Reflecting on The Forum on Education Abroad’s 20th Anniversary Conference
After attending last week’s 20th annual Forum on Education Abroad conference in Boston, the EdOdyssey team returned to the office feeling motivated, excited, and enthusiastic about what’s ahead.
The conference numbers are impressive:
~1,200 attendees (1,300+, including virtual attendees)
31 countries represented (!)
50+ engaging sessions. These were top-notch as always, and we attended about a dozen between us.
50% of conference attendees were newcomers. This is exciting to note as the field continues to rebound from the pandemic, grow, and innovate.
100+ sponsors (including EdOdyssey!) We’re very proud to have been a silver sponsor this year of an organization that has helped formalize our profession and field over the past two decades.
The closing plenary, “Collective Leadership: Innovation to Change the World,” was particularly powerful, including a Barbie-themed panel that reminded us that—as individuals and as organizations—we have the power and the agency to create change. This final session ended with an interactive exercise; after a moment of individual reflection, we formed small groups to envision what the coming year, the next three years, and even 10 years ahead might look like for the field of education abroad. Our team came away feeling inspired and invigorated.
Photo courtesy of The Forum on Education Abroad
Between sessions, we enjoyed networking and engaging with existing and prospective partners at our busy table in the exhibit hall, re-connecting with fellow provider friends and in-bound program coordinators, exchanging ideas, taking part in discussions about everything from study abroad trends to accessibility and sustainability in study abroad, and soaking in the collective wisdom and experience that the Forum on Education Abroad conference always brings to light.
Below, our four EdOdyssey attendees share their individual reflection and takeaways:
As always, Forum was fun, productive, and successful. A big thanks to The Forum on Education Abroad’s President and CEO Melissa Torres and her team who bring this amazing event to life every year.
Missed us?
If we didn’t have a chance to speak at this year’s conference, we’d still love to connect. Please reach out through the contact form on our website or email us at info@edodyssey.com.