SMRT Signals • June 2017 • Vol.6 Issue 2

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Joseph Joslin, A.A., R.T. (R)(MR) Chair, Marketing Committee

Audience Participates in Virtual Meeting

Despite some minor technical difficulties the 2017 SMRT virtual annual meeting from Honolulu, HI, USA was a success. Brief introductions before the session revealed a diverse audience from all over the United States and Canada. Owing to the time difference participants from Europe, Asia, and Oceana were not as active in real time. Most of the attendees that did participate in real time were actively engaged throughout the event, just as if they were there in person.

As the first few presenters took to the podium the virtual attendees were a bit tentative with their comments, mostly chiming in to report problems with the audio feed or other issues. However, as the talks progressed and the technical issues were resolved the virtual crowd warmed up and began to interact more. Some would add comments about their experiences with various sequence types or vendors; while others would ask in-depth questions about coils or scanner set ups being discussed. The longer the meeting went the more freely the participants would discuss topics amongst themselves and with the moderators. Even the breaks between sessions were filled with good-natured chatting and joking between the virtual audience members. A few times this spilled over into the next topic and would create a parallel running commentary that would never have been possible in real life without creating a huge distraction. One of the biggest benefits of the virtual meeting seemed to be the ability to discuss and ask questions throughout the talks without fear of detracting from the speaker or bothering other audience members. The attendees were very engaged and were able to question the speakers at the end of each talk, just as if they had been present. In fact, it was probably easier for them to ask questions without fear of speaking in front of a room full of hundreds of their peers.

"I was lucky enough to be a moderator for the Virtual meeting SMRT Hawaii 2017. It was a very rewarding experience to participate in an exciting and new way to share MRI education with the world. The online interaction by the participants was a nice surprise, the discussions allowed even more opportunity to share knowledge throughout the meeting. I highly recommend volunteering to moderate a session on future Virtual meetings"
   - Kirsty Campbell, Hawaii, 2017