Countless conversations with customers, suppliers, partners, stakeholders, … have provided enough inspiration for a blog series about online meetings and events. So you know what to expect in the coming weeks! But first, let’s take a look at the basics of online events and meetings.
In online meetings, participants follow the meeting from behind their computer instead of face-to-face. Thanks to the right software, you don’t have to move to a physical location. You can organize an online meeting with people in the same city or all over the world.
Virtual meetings are easy to hold. All that is required for basic level participants is:
- An internet connection
- Audio (via computer speakers and microphone or telephone)
- Webcam
Advantages
For the organization
- Cost-effective: no renting a location, no catering, no entertainment
- You can bring participants together who would not meet each other physically in other circumstances
- Virtual meeting software is relatively cheap
For the participants
- No travel costs and time
- Low threshold to register / participate.
Cons
- Not every type of event is suitable for this. It mainly works for substantive events where knowledge is transferred
- Technical problems due to poor quality of the camera, internet connection, overload,…
- The possible distractions for the participant are beyond your control as an organizer
- The experience in a virtual meeting is not at all the same as in an offline context.
Tools for the basics of online events and meetings
There are now a lot of webinar tools on the market. The risk of showing a list is that you will always forget part of it. Below is an attempt in which we have taken into account the following criteria:
- Easy to use, preferably for PC, Mac, mobile,…
- Cost efficient
- Easy to integrate with other solutions
We already have good experiences with:
- Zoom
- Kaltura
- WebinarGeek
- GoToMeeting
- Hangouts Meet
- Jitsi
- Join.me
- MS Teams
- Livestorm
- Skype
What pros and cons do you think are missing from the above list? Let us know at hello@halito.com
Three popular types of online events
Are you up to date with the basics of online events and meetings? There are different types of online events: hybrid events, live streams, webinars. They are all online events and they have become an indispensable part of the business event offer. Event managers are increasingly organizing online events. But when do you opt for an online event? What is the added value? And what should you pay attention to? Discover three popular variants here.
