Are you planning an important kick-off, product launch or training session? Does your audience contain many people from various locations? Connect different locations and spread your message through broadcasting. Maybe you’ve already followed a broadcast, but how do you successfully host one yourself? In this article we will give you 4 essential tips to host an online meeting.
In the past few months, meetings and events have undergone major changes at a rapid pace. Both business occasions and events have taken a sprint into the online event world. Hybrid events, which were not that popular before, are now common practice. Our Meetings & Events team is happy to help you maintain the impact of live events for your (digital) visitor.
1. Think big
Broadcasting goes beyond, and is different to, a standard meeting or event. A short attention span, tight schedule or fully planned agenda: every second is valuable. Think big and offer the viewers added value in order to keep their attention.
Is it the first time you’re planning a broadcasting? Don’t compare your presentation with a small-scale, live meeting or speech. A lot of variation, short time blocks and stimulating issues are important to keep the attention of your digital viewer.
Surprise your audience
Think outside the box and surprise your online visitors. Keep your audience glued to the screen by grabbing their attention from the start. Skip the classic intro with logo and start with a dilemma or assignment instead. Discuss the answer in a later stage of your presentation to keep the viewer alert.
Light, camera, action!
Make sure your presentation is a real feast for the eyes and is taken care of down to the last detail. Spotlights? Most definitely! View your broadcast as a real production. Make a script and remember to rehearse it beforehand. Make sure that the technique works and that it is accessible to everyone. For some of your viewers it may be the first time to tune into an online presentation. If necessary, provide a manual to ensure that everyone is ready from the start.
2. Choose the right setting
The setting and environment can take broadcasting to the next level. Choose a bright room with large windows over a dark, small meeting room. As mentioned earlier, broadcasting can be seen as a production. Lighting, sound and quality are very important.
Choose a setting that matches your message and take full advantage of it. Will you launch your product with a presentation setting, or will you opt for a more informal living room setting? Create various (sitting) angles in order to retain the viewer’s attention with variation. Think of the visual aspect and don’t forget to include your branding in the decor.
Inntel Hotels has various Meetings & Events locations, each with a unique character. Whether you are looking for a ultramodern location with a view over the Rotterdam skyline, a chic room with international allure or an industrial setting. Our Meetings & Events team is happy to think with you and help you when it comes to setting up a custom made decor.
3. Create interaction
One-way communication is officially a thing of the past. People are eager to participate, voice their opinion and ask questions. When you broadcast a live stream, it is possible to work with social modules within the streaming service. Make time for a Q&A within your presentation and the questions of the online participants via a social screen. Take it a step further and set up an exclusive panel of experts to answer these questions together.
In addition to the well-known Q&A session, also think of asking questions and submitting polls to your viewers. Besides being able to comment on this during the broadcast, this can also be useful data for issues outside the meeting. Together with a chat function, these are means to create interaction during an on-demand broadcast.
4. Check!
Are you ready to host your (first) broadcasting? Start planning early and make a tight schedule so that you can start your broadcasting with complete dedication. Address the (general) public with your message and make sure that they are also first in line for your next presentation. Our Meetings & Events team is happy to provide you with a checklist:
- Determine your message and goals. Do you want to inform, convince or entertain? Do you want the viewer to take a certain action?
- Get some advice. Do you not have the right (technical) materials in-house to set up a broadcast? Inntel Hotels has regular partners to provide an (international) livestream.
- Provide an interactive program with time blocks of no more than 15 minutes per topic or activity. What method of interaction best suits your goals?
- Is there room for entertainment and some fun? Whether it concerns the purpose of your event or a short break in the program, what will you use for entertainment?
- Choose an appropriate setting and decor. Are you looking for an intimate or large industrial setting? Should you be thinking about a theme?
- Bring it to the viewer, literally. Maybe you can surprise your digital guests with something special brought to their home?
- Don’t just think about the meeting itself, but also the time after the meeting has concluded. Interact with your viewers to keep them connected and engaged. Offer them the opportunity to review the broadcasting or to comment on your points.
From brainstorming sessions to crisis communication, broadcasting makes it possible to communicate the right message to the right target group. With the right approach, setting and implementation, it is possible to transfer the impact of a live event to the workplace of your participants. Inntel Hotels has inspiring locations with the technological facilities that make it possible to broadcast (internationally). Our experienced Meetings & Events team is happy to advise and unburden you.