning, the members had experience with in-person meetings and with virtual meetings. However, now they needed to plan a meeting that offered the best of both.
“I think the challenge has been to try to marry the two—the in-person and the virtual,” said IASLC CEO Karen Kelly, MD. “It’s important to make sure our virtual attendees have a wonderful experience and can engage with those who are there in person.”
WCLC 2022 Virtual Platform
The WCLC Virtual Platform will be available beginning July 29, 2022. Log-in before the conference begins to get familiar with all its helpful functions. Log-in details will be sent to the email address used when you registered. If you need assistance, send an email to [email protected].
However, given WCLC’s global audience, it’s not as simple as live-streaming all the sessions.
“Time zones are a real challenge for a global virtual meeting,” Dr. Kelly said.
So while some sessions—including the plenaries, the lectureship award sessions, and many industry symposia—will be live-streamed, the bulk of the conference content will not be available live. Instead, sessions not live-streamed will be available on-demand on the virtual platform and mobile app within 24 hours of the live presentation. Live-streamed sessions will also be available on-demand for those who cannot attend or watch during the live presentation.
“I think that the other important piece is engagement,” Dr. Kelly said. “To that end, we’ve designed our first ever walkathon, Step It Up For Research, as a virtual event for all attendees. Anyone can join from anywhere. I hope all our attendees join and encourage their families and friends to join as well. I think it will be a fun experience.”
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Dr. Kelly said there are also ways virtual and in-person attendees can interact with other attendees to catch up, discuss science, ask questions, network, and more. For example, the virtual platform includes a chat function during live-streamed sessions. The mobile app allows members to connect with each other for chatting or video calls.
And, of course, there’s social media. Find IASLC on your preferred social platform and use #WCLC22 to share photos, discuss interesting data, ask questions, or brag about your step counts.
“I’m hopeful we’ll see our virtual attendees interacting with their colleagues throughout the meeting,” Dr. Kelly said. “We want WCLC to be good experience for everyone, and we’ll certainly miss those people we can’t be with in-person, so we hope to interact with them virtually.”
