The 54th AAG Conference Digital was a great success, with very positive feedback from many delegates who appreciated the leap in technology from the previous year and the exciting program that included a strong innovation, creativity and narrative focus.
Regrettably, we had to cancel the face to face 2021 AAG Conference on the Gold Coast due to the pandemic. This was disappointing, but not surprising, for most of you - the pandemic has been fast-changing and, with state lockdowns, border closures, quarantine requirements and the relatively slow start to immunisation, we have had to face the fact that there is no option for even a scaled back Conference. Even so, it has been a very tough decision for us to make.
So in in addition to the digital component, in 2021 we offered a blended Program for some, with face-to-face ‘Hubs’ held in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney on the Friday. Despite not being on the Gold Coast, the opportunity to get together in-person for a one-day Hub “was pretty darn good”. Prof Maria Inacio (SA hub) commented “that it was great to hear live talks, ask questions and see the rooms reactions”. Thank you to our Division Chairs and Co-chairs leading the day; Ilsa Hampton & Anita Goh (Vic), Keryn Curtis & Joyce Siette (NSW), and Lui Di Venuto and Edo Rosso (SA).
The Friday Hubs started with a simultaneous “provocative starter” with four speakers, sharing their views on ageing and opportunities, through brief videos. Then each Hub broke into groups to discuss and debate what they had just seen, framed by some thoughtful questions. The above word cloud was a representation on the question, In one word, what is needed to transform ageing?
Thank you to the Queensland Conference Planning Committee Chair, Dr Katrina Radford, and Scientific Co-chairs, Prof Evonne Miller and Dr Andrea Petriwskyj, and the rest of the committee for your expertise, creativity and flexibility in developing the program and moving to a largely digital format.
Don’t forget, all registrants can view the selected sessions again via the conference platform. And if you didn’t originally register, you can still register to view (one of the big benefits of digital). Contact Michael Tan for more information.
Click here if you are a Conference registrant (you will need your login details).
There were over 250 presentations, symposiums and stunning plenary discussions and presentations.
Pictured: top - word art, digital stage, and the Vic, SA and NSW and Vic Hubs (click on image for larger version)
Our dedication to creating an immersive online experience for our virtual conference paid off when our efforts were honored with the Best Virtual Event Portal award at the EventsAir RISE 2022 User Conference. We leveraged this technology to enhance the art and photography online exhibition.