I spent the better part of each morning this week (February 15-19) in our virtual booth at SEMI’s Technology Unites Global Summit, and I have to say it’s been one of the better virtual event experiences I have had since the beginning of COVID.
The only tricky part was simultaneously attending to the virtual booth while also visiting other booths. But once I figured out that I needed to be logged into both places, I was off to the races. I appreciate that the tech team listened to booth exhibitor concerns and added some features over the course of the week to enrich our experience. The booth metrics are quite robust – we can see downloads, clicks, and gather visitor information. We’ve had more visitor activity than any other virtual event so far.
Here are the things I like best about the Technology Unites Global Summit networking experience:
Focus on Sponsors and Exhibitors
Kudos to SEMI for giving up on trying to simulate the show floor and instead gave both sponsors and exhibitors prominent placement in the foyer and pavilions sections.
The Social Wall
The social wall in the foyer is a great idea! It gave all attendees the opportunity to share important messages. I used it to provide updates on the Community Member Forum and SemiSister Social Hour we hosted in our booth chat. While technical glitches with the Zoom feed imposed some hurdles, the more persistent participants found their way in and we had some fun discussions.
The Networking Portal
This easy-to-access listing of all attendees lets me know who is online and allowed me to receive and send chat messages right on the platform. As an attendee, I created a detailed profile, complete with a photo and bio. I can add events to my schedule and collect information in a digital briefcase for later.
The Exhibitor Experience
In my alternate role as a booth rep, the booth dashboard was a little confusing at first. I expected to actually see the booth itself, as an attendee would. But it worked out because I could wait for video calls, check chats, see who was in the booth at any given time, and check booth activity feed. I just kept the dashboard window open, and then attended the event myself in another browser. The video chat built into the platform was robust and easy to use as an attendee. Unfortunately, we opted for the Zoom feed instead because it allowed for larger groups, but the interface didn’t work well and people had difficulty getting the video and the microphone to work, so I don’t think I’d go that route again.
Making the Most of Technology Unites Global Summit
Bottom line – to make the most of this virtual experience, It’s important to be a proactive attendee. Set up your profile, look around, and see who else is attending. If you zero in on the sessions only, you’ll find you’re missing out on some valuable opportunities. For example, take Dr. Vivian Suru John-Denk, of AT&S, who is new to SEMI and the semiconductor industry. On the advice of her colleague, Rozalia Beica, she joined us for the SemiSister Social Hour all the way from southern India. We got to talking, and she’s got a fascinating story to tell. Originally from Nigeria, Vivian has a Ph.D. in chemistry and joined AT&S in 2018 after several years developing solar cells. I look forward to learning more about her and sharing her journey with you in an upcoming post.
What about the Content?
Because I live in Arizona, am not a night owl, I did not attend the live sessions scheduled during CET daytime hours. Since the content will all be available on-demand from February 22-March 26, 2021, I decided to view them next week. That freed up more time to focus on the networking aspect of this event. I’m told the booths will also be accessible during that time, so if you attend, please stop by, check it out, and shoot us a chat message if you want to meet up.
Registration is still open and I’ve got some free visitor passes available. Message me for details!
