Attendee Hub - Virtual Platform FAQs

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IDEA2021 is 3 days of education, exhibits and exchange of ideas for everyone in the district energy industry
IDEA2021 is finally here. It is hard to believe that it has been almost two and a half years since our last in-person Annual Conference. We're honored to be able to have nearly 800 people join us in person and virtually for this important event. 

Over the past year and a half this industry has faced unprecedented challenges and met them head on. The conversations we will have at IDEA2021 - both onsite and virtually - will shape the future of district energy. We feel confident that this year's virtual conference will still deliver the content, access to new technologies and opportunities to connect that you've come to expect from IDEA. 
Should you need assistance or have questions about the conference, please contact us via email at idea2021@districtenergy.org .

And don't forget - if you miss a session, everything will be archived for 90 days after the event closes. That means you can 'binge' sessions for the next three months!

How To Access The Virtual Conference Website


At previous IDEA events, you left your hotel room, followed the signage from the hotel lobby to registration, and IDEA directed you to where the meeting rooms are. If you are attending IDEA2021 virtually, getting around will be a lot easier, with decidedly less strain on your feet.

To gain access, you simply need to visit the IDEA2021 Attendee Hub. You can get there by clicking the link below.

Login To Live Event

LOGIN INSTRUCTIONS

Once you click the link, you will be sent to a single-page login screen. There you will provide:

 - First name
 - Last name
 - The email you registered with

After doing so, hit the next button. The screen will refresh to an "Almost Done" page, with a box to enter in a numeric verification code. This personalized code will be sent to the email your registered with and/or cellphone with a code to authenticate your registration. Once you receive the code, enter it, hit enter and you're in!

If you do not receive this code, contact us at idea2021.@districtenergy.org. We highly recommend you login PRIOR to the event to test your login capabilities.

Please note: You may be asked to login daily, depending on how active you are within the hub (your access expires after 24 hours if you have not been active in the site). To regain access, you will simply need to follow the login instructions again).


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The Conference Website

When you login, you will see a screen that will look like the one you see below.

You will notice that there are menu tabs at the top left of the screen. These links and the information on the home page are all you need to get you where you need to go. The menu tabs are explained below:
Home - gets you back to the home page screen shown above with quick links to featured sessions, scheduling appointments and more.
All Sessions - a list of the entire program, broken up by day. You can view the schedule and click the "Add" button to the right of any session you plan on attending (which will be added to the My Schedule button on the right (an icon that looks like a calendar).

Community - Includes a list of all attendees, allowing you to send them a message through the platform. Also includes a link to the IDEA2021 Raffle Game that gives you points for interacting with the platform, and the chance to be entered into a raffle to win great prizes!
Expo - a searchable list of the exhibitors that have a booth in this year's Virtual Exhibit Hall. Search by sponsor level or the products and services they offer. Once the conference is live, you will be able to meet virtually with exhibitors who have virtual booth staff. 

More - includes additional information you might need for the event, including FAQs, information on the YPG and DEWI groups, membership and more.
My Schedule - If you've added any sessions to your schedule from the 'All Sessions' page, they will all show up here.

PLEASE NOTE: We highly recommend using Google Chrome as your browser to access the Attendee Hub. ALSO - participating in Virtual Happy Hours will require you to also have Zoom configured on your computer (which most of us do these days). It is also highly recommended to use a desktop/laptop computer to access the Attendee Hub to maximize your enjoyment of the event.

What a Session Will Look Like

As an attendee you will be viewing the presentations in the IDEA2021 Attendee Hub, a virtual conference platform similar to viewing a Zoom webinar. When you click on the title of a session you want to attend, your screen will look like the image you see below.

Five minutes before a session goes live, a red "Join Session" button will appear in the photo of the San Francisco skyline. Click that button and once the session begins, you will see a video screen with the presenter(s) and their slides, a PDF of their presentation and a section for you to pose Q&A questions to the presenters on the far right. You will also see the Session Chat feature, new for IDEA2021, which allows you to chat with other participants in the session. 
For most presentations, Q&A will not be answered live (as the presenter may be on site), but the presenters will be able to see your questions and answer them post-session. Check back to see the answers to your questions.  To submit a question, expand the Q&A button on the right of the screen of the session you are in.
Please note that when you are watching a session, the presenters cannot see you and you cannot interact with them like you do in a traditional Zoom call. Also, when you ask a question, the default setting is to ask anonymously. If you are looking for a direct response from the presenter, we encourage you to uncheck the anonymous box when submitting.




Question and Answer

As mentioned previously, most sessions do have the ability to submit questions through the Q&A. box within the session.

The Q&A box is located within the page for the individual session, on the right of the screen, a small icon with "Q&A" on it. When you click it, it will expand into a small box on the screen, where you can type  in your question and submit it. Please note - the default option to submit a question is to submit it anonymously. If you would like the speaker to know who asked the question, so they can respond to you directly, please uncheck the "ask anonymously" box.

Session Chat

Similarly to Q&A, there will be a Session Chat box located within the page for the individual session, on the right of the screen. When you click it, it will expand into a small box on the screen, where you can chat informally with other attendees in the session. Please do not submit your questions in this box as the presenter may not see them.

Virtual Exhibit Hall

In the IDEA Virtual Exhibit Hall, you can visit company booths, download collateral or meet virtually with certain exhibitors. 

There are dedicated times within the program for you to interact directly with business partners, but the hall is always open for you to browse their booth content, submit a request for information by clicking the 'contact us' button or set-up a call with them at a later date. Post-event, the exhibit hall will remain open for 90 days after the meeting has closed.
Each booth includes the following:
  • Key contact information and booth description
  • Exhibitor content - PDF and company links
  • "Contact us" button - to request more information (type in your request and the exhibitor will respond back to you)
  • Chat button to connect directly with a representative
  • "Meet Now" button - hop into a live meeting during dedicated exhibit times (shown on the schedule) or throughout the event. If you click this button and booth staff are not there, we recommend using the 'contact us' option to set up a personalized appointment.
As with our live events, we will also hold an Exhibit Hall raffle with some amazing prizes. By visiting the hall and engaging with exhibitors, you will gain entry in the raffle. Prizes will be announced for virtual participants in Wednesday evening Virtual Happy Hour. 


Make Connections Through the Community Tab


Making connections is a big part of every IDEA conference. While you won't be with us in-person, you can connect with attendees in the Community section of Attendee Hub. 

There you will see a list of IDEA2021 attendees. Find who you are looking for by scrolling and click on the name of the person you want to reach out to. There, you have the option to send them a message through the platform.

We also have an attendee list in the FAQ section if you would like to reach out via email.

Virtual Happy Hour



We will admit that connecting online is a little bit less personal than the handshake and smile you get when you meet with a fellow attendee at an in-person event. But that doesn't mean you won't have excellent opportunities to engage with your fellow attendees.

At the conclusion of Tuesday and Wednesday, IDEA will have a Virtual Happy Hour where you can connect with attendees via Zoom to catch up and chat about the day.

CEUs

CEUs can be earned during and after the actual conference dates.

So if you miss a session, you can go back and watch it later.

CEUs will be tabulated and submitted for CEU certificates at the end of the 90 days.