United Methodist Women - Western North Carolina Conference

We are so excited to make our Spiritual Growth Retreat virtual this year with lots of opportunity for interaction and community. We do look forward to the day when we can again gather in person!

We are using an event platform called Whova that combines many features of an in-person event with the virtual space. Below we have compiled information to help you prepare for the retreat.
 
What is a virtual retreat? 
The Virtual Retreat is a remote experience conducted entirely over the internet. Attendees participate through a conference website designed specifically for the virtual experience. The conference site or app is where you will watch conference sessions via streaming video and participate in sessions by chatting in questions and comments and participating in session activities in real time.

What is Whova? 
The Whova app provides both a desktop (most people find the desktop link to be their favored way of participating) and a free mobile app. Whova embeds Zoom links within the platform for a seamless experience. Whova creates a virtual space where attendees are able to:

• View all scheduled sessions/activities and select the ones you want to attend
• Access workshops, and other events with a single click (no hunting for your Zoom meeting emails!)
• Set up virtual meet-ups to chat with old friends or make new ones
• Participate in Discussion Topics in the Community Board
• Get presentation documents and slides

When will I receive instructions for joining the retreat?
With your confirmation email. Our event will be “open” as soon as you register. This will allow attendees to create profiles and interact with other attendees, if they wish, and to familiarize themselves with the Whova platform. Navigating around is very simple, with everything in one place, and a clear menu.

What should I do before the retreat?
Whether you download the app or use the web link, you’ll be asked to create an account. It is very important to use the same email that you used when you registered, so that you’ll be recognized as an attendee of the retreat. Every person attending the retreat will need to create their own free Whova account.

How can I join the retreat? 
There are two options to join the retreat:

• Website – In your email, you will receive a personal web link to access the retreat website in which you will have access to the agenda, networking, sessions and much more. According to Whova, most people find the desktop link (basically a website to access our event with your internet browser) to be their favored way of participating in individual sessions.
• App – You can download the Whova app to participate in the conference through your phone or tablet. In your email, you will receive the links to download the app from either the Apple or Google Play stores. You can access all the features through the app that are available on the website.
• By phone – If you know someone who does not have internet, or a smartphone or tablet, they can participate in the retreat by joining individual sessions by dialing in on a landline phone. Reach out to Lynne Gilbert (lgilbert@wnccumc.org or Lisa Bacon (lisabacon304@gmail.com) for the dial-in information. It will not be shared on our website.

Can I share my virtual conference link or login information with other members of my church? 
The login link created is unique to each person who is registered for the conference. For every registration to attend virtually, only one device (computer, laptop, tablet, phone) will be allowed to enter a session of the virtual conference at a time.

What do I need to attend the virtual conference? 
To attend the virtual conference, you need a good internet connection, your device or computer, and a valid registration. You will receive login details.

If I want to watch 2 sessions that are streaming simultaneously, can I go back later and view one of them?
Yes, all of the sessions will be recorded, and will be available for viewing as quickly as possible after the live-streamed presentation.

How do I interact through the session?
Each session will have a dedicated moderator who will relay questions and comments to the presenter(s). There will be a Q&A module to ask questions and a chat module to talk with other attendees during the session.

What format should we expect the sessions to be?  
There will be plenary and workshop sessions. For each workshop session, the Session Moderator will kick-off the session and introduce the speakers. For each presentation, you will see the speaker and their PowerPoint presentation. Attendees will have an opportunity to engage in live Q&A with the speakers facilitated by the Session Moderator.

Will I be able to move from session to session during the conference? 
Yes, you will be able to move from session to session as you would during an in-person conference. After a session is over, you just click on the agenda tab and select the next session you want to join.

Can I arrange a virtual meet-up with friends and colleagues? 
Yes! Use the community board to schedule a virtual meet-up. You can make it closed (i.e., for a small group of people) or open to any attendees wishing to join.

HOW TO USE WHOVA

STEP 1:  SET UP YOUR WHOVA ACCOUNT

Once you’ve registered for the conference, you will need to set up your Whova account. (If you have NOT YET REGISTERED for the event, please do so here before continuing.) Whova is the virtual conference platform that you’ll use, whether you’re accessing the retreat on the web or via the app.

Set up your account here using the email address you registered with. Create a password that you will remember, and write it down for safekeeping.

IMPORTANT!!! The first time you set up this account, you MUST use the SAME email address that you used to register for the retreat. We really can’t stress this enough. Don’t use the Facebook login option, or any other login options, when setting up your account. Just create the account with your registration email address.

STEP 2:  LOG IN TO THE WHOVA PORTAL

The Whova portal is the mobile app and a website where most of the conference will happen. On the days of the retreat, this is where you’ll go to access your sessions and use other features.

Once you’ve created your Whova account, you can log back in at any time using the same email address and password you set up earlier.

There is a great Whova Attendee Guide to help you learn more about Whova, and explore all of the exciting opportunities that it will provide for being connected with your United Methodist Women sisters.

STEP 3:  HOW TO AVOID A FRUSTRATING EXPERIENCE

As with any virtual event, we may experience some technical issues and questions the day of the conference, and we will do our very best to address those as they come up.

IMPORTANT!!!! One easy thing you can do to avoid any frustration is to log in to the portal at least one day before the retreat. Whova is very user friendly, and it will make getting around between our sessions, and interacting with your United Methodist Women sisters a great experience…a COMMUNITY of WOMEN! Log in beginning June 1^st and join the Prayer Calendar chat for that day. And, browse around to see all of the information and opportunities for discussion, chat, virtual meetups, and more!

By taking a few minutes now to log in and explore the conference portal and its features, you’ll know exactly what to do when it’s time for the actual event. And if you encounter any issues (like, for example, you used an email address to set up your account that’s different from the one you registered with?), you’ll spot them ahead of time, and we’ll be available to help you fix them.

Need technical assistance? Click here to submit request so we can help you.

VISIT THE WHOVA PORTAL  

EVENT APP

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EVENT APP

We are excited to use Whova as our event platform. Attendees, please download the Whova event app.