We will be using Gather as part of the Congress, a platform that allows for more flexible and natural interaction between attendees. You can access the virtual Congress space on Gather by following this link.

 

Most of the main Congress sessions will still be on Zoom, but you will be able to use Gather to:

• socialise and network in between sessions and at any time during the three days of the Congress - join the venue and see who's there!

• view students' posters in the poster room.

• join a pub quiz in the bar area.

• use the space for any student meetings you might want to organise during the Congress.

• speak to a member of the Techne administration team during the Techne drop-in session.

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Gather is quite easy to use - if you want to prepare you can view an introductory video here. You can also join the space any time before the Congress to try it out. The main points to know are:

• Gather works best on a laptop/PC and using Firefox or Chrome browsers. If you join on a different browser or using your phone/tablet the features may be limited (you might not be able to turn your camera on, or see/interact with the items in the rooms).

• When you join for the first time you will need to follow the prompts to enter your name, choose an 'avatar' image to represent you, and allow access to your camera and microphone.

• Use your arrow keys to move around the space.

• If an object is interactive it will glow yellow as you approach it. Press 'x' to interact with the object (e.g. to view the image or text on it).

• We would love for this to be a 'camera on' area so do keep your camera on if you're able to.

• You can speak to other users when you move near them - their video box will appear and you will hear each other. This will fade as you move away from them.

• Seating areas marked by a rug are 'private' areas, so you will only see and hear others who are seated in the same area as you.

• For more features, such as the ‘message’ and ‘follow’ feature to find and interact with specific people see the Gather 101 page.

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