Learning from the Pandemic: the Future of Meetings in HEP and Beyond

TL;DR

This paper reviews lessons learned from virtual meetings in high-energy physics during the COVID-19 pandemic, proposing strategies to improve future virtual and hybrid scientific gatherings for greater inclusivity and sustainability.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive summary of effective practices and tools for virtual meetings based on a community workshop, guiding future scientific event organization.

Findings

Effective virtual meeting practices identified

Strategies for future hybrid meetings proposed

Potential for increased diversity and reduced carbon footprint

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has by-and-large prevented in-person meetings since March 2020. While the increasing deployment of effective vaccines around the world is a very positive development, the timeline and pathway to "normality" is uncertain and the "new normal" we will settle into is anyone's guess. Particle physics, like many other scientific fields, has more than a year of experience in holding virtual meetings, workshops, and conferences. A great deal of experimentation and innovation to explore how to execute these meetings effectively has occurred. Therefore, it is an appropriate time to take stock of what we as a community learned from running virtual meetings and discuss possible strategies for the future. Continuing to develop effective strategies for meetings with a virtual component is likely to be important for reducing the carbon footprint of our research activities, while also enabling greater diversity and inclusion for participation. This report summarizes a virtual two-day workshop on Virtual Meetings held May 5-6, 2021 which brought together experts from both inside and outside of high-energy physics to share their experiences and practices with organizing and executing virtual workshops, and to develop possible strategies for future meetings as we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. This report outlines some of the practices and tools that have worked well which we hope will serve as a valuable resource for future virtual meeting organizers in all scientific fields.