2026 FAQ

Yes! UC Berkeley is excited to welcome our staff colleagues from all UC campuses, academic health centers and national laboratories to attend this conference. Registration will open on April 1. The deadline to register is June 1, 2026. 

Registration Form (UC Berkeley staff ONLY)

Registration Form (for UC staff outside UC Berkeley)

This year, UC Berkeley People & Culture is again sponsoring 1,200 UC Berkeley staff to attend this career development conference ($119 value) at no additional cost to you. 

Beginning on April 1, UC Berkeley staff can register for the conference via Google Form

UC Staff outside of UC Berkeley can register for the NOW Conference through STOVA

• Early Bird: April 1-30, 2026 ($99)

• General Registration: May 1 - June 1($119)

• Registration / cancellation (for refund) deadline: June 1, 2026

The following accommodations will be provided at the 2026 NOW Conference:

• Closed captioning for all sessions will be available through Zoom

• Presenters’ slide decks will be available on the NOW Conference website prior to the event

• All Zoom recordings will be captioned and uploaded on YouTube post-conference

If you require an additional accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) or information about campus mobility access features in order to fully participate in this event, please contact the NOW Conference Planning Committee at nowconference@berkeley.edu with as much advance notice as possible. Requests must be received by June 1st (7 days in advance of the conference start). 

Check out the Conference Day Schedule, and our lineup of incredible and inspiring Keynote speakers and Session presenters

Guests will be sent a link to our “virtual venue” on June 4 via email and a calendar invitation. NOTE: Please do not share this private link to the Virtual Venue page. This content is intended for registered conference attendees ONLY.

This webpage will include the day’s full schedule and access to all of the Zoom links for each concurrent session, activity break, and keynote session. You can also download each session’s slide deck through the Virtual Venue.

If you need assistance with the virtual venue or accessing any of the sessions, you may email us at nowconference@berkeley.edu. We also recommend Google Chat (at nowconference@berkeley.edu) for the quickest response during the conference day on 6/11/26.

If your plans have changed and you are unable to attend the conference, please see the FAQ information on canceling your registration.

All conference registrations will include the option to participate in any/all Coaching HQ activities. Coaching HQ registration opens on 5/1.

• If you registered for the conference before 5/1, you will receive an email with instructions/links to sign up for Coaching HQ activities on 5/1.
• If you registered on or after 5/1, you can find the instructions and links to take additional registration actions in your confirmation email.

As with all NOW Conference activities, please only request those events that you know you'll be able to attend. Seating is limited, and we want to ensure as many people as possible can attend the Coaching HQ events.

All NOW Conference guests will be invited to register for the additional Coaching HQ activities. Once you sign up for Coaching HQ offerings, you will receive calendar invitations for the specific activities you select.

If your plans change and you are unable to attend a Coaching HQ activity that you registered for, please decline the calendar invitation and notify nowcoachinghq@berkeley.edu as soon as possible.

• UC Berkeley Staff only: If you are unable to attend the conference, please make sure to cancel your registration using your Registration Form - select the "Cancellation" option. Note: Failure to cancel your registration before the conference start and/or not attending the conference without notifying nowconference@berkeley.edu will label your registration as a "No Show, No Notice" and may affect your eligibility to participate in future NOW conferences. 
• UC Scholarship Sponsor attendees: Please contact your campus coordinator ASAP! Scholarship seats are limited and managed at each campus, and it is important that you don't hold a seat that someone else could use and benefit from.
• All other UC Staff: Before June 1, 2026, you can cancel or amend your registration by notifying nowconference@berkeley.edu for a full refund minus the STOVA processing fees included in all general admission tickets. No cancellations will be refunded after June 1, 2026.

Note: If you cancel your conference registration, all Coaching HQ registrations will also be canceled - since Coaching HQ offerings are available to conference attendees only.

If you are attending the main conference and only want to cancel your registered Coaching HQ activities on June 8, 9, 10, and 12 (including webinars, group coaching, or 1:1 coaching appointments), please email to NOWcoachingHQ@berkeley.edu.

No, as long as you have access to a Zoom account through your own credentials, you are able to access the program sessions.

Log in using your own Zoom credentials (workplace account, personal email, etc.). If you do not have a personal Zoom account, please create one

No. Any authenticated Zoom account using your own credentials can access the program sessions.

Advanced registration is required for Coaching HQ Webinars, but not required for concurrent sessions on June 11 - they are first come, first served.

Using the Zoom links provided on the virtual venue will give you direct access to the sessions. If you must dial in, you will need to enter the meeting ID and password found there. 

If you are joining by phone, find your local Zoom call-in details at: https://zoom.us/zoomconference. Please note that you will only have audio access and won't be able to view shared screens.

Zoom captions will be turned on for every session by the session moderator. If you would like to turn off closed captions, you can use the “cc, show/hide captions” tab.

Note: Zoom captions will display words as best understood by the speaker. There might be a slight delay or slight inaccuracy based on speaking speed, rhetoric, or vocal tone.  

All conference registrations will include the option to participate in any/all Coaching HQ activities. Coaching HQ registration opens on 5/1.

• If you registered for the conference before 5/1, you will receive an email with instructions/links to sign up for Coaching HQ activities on 5/1.
• If you registered on or after 5/1, you can find the instructions and links to take additional registration actions in your confirmation email.

As with all NOW Conference activities, please only request those events that you know you'll be able to attend. Seating is limited, and we want to ensure as many people as possible can attend the Coaching HQ events.

Please make sure that you have the most up-to-date version of Zoom. Zoom patches get released every few days and sometimes the app will not run if it has not been updated. You may also try restarting your computer.

You can download the latest version of Zoom from Zoom Download Center. Learn more about Updating Zoom.

While encouraged, you are not required to have a webcam or have your camera on in the Zoom sessions.

On most devices, you can join computer/device audio by clicking Join Audio, Join with Computer Audio, or Audio to access the audio settings. If your computer speakers do not work, you can dial in on a phone, but use the video to see the screen.

You can join a meeting by clicking the meeting link found on the Virtual Venue (shared with attendees on 6/4) or by going to join.zoom.us and entering the meeting ID. Remember to be logged into your own authenticated account.

Echo usually happens when a participant is connected to the meeting audio on multiple devices or when two participants are joining from the same location. Ensure you only have one microphone operating (i.e., laptop, external, or headset, but not all three). Learn about common causes of audio echo

If you cannot hear other participants in a Zoom meeting, follow these steps to troubleshoot the issue.

• Ensure your speaker is turned on. If you see the speaker icon in the top-left corner is turned off, tap it to turn on your speaker.

• Increase the volume on your mobile device using the volume buttons or notification panel. Even if the speaker is turned on in Zoom, your device's volume might be set to mute or vibrate only.

• Try using earphones or a headset with a built-in microphone.

• Restart your mobile device.

• Reinstall Zoom from the Apple App Store and Google Play

If you are currently in a Zoom session, you can message the tech moderator directly in the chat for immediate help. For general assistance with joining a session, please contact us at nowconference@berkeley.edu.