ECCE 2021: Expanding Industry Participation and Connections Organizing a hybrid format for unprecedented growth by Giovanna Oriti T he COVID-19 pandemic has brought a worldwide array of difficulties and disruptions, changing the way people live, work and interact. Gatherings of large groups of people stopped completely in spring of 2020, forcing technical conference organizers to either cancel or move to online meetings. This major disruption has tested peoples' resilience and ability to find alternative ways to Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPEL.2020.3047507 Date of current version: 19 February 2021 64 IEEE POWER ELECTRONICS MAGAZINE z March 2021 accomplish goals, and as a result a plethora of virtual platforms were created and demonstrated to allow people to meet and exchange ideas and technical advancements. For the first time since its creation, IEEE Energy Conversion Congress & Exposition (ECCE 2020) happened in a new, virtual format. And with that novel experience to support our vision, the ECCE 2021 team is organizing the largest international energy conversion conference and exposition in hybrid format where the virtual component will be prepared and tested during most of 2021 in order for it to run smoothly by October. 2329-9207/21©2021IEEE