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FAQ on virtual SODA21, ALENEX21, SOSA21, and APOCS21

  1. I see that SODA, ALENEX, SOSA, and APOCS have pivoted to virtual.  What does that mean?

    It means that the COVID-19 pandemic has unfortunately made it unsafe for us to meet in person in Alexandria, Virginia as originally planned.  The conference will now take place on a virtual conference platform hosted by vFairs that will allow us to engage in all of the activities we were looking forward to, from enjoying plenary talks to interacting with contributed speakers to chatting with colleagues.  More details on what a virtual SODA21 will offer are given below.

  2. Is SIAM hosting the virtual conference?

    SIAM has partnered with vFairs, a virtual conference provider with experience running successful virtual conferences ranging in attendance from 50 and 50,000 attendees, to host its virtual conferences through the first half of 2021.


  3. How will contributed sessions work?

    All live sessions will be held over Zoom.  Speakers and organizers will receive links via email that allow them to join their sessions early for setup and testing.  Attendees will enter the Zooms via the platform.  Contributed speakers are being asked to provide 25-minute videos that will be made available on demand via the platform.  Each contributed session will also have a live component over Zoom where each contributed speaker will be given a 12-minute slot to summarize their talk, answer questions, and discuss.  All live discussions will be recorded and made available on the platform.

  4. Will there be an exhibit hall?

    Yes. Customizable booths are available for publishers, societies, and sponsors.

  5. Will there be opportunities for spontaneous interaction outside the talks themselves?

    Yes.  A chat room will be available for discussion of conference talks or other threads.  Attendees will be able to invite each other to video chats that can include up to 50 participants.  A networking lounge will link to a Gather.town environment where participants can interact using a shared whiteboard, play games, or watch videos.

  6. How has SIAM set the registration fees?

    SIAM sets conference registration fees to cover direct and indirect costs of the conference based on projected attendance numbers. SIAM does not make a profit through its conferences. 

    Since March of 2020, SIAM has experimented with a number of different formats for pivoting virtual conferences. One conclusion drawn from those experiments is that attendees are looking for a sense of connection and shared experience with their fellow attendees, complete with scheduled and spontaneous interactions offered through a single visually appealing portal that is easy to navigate. SIAM’s partnership with vFairs will allow for such an experience. At the same time, SIAM’s professional conference staff handles conference logistics to allow conference organizing, program, and steering committees to focus strictly on technical aspects of the conference. SIAM staff costs and the virtual platform cost are the two biggest contributors to conference expense and therefore the registration fees. These fees are lower than many professionally run virtual conferences but higher than those relying strictly on volunteers and tools that don’t reside within a single platform.

  7. Will there be support provided for students?

    Yes. SIAM strongly encourages all students, whether or not they are presenting research, to apply for student travel awards, which will be applied to registration fee waivers in the case of virtual conferences.

Image of lobby at virtual SODA21

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