The 17th annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) scheduled to hold from November 28 to December 2, 2022 will be hosted as a hybrid event with the aim of accommodating the participation of stakeholders present on-site or participating virtually online in an equitable manner
The onsite event which will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will have its digital 3D equivalent. Online participants will have the opportunity to enter meeting rooms virtually and connect to the participating platforms, just as onsite participants do.
This hybrid approach also extends to the session organizing teams (organizers, speakers, moderators and rapporteurs) who will participate online or onsite.
The overall objective of the hybrid format is to make participation in the event meaningful and inclusive for all participants. Elements of the hybrid format are currently under careful review by organizers.
The IGF will be hosted on a unique digital platform where meeting discussions will take place in an equal manner for all participants, regardless of whether they connect from the venue or any other part of the world. The interactive forum will also be accessible through a dedicated mobile application.
The IGF Village, made up of dozens of booths to be hosted by different organizations at the venue, will also have 3D booth equivalents, which all participants can visit through the IGF 2022 platform. The materials available at the physical booths will be available at the 3D booths.
The event sessions may have speakers/moderators/rapporteurs participating entirely online or in a mixed setting. Regardless, each session will be allocated a physical room at the venue with a screen projecting the Zoom room, as well as onsite and online support staff for session implementation.
The time zone of the meeting programme will correspond to the host country’s time zone.
Discussions are underway for extending standard hours to accommodate as many time zones as possible. For those challenged by the time zone difference, or who may simply have other commitments, there will be an opportunity to communicate interventions beforehand or after the session. Interventions beforehand can be informed by an individual session’s concept note, which will be made available on the IGF website, while those after a session has taken place will be able to draw on the session report, posted up to 12 hours after the session ends, as well as the transcript and video recording, made available shortly after the session ends.
Whether participants engage in sessions live onsite or online, or asynchronously (perhaps due to time zone difficulties) and watch session recordings, they will be able to register their input with session organizers using session-specific hashtags. All comments can be made on social media – with Twitter the preferred platform for ease of use – and tagged according to the guidelines here.
Bilateral meeting rooms will support online participation. Social events will also be accessible to online participants. Networking sessions will be hosted in a hybrid format. Music night and receptions will be streamed live and facilitate chat and connection spaces.
