Penn State Great Valley and Penn State at the Navy Yard will host a virtual discussion – “Conference Co-Op: An Open Discussion on Post-Quarantine Meetings” – via Zoom on Thursday, May 14 at 2 PM.

Click here to register.

Kristen Footo, conference services manager for both locations, will lead the conversation and discuss how Penn State Great Valley and Penn State at the Navy Yard are looking at the future of meeting planning following the coronavirus outbreak. Footo has nearly 10 years of experience in event management, working at Greenbrier Resort and Marshall University before joining Penn State in 2017.

Penn State Great Valley and Penn State at the Navy Yard hosted more than 100 companies and nonprofits last fiscal year.

Following the March 23 stay-at-home order, all non-essential businesses in Pennsylvania – including Penn State’s academic sites – were closed. Now, as the Commonwealth looks to reopen, the Penn State Great Valley and Penn State at the Navy Yard conference services team is planning for the post-quarantine future.

“It’s difficult to navigate for several reasons, the most prominent being we’re not sure when and how the safety guidelines for COVID-19 will change,” Footo said. “All we can do as planners is prepare for all possible scenarios.”

In preparation for the return of in-person events, the conference services team is adjusting seating charts and room layouts to accommodate six-foot spacing among attendees. They are also looking into upgrading technological equipment to allow simulcasting, which means a larger group could be split into separate rooms to broadcast the speaker and presentation simultaneously.

Despite the challenges, the conference services team sees value in the opportunity to make networking events more niche. By viewing the smaller group sizes as a chance to form a deeper connection, meeting planners can assign breakout and networking groups based on professional background, career goals, or personal hobbies.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little excited by the new challenge of planning a conference or meeting this way,” Footo said. “Large gatherings have their place and can be extremely rewarding, but since we are being forced to explore this ‘new normal,’ it’s really nice to embrace it as a positive opportunity to find professional connections.”

Click here for additional information about Penn State Great Valley’s conference services. Click here for additional information about Penn State at the Navy Yard’s conference services.

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