One silver lining to COVID 19 for the microelectronics and advanced packaging communities is the ability to attend virtual ECTC 2020 free of charge. The elimination of travel expenses and making the pre-recorded sessions available until June 30th is helping to boost registration from about 1500 to well over 5,000 so far. According to Eric Perfecto, publicity chair, this year’s target goal is to reach 15,000. If you haven’t already checked it out, you can register here to register. Additionally, I recommend you follow the ECTC LinkedIn page for the latest conference discussions. Here are some tips to help you make the most of this event.
Navigating the Virtual ECTC Platform
When you register for Virtual ECTC 2020, you have the option to select the sessions that interest you, and you’ll receive and email for each one with the login information. There are over 350 presentations totaling 100 hours of recorded content, so there are lots of choices. Even the poster sessions were converted to oral presentations. Unless you’re logged in, there’s no way to see what the platform looks like, so I grabbed this screenshot.
When you’re checking the boxes to select your session, be sure to attend the introductory session; you’ll be glad you did. It features a welcome by Chris Bailey (above photo) and intro by General Chair, Chris Bower, who is sporting his quarantine beard. (Seriously, I hardly recognized him.)
The session is only 15 minutes long and it provides some important tips on how to navigate the virtual platform from finding and choosing the talks you want to view, to participate in the Q&A and chats. Because none of this is real-time, your questions and comments will not be answered immediately. You’ll need to note the session number for Q&A and the presenters will respond back. Chats will be moderated by the session chairs.
Check out the Sponsored Content
This year’s ECTC is funded by the event sponsors, which is why you didn’t have to pay a registration fee, and why so many more people can participate. So please acknowledge them by watching their videos or reviewing their presentations. They can be found on each page in the Sponsor an Exhibitor Media section, just below the presentation window. If you are a 3D InCites Community member who is sponsoring ECTC and have a video posted in that area, your video will be picked up as a “Video of the Week” over the next few weeks.
Above All, Pace Yourself
If you’ve ever attended a virtual event that is broadcast live, you know it can be a grueling day of sitting in front of your computer without the opportunity to spend coffee breaks interacting with your peers or strolling through the exhibitor hall. For me, the lack of a physical event means I won’t be devoting a week of my life solely to attending it. I’ll be fitting the sessions in and around my other duties at 3D InCites and Kiterocket. I imagine most of you are in a similar situation. Luckily, since all sessions were pre-recorded, you can pace yourself and attend a few every day.
100 hours is a lot of viewing time. I don’t plan on viewing ever last minute. My plan is to bring you the highlights, low lights, and a-ha moments from the keynotes and special sessions that are relevant to the 3D InCItes’ readership. If you have any further questions about how to navigate the Virtual ECTC 2020, please refer to the FAQ page on the ECTC website.
