10 Dec Simple and Small Virtual Meetings in 2022: Tips, Ideas & Tools
The emergence of virtual events over the last two years has shown that events no longer need to be bound to a physical space, time zone, or location. Event planners within the UK and globally have adapted their skill sets to ensure that virtual is now a type of event that is going to be at the forefront of the event offering for years to come. Additionally, the emergence of online conference platforms and virtual meeting platforms means that looking forward to 2022, there has never been a better time to be excited about the world of virtual meetings. In this post, we are going to highlight some tips, ideas, and tools which will help even the smallest and most simple virtual event flourish into a memorable experience for all delegates.
Have the right tools at your disposable
We as a virtual event company are more than aware of the difficult decisions required to begin developing a simple virtual meeting. A fundamental decision to be made is the technology used to ensure you communicate your content correctly to the delegates attending your event and that they have a good user experience. We have all spent countless hours on zoom calls so ensuring your event sticks out from an event day call is key to not only the attendance of your event but the engagement also. There are a variety of online conference platforms and virtual meeting platforms all of which offer a variety of tools to help you meet your needs effectively. here at seven events, we have spent the past two years researching the leading virtual event technology software to provide our clients with expert knowledge to ensure that they are set up for success. this has led us to develop our own virtual event platform “hubseven”. this tool for simple virtual meeting success such as live group and 1-21 chat, q&a, live polling, and video meetings. selecting the correct software for the format of your event is critical to the success of your virtual event and we are here to set you up for success. The tool even has the ability to be set up as a webpage that can host all of your zoom/windows teams’ call schedules.
Explain the requirements to delegates in advanced
Another fantastic tip for virtual meetings is to ensure you explain to delegates in advance what is expected and required of them. If hosting a type of event which requires collaboration from a group of people, then it is beneficial to decide and communicate meeting etiquette prior to the event.
Collaboration in the virtual medium can be even more difficult to master than that in person so deciding on a set of easy-to-follow rules will benefit everyone’s group event experience dramatically. Rules can include the following, taking turns to speak and not speaking over another, using the ‘raise hand’ function to make comments, and ensuring the space you’re using is quiet, without distraction and confidential.
Turn the video camera on!
We have all been there – sat in on a virtual meeting call with another person who has opted to leave their camera off. Virtual meetings offer great benefits logically such as travel time and flexibility however something as simple as an event attendee leaving their cameras switched off can provide a huge barrier to communication and collaboration. An easy way to combat this is to adopt a mandatory or advised video on policy. Adopting a policy like this just ensures that hosting an event which you wish to promote beneficial discussion then delegates are not left speaking to blank squares.
Consider the duration of your virtual meeting
Another tip is to consider the duration of your virtual meeting. In our event planner experience, anything surpassing 45 minutes to 1 hour without a break virtual setting can lead to delegates becoming disengaged and losing focus. Tailoring sessions or meetings to a shorter time length ensures that everyone stays focused on the task at hand and makes optimum usage of the allocated time. If your event has multiple sessions that building adequate amounts of refreshment breaks and chances to step away from the screen throughout the agenda will greatly benefit the event experience.