[Paper Review] The EuroSys 2020 Online Conference: Experience and lessons learned

Angelos Bilas, Dejan Kostić+5 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Jun 19, 2020

Big Data and Business Intelligence4 citations

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of organizing the EuroSys 2020 conference as a fully virtual event amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It details the use of Zoom for live sessions, Slack and Discord for asynchronous and synchronous interaction, and a centralized registration and coordination system, concluding that while virtual formats enabled broad participation, challenges in information overload, platform complexity, and low live attendance highlight key lessons for future online conferences.

ABSTRACT

The 15th European Conference on Computer Systems (EuroSys'20) was organized as a virtual (online) conference on April 27-30, 2020. The main EuroSys'20 track took place April 28-30, 2020, preceded by five workshops (EdgeSys'20, EuroDW'20, EuroSec'20, PaPoC'20, SPMA'20) on April 27, 2020. The decision to hold a virtual (online) conference was taken in early April 2020, after consultations with the EuroSys community and internal discussions about potential options, eventually allowing about three weeks for the organization. This paper describes the choices we made to organize EuroSys'20 as a virtual (online) conference, the challenges we addressed, and the lessons learned.

Motivation & Objective

• To document the design and execution of a fully virtual EuroSys 2020 conference in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To identify challenges in organizing a large-scale online academic conference, including technical, logistical, and social coordination issues.
• To evaluate attendee engagement and feedback to inform future virtual conference organization.
• To assess the effectiveness of synchronous and asynchronous communication tools in maintaining interactivity and community presence.

Proposed method

• Adopted Zoom in webinar mode for live, pre-recorded presentations with real-time Q&A, modeled after physical conference formats.
• Used Slack and Discord for asynchronous discussions and synchronous virtual 'hallway tracks' to simulate informal networking.
• Implemented a multi-platform communication strategy with dedicated roles, including a central Zoom master and volunteer teams.
• Developed a custom registration system integrated with Zoom invitations and mailing lists, though on-site registration was not supported.
• Required authors to submit both short (3–5 min) and long (10–12 min) versions of their talks to optimize timing and viewer preparation.
• Trained session chairs, presenters, and volunteers in advance on Zoom and communication platform usage, particularly for Discord, which proved less intuitive.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How can a large-scale academic conference be effectively transitioned to a fully virtual format during a global health crisis?
• RQ2 What combination of synchronous and asynchronous tools best preserves interactivity and community engagement in virtual conferences?
• RQ3 How do attendee behaviors and participation levels differ in virtual versus physical conference settings?
• RQ4 What organizational roles and technical infrastructure are critical for successful virtual conference execution?
• RQ5 What are the key challenges and trade-offs in managing communication channels, time zones, and platform complexity in virtual events?

Key findings

• Attendance peaked at 240 during the opening session, despite 1,100 registrations, indicating low live engagement, likely due to the free registration model.
• Pre-recorded talks were of high quality and well received, with a shift from 3–5 minute to 12-minute formats improving viewer experience after initial testing.
• Discord outperformed Slack in supporting both asynchronous and synchronous interaction, suggesting it was better suited for virtual conference needs.
• The use of multiple communication platforms (Slack and Discord) created information overload and confusion, and in retrospect, a single platform like Discord would have been more effective.
• The Zoom master role became a critical bottleneck, and splitting it among multiple people would have improved scalability and resilience.
• The lack of a public attendee list reduced social presence and made it difficult for participants to identify others, highlighting a missed opportunity for community building.