Video-on-Demand option available for Cell Bio sessions

Cell Bio 2022 has come to a close, and I am happy to report that our first in-person meeting after the pandemic was an enormous success.  Our community was excited to be back together and really enjoyed the scientific program and the many professional development offerings at the meeting.

We knew that some in the cell biology community would not be able to attend Cell Bio 2022 in person. Thus, we are trying an experiment, making some of the content of the meeting available on-demand. Some concerns have been raised on Twitter about this Video on Demand (VOD) option, particularly about our decision to charge for this service. I would like to address these concerns here.

The VOD option was developed to make the Cell Bio meeting as accessible as possible. Some talks were pre-recorded by speakers, and this ensured that even speakers who were unexpectedly unable to join us in person were still able to share their work at the meeting.  Other talks were professionally recorded by ASCB during Cell Bio 2022. On-site recording and packaging of nearly 500 talks into an on-demand offering costs the Society, and our speaker agreements stated that recorded sessions would be offered for purchase to cover these costs. Rather than increase the cost of registration for all to make VOD free for attendees, we opted to keep registration costs as low as possible and only charge for VOD to those wishing to access that content. Speakers are welcome to share their own talks. Individuals who would like access to the full Cell Bio 2022 meeting of nearly 500 talks can choose to purchase the on-demand package created by ASCB. 

As this VOD option is an experiment in progress, we are particularly interested in learning if such a resource is desired by the community and if it should be continued in the years ahead.  We will also be looking at the best ways to price and distribute this resource.

ASCB is dedicated to supporting the cell biology community. All resources of the Society are invested in giving back to the community through our year-round offerings, including the annual Cell Bio meeting. I encourage you to take advantage of all of the wonderful activities the ASCB provides, from our virtual Hill Day that we’re planning for 2023, to our online webinars and many skills training courses and programs for members. We are excited to be planning Cell Bio 2023 in Boston and look forward to seeing you there. 

Get started with VOD for Cell Bio 2022!