10 virtual events to attend (between those Zoom happy hours) for your career or sanity

Events Roundup is a Technical.ly column where we highlight events happening in the Philly area each month. Got a submission? Email us the details so we can consider it for our next roundup: philly@technical.ly.

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Come spring, we’d usually be rearing up for a collection of nice-weather networking, socializing and professional development events, but folks across the region aren’t letting the stay-at-home order stop our calendars from getting full.

Thanks to the coronavirus, Many events scheduled for this month and throughout May have either been postponed to later this year, canceled or gone virtual. Event organizers figure out how to hold their sessions via apps like Zoom, Google Hangouts or Instagram Live (like us at Technical.ly, as we postpone some IRL Philly Tech Week 2020 presented by Comcast events to September and hold some virtual gatherings next month).

So, open up that Google Cal and add these virtual hangs to your schedule. You know, between all your college friends’ virtual happy hours, Zoom parties and FaceTime dates.

How to build relationships on LinkedIn during quarantine

Ambler-based marketing firm &Marketing is hosting a webinar with Brynne Tillman, CEO of Social Sales Link, on the ins and outs of staying connected virtually despite socially distancing. “The goal is to provide timeless tips that will still be relevant long after this pandemic has ended,” the event page says.

• Monday, April 13
• Noon
• Free

Emerging Technologies for the Enterprise

Chariot Solutions’ annual developers conference, originally scheduled to be held at the Philadelphia Marriott Old City, will now be held online. The general format and most speakers — including Blackfynn Senior VP of Engineering Chris Baglieri and NeuroFlow VP of Product Julia Kastner — remain, but expect a few changes to the schedule, organizers say.

• Tuesday, April 15, through Wednesday, April 15
• $99

Cybersecurity Update: Threats on the Horizon

Greater Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technology (PACT) is hosting this virtual session to talk about how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated security threats and what companies and individuals can do in response. The org will also discuss future cybersecurity concerns as we navigate the rest of 2020.

• Tuesday, April 14
• 8:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
• Free for PACT members, $5 for entrepreneurs and $10 for investors

Coffee and Capital

University City Science Center is hosting this morning talk, powered by Quorum, with cofounder and managing partner at OKM Capital, a venture firm focused on early and mid-stage integrated digital consumer and healthcare solutions, Donna Cordner. She’s also the managing partner for Philly’s angel investment group Robin Hood Ventures. The event page tells attendees to come ready with questions.

• Wednesday, April 15
• 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
• Free

Virtual Billy Penn Quizzo

If you’ve been craving the feeling of hanging out with some friends at a bar, we may have found a solution for you. Billy Penn’s monthly quizzo night, which focuses on region-specific trivia, returns virtually. Registration is free and gets you a 20% discount on your pick-up order from Pistolas Restaurants and the Zoom invite.

• Wednesday, April 15
• 6:30 to 8 p.m.
• Free

Non-Obvious Thinking During A Crisis (And Why It Matters)

This talk, hosted by LIFT Labs, will dive into how to focus during the craziness of a global health pandemic via a conversation with author and “trend curator” Rohit Bhargava. The talk with cover “the latest non-obvious megatrends, how to be more productive working remotely, reasons for optimism and what NOT to do during this time of shifting priorities,” LIFT Labs said of the event.

• Tuesday, April 21
• 11 a.m. to noon
• Free

Remote interview tips from the experts

Tech Elevator, the upskilling company that recently set up shop here in Philly, is hosting virtual professional development sessions every Wednesday. This session, focused on how to find and interview for a job remotely, will be lead by career coach, Kelly Brucker.

• Wednesday, April 22
• 11 a.m. to noon
• Free

So, You Want to Be a Successful UX Practitioner?

This virtual talk is organized by PhillyCHI, the Philly region’s chapter of an interdisciplinary academic and professional group interested in user experience and other related disciplines. Four panelists will talk what success looks like for today’s UX professional.

• Wednesday, April 29
• 6:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
• Free

Deserted Island DevOps 

This Animal Crossing x DevOps conference isn’t tied to any particular city, but it’s operating on East Coast time, and honestly, who cares because everything’s local when we’re all remote. This free, one-day event will feature speakers across a range of DevOps topics … all held in the world of Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch. We’re not kidding. Presenters will need the game, but those who register will be sent a Zoom call login and the day will be streamed on Twitch.

• Thursday, April 30
• All day
• Free

CMS Philly 

The inaugural digital content management event — originally meant to take place on the first day of PTW20 — was created by organizers of past Drupaldelphia events as well as members of the Philly WordPress and BackDrop communities.

• Friday, May 1
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• $30 to $40