Filipe B. Teixeira, Hélder Fontes (CTM) and Lídia Vilas Boas (CA-S)

Filipe B. Teixeira, Hélder Fontes (CTM) and Lídia Vilas Boas (CA-S)

“The CTM coordinators would like to nominate as ‘Incredibles’ the team in charge of organising the 2021 Joint EuCNC & 6G Summit , namely Filipe B. Teixeira, Hélder Fontes and Lídia Vilas Boas. Their performance was exceptional, reaching the level of excellence in the organisation of the conference – which, due to the pandemic, took place online, with more than 2000 participants. The dimension, complexity and unique format of the conference led to great challenges, but the team was able to overcome them admirably, contributing to a highly successful event, acknowledged by the European Commission, sponsors and partners. The level of excellence reinforced our international position and brought new opportunities for CTM and INESC TEC. Thank you!” *

– CTM coordinators

Given the current context, what were the main challenges for the team in organising the event?

An event as important and complex as the 2021 Joint EnCNC & 6G Summit brought great challenges to the organisation of the event. First, there was a great uncertainty about the format of the event, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We were forced to make several adjustments and significant changes to the conference’s format – initially moving from a face-to-face event to a hybrid one, and later to a fully online conference, due to the evolution of the pandemic. In addition to the event format, other challenges included creating new networking and virtual exhibition dynamics, managing the different time zones of the participants, synchronising eight rooms simultaneously, and coordinating the entire structure with the vast organisation team, including the team from the University of Oulu.

How did you overcome these challenges?

This event pushed our ability to work as a team to the limit. However, teamwork was the perfect formula to the success of the event – a united team that knew how to work in a solidary and cohesive way, even at a distance. The support from the Oulu team, and from the project’s coordination was also essential. The use of advanced virtual platforms for the organisation of conferences and the logistical support of the PCO were also decisive in overcoming the challenges.

What is the importance of this type of initiative for INESC TEC?

An event this important, with more than 2000 participants from 85 different countries, provided networking and international promotion opportunities for INESC TEC, thus favouring future collaborations. Furthermore, the experience and knowledge acquired in organising international events, especially online events, could be useful for future initiatives.

How do you comment on this nomination?

We’re very proud to accept this nomination, with a great sense of accomplishment, and we’d like to thank the CTM coordinators. Moreover, we would also like to acknowledge the effort of the remaining members of the team: Filipe Ribeiro, Luís Pessoa, Manuel Ricardo, Rui Campos and Renata Rodrigues, as well as the support of Communication Service team. Their collaboration was crucial to the success of the 2021 Joint EuCNC & 6G Summit.

* The researcher Filipe B. Teixeira was selected as the team’s spokesperson.