The use of technology was on full display at the recent College of Agriculture and Human Sciences (CAHS) Cooperative Extension Program and Cooperative Agricultural Research Center Joint State Conference. Attendees could connect and collaborate digitally through Whova, an online registration and event management software app that simplifies communication. Although the conference was an in-person event, the app played a significant role in enhancing networking and collaboration, the gathering’s key themes.
The Agro-Innovation Technology Center’s (AITC) Director, Ashwani Srivastava, introduced the app and demonstrated its functions during a session.
“We decided to use this app for the conference this year to provide the best experience to attendees, enable them to participate and interact more actively, and build connections between CARC and CEP,” said Srivastava.
One of the app’s most popular features was the Leaderboard, where attendees earned points by competing in challenges and engaging in the community board. Those who frequently engaged in the app’s features won prizes and giveaways.
CAHS Budget Specialist, Pamela Michelin-Moore, racked up 195,900 points, taking the number one spot on the Leaderboard.
“I liked sharing new topics, articles, comments, and suggestions on topics posted in the community or on sessions I attended,” said Michelin-Moore.
Conference attendees used other features to personalize and share the Conference agenda, interactive maps, documents, pictures, video, and venue information.
Here are the Whova stats from the conference.
- App Downloads: 134 Attendees who downloaded the app
- Messages: 2,720 Messages sent (private & community)
- Community Board: 87 Community board topic posts
- Photos: 323 Photos taken
- Meet-ups: 14 Meetups created
- Agenda: 52 Personalized agendas set up
La’Beaula Times
Communication Specialist II
lstimes@pvamu.edu