As a data point, I’m an extrovert / neurotypical person who has experienced almost everything you mentioned in this post (and also “conferences hard”).
Most people I know have as well. I think we just don’t talk about it as much publicly, but I’ve had many conversations where people are like “I wish EAG was one week instead of 2 days”.
it’s okay to cancel meetings if you’re feeling overwhelmed. I have done it, people have done it to me and I think it’s great.
you can always reach out to people after the conference to meet virtually. It is nice to meet people in person, but many of my most important connections have been established online.
normalize virtual conferences / boost them to the level of regular conferences: I think virtual conferences are more accessible and inclusive than in person ones.
As a data point, I’m an extrovert / neurotypical person who has experienced almost everything you mentioned in this post (and also “conferences hard”).
Most people I know have as well. I think we just don’t talk about it as much publicly, but I’ve had many conversations where people are like “I wish EAG was one week instead of 2 days”.
it’s okay to cancel meetings if you’re feeling overwhelmed. I have done it, people have done it to me and I think it’s great.
you can always reach out to people after the conference to meet virtually. It is nice to meet people in person, but many of my most important connections have been established online.
normalize virtual conferences / boost them to the level of regular conferences: I think virtual conferences are more accessible and inclusive than in person ones.