About the virtual environment

Your first look at Digifest 2021

This year Digifest is taking place in an entirely immersive, web-based virtual environment.

We have completely reimagined what an online event can look like and allow you to do, to ensure it is as engaging and exciting as possible.

Take a moment and familiarise yourself with the Digifest expo area

We are creating a space that will allow you to explore, interact and talk to delegates as if you were at a physical event.

Within the space you will be able to navigate to different stages (using your mouse or keyboard) and watch the sessions that interest you, experience a 360 degree musical performance and watch visions from the future based on our learning and teaching reimagined scenarios.

Key places to visit in the expo

Museum from the future

What does the future of education hold for us all? We’ve created a collection of possible scenarios to help us think about what a preferable future might look like. View them in the Museum from the future.

Wellbeing dome

Listen to a selection of podcasts on digital wellbeing in the wellbeing dome.

The gig space

Watch an exclusive 360 film of Jisc’s 2018 Digifest opener that used the Janet Network and LoLa technology to allow the Royal College of Music orchestra play in real time from Birmingham with a three-piece rock band at Edinburgh Napier University.

Jisc x Edufuturist podcast studio

Digifest closes each day with a podcast from the Edufuturists.

Head to the 'podcast studio' at 15:30 each day to hear Steven Hope, head of independent learning at Leeds City College in conversation with industry experts on the theme of the day.

Visit the experts

You can find event sponsor info points located around the 3D environment.

Live sessions

When a session is live, you can watch it either by clicking on it in the schedule or navigating to the stream it is on if you are in the expo area and clicking on the play button.

All sessions will start at the time in the programme - as they are live you will not be able to rewind. Sessions will be available to delegates the next day as on-demand content.

Stay connected and network with peers

In the network tab, you can message and video call other delegates. If someone sends you a message, a circle with the number of messages appears on the messaging button at the bottom right of your screen. Click on the message button to view them.

Need some help?

If you have any issues, you can click on the helpdesk tab and send a message to someone in technical support. If you are in the expo area, you can click on one of the helpdesk robots found on each floor.