If you're one of the thousands of professionals that live and practice in rural (and sometimes VERY rural) areas, the cost of keeping your education current can bite deep. Travel expenses, lost revenue, and inflexible seminar schedules can contribute to a less than satisfying experience. Advancements in technology, increasingly faster Internet speeds and the relatively low cost of creating content are opening the door for virtual continuing education providers to develop rich, varied and engaging course options. But until recently if you wanted the full seminar experience, complete with access to live courses, exhibitors, professional networking, promotions, and giveaways, you had no choice but to commit time and money, two things not all of us have to spare.
Bringing the Seminar to You
You may have seen the term Virtual Conference floating around the Internet over the past couple of years, but, until recently, that term generally referred to an online sharing of information via bulletin boards.
Sounds a bit boring, doesn't it?
But times have changed and now new technologies that work to bring people together have opened the door for true virtual conferences, events with audio, visual and interactive components. Now it's actually possible to bring the virtual continuing education seminar experience to you (well, to your computer to be exact).
What A Virtual Conference Has To Offer
Virtual conferences are perfect for professionals who crave the seminar experience but lack the time (and sometimes resources) to travel to a faraway location. Online events include the best that a live seminar has to offer:
- Live courses are streamed in real time and interaction with the presenter happens through a simple and easy to use text messaging application. States that have live course requirements may approve courses taken during a virtual conference. (Check our approvals page to see if your state is one of them.)
- Special interviews with presenters and exhibitors - Learn more about our professional instructors and our special vendor exhibitors.
- Participation in special promotions and prize giveaways. Don't miss out on all the fun and free stuff simply because you can't be there in person.
- Networking and interaction with fellow conference attendees (both online and onsite), easily accessible through special mobile ready communications sites. Review courses, discuss current issues or just shoot the breeze. It's really almost like being there.
- Convenience! Just imagine, no stressing about time or budget. Log in from anywhere you can get to the Internet: Home, office, garden or poolside!
No Special Tools Required
While it may sound like you need a bunch of high tech and expensive equipment to participate, you don't. Attending an online seminar is as easy as logging into a website with your regular old computer or laptop. If you can surf the Internet, browse Facebook and watch a video clip on your computer, you can participate in this groundbreaking new concept in educational seminars.
Attending continuing education seminars used to mean a decent time and financial commitment. Thanks to advances in technology and the Internet, it's getting easier and more common to host and attend convenient and cost-effective events online.
So now instead of flying halfway around the country and spending buckets of money, you can attend quality educational courses while soaking up the sun poolside and drinking a ridiculously fruity drink.