One of the silver linings of COVID-19 and the shift of just about everything to virtual has been a whole new world of conferences available for many who may have been unable to attend in the past. Conferences in California, or even South Fulton, may have been difficult to get to in the past. Traveling to a destination or taking the time off work may have been a prohibitive factor before but, for now anyway, those are gone.
Two upcoming conferences in Atlanta offer a little something for everybody, whether directly involved or merely an interested observer.
Starting today is the Georgia First Amendment Foundation’s 30th Georgia Bar Media and Judiciary Conference. Sessions will obviously look at the year’s biggest media story that is COVID-19, including host Andy Miller from Georgia Health News – a local outlet that focuses solely on healthcare related stories. Panelists include the president and CEO of Phoebe Putney Health System and professors from the School of Public Health at Emory, among others.
The most interesting panel might be the one on elections: “a review by interview of the Georgia election process—what worked, what the challenges were, the lessons learned and thinking about the future.” The keynote interview there is one Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, other panelists include Senator Jen Jordan (D-6 Atlanta) and Rep. Barry Fleming (R-12 Harlem) – part of the Special Committee on Election Integrity.
The 19th Annual South Metro Development Outlook Conference will take place in mid-March, this time in all virtual format. The conference will once again connect local officials and industry leaders discussing the growth and development of South Metro Atlanta.
Several mayors from South Metro cities will be there, including Bianca Motley Broom from College Park and Vince Williams from Union City. Jeffrey Parker, General Manager and CEO of MARTA and Executive Director Doug Hooker from the Atlanta Regional Commission will be among several speakers representing regional entities with a large south metro presence.
“As we move beyond the challenges of the past year, we will celebrate the successes, opportunities, and the state of the South Metro region,” said Michael Hightower, managing partner of the Collaborative Firm and the founder of the SMDO. “SMDO21 attendees will experience a dynamic virtual reality in a unique, interactive, and engaging environment.”
As COVID fades into history, conferences will almost certainly return to somewhat more normal times but the realization of technological capability from this era may have permanently changed some aspects of conference planning. Many more are likely to be hybrid versions or at least have recorded sessions available for viewing – with a small fee of course. The isolation and marooning of society during COVID will end but some things will likely stay on as changed, it’s not all bad.
