Conference Attendees Research Articles

Intrinsic Motivations and Religiosity of Christian Conference Attendees

Through the lens of social identity theory, this study aims to identify which motivations are pertinent for Christian conference attendance. It also aims to determine what constitutes religiosity for attendees and if Christian conference attendance is dependent on attendees’ religiosity, demographics, and/or ministry role. Based on survey responses (N = 209) collected at four Australian Christian conferences that were analyzed using correlation analysis, it was concluded that although motivations are largely correlated, spiritual encouragement and congregating with like-minded people are the dominant motivations for attendance. Religiosity comprised beliefs, emotions, and behavior. Chisquare analysis determined that attendees are of different ages, education, and ministry roles, and analysis‐of‐variance identified respondents that exhibited high religiosity are differentiated on their demographics. Binary regression identified that Christian conference motivation was largely dependent on attendees??? religious behavior. To further satisfy attendees, it is recommended that Christian conference organizers promote the need for togetherness and spiritual encouragement.

1.C. Round table: Navigating the 17th European Public Health Conference: A Guide for First-Time Attendees

Abstract Are you attending the European Public Health Conference for the first time? If yes, this session is for you. Join us for an engaging session tailored specifically for first-time attendees of the 17th European Public Health Conference in Lisbon, Portugal. This session aims to provide newcomers with valuable insights and strategies to maximize their experience and effectively navigate the conference. Our seasoned conference veterans will share practical tips on a range of topics, including, but not being limited to: 1. Conference Navigation: Learn how to navigate the conference programme, the venue efficiently, locate sessions of interest, and make the most of your time between sessions. 2. Networking: Discover the importance of networking in the field of public health and gain strategies for initiating meaningful conversations, building professional relationships, and expanding your professional network. 3. Session Selection: Gain insights into selecting sessions and workshops that align with your interests, career goals, and areas of expertise. Learn how to prioritize your schedule and make the most of concurrent sessions. 4. Poster Presentations: Understand the significance of poster presentations and how to effectively engage with presenters. Discover techniques for synthesizing information and asking insightful questions. 5. Self-Care: Explore strategies for maintaining physical and mental well-being throughout the conference, including tips for managing fatigue, staying hydrated, and finding moments of relaxation amidst the hustle and bustle. Whether you’re a student, researcher, practitioner, or policymaker, this session will equip you with the tools and knowledge needed to navigate the 17th European Public Health Conference with confidence and make the most of this invaluable opportunity for professional development and networking. Key messages • First-time attendee at the European Public Health Conference? Don’t miss this tailored session for essential insights and strategies to maximize your experience in Lisbon. • Join seasoned veterans for practical tips on navigating the conference, networking effectively, selecting sessions, engaging with poster presentations, and prioritizing self-care. Speakers/Panelists Robert Klarecki EPH Conference Office Jinane Ghattas Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium

Conceptions of Everyday Life in Information Science

ABSTRACTThis panel examines conceptions of everyday life in Information Science. Several theories about everyday life and its information phenomena will be reviewed and analyzed for their origins, distinctions, and divergent claims. Four expert panelists who have published on these matters will encapsulate their ideas, and there will be a video interlude, as well. By design, the panel Agenda features short opening statements, leaving 40 minutes to discuss: How do existing notions of everyday life within Information Science bring information into focus in different ways? Are informational conceptions of everyday life adequate or wanting of critical re‐examination? In keeping with ASIS&T's multiperspective community, inputs will be sought from students, practitioners, first‐time conference attendees, and other groups, in turn. If, as Marcia J. Bates claims, we are “…always looking for the red thread of information in the social texture of people's lives” (1999, p. 1048) then we need to individually and collectively reflect on the nature of everyday life.

A philosophical exploration of rural health and nursing based on an undergraduate United States-Australian collaboration through the lens of 'positionality'.

Growing nursing workforce maldistributions impede rural healthcare access globally. In-depth exploration of underlying philosophical ideas about rural health in nursing curricular could support recruitment and retention of nurses who are well positioned to support and advocated for health care and services relevant to their communities. Through a lens of positionality, the purpose of this paper is to explore rural health and nursing within the United States and Australia from the perspective of undergraduate students. Recognizing that both countries have 'first world' health services, issues of access to services associated with systemic and structural biases were significant features identified by participants. Their perceptions were supported by discussion with attendees of the 26th International Nursing Philosophy Conference from several countries, during a presentation titled 'What is different about rural health nursing: A philosophical exploration.'This international consistency suggests that systemic and structural biases are global phenomena. While exposure to rural health and rural nursing may be beneficial for recruitment, preparing nurses for rural practice requires more than educating students to complete clinical tasks. Uncovering collaboration, advocacy and policy development opportunities for nurses in rural communities could move the dial from recruiting rural nurses to fulfill immediate needs to retention of well-educated and highly skilled nurses. Building a stronger philosophical base for rural healthcare inclusive of all people, honouring their distinguishing characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity, is long overdue. Positionality can inform how nurses across the globe relate to other countries' governments, cultures, norms, values, expectations, etc., which can influence the advancement of the profession and address social inequities among rural populations.

Microbial laden mobile phones from international conference attendees pose potential risks to public health and biosecurity

IntroductionMobile phones, contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms, have the potential to act as “trojan horses”. The microbial signatures present on their surfaces most probably vary across different geographical regions. As a result, mobile phones belonging to international conference attendees may serve as a model for global microbial dissemination, posing potential risks to public health and biosecurity. AimThis study aimed to profile the microbes present on mobile phones belonging to delegates attending an international scientific conference through use of metagenomic shotgun DNA sequencing. MethodsTwenty mobile phones, representing ten different geographical zones from around the world, were swabbed and pooled together into ten geographical-specific samples for high definition next-generation DNA sequencing. WONCA council members were invited to participate and provided verbal consent. Following DNA extraction, next generation sequencing, to a depth of approximately 10Gbp per sample, was undertaken on a v1.5 Illumina NovaSeq6000 system. Bioinformatic analysis was performed via the CosmosID platform. ResultsA total of 2204 microbial hits were accumulated across 20 mobile phones inclusive of 882 bacteria, 1229 viruses, 88 fungi and 5 protozoa. Of particular concern was the identification of 65 distinct antibiotic resistance genes and 86 virulence genes. Plant, animal and human pathogens, including ESKAPE and HACEK bacteria were found on mobile phones. Discussion/conclusionMobile phones of international attendees are contaminated with many & varied microorganisms. Further research is required to characterize the risks these devices pose for biosecurity and public health. Development of new policies which appropriately address and prevent such risks maybe warranted.

Implementing Linkage Quality Assessments in Large-Scale Privacy Preserving Infrastructure: Did we kill them a second time and why are there zombies?

The National Clinical Cohort Collaborative (N3C) uses privacy-preserving record linkage (PPRL) to formulate longitudinal patient histories and for de-duplication across disparate data including electronic health records, administrative claims, and mortality data. The N3C employs a linkage honest broker implementation model which separates the entity holding de-identified PPRL tokens, from the entity holding the substantive data payloads. As a result of this data governance structure, linkage quality assessments are necessarily distributed into 2 distinct processes: 1) Linkage Honest Broker receipt and processing of linkages, 2) Data Aggregation entity assembling data based on received linkage crosswalks. Data is released on a weekly basis. This presentation will focus on Step 2 for the Mortality data linkages where the downstream data linkage pipelines must assess linkage quality across several dimensions of quality, focused on plausibility. There are 4 types of mortality data spanning the electronic health record, government Social Security Administration death master files, third-party obituary data, and administrative claims. Each of these sources has different levels of authoritativeness and data latency, compounding the challenges of reconciling fact of death including accurate death reporting dates. To address these challenges, we implemented an automated linkage quality pipeline which generates reports that assess linkage plausibility across the various data types, classifying concordance and discordance between data sources including age, dates of death, surfacing plausible and non-plausible activities post-death. Sharing our real-world implementation will aid conference attendees in understanding how to plan for such activities when considering specific implementation models for privacy-preserving linkages.

Academia's Role in Climate Action: Enhancing Awareness and Reducing Environmental Impact of Academic Events

A clean environment is vital for both population health and the well-being of our planet (Brusseau et al., 2019). In-person gatherings, like academic conferences, significantly contribute to carbon emissions that harm the environment, highlighting the importance of finding opportunities to reduce these emissions (Tao et al., 2021). Cognizant of the environmental cost of our annual national in-person research team gathering, our team sought to minimize the environmental impact of our 2023 gathering while raising awareness among team members. Our actions included using reusable tableware, composting food waste, and hosting an education session by the local environment office. Not only did our efforts increase awareness among gathering attendees about the importance of considering environmental impact reduction opportunities in their work, but they also catalyzed similar efforts at two national conferences. Our team took the lead in developing an evaluation of the environmental impact of each national conference and surveyed over 150 conference attendees. We collected demographic information, travel mode to the conference, and attitudes about environmental harms via a digital conference application. We also observed environmental actions implemented by event organizers and venue hosts. A carbon emission score and frequency distributions of attitudes surrounding the environment were calculated. Where possible, a food waste assessment was conducted. Findings showed that event organizers made efforts to minimize the environmental impact of their event by selecting a venue whose management was interested in collaborating; by encouraging attendees to carpool and use reusable water bottles; by serving plant-based meals, and by minimizing single-use products. Findings also revealed that most conference attendees consider it important to reduce the environmental impact of their professional lives. Given the value of face-to-face interaction in facilitating knowledge exchange (Chan et al., 2023), it is important that organizers continue to make efforts to reduce carbon emissions when planning events.

Rural adolescent attitudes and use of helmets while riding ATVs, motorcycles and dirt bikes

BackgroundHead injuries are the most common cause of death in some motorized vehicles for which helmet use can significantly decrease the risk. Our objective was to determine rural adolescents’ attitudes regarding helmets and their use while riding ATVs, motorcycles and dirt bikes.MethodsA convenience sample of 2022 Iowa FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) Leadership Conference attendees were surveyed. After compilation, data were imported into the statistical program, R (https://www.R-project.org/). Descriptive statistics, contingency table, logistic regression and non-parametric alternatives to ANOVA analyses were performed.Results1331 adolescents (13–18 years) participated. One half lived on a farm, 21% lived in the country/not on a farm and 28% were from towns. Nearly two-thirds (65%) owned an ATV with 77% of all having ridden one in the past year. Farm residents had the highest ATV ownership (78%) and having ridden (80%) proportions, both p < 0.001. Overall, ownership and ridership for motorcycles (22% and 30%, respectively) and dirt bikes (29% and 39%, respectively) was significantly less than ATVs, all p < 0.001. Of ATV riders, those living on farms or in the country/not on a farm rode them more frequently than those from towns, p < 0.001. Higher percentages always/mostly wore helmets when riding dirt bikes (51%) and motorcycles (57%) relative to ATVs (21%), p < 0.001. Those from farms had lower proportions wearing helmets versus those living elsewhere for all vehicles. Helmet use importance ratings (1–10, 10 high) were not different for motorcycles (mean 8.6, median 10) and dirt bikes (mean 8.3, median 10), but much lower for ATVs (mean 6.1, median 6). Females, non-owners, and helmet law supporters all had higher helmet use importance ratings. Males, those from farms, and owners and riders of the vehicles all had lower proportions that supported helmet laws. Support for helmet laws was significantly lower for ATVs (30.7%) than dirt bikes (56.3%) or motorcycles (72.3%), both p < 0.001. Those whose families had strict ATV “No Helmet, No Riding” rules had much higher helmet use and helmet importance ratings.ConclusionsOur study indicates that the safety culture surrounding helmet use is relatively poor among rural adolescents, especially on farms, and deserves targeted interventions.

Give Conference Attendees Something to Talk About

Give Conference Attendees Something to Talk About

Gender and ethnicity intersect to reduce participation at a large European hybrid HIV conference

ObjectiveTo evaluate how gender and ethnicity of panel members intersect to effect audience participation at a large European hybrid conference.DesignAn observational cross-sectional study design was used to collect data at...

Modeling listeners’ perceptions of quality in consecutive interpreting: a case study of a technology interpreting event

Understanding listeners’ perceptions of consecutive interpreting (CI) quality is crucial for the interpreting profession and service management. However, research in this area is still in its early stages, lacking in-depth exploration of how listeners’ subjective factors impact their perceived CI quality and the extent of these interactions. This study introduced a research model based on existing literature, incorporating six key listener variables: listeners’ quality expectations, perceived characteristics of the interpreter, experiences with CI, domain knowledge, perceived dependence on CI, and perceived communicative effect. A case-based survey was conducted during a simulated interpreter-mediated technical conference. We surveyed 107 conference attendees before and after the technical event, testing 11 proposed hypotheses using their self-reported data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that (1) domain knowledge has a negative impact on listeners’ perceived CI quality, while the remaining five listener variables positively influence their CI quality perceptions. Quality expectations emerge as the most influential predictor, followed by perceived characteristics of the interpreter and perceived communicative effect. (2) Listeners’ perceived characteristics of the interpreter and perceived communicative effect are positively predicted by their quality expectations, which highlights the fundamental role of quality expectations. (3) Domain knowledge and experiences with CI are confirmed as significant factors influencing quality expectations, while perceived characteristics of the interpreter significantly drive perceived communicative effect. Overall, the findings reveal the complex interplay of these subjective factors and illustrate how they collectively shape listeners’ perceptions of CI quality. Theoretical and practical implications for professional interpreting practice and interpreter training are also discussed.

Antimicrobial Stewardship Practice Changes Following a Statewide Educational Conference in Nebraska

Background: In 2023, Nebraska held its 4th state antimicrobial stewardship (AS) educational conference, an annual one-day in-person event with continuing education offered for nurses, pharmacists, microbiology lab technicians, and physicians. One challenge of educational events is determining if content has been translated into practice. We sought to assess AS-related practice changes implemented by conference attendees. Methods: Conference attendees were sent 2 surveys by email following the conference. Survey 1 questions were integrated into the continuing education credit evaluation immediately following the conference. Survey 2 was sent three months later to all registered attendees. Qualitative responses were grouped by theme and descriptive statistics were used to evaluate Results: There were 203 attendees from across the state including a diverse group of learners (Table 1) representing metropolitan and rural areas of Nebraska (Figure 1) from acute care hospitals, critical access hospitals, long-term care settings, and public health. A total of 148 attendees (73%) answered questions in Survey 1 (Table 2), and 79 (39%) attendees responded to Survey 2. On Survey 1, 94% of respondents indicated that they intended to make practice changes, though 60% anticipated barriers including further staff training needs and lack of resources and health system support. On Survey 2, 83% of respondents indicated successful implementation of practice changes at three months after the conference. The most common practice changes included enhanced communication strategies, improved antibiotic tracking, monitoring, and review, policy and procedure updates, and AS tool implementation. On Survey 1, 26% (35/131) strongly agreed that their ability to treat patients was adequate prior to the conference; this increased to 55% (72/131) post-conference. On Survey 2, 56% (22/39) of respondents reported improvement in patient outcomes because of implemented practice changes following conference attendance. However, some also mentioned a short follow-up survey timeline as a limitation in assessing patient outcome improvements. Reported outcomes included improved receptiveness from providers, patients, and families to antibiotic use recommendations, shorter prescribed durations, and more appropriate initial antibiotic selection. Improved team performance was noted by 73% (27/37) of respondents. Themes included improved communication with internal and external stakeholders, more collaborative team discussions, increased confidence in recommendations, expanded provider and staff engagement, and increased leadership involvement. Conclusions: In addition to improved knowledge and understanding for a variety of AS-related areas, attendees of the conference also reported a high rate of practice changes that led to perceived improvements in patient outcomes and team function.

Description of control measures, attitudes, and behaviours at a scientific conference with a confirmed COVID-19 case but no reported onward transmission, November 2021 England

BackgroundCOVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) outbreaks in workplace settings have been investigated to understand how transmission occurred. However, there is limited data looking at COVID-19 transmission in conference settings in England, particularly where an outbreak did not occur. The aim of this work was to investigate COVID-19 infection risk factors and control measures at a large conference, with a known case but no reported onward transmission to inform prevention of future outbreaks of respiratory infections in conferences and similar settings. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was part of a wider COVID-19 Outbreak Investigation to Understand Transmission (COVID-OUT) study. A two-day in-person conference on SARS-CoV-2 transmission and environment was held at a university conference centre on 17–November 18, 2021, in England, with about 100 delegates. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 50 conference attendees to identify any confirmed cases and understand transmission, history of COVID-19 symptoms, testing and vaccination. ResultsOne person met the definition of a confirmed case at the conference. This case was most likely infectious when attending the conference, however there were no known secondary cases. All respondents reported receiving at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine before the conference and an increased frequency of handwashing/sanitising hands during the study period in comparison to before the pandemic. Prior to the conference, a COVID-19 risk assessment including a review of the ventilation at the site was completed. All attendees were advised to take an LFD test before travelling to the conference, wear face coverings, and maintain 1-m distance during the conference. ConclusionA multipronged approach, encouraging attendee behaviours (regular hand washing, mask wearing, being vaccinated against COVID-19) and introducing control measures at the conference site (ventilation, sufficient spacing capacity, combined with prior knowledge of COVID-19 transmission, were effective in limiting the spread of COVID-19 in this setting.

Assessment of Ventilation Using Adult and Pediatric Manual Resuscitators in a Simulated Adult Patient.

The bag-valve-mask (BVM) or manual resuscitator bag is used as a first-line technique to ventilate patients with respiratory failure. Volume-restricted manual resuscitator bags (eg, pediatric bags) have been suggested to minimize overventilation and associated complications. There are studies that both support and caution against the use of a pediatric resuscitator bag to ventilate an adult patient. In this study, we evaluated the ability of pre-hospital clinicians to adequately ventilate an adult manikin with both an adult- and pediatric-size manual resuscitator bag without the assistance of an advanced airway or airway adjunct device. This study was conducted at an international conference in 2022. Conference attendees with pre-hospital health care experience were recruited to ventilate an adult manikin using a BVM for 1 min with both an adult and pediatric resuscitator bag, without the use of adjunct airway devices, while 6 ventilatory variables were collected or calculated: tidal volume (VT), breathing frequency, adequate breaths (VT > 150 mL), proportion of adequate breaths, peak inspiratory pressure (PIP), and estimated alveolar ventilation (EAV). A total of 208 participants completed the study. Ventilation with the adult-sized BVM delivered an average VT of 290.4 mL compared to 197.1 mL (P < .001) when using the pediatric BVM. PIP with the adult BVM was higher than with the pediatric BVM (10.6 cm H2O vs 8.6 cm H2O, P < .001). The median EAV with the adult bag (1,138.1 [interquartile range [IQR] 194.0-2,869.9] mL/min) was markedly greater than with the pediatric BVM (67.7 [IQR 0-467.3] mL/min, P < .001). Both pediatric- and adult-sized BVM provided lower ventilation volumes than those recommended by professional guidelines for an adult. Ventilation with the pediatric BVM was significantly worse than with the adult bag when ventilating a simulated adult subject.

Mobilizing middlemen: the Conservative Political Action Conference and the creation of party activists

ABSTRACT How are activists molded into middlemen in a polarized two-party system? Using the case of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), this paper examines the process of activist mobilization that occurs at political gatherings. Using two rounds of interviews and participant observation from CPAC in 2019 and 2020, I argue that contrary to popular media portrayals of CPAC as political theater now rooted in the spectacle of President Trump, the conference is an important site of mobilizing activists into party middlemen. This happens through three processes: first conference attendees are taught conservative policy stances and presented with a bundle of issue positions; second, they are provided with the tools for effective activism formally through provided training and informally through socialization; and finally, their conservative identity is continually defined and reinforced with cultural meaning-making practices throughout the conference.

Voices of conference attendees: how should future hybrid conferences be designed?

BackgroundWith conference attendees having expressed preference for hybrid meeting formats (containing both in-person and virtual components), organisers are challenged to find the best combination of events for academic meetings. Better understanding what attendees prioritise in a hybrid conference should allow better planning and need fulfilment.MethodsAn online survey with closed and open-ended questions was distributed to registrants of an international virtual conference. Responses were then submitted to descriptive statistical analysis and directed content analysis.Results823 surveys (Response Rate = 4.9%) were received. Of the 813 who expressed a preference, 56.9% (N = 463) desired hybrid conference formats in the future, 32.0% (N = 260) preferred in-person conferences and 11.1% (N = 90) preferred virtual conferences. Presuming a hybrid meeting could be adopted, 67.4% (461/684) preferred that virtual sessions take place both during the in-person conference and be spread throughout the year. To optimise in-person components of hybrid conferences, recommendations received from 503 respondents included: prioritising clinical skills sessions (26.2%, N = 132), live international expert presentations and discussions (15.7%, N = 79) and interaction between delegates (13.5%, N = 68). To optimise virtual components, recommendations received from 486 respondents included: prioritising a live streaming platform with international experts’ presentations and discussions (24.3%, N = 118), clinical case discussions (19.8%, N = 96) and clinical update sessions (10.1%, N = 49).ConclusionsAttendees envision hybrid conferences in which organisers can enable the vital interaction between individuals during an in-person component (e.g., networking, viewing and improving clinical skills) while accessing virtual content at their convenience (e.g., online expert presentations with latest advancements, clinical case discussions and debates). Having accessible virtual sessions throughout the year, as well as live streaming during the in-person component of hybrid conferences, allows for opportunity to prolong learning beyond the conference days.

Examining the effect of gamification mobile app on conference engagement: an integration of S-O-R framework and UGT

PurposeBy integrating stimulus-organism-response theory and uses and gratifications theory, this study explored the salient gamification factors that satisfy the gratifications of conference attendees in the context of an event gamification mobile app and their relationships with conference engagement, continuance intention and word-of-mouth.Design/methodology/approachThe questionnaire was developed in Qualtrics and administered on a gamification application called Goosechase during an annual hospitality conference. The proposed hypotheses were tested using the partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe gratifications of social presence, education and entertainment through a gamification mobile app influences attendees’ engagement during the conference while achievement gratification does not. Positive effects of conference engagement on their continuous intention and WOM have been also validated.Originality/valueBy adopting a unique integrated approach that utilizes UGT and S-O-R framework, while considering conference engagement as work-related engagement, this study offers a fresh perspective on gamification apps and discusses its theoretical and practical implications in depth.

Preface

The advent of the fourth information revolution has made the digital economy a major driver of energy transition and low-carbon development. The overall architecture of smart energy is based on intelligence as the core, and based on infrastructure platforms such as intelligent cloud and IoT, as well as AI middle platform, Data middle office ether, etc. And with the help of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain, digital twins and other technologies, smart energy can promote the intelligent transformation of energy enterprises ultimately.Against such background, the 2023 2nd International Conference on Smart Energy and Electrical Engineering (SEEE 2023) was held via hybrid form during December 22nd to 24th, 2023 in Malaysia. It was attended by about 50 researchers, scientists, engineers, and students working in the fields of smart energy and electrical engineering.The aims of SEEE 2023 are:To create an academic forum for sharing, communication and research at the international level, so that participants can be informed of the latest research directions, contents and results of smart energy and electrical engineering.To provide approaches to the main problems facing smart energy and electrical engineering, creating spaces that encourage discussion and joint development of research, technology development, and innovation.The excellent papers selected form the submissions were approved for presentation at the Conference and publication in this Conference Proceedings. Among the submissions are some submitted from abroad, but are unfortunately not accepted after rigorous review processes.There was an enabling environment for discussion and exchange of ideas, during which topics such as Core Technology of Intelligent Energy Equipment, Smart Transmission and Distribution, Power Grid Dispatching and Automatic Control, Power Systems and Energy, Electrical Theory and New Technology, etc. were presented. Some of the important issues were the sharing and discussion of Wireless Power Transfer and its Application on Electric Vehicle Wireless Charging by Prof. Yiming Zhang (Fuzhou University, China), Corona Loss Characteristics of EHV/UHV AC Transmission Lines by A. Prof. Shilong Huang (North China Electric Power University, China), Integrated Renewable Energy System based on Hydrogen by Prof. Mohan Lal Kolhe (University of Agder, Norway), etc.As in the last meeting, SEEE 2023 was again a space for the integration of undisputed knowledge and sharing of peer experiences within the specific areas of smart energy and electrical engineering. Both conference and presentation sessions were attended by many conference attendees, allowing closer relationships, both academic, as well as scientific and personal. The cordiality and good treatment of the attendees promoted a climate of friendship, which we could enjoy during all the development of the conference agenda.We would like to extend an enthusiastic round of thanks to all our conference authors and speakers for their excellent contributions. We are indebted to the Technical Program Committee for their efforts in making and pushing the conference program. Thanks also to the members of Journal of Physics: Conference Series for making the publication of SEEE 2023’s Proceedings possible.List of Committee Member is available in this pdf.

Use of Digital COVID-19 Exposure Notifications at a Large Gathering: Survey Analysis of Public Health Conference Attendees.

WA Notify was Washington State's smartphone-based COVID-19 digital exposure notification (EN) tool, which was used to help limit the spread of COVID-19 between November 30, 2020, and May 11, 2023. Following the 2022 Washington State Public Health Association Annual Conference, attendees who had WA Notify activated began receiving ENs alerting them to a possible COVID-19 exposure during the conference. A survey was emailed to all conference attendees to measure WA Notify adoption, mechanisms through which attendees received ENs, and self-reported engagement in protective behaviors postexposure. This study aimed to learn more about the experiences of WA Notify adopters and nonadopters who may have been exposed to COVID-19 at a large group gathering. A web-based survey administered through REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture; Vanderbilt University) was sent to all attendees of the Washington State Public Health Association conference. Self-reported demographic information and characteristics of respondents were summarized. Regression models were used to estimate relative risks to compare WA Notify adoption and testing behaviors between groups. Of the 464 total registered attendees who were sent the survey, 205 (44%) responses were received; 201 eligible attendees were included in this analysis. Of those, 149 (74%) respondents reported having WA Notify activated on their phones at the time of the conference. Among respondents with WA Notify activated, 54% (n=77) reported learning of their potential exposure from a WA Notify EN. Respondents who reported that they did not have WA Notify activated and learned of their potential exposure via the event-wide email from conference organizers were 39% less likely to test for COVID-19 compared to respondents with WA Notify activated who learned of their potential exposure from the email (relative risk 0.61, 95% CI 0.40-0.93; P=.02), and this gap was even larger when compared to respondents who learned of their exposure from a WA Notify EN. The most commonly cited reason for not having WA Notify activated was privacy concerns (n=17, 35%), followed by not wanting to receive ENs (n=6, 12%) and being unaware of WA Notify (n=5, 10%). Digital EN systems are an important tool to directly and anonymously notify close contacts of potential exposures and provide guidance on the next steps in a timely manner. Given the privacy concerns, there is still a need for increasing transparency surrounding EN technology to increase uptake by the public if this technology were to be used in the future to slow the spread of communicable diseases.

Toronto’s Respite Program for Families of Children with Complex Needs

Summary Destination Toronto (DT), Toronto’s Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), aims to bring visitors and conference attendees to Toronto. DMOs have an extensive network in the visitor economy that they can activate to address social issues in their communities. The well-being of caregivers to children with complex special needs is often overlooked despite the important role they play. The visitor economy can contribute some relief to this group by providing a pleasant break from day-to-day responsibilities of care. DT uses its network of tourism-related businesses to give back to the community through the Relax, Recharge, Renew (RRR) Program, offering a weekend trip to parents and caregivers of children with special needs. This case study displays the importance of having social intrapreneurs who drive change to provide resident-tailored tourism experiences and underscores the significance of local partnerships. Additionally, realistic considerations for replicability at other destinations are discussed. The case study highlights the potential to expand collaboration in the hospitality and tourism sector, providing enriching experiences to underserved residents. Information © The Authors 2024