I don't think I'd be able to make my presentation at this particular conference and I was thinking to do a video presentation. Has anyone done anything of the sort?

Hello

I've not done this but hoping it's possible as my employer will not let me take leave during term time to attend conferences. Given the cost of travel I'm sure this will become a viable alternative. Good luck with it.

You may want to re-think this question.

1. When we present papers in conference, we may get new perspectives or feedback on our work.
2. It is good opportunity to attend conference and make new friends or even "find" future job opportunities; or potential examiners...
3. Enjoy the local attractions and food... shopping... relax... new ideas...

video presentation saves time: no more long, exhausting trips for meeting attendees, less advance preparation required to host a meeting.

I agree with MeaninginLife on this one. Presenting at a conference isn't just about you delivering a talk, but interaction from others is vital, and you're not going to get that if you're not there. Usually after a talk there will be a lively question and answer session, when people will ask you often unexpected questions about your work. These are important, and give you new insights, way more than your supervisor can give you. And then there will be the chance to have further chats over coffee and meals afterwards.

I would never recommend signing up to give a talk at a conference unless you plan to be there. Don't pull out of giving a talk - it looks thoroughly unprofessional - unless you absolutely have to, and don't look at giving a talk remotely via video link.

If costs are an issue there should be various avenues you can try to get sponsorship. Exhaust these. But sometimes you have to pay yourself. I had to pay part of the costs towards attending a conference in North America (I'm in Scotland), but it was worth it, for the contacts I made, and the other stimulating talks I attended. Oh I forgot to mention that last bit: a conference isn't just about your talk, it's about hearing other ones too.

So go!

I couldn't agree more with this last statement. Giving a talk by video makes it look like you couldn't be bothered to sit through everyone else's talks but you think yours is so important that everyone must hear it! (not saying that's what you think, just that's how it may come across).

In addition, I doubt many conferences would actually allow this to be done, due to the complications involved in setting up the necessary equipment to allow your video to be seen/heard by all attendees. And how would they see your slides? Many conferences I have attended simply don't have the technology to make this work well enough, and I'm not sure they would allow it from a student. I can imagine they would only allow someone of high importance to do this sort of thing! It also removes the opportunity for people to ask you any questions, which is the whole point of attending.

Video presentation was allowed in some Japan conferences.
Perhaps there were worries about earthquake, tsunami, radiation...
Moreover, accommodations and food may be more expensive.

Yes. BilboBaggins is absolutely right that some professors may provide better or more feedback than your supervisor!

Something came to my mind just now; assume that a candidate has 8 conference proceedings and she only presented 1 or 2 of them; the rest were presented by the co-author(s) or not presented at all; would this look bad to the candidate?

tt_dan - it wouldn't count as a conference proceeding if no one actually went to present it.
If that was the case people would drop out all the time. If you are the lead author on the piece of work it is a good idea to try and go and present your work- you will learn a lot from the process and conferences are always (I think) really good fun and extremely valuable. If you can't go, then yes send one of the other authors - then you can all list the proceeding on your CV etc. You can still be the lead author on the proceeding (if it is mainly your work of course), but have another person on the research team present it - as long as they also do work on the project, and are able to competently deliver the same presentation and answer related questions.

p.s. there are some conferences that are entirely online (though less common) - and so if you are experiencing difficulties with gaining funding or just finding the time to travel to a conference, this may be an option for you - but I would suspect it is not as fun as going to a real conference! I had a great time at one last week..and you know I learnt as much from the 'informal' conversations I had with delegates at breakfast or dinner than during the actual formal presentations.

To be honest, the replies made me really sad :' (

A few of my papers have been accepted but I can't go due to limited funding :' ( My supervisor said he has the grant ,but suddenly after a few weeks or months after the paper(s) was accepted, he said that the grant can't be used for the conferences or the place is just too far away (i.e. too expensive).
In my view, he should have told me earlier if his grant can't afford paying for the conferences since I've sent the paper to him months in advance...

I wanted to borrow money from some of my friends but I'm terrified of getting into debt and not being able to pay them.

I understand what you all are saying about networking and all (and that was the plan actually; to send the paper so that I can get more ideas) but due to my circumstances, I couldn't present the paper :' (

Aw sorry that wasn't the intention - it is a real shame when funding is cut or removed.
do you have a scholarship or departmental funding for your PhD? for mine, I had an allowance of £750 a year over the 3 years to use for things like conference attendance and registration + other research consumable e.g. printing test materials. Do you have such a budget for yours ? if not, then contact your university graduate school to advice on applying for funds you can use for conference attendance. Another option is to the email the conference organisers directly, explain your situation and see if you can get a discount or support towards your attendance. I had a situation where I had an abstract accepted in February but I just didn't have the research funds to go which was a real shame so I know how you feel! Perhaps next time, focus on applying for conferences that are close to you so you can start to present your work.

Some postgraduates attended the conference free by doing "volunteering work'.
For accommodation, go for the cheapest, say one or two nights which should not cost much.

There should be department fund etc for postgraduates in attending conferences.
Last resort, borrow money from your supervisor for air ticket...

There are also charitable organisations who will provide small grants to researchers (both postgraduate and post-doc) for things like attending conferences. You need to try all of these possible sources. Your university (not your supervisor) should be able to give you pointers towards likely sources. And, normally, a department would be able to help a bit.

And I'm afraid that I agree that a paper is not part of conference proceedings unless it was presented. Sorry.

A few more possible tips...
For air ticket, you may sign up for email alerts about low-fare deals.
The airfare fluctuates with time. You should find out the period when it is likely the lowest.

For cost of conference, it could be offset by cash award.
I've won an award during a conference... It was even more than the registration cost.
But i revised the paper many times. This could be a stressful method.