Virtuology
Tuccitto: Fall Conference 2020’s shift to a virtual event is much more than adding the word “Virtual” to its name, so much so that it necessitated its own word—“virtuology.” What is that all about?
Lancelle: Virtuology—and I cannot take credit for the word—is the blending of virtual platforms and technology. What it amounts to is leveraging these platforms to provide at least a semblance of the personal interaction that exists during a real-world conference.
Tuccitto: What are some of the technologies and platforms adding to the Virtual Fall Conference 2020 experience?
Lancelle: It’s all about combining technologies and platforms, really. For example, we’ll be using Zoom for delivering the technical presentations, supplemented by Slack for more interactive features such as talking to other attendees, contacting the speakers themselves or asking questions of FTA staff.
Along with that comes the whole Virtual Exhibit piece of it as a means of providing our historical Tabletop Exhibit. And, of course, various social media platforms FTA has staked out for years, to promote and provide assets for the whole event.
Up until about a month ago, I had never even heard of Slack. Now, I’m hooked.
Tuccitto: One thing that remains in the shift to a virtual event is the presence of print samples. Every attendee will have samples to study in person, as presenters dissect them live. What does that physical element add to the fully virtual event?
Lancelle: No matter how much “real world” you try to bring to the table with a virtual experience like this, the one thing still missing is the “touch and feel.” As those of us who have attempted troubleshooting print issues over a computer monitor or iPhone photos can attest, there’s nothing that replaces holding a print sample in your own hands and evaluating it with your own eyes. So we’re really trying to bring the best of both worlds to the table in combining virtual presentations with in-hand print samples. It’ll certainly help in communicating the story.
“What we’ve attempted to do with this year’s agenda is learn from our past experiences in building an overall program that somewhat touches on each of those focal points, and provides an interest across most, if not all, market segments, as well as most of the operational areas including press, prepress and graphics, color management, quality control, and sales and marketing.”
Wrap Up
Tuccitto: This is not FTA’s first fully virtual event—Virtual FORUM 2020 and Virtual Innovation Central brought FORUM 2020 and INFOFLEX 2020, respectively, into the digital space earlier this year. How does Virtual Fall Conference 2020 improve upon those successful events?
Lancelle: I think, in large part, a lot of those who attended Virtual FORUM back in April and May did so with a wary eye. It was new to everyone in this industry. A lot of us really didn’t know what to expect, but the overall viewpoint wasn’t all that promising. And I think a lot of us who did attend came away very pleasantly surprised by the outcome—and with the feeling that “Hey, maybe this isn’t so bad after all.”
You have to also consider—and you can certainty attest to this—that Virtual FORUM was transitioned from an in-person event in only about two months. As good as it was, there were areas marked for expansion and improvement. That led to the focus on more interactive tools, which you’ll see at Virtual Fall Conference. I think attendees will be pleased by the additions and changes they’ll see and experience.
Tuccitto: Packaging is an essential business, and for many flexographers, 2020 has been one of the most demanding and unpredictable years on record. Why should they take the time to attend Virtual Fall Conference 2020?
Lancelle: Despite all the pressures and everything we are all going through, learning never stops. Staying on top of current and upcoming trends and technologies never stops. And, with the interactive format of the conference, we still maintain the capability to touch base, ask questions and find out how each other is doing. That helps to maintain our sanity through all of this. We just can’t do it over a beer or cocktail—but hopefully, those days aren’t too far away from becoming a reality again.