Personal interaction and networking have always been vital parts of UNITE conferences in the past. With our annual conference going virtual this year, the opportunity for delegates to visit with each other, network, and exchange information outside of the scheduled conference sessions is greatly diminished.
To help compensate for the decrease in natural interaction at this year’s conference, UNITE has set up a Discord server for delegates to use during the conference.
Discord (discord.com) is an instant messaging, voice-over-IP (VoIP), and digital distribution platform. A Discord “server” is a virtual entity. It is a collection of text messaging and voice/video “channels” oriented to a specific user community. Text channels work like a bulletin-board or text chat room. Voice channels work somewhat like a telephone conference call. Once you join a voice channel, you can enable video chatting on that channel as well.
Discord is free to use. The UNITE 2020 Conference server is available now. To join this server, simply open this invitation link in a web browser:
https://discord.gg/DH3Dd9uX6s
That page will guide you to set up a Discord account if you do not already have one. You will need to supply a “nickname” that identifies you to other users, your email address, your birth date, and an account password. The Discord site will send you an email to verify your address. After you click the link in that email, Discord will open its web interface in your browser. Click on the UNITE logo to enter our conference server.
You may also download a native Discord app for your PC or mobile device. The web interface works very well, but we recommend that you download one of the apps, especially for use on mobile devices.
We have configured the conference server with text and voice channels for the major interest groups we have used in past conferences:
- Agile Business Suite / EAE
- MCP Systems
- Management and Planning
- OS 2200 Systems
We have also established channels for announcements, reporting problems and issues to the conference organizers, and for general networking and social interaction among delegates. If you have difficulties setting up Discord or joining our server, please send an email to conf.plan@unite.org.
We hope you will join the UNITE 2020 Conference server and use it to enjoy the personal interaction and networking opportunities we would otherwise be missing in this first virtual UNITE conference. Below is a brief guide to help you get started. In addition, please read the messages in the #start-here channel.
The UNITE Board and Advisors
