Sometimes the best way to connect people with a message is to gather them together. In other words, put on an event.
In-person
For two years at the Royal Institution, I hosted one or two public events every week. I put on a wide range of science talks with everyone from Roger Penrose and Ed Yong (who went on to win the Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize, respectively) to panel discussions about the apocalypse, salsa dancing, and unconcious bias.
Virtual
The pandemic accelerated the move towards virtual events, which are easier and more cost-effective to organize, as well as to attend. There will always be a place for the magic of in-person interaction, but virtual events can bring a global audience together.
At ScienceUpFirst, To help humanize the experts we worked with, we created a series of Instagram Live events, called CoffeeUpFirst, where people could ask questions and engage with real scientists.
At MalariaGEN, we host monthly Journal clubs with researchers around the world working on Malaria. They discuss their research and answer questions.
Jon Farrow 