b'2021 CONFERENCEexperience for attendees as face-to-face conferences in the past. Knowing this lofty goal would be difficult to achieve, SICA staff spent many months learning how Hopin functioned, including attending related industry events that were using the platform. It was then a matter of practice, practice, practice with the platform prior to the start of the conference.VIRTUAL REALITYFor a first attempt at running a virtual The WorkSafeBCs Approach to COVID-19 panel hosted by Chris Back, Director of OHSconference, it was well attended, ran Consultation & Education Services. smoothly and exceeded our expectations, says Schneider. Post-conference feedback from attendees was positive with many suggestions received about content for the future. Some of the highlights of the conference from Schneiders perspective were the quality of the topics and speakers chosen by the committee and the interaction between session speakers and attendees on the virtual platform. An important conference objective is to have all attending members leave the conference with a number of session takeaways that assist their businesses. Based on the topics presented, SICA feels confident that even with the new virtual format, this objectiveStructural Engineering was achieved once again. Building Science SICA would also like to extend a big thank you to the sponsors for the 2021Structural Restoration Conference: CapriCMW Insurance (mainStructural Glass Engineering event sponsor), Jim Pattison Lease (VIP sponsor), CanCadd Imaging SolutionsParking Facility Design (silver sponsor) and MediaEdge PublishingBuilding Energy Modelling (silver sponsor). Audits & Studies In 2022, the SICA Conference should return to its normal face-to-face format, and members will again get the chance to learn whats new in the industry and enjoy each others company at this industry event. While Schneider says she is a face-to-face person who loves the in-person interaction of industry gatherings, she also acknowledges a significant upside to the virtual option. This experience has given our team an important understanding of how virtual platforms can be used, she explains. We are already thinking of how the virtual approach can be coupled with face-to-face events in the future to involve more members in SICA events that cannot attend in person.rjc.ca Creative Thinking Practical Results For more information on the conference or to access videos of the conference sessions, contact Candace Schneider or the SICA office.42 SOUTHERN INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION'