Ecsite, the European network of science centres and museums, has announced the cancellation of its annual conference due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
The Ecsite Board has made the decision to cancel Ecsite 2020, which was due to take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 11 – 13 June. In its place, Ecsite is working on a range of online opportunities to help members stay connected during the crisis. #EcsiteOnline is a collection of digital tools and resources, designed to help members share experiences and ideas with colleagues.
While the decision was not made lightly, the board believes it is the best decision in order to protect the health and safety of the network. It would like to thank the host team, the Kersnikova Institute, for its hard work so far in organising the conference. All registered participants will receive a full refund.
#EcsiteOnline
Ecsite is committed to supporting its members and partners throughout the pandemic. It is working on a variety of solutions to allow the community to collaborate and share knowledge digitally.
“We’re curating a list with resources and initiatives from others within and outside our field,” says Ecsite. “The list will cover multiple themes, such as how to communicate the coronavirus to audiences, how to motivate your teams, ways in which to re-think our digital role and how to take advantage of a range of online services to continue to carry out our events.”
This will be available on the Ecsite website.
In addition to this, Ecsite is hosting one collaborative, united day for its members and community on Thursday 11 June. It is also holding a one-day digital marketplace on Friday 19 June to provide business and networking opportunities.
Members have also been sharing experiences of the current situation during weekly online drop-in sessions. The next one will take place on Tuesday, 7 April at 15.00 (CEST), and will be on the theme of’The digital role of science engagement organisations.’ Information on how to join will be sent to members via email.
Over 1,100 participants from 59 different countries attended ECSITE 2019 in Copenhagen, making it the largest ECSITE Conference ever.
