The Future of Meetings

#TFOM5YL Future: EOI Form As we reflect on lessons learned from the past five years, we're also looking to the future with a goal of focusing TFOM efforts on where we can have the most positive impact. In 2026, we are hoping...

We would love to hear your thoughts and what you might be interested in for this series! Please use this form to send us an EOI with your input 🙌 #TFOM5YL

🔗 Link: forms.gle/BUm3Dyu3DuB5...

Our aim is to bring an interested #community together online, framed around exploring best practice for online interaction and experimenting with new #technologies / approaches to facilitate this 💡 We also plan for it to be #VR first, to maximise immersion and engagement opportunities 🌏 #TFOM5YL

In 2020, our final #TFOM day's theme was #Future, which focused especially on where we might be heading next when it came to the future of #meetings and #interaction 🗺️

For our #TFOM5YL Future post, we'd like to invite you to express interest in a still-forming plan for an event series in 2026 🙌

Walkabout Mini Golf — Mighty Coconut

8) @walkaboutminigolf.bsky.social ⛳
🔗 www.mightycoconut.com/minigolf

If there was any single #VR app with the highest chance of convincing people of the value of immersive social, it’s #WMG. There's so much #TFOM love for this amazing game, both for fun and for true distributed connection! #TFOM5YL

7) SciConf 📜
🔗 vu.nl/en/about-vu/...

SciConf was a project by European historians: “The Scientific Conference: A Social, Cultural, and Political History” - examining evolution of the scientific conference in the 20th century. It was interesting how, in some ways, very little has changed! #TFOM5YL

Air Travel Project The Air Travel Project of ETH Zurich motivates affiliates to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions from work-related air travel in a participatory, evidence-based and solution-oriented approach.

6) ETH Zürich Air Travel project ✈️
🔗 ethz.ch/en/the-eth-z...
📖 www.research-collection.ethz.ch/entities/pub...

We contributed to Ariane Wenger’s research in academic conference travel, linked to the ETH Air Travel project which aims to reduce travel as part of sustainability efforts #TFOM5YL

5) IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach/Education 🌌
🔗 iauoutreach.org
🔗 astro4edu.org

@iauoutreach.bsky.social and @astro4edu.bsky.social are offices of the #IAU focused on #outreach and #education. We collaborated on a #virtual gallery in #Spatial to showcase winning astrophotography! #TFOM5YL

Home page - IAU Office of Astronomy for Development The Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) aims to further the use of astronomy as a tool for sustainable development globally.

4) IAU Office of Astronomy for Development 🗺️
🔗 astro4dev.org

@astro4dev.bsky.social is an office of the International Astronomical Union dedicated to how #astronomy can help make the world a better place. We worked with them on @astronomy2024.bsky.social! #TFOM5YL

3) The University of Queensland EECS HCC 🧑‍🎓
🔗 eecs.uq.edu.au/human-centre...

It’s been great collaborating with researchers from Human-Centred Computing! We’ve co-supervised students together and contributed project briefs in #TFOM and #astronomy themes @mashhuda.bsky.social #TFOM5YL

Astronomy’s climate emissions: Global travel to scientific meetings in 2019 Abstract. Travel to academic conferences—where international flights are the norm—is responsible for a sizeable fraction of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissi

2) A4E: Gokus et al. 2024 📈
📖 academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...

We contributed to this #A4E paper led by @agokus.bsky.social, which analysed #travel emissions from 2019 #astronomy #conferences. Figure 7 shows that those at #conferences are overwhelmingly from countries with a high #HDI ✈️ #TFOM5YL

Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E). A global movement. Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E) unites astronomers working globally to address the climate crisis from an astronomical perspective.

1) Astronomers for Planet Earth 🌏
🔗 a4e.org

@a4e.org is a non-profit dedicated to addressing the #climate crisis from the #astronomy perspective. Since #travel is a large component of many people’s carbon footprints, we’ve collaborated on themes of #online and #hybrid conferences/meetings #TFOM5YL

For the “Tomorrow” theme of #TFOM5YL, we’d like to highlight just a few of the awesome groups/platforms we've been fortunate enough to cross paths with over the last five years and link to their great work! 🌍 Check them out 🙌

Poster on TFOM highlighting findings and current activities with colourful images of different groups in various online platforms, including AltspaceVR, Spatial, VR Chat and Walkabout Mini Golf.

13) TFOM community 💚💙💜
We have stayed together as an active community of practice consisting of passionate volunteers across the globe, with a key interest in the benefits of #immersive #technology for effective #online #collaboration - get in touch if you would like to connect with us! 💬 #TFOM5YL

Accessible hybrid conferences are possible and affordable at large scale - Nature Astronomy In August 2024, the International Astronomical Union General Assembly was held for the first time on the African continent, as a fully hybrid and open-access conference. This opportunity to approach s...

12) #IAU GA 2024:
📖 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
📖 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We helped lead the technical execution of the first fully #hybrid General Assembly for the #IAU, @astronomy2024.bsky.social, showcasing affordable hybrid and our dedicated efforts for online attendees 🇿🇦 #TFOM5YL

The main barriers to distributed interaction are not technological - Nature Astronomy For the first time in 2024, the Astronomical Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting was held as an online-first conference, incorporating unprecedented use of immersive spatial venues. This Co...

11) #ASA 2024:
📖 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We helped to run the first online-first Annual Science Meeting for the @astrosocaus.bsky.social, building a completely #immersive and cross-platform venue and reflecting on the continuing barriers to meaningful online participation 💻 #TFOM5YL

10) Climate Change For #Astronomers:
📖 iopscience.iop.org/book/edit/97...

#TFOM contributed a chapter to the #CCfA book edited by Travis Rector, reflecting on the history of #meetings, addressing common concerns about #online and #hybrid, presenting case studies and looking to the future 🌅 #TFOM5YL

Going beyond being there to bring astronomy to the world - Nature Astronomy The traditional conference format has been with us for more than a century, and yet the contemporary version remains similar in many ways. Can emerging technologies enable conferencing to evolve? The ...

9) #ASKAP #VR exhibit:
📖 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
📖 capjournal.org/articles/300...

We built a custom VR space to display @CSIRO Australian SKA Pathfinder telescope #science and #technology, sharing at three in-person exhibitions and #online to demonstrate #BeyondBeingThere 📡 #TFOM5YL

8) #S4PG 2022:
📖 s4pg.tfom.org

Spinning off from a Theo Murphy Initiative workshop on “Science for the Public Good”, we ran a dedicated series of S4PG-focused events in #AltspaceVR ⚛️ #TFOM5YL

Around the hybrid conference world in the COVID-19 era - Nature Astronomy In-person and online conferences each have their benefits, with hybrid conferences intended to blend the best of both worlds. But do hybrid conferences fulfil the promise? Fifteen attendees across thr...

7) Hybrid meetings in 2022:
📖 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We reflected on the state of #hybrid meetings in 2022, as the world adjusted to a new era following the height of the pandemic, using a particular week in #astronomy as a case study 📰 #TFOM5YL

IR 2022: An infrared-bright future for ground-based IR observatories in the era of JWST - Nature Astronomy Shortly after the James Webb Space Telescope launched into space, the IR 2022 conference convened to identify and explore synergies between ground-based and space-based infrared observations.

6) IR 2022:
📖 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We collaborated with the organisers of the online #IR2022 conference, building an immersive space in #AltspaceVR featuring talks, posters and social interaction 🛰️ #TFOM5YL

5) #ICWIP 2021:
📖 pubs.aip.org/aip/acp/arti...

#TFOM oversaw the technical execution of the #IUPAP @iupaphysicswomen.bsky.social conference for women in physics, working with organisers to transform it into an impactful online-only meeting for physicists around the world 🌍🌎🌏 #TFOM5YL

4) 2WAI 2021:
📖 www.astroscu.unam.mx/rmaa/RMxAC.....

We took part in the #2WAI workshop focusing on #accessibility in #astronomy, presenting a view of #TFOM with specific addressing of today, tomorrow, future in the context of more accessible academic collaboration 👐 #TFOM5YL

Science Pathways 2021: Looking towards a sustainable future Vanessa Moss (she/her), Dharug Country Mohammad Taha (they/them), Wurundjeri Country @cosmicpudding @TahaSciencing

3) Science Pathways 2021:
📖 www.science.org.au/news-and-eve...

#TFOM collaborated with the #EMCRForum on #SP21, designing a meeting that was a blend of in-person, hybrid and online-only modes to suit the different needs of the Australian early and mid-career researcher community 💡 #TFOM5YL

EMCR perspectives – The future of meetings: ready player you? Dr Vanessa Moss in the field. Photo: supplied. Dr Vanessa Moss  @cosmicpudding

2) EMCR Perspectives:
📖 www.science.org.au/news-and-eve...

@cosmicpudding.bsky.social wrote this article for the @science.org.au #EMCRForum presenting a vision of how the academic world might change for early and mid-career researchers who leverage both online and in-person modes 🌐 #TFOM5YL

Forging a path to a better normal for conferences and collaboration - Nature Astronomy The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic forced a string of cancelled conferences, causing many organizers to shift meetings online, with mixed success. Seizing the opportunity, a group of researchers came together...

1) #TFOM 2020:
📖 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We summarised key learnings from TFOM in this @natastron.nature.com Comment, giving advice on going digital-first and expressing a hope for a more accessible, inclusive and sustainable future - even beyond the pandemic 🌏 #TFOM5YL

Today marks 5 years since “The Future of Meetings” 2020 - the OG #TFOM symposium! To celebrate, we’ll follow TFOM themes of Today, Tomorrow, Future to highlight what we’ve been up to over the past 5 years, and where we’re heading in future 🙌🎉 #TFOM5YL

Relevant links here: linktr.ee/tfom

A group of intrepid golfing adventurers (who are also members of TFOM) posing on the edge of a cliff face with the Mount Olympus world of Walkabout Mini Golf visible behind.

Always enjoy our @futuremeetings.bsky.social adventures into #VR - especially the beautiful worlds of @walkaboutminigolf.bsky.social! By far the biggest advantage of #immersive tech that we've found in #TFOM is the ability to be *together* with others, whether for social or work!

Struggles with travel are unlikely to abate, whether from pandemics, fuel prices, or political unrest due to your country electing a narcissistic squash. This is why @futuremeetings.bsky.social keeps exploring practices and technologies like VR that could really connect us when it matters the most.

When using VR for scientific events with @futuremeetings.bsky.social, we've found a key component for success is #BeyondBeingThere: don't try to mirror the in-person experience but leverage the online space to show full-sized interactable models, or hold discussions on an asteroid.

International Astronomical Union | IAU

And our @astronomy2024.bsky.social articles have been shared in an #IAU announcement: iau.org/news/announc...

From the #TFOM perspective, we're always happy to help answer questions about better #online and #hybrid meetings and provide advice - please feel free to reach out if you're interested! 🔭