With a dispersed workforce, your all-hands and town hall meetings are as important as ever. They may be the only times some employees see their colleagues’ faces while not putting out fires. While many companies have been holding large virtual meetings with multiple campuses, it is now more common to have individuals attending from varied locations.
Some days your big space may be full of people, while others it serves as a place where presenters take the stage to chat with remote virtual participants. Regardless of how you’re using it, here are ways you can update your larger spaces to hold more effective meetings and events that accommodate on-site and remote attendees.
Inject Energy into All-Hands Meetings
It’s easy to feel the energy in a packed auditorium for your town hall or all-hands meeting, but consider ways to transfer that energy to those who aren’t in the room.
It’s important to hold these events live, so some employees don’t feel like passive viewers. It’s also critical to choose technologies that make these meetings visual, interactive, and engaging. These tools include: high-quality cameras; microphones that boost voice quality for presenters and those asking questions; and web conferencing tools that let participants virtually raise their hands, submit questions, and respond to polls and quizzes.
Most of the time video conferencing software platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams will suffice, but for guaranteed quality at important events and meetings, consider additional hardware solutions to provide first-rate live streaming.
Strategically Add LED Displays
Depending on how much use your auditorium or other large space gets–and what it’s used for–consider adding LED displays. You may want a large presentation display at the front of the room to show various kinds of content, but additional displays can allow attendees in the back of the room to get a better view of the speaker or more easily see content. They can also be used to show the faces of virtual conference attendees.
Some companies are buying LED displays and putting them on mobile flat panel display carts. These solutions are cost-efficient because they can be used in multiple rooms. They also allow flexibility for employees who want to collaborate in other spaces.
Keep It Natural with Cameras
Large meetings can provide important social interactions for employees. Motion-tracking cameras keep the flow of meetings more natural and allow remote participants to feel included and watch presenters as they move around.
It’s important to place cameras where they can capture the audience, as well as one or more cameras at the stage or front of the room. Automatic camera tracking and presentation switchers for your streamed events give remote participants a nearly in-room experience.
Finally–but perhaps most importantly–make sure you have adequate bandwidth and a reliable wifi connection. Nothing ruins the flow of a meeting like losing your audience.
If you’re looking for ways to make your larger spaces more relevant and useful, we can show you which technologies will have the greatest impact. Give us a call or send us a message today.
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