Transitioning to Online Events

Moving to remote work has been a big shift for thousands of individuals, and teams have hurried to start collaborating via cloud-based platforms like GlobalMeet Collaboration, which are playing such a vital role in keeping the world productive right now

Maya Middlemiss

But when it comes to communicating on a larger scale, such as keeping a workforce, customer base or investor pool updated regularly on corporate strategy, a different approach is needed. A more professional, one-to-many solution, which raises expectations when it comes to the quality of the AV experience. It makes sense that PGi’s supported solution GlobalMeet Webcast is proving so popular — taking care of the connectivity and user experience, allowing clients to focus on their content and delivery.

[caption id="attachment_28243" align="alignright" width="300"] Stephane Barnatt[/caption]

I spoke to Stephane Barnatt, Head of Webcasting, International (EMEA & APAC) at PGi, about what their customers were looking for right now in their online event platform. “We’ve always had a self-service monthly subscription product,” he explained. “But what we’re uniquely known for is our white glove service. One of the most interesting things I’ve seen lately is people who have gone away to more low entry point tech for doing online events are coming back now. Not just for support but also consultancy.”

This need to outsource the tech and focus on the content reflects a trend towards accountability and transparency he has observed building within organisations for some time, but accelerated by the constraints and anxieties of the COVID-19 health crisis. “Right now the most important thing for business is to have all stakeholders informed and engaged. So the ability to do an all-employee broadcast very quickly is critical, and we can provide immediate support to them.”

Events moving online

Second to that need, former face-to-face events are being moved online. As Barnatt has been running virtual events for over a decade, there has always in the past been a question left hanging as to whether the real-life attraction may be compromised: if we do it online this time, will people ever come to a physical event again?

But circumstances are forcing creative solutions and really highlighting the advantages of an alternative. “There are different things you can do with a virtual event. Say you’re doing a two-day investor conference with 30 different presentations, you could spread that over a month instead,” he explained.

Meaningful conversations underpin integrity

Supported online event management enables immediate and deep communication for organisations — reassuring and responding, like never before. As Barnatt reflects, the decision is “typically we’d do this as an email, or a pre-recorded video, but with the crisis right now we need to be transparent, and err on the side of over-communication.” This includes facilitation of two-way town-halls and similar sessions where leaders can be both visible and accountable to all stakeholders, complete with polling and live Q+As. Barnatt concluded,

“When something big is going on, whether it's the coronavirus, the stock market crashing or a merger, if you’re not controlling the conversation you create a vacuum, and that means people who don’t know what’s going on can fill that vacuum with misinformation”

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