Tips for conducting a virtual hybrid AGM

In a corporate world, a lot of events take place every year. These can be Town halls, conferences, trade shows and so on. Baut no event is more significant as AGMs (Annual General Meeting).

An AGM is a meeting that takes place every year. This meeting is joined by organisation directors and shareholders. In this meeting, the company directors present an annual report in which they share information like the performance and strategy. Followed by a voting session where shareholders vote on various issues. These issues could be the appointment of directors, executives, payments of dividend and deciding the auditors.

The AGMs are not only essential for any organisation but, also, it is mandatory to hold at least one AGM every year, according to governments around the world.

Since one can afford to miss such an important event, what could be done in case of lockdown? The answer was going virtual or Hybrid. But what is the difference between a virtual and hybrid event? Let us guide you.

What is a virtual and Hybrid AGM?

A virtual AGM is an AGM meeting occurring on an online virtual platform instead of an in-person meeting. It aims to replicate the experience of the physical event in the digital medium.

Whereas the Hybrid AGM is an in-person AGM meeting organised physically. But this meeting is also available on an online virtual platform for those who are not in the same place. It combines the experience of both the physical and virtual world.

Now that you know the difference between a virtual and hybrid AGM. Let’s look at how you can conduct one by yourself.

Tips for conducting a virtual hybrid AGM

1. Prepare a strategy for the meeting

Let’s begin with creating a plan for organising the AGM. For this, you need to ask questions from yourself. And think about the solutions of them. We are going to discuss some of these questions here.

• What will be the format of the meeting?

Are you going to hold a virtual meeting or a Hybrid meeting? You need to decide this, depending upon your organisation’s needs and the current situation.

• What will be the date and timings of the AGM?

When will the AGM be going to happen? What will be the timing of the meeting? You need to decide these things in advance. It might depend upon the availability of company Directors and Shareholders.

• The procedure of the meeting

Usually, in AGMs, shareholders vote on issues after the presentation on the working of the organisation. You need to decide what will be the procedure. So that while selecting the platform, you will have an idea about the features you will require.

2. Selecting the platform

Since the experience of your participant relies on the performance of the platform. You need to carefully pick the virtual/hybrid event platform. This platform should provide you with solutions and services that will provide your audience with an immersive experience.

There are various virtual/ hybrid platforms out there, but which one is appropriate for your meeting? To answer these questions, we need to look at the characteristics and features these platforms offer.

Some of the general characteristics are a 3-D platform, tools for engagement, features for interaction and solutions for customisations.

Talking about the features, you must consider the essential ones for your meeting. These can be Live Q&A, Polls, surveys, 2-Way interaction, and B2B Meeting Scheduler.

Alternatively, you can hire a virtual events agency or company that holds experience in hosting virtual and hybrid events.

3. Check for security measures

For your virtual hybrid AGM, you need to arrange security measurements. Since the data that will be shared during AGMs can be sensitive or confidential in some cases. You don’t want it to go into the wrong hands. For this, look for the security features that your virtual/hybrid event platform offers. This feature can be end-to-end encryption or password protected login system.

4. Inviting the participants of the meeting

Now that you are done with the necessary arrangements, you need to invite the participants. These participants can be the board of directors, shareholders/stakeholders and other members of the organisation. You need to notify them. And also need to provide them with vital information like date, timing, a span of meeting and a link to your virtual hybrid meeting.

5. Provide tutorial of platform

Do not assume that the participants of your events are familiar with the virtual/hybrid event platform. Or have previously attended a virtual or a hybrid event in the past. So, you need to give them the necessary tutorial about the platform. You can use a video or a set of written instructions. This will prevent total confusion or chaos on the meeting day.

6. Engaging the participants

In a virtual/hybrid event, it is advised to engage with your attendees. Since in a virtual environment, the chances of getting distracted are higher, so use tools and features to engage your attendees.

In the case of virtual/Hybrid AGM, you can engagingly give the presentation. Or you can use other tools for engaging. These can live chats, Q&A, polling and surveys. Also, you can provide one-on-one or group meeting options. This will help the participants to discuss issues among themselves. For this, you can integrate third-party platforms like WhatsApp and Zoom in your event.

7. Keeping a list of participants

You should be ready with a list of participants and a record of attendees. It will help you to answer the questions like Who was invited to the meeting? Who attended and missed the meeting? And for what reason? And so on.

You should keep this list for legal reasons.

8. Rehearsals

It is highly advised to do rehearsals, especially if you are hosting a virtual hybrid event. The benefit of doing practice is you get to know about possible issues that might occur during the meeting. And you will get time to work on these issues, allowing you to fine-tune the experience of your attendees.

9. Technical support and Back-up

If you have heard about Murphy’s law, then you know where I’m going. It states, ‘If anything can go wrong, it will ‘. So, be prepared with technical support or back up. If you or the participants encounter any issues on the event day, you must overcome them.

10. Availability of On-demand

It might be possible that some of the participants might miss the event for some reasons. Or those who are there in the event might require the recording of the event. Or they might require the minutes of the meeting or anything. So it is highly recommended to make your event available on-demand.

We hope this article has answered all your doubts. So, share your thoughts about virtual hybrid AGM with us.