How RIKEN CBS Sustained Poster Engagement Across a 5-Day Virtual Program on SpatialChat

Context: Extending Poster Sessions Beyond a Single Day

The RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS) used SpatialChat to host its Summer Program poster session. Unlike traditional one-day virtual events, this was a multi-day academic program designed to support continuous interaction, research discussions, and networking among participants.

The objective was to replicate the experience of an in-person academic conference, where attendees can revisit posters, continue conversations over multiple days, and engage with different researchers at their own pace. SpatialChat provided a persistent virtual environment that remained active throughout the program, allowing participants to return daily and continue discussions seamlessly.

With onboarding support provided before the event, organizers were able to structure the environment effectively, setting up multiple poster areas and ensuring that both presenters and attendees could navigate the space easily. This preparation enabled the event to run smoothly across all five days, maintaining consistent engagement without technical disruption.

The Challenge: Sustaining Engagement Across Multiple Days

While one-day events often struggle with maintaining attention, multi-day virtual programs introduce an additional layer of complexity. Organizers must ensure that participants remain engaged not just within a session, but across several days, without drop-off in interaction or participation.

For RIKEN CBS, the challenge was to:

• Maintain consistent participant engagement across five consecutive days
• Enable ongoing discussions that could continue and evolve over time
• Support multiple parallel poster presentations without overcrowding
• Provide a flexible environment where attendees could explore content at their own pace

The goal was not just to host a successful event, but to sustain meaningful academic interaction throughout the entire program duration.

Implementation: Persistent Multi-Room Poster Environment

RIKEN CBS deployed SpatialChat as a dedicated, always-available poster session environment for the duration of the program. Multiple poster zones were created, each representing different research topics or presenters.

Participants could move freely between these zones, engaging in discussions, asking questions, and revisiting posters over multiple days. The format combined structured presentation slots with open networking periods, allowing for both scheduled interaction and spontaneous conversation.

The onboarding process ensured that organizers and presenters were fully prepared to use the platform effectively. As a result, the environment supported continuous activity, with participants returning daily to engage with new content and reconnect with ongoing discussions.

Results: Sustained Multi-Day Engagement Metrics

Observed engagement across the five-day program indicates strong, continuous interaction:

• Multi-day participation: Attendees returned across multiple days, with consistent daily activity throughout the program
• Parallel discussions: Multiple poster conversations ran simultaneously, enabling distributed interaction across the environment
• Repeat engagement: A significant portion of participants revisited poster areas and continued prior discussions
• Extended interaction time: Average discussion durations ranged between 15 and 25 minutes per poster cluster
• High interaction density: Participants engaged in multiple discussion threads per day, contributing to ongoing academic exchange

These metrics demonstrate that SpatialChat successfully supported sustained engagement over an extended period, enabling participants to interact continuously rather than in isolated sessions. The ability to revisit discussions and maintain continuity added depth to the academic experience.

What the Engagement Demonstrated

RIKEN CBS’s Summer Program illustrates how SpatialChat can support complex, multi-day academic events with high levels of sustained engagement. The platform enabled a persistent virtual environment where discussions could evolve over time, mirroring the experience of in-person conferences.

By allowing participants to return, reconnect, and continue conversations, the event achieved a level of interaction depth that is difficult to replicate in traditional virtual formats. The combination of structured sessions and open networking further enhanced engagement, ensuring that participants remained active throughout the program.

Overall, this case demonstrates that SpatialChat is not limited to single-day events but can effectively power extended academic programs, supporting continuous interaction, multi-threaded discussions, and meaningful research exchange over multiple days.