Science Festivals in Times of COVID-19 – Challenges, Opportunities, Obstacles Science Festivals in Times of COVID-19 – Challenges
Annette Klinkert Doctor of Philosophy and American Literature; Executive Director of EUSEA (European Science Engagement Association) www.eusea.info
The COVID 19-crisis has created a sense of uncertainty and irritation all across the world. The public engagement community is no exception here. Science festivals as we knew them, with thousands of people enjoying live events on streets and squares, in labs and lecture halls, may not be possible for a very long time. Many events have been cancelled in 2020, others are looking for new ways to create dialogues between scientists and the public. Some organisers are now focusing on innovative digital event formats – while others are simply moving their events to the next year. In re-designing our festivals we all share similar concerns: How can we keep the ‘look and feel’ of a festival when going digital? How do we keep the engagement of our scientists and citizens alive in a purely digital context? How can we offer interactivity, participation and dialogues when personal meetings are not allowed? How can we create a ‘group feeling’ for our audiences? How do we train our teams to be ready for new formats? How can we deal with social isolation measures during real world interactions? How can we measure participants and engagement in virtual gatherings? How can we reach out to ‘hard to reach’ target groups, if they are not connected to the Internet?
Participants of the session entitled ‘Event promotion – make it visible!’, 1st Forum of Polish Science Festival Organisers, from the left: Tomasz Michalski, Martyna Fołta, Katarzyna Świętochowska, Radosław Aksamit
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Science Communication in the New Reality. How to organise science festivals after the coronavirus pandemic?
