Virtual Meetings & Events

Ensure that your web conference runs smoothly and seamlessly.

Technically, any meeting between two or more people who communicate in real time online is an e-meeting. It is an electronic meeting even if all they do is talk without seeing each other.

There many platforms available for e-meeting (Skype, Zoom, Webex, Teams, Gotomeetings, Uberconference, etc). All these platforms can facilitate meetings of two or even thousands of participants, and are designed to run in an automated way.

Crowdlink is a trusted partner that can help individuals and organisations of any size to choose and set up the proper communication/collaboration platform. This may involve infrastructure purchases and upgrades, training, and on-going support.

For large meetings Crowdlink can offer bundles that include the web conferencing platform and full IT and event administration. Experienced meeting producer(s) and technician(s) will look after all aspects of your virtual meeting:

  • pre-production (registration, content checks, presenter’s connectivity checks, rehearsals)
  • meeting delivery:  the Meeting Chair, presenters and audience will concentrate on the meeting; Crowdlink’s team will look after the virtual waiting room/lobby, presentation sharing and video playback, the breakout room, technical support for attendees with connectivity issues, recording the meeting, polls, etc.
  • post-event: Crowdlink will provide the attendance report and the recording of the event. Editing can also be done if required.

There are three main categories of web conferencing events: web meetings, webinars and webcasts.

Web Meetings

Meetings are designed to be collaborative events where all the participants are able to screen-share, turn on their video and audio, and see who else is in attendance. The advantages of web meetings are:

    • Time saved. When an organisation decides to conduct a physical meeting, time needs to be spent booking a conference room, planning for the event itself, and then waiting on the inevitable late-comers who will delay the start of the meeting. But online meetings eliminate such time-wasting by offering easy-to-use web conferencing that everyone can access from the comfort of their desk.
    • Recorded meetings. A very helpful feature for absentees and for archiving/note-taking purposes.
    • Overall productivity boosts. For organisations that have work-from-home policies, the availability of online meetings promises significant productivity increases. That’s because those working from home won’t have to drive to the office on meeting days, which means that the time they save driving is time that can go towards boosting enterprise productivity. 

Webinars

The term “webinar” is a portmanteau word formed from web and seminar, meaning a presentation, lecture, or workshop that is transmitted over the web. The typical length of a webinar is 45 to 60 minutes. Webinars offer the following benefits when it comes to communicating with your audience:

    • Interactive, live chat between the host and the attendees as well as between the attendees themselves. This not only allows webinar hosts to engage with their audience and build up a relationship, but also to improve the webinar content, based on the feedback received.
    • sharing what’s on your computer screen and your webcam simultaneously, so your audience can see your face and your presentation.
    • your audience can ask questions and take part in polls, which is another way to keep them engaged throughout the webinar.
    • They can be recorded and subsequently repurposed as digital products such as workshops and training sessions.
    • They can accommodate a large number of participants, since they aren’t limited by physical space

Webcasts

Webcasts are media presentations distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many listeners/viewers simultaneously. They can be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, webcasting is “broadcasting” over the I They can be public or private. There are no guidelines regarding the duration of the broadcast. The benefits of using webcasts include:

    • Easy access to broader, remote audiences
      Unlike an in-person event, a webcast doesn’t require physical attendance. Using a link and a stable Internet/intranet connection, remote participants can watch the event and even take part in it, depending on its purpose and guidelines. This easy practice simple procedure? allows companies to become more accessible and, as a result, reach wider, global audiences.
      Moreover, a webcast is far more versatile than an in-person event. With the right solution, it can deliver live content concurrently to thousands and even tens of thousands of users who are distributed all over the world.
    • More Engaging
      A large part of the appeal of webcasting lies in the  combination of benefits, especially convenience and ease of use, which it offers: a live, on-site event, such as live Q&A and visual presentations, can be combined with a virtual session. This combination can be harnessed to increase engagement rates and improve live and on-demand session viewing. Companies can even track and monitor their engagement rate in real time via analytics, allowing them to determine their key strengths and keep improving their visibility.
      To maximize a stream’s reach, we recommend repurposing it by recording the session and uploading it to a dedicated video platform, where it can be viewed on demand for different purposes. For example, a live company meeting where a new product is introduced to employees can be uploaded to the corporate knowledge base and serve as a video illustration of the product, allowing existing and new employees to explore it in action.
    • More Affordable
      Using a webcast can also be more economical than in-person events, in more than one way. Firstly, when an event is held on-site, everyone who attends misses a day’s work. Depending on their job function, this lost time may be costing you a lot of money. Other typical event-related expenditure includes site-related expenses such as  venue rentals, refreshments, advertising, and marketing materials.
    • High-quality Video Output
      Using today’s advanced streaming solutions, we don’t have to compromise the visual or sound quality of live events for them to be “streamable.” In fact, using the right solutions, even large webcasting audiences can enjoy superb audio and video quality. There are multiple components involved in the broadcasting process, such as the number of streams, video codecs, bandwidth, hardware, and inputs. 

Virtual event Experience and e-Fairs

For long and large-scale events Crowdlink suggest utilizing a virtual event platform – a virtual venue mimicking the experience of an in-person event. These solutions can combine web meetings, webinars, and webcasts, and also offer:

  • Sponsor and branding areas
  • Exhibition areas
  • Attendee networking
  • Concurrent sessions