I've recently spoken at two conferences that were converted from on-site to virtual, and my conclusion is that it's not worth it. Certainly as a speaker, it's pretty unpleasant talking for an hour into my webcam without any audience feedback.
But the bigger issue is that conferences are (for me, and I gather for a lot of people) mostly about the "hallway track," not the official talks. I get a lot more value for talking to people at lunch and after talks than I do from the presentations themselves. That's currently totally missing from the online conference platforms I've used, rendering the whole thing kind of pointless. I might as well just record my talk and put it on youtube; the conference itself it adding little value aside from curation.
I don't think there will be any onsite conferences for the next year, which is a shame. Hopefully they will return at some point.
This is not just an issue of virtual conferences but also online college classes. Explaining itself over a Zoom conference is sadly not the same experience you would get face to face.
But the bigger issue is that conferences are (for me, and I gather for a lot of people) mostly about the "hallway track," not the official talks. I get a lot more value for talking to people at lunch and after talks than I do from the presentations themselves. That's currently totally missing from the online conference platforms I've used, rendering the whole thing kind of pointless. I might as well just record my talk and put it on youtube; the conference itself it adding little value aside from curation.
I don't think there will be any onsite conferences for the next year, which is a shame. Hopefully they will return at some point.