What should the post-COVID conference look like? In our attempt to answer this question, we first describe the primary functions and affordances of conferences. Our frank appraisal reveals the breadth of reasons why academics attend conferences, and how conference attendance often blends personal and professional motivations. We also elaborate some of the shortcomings of in-person conferences, spanning personal, professional, and societal concerns. Recent alternative (virtual) formats for convening scholars provide means for alleviating some of these shortcomings, but do not seem entirely up to the task of providing a fully satisfactory solution to all that conferencing can be. Moreover, we extrapolate from prior history and ongoing trends to predict that technological solutionism to conferencing is likely to unleash both positive and negative dynamics, some of which will exacerbate current ills in our profession. We then sketch out a values-based approach that can serve as a basis for reimagining academic conferences. This vision promotes a federated model of conferencing, grounded in principles of inclusion, diversity, community, and environmental stewardship.

COVID后会议应该是什么样的？在我们试图回答这个问题时，我们首先描述会议的主要功能和可供性。我们坦率的评估揭示了学者参加会议的广泛原因，以及出席会议的原因通常是个人动机和职业动机的结合。我们还阐述了面对面会议的一些缺点，涵盖个人、专业和社会问题。最近用于召集学者的替代（虚拟）格式提供了减轻其中一些缺点的方法，但似乎不能完全胜任为所有会议提供完全令人满意的解决方案的任务。而且，我们从之前的历史和当前的趋势推断，会议的技术解决方案可能会释放积极和消极的动力，其中一些将加剧我们行业当前的弊病。然后，我们勾勒出一种基于价值观的方法，可以作为重新构想学术会议的基础。这一愿景促进了一种基于包容性、多样性、社区和环境管理原则的联合会议模式。