Community is the best medicine (virtual conference)

High-quality, up-to-date content is delivered to you via an online platform that is open for four weeks. During the first week, you will have the opportunity to log in, test your connection and become familiar with the set-up. The live sessions will take place over four half-days in the second week, giving you the option to catch up on demand until the end of week four.

Virtual conferences mean you can digest content at your own pace and work around a busy schedule. You can pause and rewind presentations and put your questions to our expert speakers. There is a 'main room' for public conversations and the option of one-to-one networking. Virtual exhibition stands enable you to interact with a range of organisations who will share expertise and information – all at a time that suits you.

• Before the event, tell your colleagues that you are taking part and block out the time in your diary. 
• Make sure you are using an up-to-date web browser on a laptop or desktop. We recommend Google Chrome or Firefox for the best delegate experience.
• In week one, introduce yourself in the main chat. This is an easy way of ‘getting your voice in the room’, starting conversations and establishing new relationships with colleagues in health and care. 
• Avoid as many distractions as possible so you can immerse yourself in the sessions as you would at a physical conference. Treat each session as a meeting, put your phone on silent and close down your emails.
• If you know you won’t be able to watch certain sessions live, you can submit your questions in advance and put aside time in the third or fourth week to catch up on demand.
• Each session is approximately one hour long and there is always at least a half-an-hour break between sessions so you can take a screen break or catch up on emails.
• Make the most of the online community by taking part in the live Q&As and opting in to one-to-one networking. 
• Make sure you secure time in your diary at some point over the four weeks to visit the exhibition stands, where you will find free resources and can have conversations with experts from across the health and care system.

When the event is taking place, there will be technical support available at all times but it is worth using the extra time before the first session to log in and test your connection, just in case.

Throughout the conference, we will share PDFs of the presentation slides in the lecture theatre, links to resources in the networking area and various materials in the exhibition. 

The portal is open for four weeks from Monday 14 June - Sunday 11 July, when you will have the opportunity to either watch, save or download these resources. 

Once the platform closes (on Sunday 11 July), you will no longer have access to these materials so please ensure you save everything you need beforehand. 

The King's Fund is an independent charitable organisation working to improve health and care in England. Our events are a key source of income, and this income enables us to continue with our charitable objectives. 

The cost of running a virtual conference is similar to that of a physical event. Although a virtual conference has fewer room hire and catering costs, in order to produce a high-quality event, we still need to pay the costs for the technical supplier, support and developing the platform. With some sessions taking place in our building, we do have to cover some venue costs. We also have a team of dedicated events professionals, content experts, digital, marketing and finance support that work on these events.  

Any profit that is made from these events goes directly towards achieving our strategic priorities. You can find out more about how we are funded here. 

We offer a number of free bursary places for patients and carers. These places are limited to maintain a balance of voices in the room between patients, service users, carers, and health and care professionals.  To apply for a bursary place please email us a short paragraph explaining why you wish to attend.

When you register for this event, we will ask you to email us at events@kingsfund.org.uk if you have any accessibility requirements.