How the University of California, Irvine Recreated Poster-Style Scientific Exchanges at Scale with SpatialChat

Bringing the Academic Fair Experience Online

The University of California, Irvine, in collaboration with the Biophysical Society, hosted a virtual academic fair designed to replicate the depth and interactivity of in-person scientific events. With approximately 150 participants attending each day, the event brought together researchers, academics, and students from the biophysics community.

The objective was not just to deliver presentations, but to recreate the exploratory nature of academic fairs, where attendees move between topics, engage in discussions, and discover research organically. Traditional webinar formats, while scalable, often limit this kind of interaction, reducing participation to passive listening. To address this, the event was structured as an open, multi-room environment that prioritized movement, discussion, and participant-driven engagement.

A Multi-Zone Setup for Parallel Interaction

The virtual environment was designed in SpatialChat to support multiple zones of activity simultaneously. Instead of a single stage or linear agenda, the space allowed different discussions and interactions to unfold in parallel. Participants could navigate between areas dedicated to specific topics, informal networking, or ongoing conversations. This structure enabled a continuous flow of engagement, where attendees were free to explore the environment based on their interests.

Across both days, the setup remained consistent, allowing participants to build familiarity with the space. Returning attendees could rejoin discussions, reconnect with peers, and continue conversations from previous sessions, creating a sense of continuity within the event.

Poster-Style Exploration Through Movement

A defining aspect of the event was its ability to replicate poster session dynamics. Rather than viewing static presentations, participants moved through the space, encountering different discussion clusters and joining conversations in real time.

These clusters typically consisted of three to six participants, creating an environment conducive to focused academic dialogue. Spatial audio ensured that each group could converse independently, while still being part of a larger, active environment.

Movement played a central role in shaping engagement. Attendees listened in on nearby conversations, joined discussions that aligned with their interests, and transitioned between groups multiple times during a single session. This fluid interaction model allowed for both breadth and depth of engagement, as participants explored a wide range of topics without being confined to a fixed schedule.

Sustained Participation Across Two Days

With 150 participants per day, the event maintained a high level of activity throughout its duration. The environment consistently supported multiple simultaneous conversations, ensuring that engagement was distributed rather than centralized.

Participants interacted across multiple sessions and discussion areas, contributing to a diverse set of conversations over the two-day period. The ability to move freely between groups increased overall participation, as attendees were not limited to a single track or format. This structure also resulted in higher talk-time per participant compared to traditional webinar setups. Instead of waiting for designated Q&A segments, attendees engaged in ongoing dialogue, asking questions, sharing insights, and responding in real time.

The repeated use of the environment across both days reinforced engagement patterns. Participants returned with a clear understanding of how to navigate the space, allowing them to engage more quickly and effectively in subsequent sessions.

From Static Presentations to Dynamic Exchange

Before adopting this format, virtual academic fairs were often constrained by static presentation models. Poster sessions, in particular, proved difficult to translate into online environments, resulting in limited interaction and reduced engagement.

This event demonstrated a clear alternative. By enabling self-directed movement and parallel discussions, the environment transformed the experience from one of passive consumption to active exploration.

Participants were no longer bound by a linear agenda. Instead, they engaged with content and conversations in a way that mirrored real-world academic behavior: browsing, joining, and contributing based on interest and relevance. The absence of rigid breakout structures further enhanced this experience. Rather than being assigned to groups, attendees navigated the space independently, leading to more organic and meaningful interactions.

A Scalable Model for Interactive Academic Events

The University of California, Irvine’s approach highlights how virtual academic events can scale without sacrificing interaction quality. By combining a multi-room setup with movement-driven engagement, the event supported a large number of participants while maintaining small-group discussion dynamics. This balance between scale and interaction was key to its success. The environment remained active and diverse, yet each participant could still engage in focused conversations within smaller clusters.

At its core, the event succeeded in bringing back one of the most valuable aspects of academic conferences: the ability to engage in real-time, topic-driven discussions within a shared environment.

Through spatial interaction, parallel conversations, and participant autonomy, the University of California, Irvine delivered a virtual fair that felt dynamic, exploratory, and deeply interactive. It demonstrated that even at scale, academic exchange can remain conversational, collaborative, and human.