Hindsight Conference 2020 FAQ

Conference Registration Questions

I did not register for the conference by 11/6, is there any way to get into the conference?
Unfortunately registration is closed and we are not able to admit anyone else into the conference. We hope you can join us next year, and make sure to register early. We sell out every year and have over 1,060 people registered this year.

I think I registered/someone registered me for the conference but I never received confirmation from Eventbrite, how do I know if I’m registered? 
Whoever purchased the tickets on Eventbrite should have received a confirmation email. Please make sure you check your spam folder. If you did not receive a confirmation, you can email us at Hindsightconference@gmail.com and we can check in Eventbrite to make sure you are registered.

If I registered for the conference, will I automatically be able to login to the Virtual Conference Platform (Hopin) on the day of the conference? 
We will be sending you a link to login to the Hopin’ virtual event platform 24 hours prior to the start of the conference, so you can create your Hopin’ profile and upload your photo and bio. We can only create logins for registrants that provided us with their unique email address, so please be sure you check the email that you used to register. If someone else registered for you, they should have entered your email address on Eventbrite. If you are unsure, please first check with the person who registered you to be sure they included the correct email address. If you registered yourself, whatever email the confirmation came to will be the one that receives the login information. Please email us at Hindsightconference@gmail.com if you have any questions.

I would like to attend the Walking Tour on November 12th, how do I register? 
Please look out for an email with details about the conference and a link to register for the walking tour. In order to ensure safe social distancing, this walking tour will be capped at 10 people. The registration is first come first serve via this link. Once you register, you will be sent a confirmation email with the exact meeting location and contact information of a DivComm member.

I would like to attend the Trans & Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) Happy Hour on November 12th, how do I register?
Please look out for an email with details about the conference and a link to register for the TGNC Happy Hour. You can register up to November 12. Please use this link to register for the TGNC Happy Hour. 

How do I register for the Healing and Safe Space Session on November 12th and the Dance Party and Happy Hour on November 13th?
These two post-conference sessions are open to all participants over Zoom. The links are available in the program and will also be provided during conference closing remarks. We hope to see you there!

I never received a SWAG Bag for the conference, will this still be mailed to me?
We have mailed SWAG Bags to the first 1,000 attendees who provided a readable mailing address upon registering. The final batch will be sent on November 9 to those who updated their mailing address after registering or who registered up to November 6. These SWAG Bags may arrive after the conference due to the later mailing date, but we hope you will still enjoy the SWAG.

Virtual Platform Questions

What virtual platform will the conference be using and how does it work?
The Hindsight conference will be held on the Hopin’ platform. You'll receive an email with the Hopin URL to access the platform 24 hrs before the start of the event. During this time, we recommend testing your tech set-up and logging into your Hopin profile by adding your first and last name, pronoun after your last time, a headshot, and bio. We also recommend browsing through the platform to see how it works so you are familiar with it on the day-of. You may find this demo video prepared by the Hopin' team helpful.

What accommodations are you providing at the conference for people with disabilities?
Each of the main sessions, the keynote, and the opening/closing remarks, as well as break out sessions will all have closed captioning in English. The opening remarks and keynote will have live ASL. We ask participants to let us know in registration any request for reasonable accomodations at least two weeks in advance of the conference, and we will do our best to accommodate. 

How can I make sure I have the best experience with the Hopin’ platform and avoid technical difficulties?
There are several things you can do to ensure you have the best experience:

• In general, using a laptop or desktop will be much more successful than a tablet or phone (Hopin' does not always allow you to share your audio/video while using your phone). To test your internet connection, you can do a speedtest.net test. ("Upload" speed is the most important measure).

• Use Chrome or Firefox as your browser. Please avoid Brave, Safari, and Microsoft IE or Edge for now.

• Please use earbuds with a microphone, or a headset with a microphone — so we can get better audio. Hopin's audio is quite sensitive, so we recommend turning your audio "off" (you'll recognize the little microphone button at the bottom of the screen) when not actively contributing. We also recommend trying to find a quiet room or space for the event.

• When you receive an email with the Hopin URL to access the platform 24 hrs before the start of the event, please test your tech set-up. Log into your Hopin profile by adding your first and last name, pronoun after your last time, a headshot, and bio. You may find this demo video prepared by the Hopin' team helpful.

I am having technical difficulties with Hopin’ - who can I contact?
If you have technical questions during the event, you are encouraged to send a direct message to one of the team members of Crux, the production team managing Hindsight 2020 (look for “Crux” in front of the person’s name–their public chat messages will also be highlighted and tagged as a “Organizer”); or, you can dial this number to reach a Crux team member: (505) 226-2990.

Will the conference be recorded? The Keynote Fireside Chat is being recorded and will be posted after the conference. Sessions are being recorded, but we may not be able to share all recordings due to hosting capacity. Please look out for an email after the conference with more information.

Hindsight Conference Background

What is the Hindsight Conference?
Started in 2017, Hindsight is an annual conference on urban planning through an equity lens, organized by the Diversity Committee (DivComm) of the American Planning Association New York Metro Chapter. Each year, Hindsight honors a significant urban planning and equity-related milestone to not only shed light on the discriminatory history of planning and its role in shaping today’s inequitable places, but also to highlight planning as a means of achieving more inclusive, just, and equitable communities. Hindsight 2020 will be the fourth annual conference. Read more about the Hindsight Conference themes here or check out the tabs from previous years available in the menu bar.

How did the Hindsight Conference start?
A group of planners of color in New York City were tired of attending dry and expensive urban planning conferences. Speakers, participants, and panel topics were majority White; there was limited to no mention of race, immigration, criminal justice, and other issues affecting historically marginalized groups; and social equity was treated as a niche topic within planning, rather than its core. Yes, cities are cool; but because of our dirty history of planning–from restrictive covenants, to racial zoning, sundown towns, redlining, urban renewal, and gentrification–the actions of today’s planners are never neutral: they are either perpetuating or undoing racial inequity. But the message that mainstream planning conferences sent was that equity was only a “soft” planning topic, and that the profession did not value the lived experiences brought by people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ planners, planners with disabilities, or low income residents. Growing increasingly frustrated, members of the Diversity Committee of the American Planning Association New York Metro Chapter, or DivComm, started brainstorming what their “dream urban planning conference” would look like. We envisioned an affordable, accessible, and inclusive conference where all of the sessions focused on issues and solutions for and by historically marginalized communities; the speakers were majority black and brown and represented various intersections of identity; and conference food and paraphernalia were made by local Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs). Out of this ambitious dream and relentless passion and dedication, was born “Hindsight” : an all-day conference on urban planning through an equity lens. Read more about Hindsight’s history in this article in Multiple Cities Magazine.

Who is DivComm?
“DivComm” is the American Planning Association New York Metro Chapter’s Diversity Committee–a coalition of multi-racial, multi-gendered, and multi-generational professionals in the planning and related fields that are working together towards a vision of more just and equitable communities. DivComm’s mission is to increase diversity and cultural competency within the planning profession and provide a resource for planners of different backgrounds in the NY Metro Area to build meaningful connections and share ideas. Read more about DivComm, its activities, and how it started in this article on the American Planning Association Blog. Reach out to diversity@nyplanning.org to join the family!