Virtual Meeting (Whova) Instructions

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The SfAA has chosen to use the Whova software for our virtual meeting, for security, ease of use, and networking opportunities. 

Members and presenters will be given access to Whova in early March so they can get familiar with the platform. You will not be asked to pay anything to sign in or sign up.

Below are two Whova guides (desktop and mobile) for attendees which provide step-by-step instructions for creating profiles and agendas, engaging with attendees, and accessing sessions.

Whova Desktop User Guide

Whova Desktop User Guide

View PDF

Sign in to Whova 

  1. You will receive an email from Whova on March 8, 2021 with instructions for logging into the site. The link looks like https://whova.com/portal/webapp/xxxx/. Click “Sign up here” if you don’t have an account yet and fill in your email and password. Make sure to use the email address you used when registering for the event. You will not be asked to pay anything to sign in. When logging in, you will automatically be taken to the conference main page. 

  2. Edit your profile. Other attendees will use this to network with you if you choose to be included in the attendee list.

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View the Agenda and Plan Your Schedule 

  1. Find the agenda tab on the side of the screen. You should see a list of sessions for that day. 

  2. You can move through different days by selecting the date you want to view on the calendar at the top of the agenda. 

  3. Browse or search for sessions on the top bar. 

  4. Once you find the session you want to access, click on it. 

  5. If the session is live, it will begin playing immediately upon entering. Otherwise, a message will indicate the scheduled start time. 

  6. If the session hasn’t occurred yet, you can click “Add to My Agenda” to put the session on your own personal agenda.

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Access Live Streams and Session Videos 

  1. From the agenda list, click the session you want to watch. 

  2. If the streaming screen directly shows up, click “Proceed” to start watching the stream. 

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Ask Questions Using the Whova Q&A Module 

  1. You can access three tabs on the right side of the virtual session: Session Q&A, Chat, and Community. You can submit questions for the speakers through Session Q&A, participate in ongoing discussions with the other attendees viewing the session through Chat, and browse the Community Board where members can engage in general asynchronous chat topics and live meet-ups. 

  2. You can also access the “Session Q&A” tab on the left-hand sidebar underneath Resources. Here you can browse the ongoing Q&A for individual sessions.  

  3. Speakers in live sessions will respond to questions after their session. Speakers in pre-recorded sessions (including posters) will respond to questions before and after sessions. The session Chat and Q&A will remain after the conference has ended (until June 25, 2021) to see answers to your questions. 

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See Who is Attending the Event 

  1. When you sign in for the first time, you will be asked: “Would you like to network with other attendees by listing yourself in the attendee list?” a. If you answer yes – you will be able to view the Attendees tab and will be included in the attendees list. b. If you answer no – you will not be able to view the Attendees tab and will not be included in the attendees list. 

  2. To view other attendees: Click the “Attendees” tab on the left side of the screen under “Main Navigation”. 

  3. At the top of the page, you can search attendees by keywords such as company, name, or title. 

  4. To start a conversation, click “Send Message” to begin a chat.

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Join Discussion on the Community Board 

  1. Click the Community tab on the side menu to the left of the screen. 

  2. Create a new conversation topic or click the chat to join existing topics like “Organizer Announcements”. 

  3. Click “Follow” directly next to the topics on the Community Board that you want to stay up to date with. To find the topics you are following, choose between three tabs near the top of the topics list section: All Topics, Followed, and New Topics. 

  4. Check the Community board for conference updates and to ask questions.

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Start or Join a Virtual Meetup 

  1. Go to the Community Board and find the board for Meetups and Virtual Meets.

  2. Find the meeting you are interested in, join directly, or click into it to see more details. 

  3. When the meetup starts, click “Join Meeting Room” to start chatting! 

  4. You can also suggest a new meetup by clicking “Suggest a Meet” and inputting the details. 

Live sessions in Channels 1-5 will be given a designated “Channel Meet-up” to use for live discussion following presentations. Channel Meet-ups are limited to 30 people. If you receive an error message, the Meet-up is full and you will be unable to enter until others leave. If you want to communicate with presenters, please use the session’s chat/Q&A areas to do so. You can also send messages to speakers through the “Speaker” tab in the left navigation menu.

Virtual Meets can be created by members or presenters to hold live discussions or receptions. Members will need to use their own Zoom or other virtual conferencing software to do so. SfAA is unable to provide moderators for these community meet-ups. Please refer to this quick reference guide for moderation tools within Zoom meetings and find tips for moderating here. As these virtual meet-ups are created, they will appear under the “Meet-ups and Virtual Meets” tab.

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Whova Mobile User Guide

Whova Mobile User Guide

View PDF

Download the Whova App 

  1. The Whova app is free to download. 

  2. Open the Apple Store or Android Store on your mobile device and search for “Whova.” Or, visit https://whova.com/download/ in your mobile device’s web browser. 

  3. When you have found Whova, click to download and install the Whova app. 

Sign in to Whova 

  1. Make sure to use the email address you used when registering for the event. You will be able to login after March 8, 2021 and will not be asked to pay anything to sign in. 

  2. Create a password and type in your name. 

  3. Edit your profile. Other attendees will use this to network with you if you choose to be included in the attendee list. 

  4. The app will take you to the conference home page automatically.

image9.png

 

View the Agenda and Plan Your Schedule 

  1. Find the Agenda tab at the bottom of the screen. You should see a list of sessions for that day. 

  2. You can move through different days by selecting the date you want to view on the calendar at the top of the agenda. 

  3. Browse or search for sessions on the top bar. 

  4. Once you find the session you want to access, click on it. 

  5. If the session is live, it will begin playing immediately upon entering. Otherwise, a message will indicate the scheduled start time. 

  6. If the session hasn’t occurred yet, you can click “Add to My Agenda” to put the session on your own personal agenda and set a reminder.

image7.png

 

Access Live Streams and Session Videos 

  1. From the agenda list, click the session you want to watch. 

  2. If the streaming screen directly shows up, click “Proceed” to start watching the stream. 

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Use Session Q&A 

  1. On the session detail page, click the “Q&A” button; on the next page, view the existing questions, vote on the questions you are interested in, or click “Ask a Question” to ask a new one. 

  2. On the conference main page, you can also click the “Session Q&A” button; find the session you want to ask questions in and click on it. 

  3. Speakers in live sessions will respond to questions after their session. Speakers in pre-recorded sessions (including posters) will respond to questions before and after sessions. The session Chat and Q&A will remain after the conference has ended (until June 25, 2021) to see answers to your questions. 

image2.png

 

See Who is Attending the Event 

  1. When you sign in for the first time, you will be asked: “Would you like to network with other attendees by listing yourself in the attendee list?” a. If you answer yes – you will be able to view the Attendees tab and will be included in the attendees list. b. If you answer no – you will not be able to view the Attendees tab and will not be included in the attendees list. 

  2. To view other attendees: Click the “Attendees” tab on the bottom of the screen to browse the attendee list. 

  3. At the top of the page, you can search attendees by keywords such as company, name, or title. In their professional profiles, you can take notes or request contact information. 

  4. To find people with common backgrounds and interests, click the “Recommended” tab on the top of the Attendees list to find Whova’s recommendations about people you may be interested in networking with. Click into each item to see attendees who come from the same city or have the same affiliations, education background, or interests as you. 

  5. Say “Hi” with one click or start a private chat by clicking the “Message” button. You can convert it to a private group chat by inviting more people.

image6.png

 

Join Discussion on the Community Board 

  1. Click the Community tab on the side menu to the left of the screen. 

  2. Check the Community board for conference updates and to ask questions.

  3. Create a new conversation topic or click the chat to join existing topics like “Organizer Announcements”. 

  4. Click “Follow” directly next to the topics on the Community Board that you want to stay up to date with. To find the topics you are following, choose between three tabs near the top of the topics list section: All Topics, Followed, and New Topics. 

  5. Check the Community board for conference updates and to ask questions.

image3.png

 

Start or Join a Virtual Meetup 

  1. Go to the Community Board and find the board for Meetups and Virtual Meets.

  2. Find the meeting you are interested in, join directly, or click into it to see more details. 

  3. When the meetup starts, click “Join Meeting Room” to start chatting! 

  4. You can also suggest a new meetup by clicking “Suggest a Meet” and inputting the details. 

Live sessions in Channels 1-5 will be given a designated “Channel Meet-up” to use for live discussion following presentations. Channel Meet-ups are limited to 30 people. If you receive an error message, the Meet-up is full and you will be unable to enter until others leave. If you want to communicate with presenters, please use the session’s chat/Q&A areas to do so. You can also send messages to speakers through the “Speaker” tab in the left navigation menu.

Virtual Meets can be created by members or presenters to hold live discussions or receptions. Members will need to use their own Zoom or other virtual conferencing software to do so. SfAA is unable to provide moderators for these community meet-ups. Please refer to this quick reference guide for moderation tools within Zoom meetings and find tips for moderating here. As these virtual meet-ups are created, they will appear under the “Meet-ups and Virtual Meets” tab.

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©Society for Applied Anthropology 

P.O. Box 2436 • Oklahoma City, OK 73101 • 405.843.5113 • info@appliedanthro.org