How to Get the Most Out of Your Virtual Experience at BeyondTheBlack 2021

Each year, our goal is to deliver the knowledge you need to overcome the greatest challenges your teams are facing. And for many of us, 2021 has proven to be just as challenging as 2020.

So, we’re bringing you three full days of informative, solution-packed sessions that include two special guest speakers, over 20 customer presentations, 10 BlackLine U workshops, and 50 breakout sessions. Plus, you'll have plenty of opportunities to earn up to 22 free CPE or CPD credits throughout the conference.

With over 50 hours of unique content, we're curating a unique experience that will offer achievable steps to automate busywork, unlock global visibility, and become a business partner, whether you’re focused on optimizing BlackLine, adopting our solutions, or just beginning your modern accounting journey.

You’ve probably attended a few virtual events or conferences during the past two years. You might have even attended one hosted by BlackLine! But attending virtually is a lot different than being together in person, and BeyondTheBlack 2021 is going to be an experience unlike any other.

So, we wanted to let you know what to expect during this three-day event, along with some tips on how to get the most out of your experience.

Your virtual conference will be hosted online by a platform that you may not have used before. To make the most of your time ‘onsite,’ take an hour or two before the conference begins to play around in the event hub.

You can log in today! Just follow the link in the calendar invite you received in your BeyondTheBlack confirmation email to access the event environment. Once you log in, take a moment to explore and find out how to access sessions, discover the expo hall, and test your audio.

Work never stops, but when you’re attending a virtual conference it should take a backseat—even if only for an hour or two at a time. After all, you chose to attend a virtual conference because you saw value in the speakers, educational sessions, and networking opportunities, so don’t throw away this time you have to learn and grow!

Make sure your coworkers know when you’ll be busy and avoid checking emails during sessions. Add all the sessions you’re planning to attend to your calendar so that time is blocked out, and you’ll receive reminders when they’re about to begin.

Most companies have a messaging platform like Slack or Teams, and while this makes it easy to communicate with your colleagues, it’s also highly interruptive—and can pull you away from a virtual session faster than almost anything else.

Our advice? Don’t log in during BeyondTheBlack. If you follow the tip above, your boss, teammates, and colleagues will already know you’ll be attending a three-day virtual conference, and they’ll also be able to see from your calendar that you’ll be mostly unavailable during those three days.

Use the breaks and time in between sessions to check your work email, but stay logged out of your messaging platform to protect your focus and ensure you get the most out of each keynote and breakout session.

If you’ve been to any of BlackLine’s in-person conferences, you know the Bull Market is a great place to redeem prizes. The best way to earn points is by attending sessions, visiting booths, filling out your event profile, and completing challenges in the Bull Market. You can redeem points for rewards from November 16-18.

We all know how easy it is to sit at our desks and let time pass by. Treat your virtual conference like you would a live conference: stay hydrated, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and make time for meals and snack breaks.

For a fun treat, consider getting coffee or lunch delivered during a break to keep you going. Your brain is going to need that fuel to absorb everything you’ll be learning!

Get up to stretch and walk around between sessions. You could fit in a quick workout during one of the longer breaks you have during the day.

When is the last time you took notes on paper? Handwriting notes helps you remember that information a lot better than typing it, and pulling out your pen and paper will also allow you to keep your computer dedicated to sessions and in full-screen mode.

If you’re clicking between your notes document and the conference, it’s too easy to get distracted by the number of new emails piling up in your inbox or other notifications that may pop up.

Conferences are better when you attend them with friends. Are any of your coworkers attending BeyondTheBlack? Compare the sessions on your personalized agendas, and make plans to meet and discuss everything you’ve learned at the end of each day.

If they’ll be in any of the same sessions, message them about points you find interesting (ideally through something other than your work chat, so you can stay logged out of that). This interaction can keep you engaged with the content.

One of the benefits of this virtual conference is that all the sessions will be available on-demand after the event. There are always so many excellent sessions at BeyondTheBlack, often happening at the same time, which makes it difficult to attend all the ones you’re interested in.

This year, that won’t be a problem. If you miss any or want to watch the best ones over again, for the very first time you can! We’ll send you the link to all the sessions following the last day of the conference.

Still haven’t registered for BeyondTheBlack? Just follow this link to save your free spot. You can also view the full agenda here.