Why We’re Virtual: Making the TESL Ontario Annual Conference Work for Everyone

We hear you.

While the majority of TESL Ontario members continue to tell us they value virtual professional development and want the Annual Conference to remain virtual, we also hear from many of you who miss the energy, connection, and community of being together in person.

We understand. We love in-person events, too.

So, why does the TESL Ontario Annual Conference remain virtual?

Quite simply, we believe a virtual conference allows us to provide the greatest benefit to the largest number of our members.

Keeping the Conference Affordable

Over the past several years, federal and provincial funding that once helped educators attend conferences has disappeared. At the same time, the costs associated with conferences have increased significantly.

Venue costs have risen dramatically since the pandemic, and we have continued to explore what an in-person Annual Conference could look like. The challenge is that, based on current costs, an in-person conference would require a registration fee approximately six times as high as our current rate.

Add travel, accommodation, parking and other expenses, and attending an in-person conference can quickly become prohibitive.

Remaining virtual allows us to keep registration fees low – and member registration fees even lower. It also means Program Administrators and Managers can send more staff to the conference rather than having to choose who gets to attend.

Convenience and Accessibility

Virtual means you can participate from almost anywhere.

Many members join us from their workplaces, while others participate from home or from communities across Ontario, Canada and beyond. For members who live farther afield – including our growing number of members living internationally – virtual attendance removes the cost and logistical challenges of travel and accommodation.

And there is another significant advantage: session recordings.

Conference registration includes access to all session recordings for three months after the event. At an in-person conference, you can only attend one session at a time. Virtually, you can attend that session and watch the others later. In other words, you can experience the entire conference virtually.

A Broader Range of Speakers

Virtual programming also opens the door to speakers from across Canada and around the world.

Without the need to cover extensive travel and accommodation costs, we can invite a wider pool of presenters and keynote speakers. That means more perspectives, more expertise and a greater variety of topics for you to explore.

But We Still Want to See You!

Virtual does not mean only virtual.

This year marks the fourth annual TESL Ontario Connect, the in-person component of our Annual Conference. Held after work hours and designed to be affordable and accessible, Connect gives us an opportunity to gather face-to-face for professional development, networking, idea-sharing and celebration.

This year’s event will feature a keynote speaker to open the evening, an engaging panel discussion with three expert panelists, opportunities to reconnect with colleagues and peers, and a chance to celebrate our TESL Ontario Annual Recognition Award recipients.

Virtual, With Connection at the Centre

While we would love to see everyone in person again, virtual delivery allows us to offer something incredibly important: an Annual Conference that more of our members can attend.

It means lower costs, fewer barriers, greater convenience, access to every session, a wider range of speakers and the ability for employers to support more staff.

And through TESL Ontario Connect, we can still gather, connect and celebrate in person.

Ultimately, keeping the conference virtual is not about choosing technology over people. It is about using technology to make professional learning more accessible to our people.

We hope you’ll join us wherever you are for this year’s Annual Conference.

Registration for the 54^th TESL Ontario Annual Conference is available on our website.